Tapering from lorazepam, and hopefully zolpidem

[[no...]]

Hi,

 

I just joined to look for information and support as I begin my taper from lorazepam and, hopefully zolpidem.

 

I have taken them both since the late 90s when I had my first panic attack and anxiety-induced insomnia reared its head. I have not been able to sleep without lorazepam and ambien since then. The ambien used to be 12.5CR and then I asked for a non-CR and am now on Ambien 10mg without extended release. I am sleeping but still wake up during the night.

 

The ativan was added, first at 1mg then 2mg and I stayed there until this last year when there was more trauma in my life and I needed the support. It was very helpful to me and I do not regret using it. However, I cannot tolerate the sedation now and need to get on with my life. I want more clarity and better brain functioning.

 

I look forward to finding out more. I have tapered once before but this time it is harder. I have gone down in the past week from 4mg to 3mg and found that I had to go back to 3.25 because the withdrawal anxiety was too much today.

 

There is still so much stress in my life. I do not have a lot of support and hope to get some here.

 

Thanks for being here.

 

 

[[BY...]]

Hello nomoreanxiety,

 

Happy you found us

 

A 10% reduction is recommended when tapering. So, trying to go down one full mg was reducing it a little fast.

It sound like you're stable at 3.25 mgs. That's good.

 

If you like, look over the Ashton manual here. http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/ it's a source of valuable information.

 

Everyone, is here to help you through this. Feel free to ask questions.

 

Mike

[[St...]]

Hi nomoreanxiety

 

There are several buddies tapering from Lorazepam here too so you're not alone. I'm glad you're doing this the smart way, please let us know if you have any questions.

 

Welcome to BenzoBuddies

[[no...]]

Many thanks to all of you for the welcome to BB.

 

What a positive place full of hope.

 

I am aware of the paper on tapering and read it. I can't deal with the milk, etc. and prefer to use a pill cutter, which works fine for me.

 

I feel better already knowing that you are here.

 

I just wish there was a gentle trauma treatment center I could attend and get help with this in a supportive, nurturing environment.

 

It seems like so many people have to go through so much pain and suffering on their journeys. It is truly insane how fractured the mental health community is and the variableness in the treatment protocols and quality of care.

 

I have found what I believe is going to be a fantastic psychiatrist. Unfortunately, she has a family emergency and make not take me on as a new patient until later this summer. Between her and my great psychologist who is helping me with self-regulation of the nervous system, e.g. Emotional Freedom Technique, which is great if you can remember to do it when you are feeling anxious and not have to turn back to the meds when you have made progress. It is a form of "energy psychology" and is based on Chinese meridians and acupressure. It really helps a lot.

 

I have also found that body work helps, especially gentle cranio-sacral work that you can get from an osteopath that is covered by most insurances. Finally, for processing trauma and learning how to feel safe, check out www.traumahealing.com for somatic experiencing. It is a body-centered psychotherapy that focuses on providing you with a safe container to process your trauma.

 

All of these medication experiences are a form of trauma and create fears of hospitalizations and other things that have resulted as a result of medication mismanagement or imbalances, to be kind to the pdoc profession, for which I have lost so much respect over the last decade.

 

OK. Must go to bed. My sleep hygiene is off because I slept in out of having a nightmare this morning with great anxiety. When you can't even get a respite from sleep, it is really a bummer.

 

I'm not here to whine, just tell the truth and hope that someone has experiences that might help me on my journey as I hope to do for others.

 

Good night and bless you all,

Grace