HELP PLEASE!!

[[Ca...]]

I am coming off of ATIVAN (been on it 10 years).  I have been only tapering for 6 weeks, from 3 mg to 2.75.  ( an 8 % cut).  PLEASE help.  why is it getting worse as i go instead of me getting used to this dose, afterall, i have been on it for 6 weeks?  what am i doingwrong?    Am i holding it too long?  oh, could somebody help me. I have no relief at all and my brain is fried and my body is tired. no sleep.  Why am  i not stabalizing on this dose of 2.75 at 6weeks.  in fact seems worse. please answer, kindly.

[[te...]]

Dear Cathymp,

I m sorry you are not feeling well. It is a tough road off Ativan . I have been tapering for a year now and it has been difficult to say the least.

Maybe you cut too much too fast. I go very slowly very slowly it was the only way to get relief, I still have periods were i dont sleep at all all night. I also started a liquid taper which has been alot easier. How are you tapering? Also you could look under support groups there is an ativan support group just for people tapering off ativan.

Lisa

[[Jo...]]

Hi CathyMP. I am very sorry you are not feeling well. I am not sure how you are tapering but it sounds like you may have made an 8% cut in one day and have been holding for 6 weeks to stabilize before making your next cut. If so, that may explain it. I found I had to go to a daily microtaper to function in my taper. There is lots of info at B.B. on that method if you hunt around.

 

I found Jim Hawk of B.B. Application invaluable. It explains everything. You can find it at:

Www.benzo.alwaysdata.net

 

Hope this helps you!

[[Ca...]]

Lisa,  what kind of liquid taper do you do???  water or what?  do you get your liquid taper from the pharmacist?  please

 

[[Ca...]]

where is the Ativan support group, please???????///

[[An...]]

I do not think you are doing anything wrong. These drugs are horrible when you are trying to come off them after many years and decades of chronic use. 

[[Ca...]]

Yes, John 123....that is exactly the way i did it.    from 3 mg to 2.75 all on one day 6 weeks ago.

[[Jo...]]

CathyMP. That likely explains it then. Don’t panic. This is a learning process at first. Please go to that website and hit “Read Me First” and study what Jim Hawk is doing. You then put in your info and make your choices and it produces in seconds a daily microtaper plan. You can then print it out and follow it. I chose a 5% cut over every two weeks and the Attenuated Phase. When I tried 10% over two weeks I got ill.  I am doing the direct dry cut. People have succeeded both that way and via a liquid taper.

 

Take a deep breath and calmly study that info. I believe you will fair much better that way.

[[Ca...]]

Jim, what is that website address, please??? i can't find it??  and do you know why my brain still feels damamged and fogged and brain cog. please, the website address, sir.  i am not good at directions right now.  so, i hope i understand what he's saying.  i can' t  focus on stuff too well.

[[Ca...]]

so, Jim is a .25 (8%) cut too much for ativan?

[[Ca...]]

aw, heck, Jim, i can't figure that blasted website out.  just as i thought, my benzo brain can't understand it.   i have brain damage.  i hope goes away.

[[te...]]

Yes I make my solution . You can not use water with Ativan .

If you go to daily micro taper and ask builder for help with your solution he will tell you how to do it .

Also I dose 3 times a day so To keep the medication even threw out the day .

You will get better you just can’t cut that fast and truly liquid taper is the way to go

Lisa

[[Jo...]]

CathyMP. It is www.benzo.alwaysdata.net.

 

If you Google that website address it comes right up.

 

Obviously every case is different and I am tapering Kolonopin; not Ativan ( although I am familiar with Ativan - it has a short half life like kolonopin). But I can tell you that if I cut 8% in one day I would be become very ill too and I don’t know if I would stabilize no matter how long I held. I would likely have to updose to stabilize.

 

Again; please take a deep breath and calmly study the info. Feel free to PM if you need help in understanding it. I remember how bad the Brain fog can be.

 

You can do this!

[[ke...]]

Not everyone stabilizes after a cut despite a long hold. You are socked into tolerance maybe. Very common. I agree with the liquid taper idea suggested by others.

[[mo...]]

Hi Cathy, sorry you’re experiencing this. Can I ask if you tried to abruptly stop at any point? (Maybe before you knew about tapering)? Or tried a very large cut before this?

 

Please trust that your brain will heal. Mine is not yet but now that I’m at a low dose I’m starting to see some of the cog fog leaving. It just takes time.

[[Ol...]]

Cathy

I just want to encourage you that symptoms of W/D do get lessen with time. 

 

I found it difficult to differentiate between W/D symptoms and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

 

Then I realized it didn't really matter which was causing the symptoms (W/D or GAD) the symptoms were going to be there until they went away.

 

Sounds over simplified.

 

But I had to let go of trying to figure out what I was feeling.

10 months into this whole med change, tapering withdrawal trip and I still have lousy days. Mostly muscle tension muscle spasms and insomnia.

 

I understand the confusion and inability to focus and navigate to get information .

 

I still have those issues but they are much less now than in the beginning.

 

What are the symptoms that bother you the most?

 

I think you're doing great with the taper.

Let your body tell you what you need to know

The talk to your med prescriber about it.