Lorazepam

[[St...]]

I reached Lorazepam tolerance at least 2 years ago without recognizing the symptoms.  I was on .5 3x a day for about 2.5 years.  .5 x 2 for 1 year before that.  .5 x 1 for 1 year before that.  Always taken as prescribed.  I have tapered to .75 from 1.5 over the past 6 months after reading this forum and other sources.  Holding at .75 since September.  Unfortunately also have paroxetine 60 mg since 2008.  I tapered from 60 to 40 from March to August.  The symptoms of withdrawal have been painful, primarily mental-emotional-social.  I am seeking community support and a source for learning coping skills, especially in regards to how to handle the lorazepam and paroxetine taper.

[Guest [Le...]]

Hello, StarGrass - welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

This is a drug combo that’s near and dear to my heart - I withdrew from Ativan and Paxil myself, and I can tell you, jumping from Ativan (lorazepam) was a huge relief. From my own experience, I’d say leave the Paxil where it is for now and finish the lorazepam taper first. I stopped the Paxil first, and then when I went to taper Ativan, the insomnia clobbered me, since the Paxil has a (protective) sedating effect - I just didn’t know better.

 

That’s something that will be good to discuss with the wider BB membership, though - you’ve definitely come to the right place to finish your taper. 

 

I'm so glad you decided to join the forum - you'll find plenty of information and support here. Our members have gone through all aspects of benzodiazepine use and withdrawal, so you'll be able to connect with others who understand what you're going through.

 

Here are a few links to boards that may be a good starting place for you:

 

  General Taper Plans

  Withdrawal Support

  Other Medications

 

Please take a moment to Create a Signature. This will allow members to see where you are in the process, so that they can better support you.

 

Looking forward to seeing you on the forum!

Leslie 

 

 

The Ashton Manual is an authoritative resource on what to expect during withdrawal and recovery. It provides information that can be very reassuring during any stage of this process, including a list of common symptoms with helpful explanations.

 

For those who are currently tapering, a starting guideline is that the dosage not be reduced faster than by 5-10% every 10-14 days, although some taper even more slowly than that. One exception: very short-term users of a few weeks or less may be able to taper somewhat faster

 

[[Lo...]]

For me, it was Prozac + Ativan + coffee. I fast tapered Prozac after being on it for 16 years (mistake!), which threw me into an SSRI withdrawal, which also significantly worsened my depression, made me rely on more coffee and made the ativan misery even more pronounced, although it was a low 0.5mg dose, taken a few times weekly.

 

Looking back, I wish I reduced/quit the coffee intake first, left Prozac where it was, split the ativan dose to 2x (0.25mg, 0.25mg) dosing instead of 0.5mg in the AM and took it daily as 0.25mg, 0.25mg, instead of skipping days, and slowly got off the ativan that way.

[[St...]]

Hello Leslie,

 

Thank you for the warm welcome note.  It's encouraging to hear from someone who experienced the same drug combo as me.

 

I've been stuck in pretty acute states of discomfort during and after the dual taper I began in March 2017 and that is why I decided to hold both by the end of August, early September.  I'm afraid that I might have (a) gone too quickly and (b) unwisely done both at the same time thus © throwing myself into a mad state with no hope of return.  I hope this is withdrawal madness speaking

 

Where is the best place on the board for more insights into holding Paxil and continuing Ativan taper or, more basic, if I should be re-instating anything to see if I can regain some psyc-emotional balance before any taper?

 

I feel just a little bit less alone here at BB, thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

Hello, StarGrass - welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

This is a drug combo that’s near and dear to my heart - I withdrew from Ativan and Paxil myself, and I can tell you, jumping from Ativan (lorazepam) was a huge relief. From my own experience, I’d say leave the Paxil where it is for now and finish the lorazepam taper first. I stopped the Paxil first, and then when I went to taper Ativan, the insomnia clobbered me, since the Paxil has a (protective) sedating effect - I just didn’t know better.

 

That’s something that will be good to discuss with the wider BB membership, though - you’ve definitely come to the right place to finish your taper. 

 

I'm so glad you decided to join the forum - you'll find plenty of information and support here. Our members have gone through all aspects of benzodiazepine use and withdrawal, so you'll be able to connect with others who understand what you're going through.

 

Here are a few links to boards that may be a good starting place for you:

 

  General Taper Plans

  Withdrawal Support

  Other Medications

 

Please take a moment to Create a Signature. This will allow members to see where you are in the process, so that they can better support you.

 

Looking forward to seeing you on the forum!

Leslie 

 

 

The Ashton Manual is an authoritative resource on what to expect during withdrawal and recovery. It provides information that can be very reassuring during any stage of this process, including a list of common symptoms with helpful explanations.

 

For those who are currently tapering, a starting guideline is that the dosage not be reduced faster than by 5-10% every 10-14 days, although some taper even more slowly than that. One exception: very short-term users of a few weeks or less may be able to taper somewhat faster

[[St...]]

For me, it was Prozac + Ativan + coffee. I fast tapered Prozac after being on it for 16 years (mistake!), which threw me into an SSRI withdrawal, which also significantly worsened my depression, made me rely on more coffee and made the ativan misery even more pronounced, although it was a low 0.5mg dose, taken a few times weekly.

 

Looking back, I wish I reduced/quit the coffee intake first, left Prozac where it was, split the ativan dose to 2x (0.25mg, 0.25mg) dosing instead of 0.5mg in the AM and took it daily as 0.25mg, 0.25mg, instead of skipping days, and slowly got off the ativan that way.

 

Hi there.  The coffee piece is definitely Big.  During phase 1 of my taper this past summer my hypersensitivity to coffee became VERY obvious, and I was a big coffee drinker.  I cut back a lot to where 90% of the time I just have 1 iced coffee in the a.m.  Sometimes even decaf iced - must be placebo, because it works for me.  I have paid dearly on days when I have been in windows or feeling especially anhedonic/depressed and had another BIG one in the afternoon - thinking "what the h***".  At least I know the cause and effect, but it's playing with fire - "paying dearly" can mean throwing myself into a wicked wave for 1 or more days - not bright.  I've cut refined sugar out totally except maybe 2 or 3 times a week I will have a very small junk food donut - usually under the same cloud that leads me to have an extra coffee in the afternoon. 

 

My Ativan doses are 3 times a day - same as prescribed by the original Pdoc (who is now out of the picture) - 1/4 mg morning, 1/4 mg noon and 1/2 mg night.  I want out so badly.

 

I have no idea if the symptoms I've been experiencing through the taper and through this 2 months hold are W/D or old anxiety/depression/trauma things just surfacing in a highly magnified fashion because of W/D .... either way, need help figuring out whether to continue hold, re-instate, or proceed with Ativan taper. 

 

Thanks for jumping in and sharing your experience with me!

 

 

 

[[St...]]

Hello, StarGrass - welcome to BenzoBuddies!

 

This is a drug combo that’s near and dear to my heart - I withdrew from Ativan and Paxil myself, and I can tell you, jumping from Ativan (lorazepam) was a huge relief. From my own experience, I’d say leave the Paxil where it is for now and finish the lorazepam taper first. I stopped the Paxil first, and then when I went to taper Ativan, the insomnia clobbered me, since the Paxil has a (protective) sedating effect - I just didn’t know better.

 

That’s something that will be good to discuss with the wider BB membership, though - you’ve definitely come to the right place to finish your taper. 

 

I'm so glad you decided to join the forum - you'll find plenty of information and support here. Our members have gone through all aspects of benzodiazepine use and withdrawal, so you'll be able to connect with others who understand what you're going through.

 

Here are a few links to boards that may be a good starting place for you:

 

  General Taper Plans

  Withdrawal Support

  Other Medications

 

Please take a moment to Create a Signature. This will allow members to see where you are in the process, so that they can better support you.

 

Looking forward to seeing you on the forum!

Leslie 

 

 

The Ashton Manual is an authoritative resource on what to expect during withdrawal and recovery. It provides information that can be very reassuring during any stage of this process, including a list of common symptoms with helpful explanations.

 

For those who are currently tapering, a starting guideline is that the dosage not be reduced faster than by 5-10% every 10-14 days, although some taper even more slowly than that. One exception: very short-term users of a few weeks or less may be able to taper somewhat faster

 

Hi Leslie ~

 

Checking in - still holding at previous Ativan dose of .25 (am) .25 (pm) .05 (eve).  The weight loss has gotten a bit extreme. I've experimented with different food-shopping-/preparation "systems" to make eating properly as easy as possible, but I go through spurts with troughs in between and ... Since February I've gone from a size 8 to a size 6 (minus).  I don't have a scale and am afraid to find one.

 

I was wondering if others struggling with this aspect of Benzo WD have come up with good ways to stop the poor eating habits and gain weight back.  I know, part of me knows the answer: just eat more.  Sheesh.

 

Edit: Fixed quotes

[Guest [Le...]]

I lost a tremendous amount of weight in the first year – sank to 20 lbs below the normal weight I had when I began having my kids. It was unreal, and unattractive for sure. I looked five minutes away from being a skeleton.

 

Now I’ve gained it all back, and then some – I have no idea why, since I had maintained a healthy weight for many years, at least until I got sick from benzos. At least now I can sleep again, and that’s ultimately going to help promote better habits all around.

 

I’ve found that eating smaller portions throughout the day is working the best. It prevents benzo-bloat and gives me a chance to stay more aware of what’s actually going into my stomach, and only eat when I’m hungry. It works for gaining weight too, since more meals can also allow you to eat more, but without feeling stuffed.

 

Glad you're surviving this – just listen to what your body tells you, and you’ll get there.

[[ph...]]

If you're still drinking decafe coffee look into 'bulletproof' coffee, where you add fat to a hot cup of coffee. It's used to get slow digesting calories without the bulk of food.

 

Traditionally adding butter but coconut oil will also work and may taste better.

 

Butter is ~100 calories per tablespoon, or 800 or so for a stick while Coconut oil is 117 per tablespoon (roughly 14g or so) - adding a few tablespoons of either is a good 2-300 calories added to your diet without adding much bulk.