Was my taper too fast?

[[Li...]]

Hi all,

Is 5 months relatively fast to taper .75 mg of ativan? I am wondering because I haven't had a great taper and I don't know if my symptoms are from the benzo or other health problems. I am down to .0048mg but having lots of feelings of doom and depression. I am wondering how long it normally takes to wean off that amount. Looking back,, Ifeel like I never really stabilized on my taper, but at the time, I attributed my symptoms to other health problems.  I was trying to go down by .001 in weight each day towards the end but I'm wondering if that's  too fast... so I would go to

0040 mg tonight..

[[je...]]

If my calculations are correct you've tapered approximately 20% per month. So you're at the top end of the recommended range tapering at 10% every two weeks.

 

Personally I would not have been able to sustain that. Often people adjust their taper rate as they go along. They either slow it down when symptoms get worse or they might speed it up if it goes well.

 

I think you're right in saying it's been too fast. It might help you to take a bit of a break and just hold so your brain can catch up.

[[Li...]]

Thank you. This is what my gut is saying, but I guess I'm worried that my symptoms of depression and teariness are not from the benzo. I have had some physical symptoms,  but these mental ones are really rough. I hope it's the benzo and my brain isn't permanently broken. 

[[je...]]

Please don't underestimate mental symptoms. They can be just as brutal as the physical ones. And then they come along and lie to you that your brain is permanently broken.  It's not. It's just recovering. I really think you proably need a proper hold of at least a month. Just be kind to yourself.  This is tough.

[[Li...]]

Thank you so much for the encouragement. I think I will hold for now. I think I should've tapered much slower, I just thought a lot of my symptoms were due to other health issues. But looking back, I can see that maybe they weren't.