Ativan taper while taking Wellbutrin. Help!

[[Aw...]]

Greetings,

 

First of all I am so thankful for this group! I feel like this next year is going to be difficult getting off of Ativan and support will be a huge help. I look forward to connecting on this journey.

 

I have been on Ativan 2mg at bedtime for almost 9 years for a neck injury.  I've been on Wellbutrin XL 150mg and Zoloft 25mg for about 1 year (Anxiety/Depression).  I am going to begin tapering off of Ativan starting in March and my question is...should I consider tapering off of Wellbutrin before I start my Ativan taper? Or can I do that together? Or should I stay on Wellbutrin and Zoloft until I finish my Ativan taper?  I have read so many things about it that I am confusing myself on what is best to do. And I especially don't want a greater risk for seizures.

 

Any help would be appreciated!

 

Cheers 

[[Ra...]]

Greetings,

 

First of all I am so thankful for this group! I feel like this next year is going to be difficult getting off of Ativan and support will be a huge help. I look forward to connecting on this journey.

 

I have been on Ativan 2mg at bedtime for almost 9 years for a neck injury.  I've been on Wellbutrin XL 150mg and Zoloft 25mg for about 1 year (Anxiety/Depression).  I am going to begin tapering off of Ativan starting in March and my question is...should I consider tapering off of Wellbutrin before I start my Ativan taper? Or can I do that together? Or should I stay on Wellbutrin and Zoloft until I finish my Ativan taper?  I have read so many things about it that I am confusing myself on what is best to do. And I especially don't want a greater risk for seizures.

 

Any help would be appreciated!

 

Cheers 

 

Why do you need to be off all of the medications? Is it a desire to try life without meds?

If so, I hope you are successful. It's a good goal.

But I think that as a general rule- stick to one at a time. The Ativan is the most likely to give you a symptomatic withdrawal so it might be best to start there.

If you go slow and taper with a solid plan you will be fine. Don't worry about seizures if you are tapering slowly. It's very unlikely.

[[Aw...]]

Hey RadDad,

 

I guess I really didn't expand on why I want off of the medications. Basically I started feeling increasingly anxious, probably the last 2 years have been the worst in that aspect. I assumed it was because of long term benzo use, and now I see that it's true. Also depression hit me pretty bad after my anxiety pretty much kept me caged in my house. Social anxiety was leading me into and long dark tunnel leading to deep depression, hence the Zoloft and Wellbutrin. It shocked me that I was so dependent on Ativan that I couldn't even afford to miss a dose or two while waiting for a script to be filled. And the withdrawal was scary, so scary I decided that I needed off of this med asap. So I came here for help in looking for tapering plans and support. Then I was reading that taking Wellbutrin during an Ativan taper can really increase your chances for a seizure and over the top anxiety, which I know is already an issue when tapering. I'm not prone to seizures but still thought it might slow down my progress in healing since it is a GABA antagonist. I tried coming off of Wellbutrin about 6 months ago and had some very ugly withdrawal symptoms as well. So I wasn't sure if I should come off of Ativan first or Wellbutrin. The Zoloft will stay for now.  Or just start with the Ativan and wait and see how I feel. I just don't want to make the withdrawal worse by staying on the Wellbutrin.  Hope that clears it up. Thanks RadDad for the response and encouragement! 

All the best to you! 

[[Ra...]]

Hey RadDad,

 

I guess I really didn't expand on why I want off of the medications. Basically I started feeling increasingly anxious, probably the last 2 years have been the worst in that aspect. I assumed it was because of long term benzo use, and now I see that it's true. Also depression hit me pretty bad after my anxiety pretty much kept me caged in my house. Social anxiety was leading me into and long dark tunnel leading to deep depression, hence the Zoloft and Wellbutrin. It shocked me that I was so dependent on Ativan that I couldn't even afford to miss a dose or two while waiting for a script to be filled. And the withdrawal was scary, so scary I decided that I needed off of this med asap. So I came here for help in looking for tapering plans and support. Then I was reading that taking Wellbutrin during an Ativan taper can really increase your chances for a seizure and over the top anxiety, which I know is already an issue when tapering. I'm not prone to seizures but still thought it might slow down my progress in healing since it is a GABA antagonist. I tried coming off of Wellbutrin about 6 months ago and had some very ugly withdrawal symptoms as well. So I wasn't sure if I should come off of Ativan first or Wellbutrin. The Zoloft will stay for now.  Or just start with the Ativan and wait and see how I feel. I just don't want to make the withdrawal worse by staying on the Wellbutrin.  Hope that clears it up. Thanks RadDad for the response and encouragement! 

All the best to you! 

 

We have all been there🙂 The medications that were supposed to help end up causing more problems. These quick acting benzos seem to be particularly bad about quick tolerance.

I haven't heard that about Wellbutrin, maybe somebody else will see this and share if they know anything.

You might want to try the Wellbutrin first since it also gave you some significant withdrawal symptoms. My thinking was that the Ativan is likely to be the most symptomatic and the SSRI / anti depressants would help. It may not be any difference at this point.

In either case just know that the symptoms are temporary.  Go in with a plan and get all the support you need. We are here- and there is a lifetime of experience among the members here.

 

 

[[La...]]

I am in your same exact boat! I also am on 150 mg Wellbutrin XL and 1 mg (at night) Ativan. I have come to the conclusion that both give me rebound anxiety and I want to get off both. I also am in process of choosing which one to try to get off of first. I was actually leaning towards Wellbutrin since I think if I get off it, it may help with the heart palpitations. My current thought is to maybe taper down to .5 mg Ativan first, and then discontinue Wellbutrin, then finish my taper plan for Ativan.