xanax/lorazepam ct

[[bl...]]

hello.  I'm a new member here - just registered today.  anyone out there with successful c/t withdrawal, I'd love to hear your feedback.

 

took xanax for 12 years - 1/2 to 1 mg or so daily.  entered 28-day rehab principally for alcohol abuse 2/12 years ago.  was put on pheno + ativan, but discontinued both after 4 days and had a successful experience - main side effects were sleeplessness and mental block, which subsided gradually.

 

however, three months ago I started taking xanax again.  took an average of 1-2 mg in the evenings.  some days I took only lorazepam (2-3mg), some days I took both together, and some days I took nothing.  was drinking with these meds 1-2 days a week.  stopped cold turkey on monday.  this time around, symptoms are much worse.  greatly exaggerated by exercise and stimulants (caffeine/nicotine).  severe panic attacks with stiff neck, constricted throat, and sunlight sensitivity.  I realize symptoms are exacerbated due to high dosage +c/t but am hoping not to have to taper. 

 

any info would be appreciated.

 

thanks,

 

pierce

 

 

[[Th...]]

Hi Pierce,

 

Welcome to BenzoBuddies. Someone should be along shortly to help you with your questions and concerns. You've come to the right place.

 

Hang in there! 

 

 

T2

[[tr...]]

Hi Pierce,

 

Welcome to Benzo Buddies.  We're glad you're here and we can help you.

 

Is there any particular reason you don't want to taper?  C/t can cause seizures and the wd can be pretty brutal.  You are just now starting the wd effects and it's not too late to reinstate, stabilize and start a safe taper.  It's the safest way to come off the drugs and it makes wd easier.

 

I know you don't want to taper but that is what I recommend you do.  If you want to stay with the ct you just ride it out but with the dose you are coming off it won't be easy.

 

Valium is the recommended way to taper off.  You would reinstate, stabilize, then do a crossover to valium and taper from there.  Someone would set a tapering schedule for you.

 

Let us know what you want to do so we can help you.  There are others on this board that have ct (not by choice) and you may want to read their blogs, mine being one of them.  

 

You can do this and we will help in any way!

 

[[el...]]

Blick,

 

Please do reinstate.  You can obtain valium, and taper from that following a crossover. Valium pills come in much smaller doses, making it easier to taper from. But you can taper directly off the benzos you are on, doing a direct taper by getting the smallest dose pills and cutting them, or you can do a liquid titration, which constitutes crushing your pill and mixing it with milk or water, allowing your to make much smaller reductions.

 

 

[[Co...]]

Hi Blick,

 

I must agree - reinstate. Reinstate the minimum you need. The 2-3mg of Lorazepam is probably equivalent to about 1-1.5mg of Xanax. This means that your dose each evening was always somewhere between (or equivalent to) 1-2mg Xanax - leaving aside the odd occasion where you took both!

 

Some might disagree, but since Lorazepam has longer half-life compared to Xanax, it might be better to reinstate the Lorazepam at the minimum dose required for you to feel reasonably OK. I would think this will be 2mg Lorazepam (1mg Xanax), but you might require a little more. When you find the dose required for you to feel reasonably OK, you should stick at this dose for at least a week, then taper off. You might try titration (making a liquid from your benzos - we will help you with this) to make small cuts to your dose.

 

Alternatively, if you can instead acquire a prescription for Valium, this has a very much longer half-life (so that you do not experience interdose withdrawal effects) and comes in relatively low potency pills (be sure to obtain the 2mg tablets). Titration is not usually required when tapering off Valium - pill-splitting alone will usually surfice.

[[bl...]]

today - one week off xanax, day 5 off lorazepam - I give in.  I'm taking smallest dose of Lorazepam I can - 1mg.  I hope to do this for the next 10 days as my doctor is out of town.  Then switch to a longer acting med once he gets back.

 

I've quit xanax c/t before successfully, which led me to believe I could do the same again, especially given relatively short 3-month stint of consumption.  but it's harder.  I mean, way harder.  I am basically living the nightmare I've heard about, that many of you have written about.  With these drugs, your body picks up where you left off - even if years have passed since you last used them, as in my case.  your body/brain remembers the previous dosage and it's not long, only days, before you're back at the previous levels and then higher.  not only did I quickly revert back to and then double the dose I used to take, my body also picked up where it left off with the withdrawal process.  so each time you relapse, the mgs go up and the withdrawal is worse when you quit.  All of this makes sense to me now, but I honestly didn't even think about it 3 months ago. 

 

do you think 1 mg lorazepam is too little?  I really want to take as little as possible, because the story here is that I'm an alcoholic and the benzos trigger the drinking.  I want off all this stuff asap.  I'm not sure I have enough Lorazepam left to take more than the 1mg daily.  I spoke with on call doc, who suggested switching over to Klonopin, and tapering with that.  I know very little about klonopin, never taken it.  Is it similarly long-acting like valium? 

 

thanks to all who've responded!  means a lot.

 

pierce

[[bl...]]

yes, any info on how to make a liquid lorazepam formula would be appreciated. 

 

I'm mixing up letters and words today, like some kind of adult-onset dyslexia.  very weird and distracting and I hope it's only temporary.

[[pa...]]

I'm so sorry your feeling like this. To do titration you simply crush your pill, mix it in a certain amount of water or milk and cut a tiny amount every day. Colin can make up a schedule for you and go into further details.

Hope you feel better soon!

Amanda

[[ru...]]

Hang in there Pierce! You'll be feeling better soon!

 

rufus

[[el...]]

yes, any info on how to make a liquid lorazepam formula would be appreciated. 

 

 

Hi Blick,

go to the liquid titration subboard   http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=62.0

 

and start a new thread asking for help.

Colin will ask you some questions and then set you up with instructions and a schedule.    

 

[[tr...]]

 

  I spoke with on call doc, who suggested switching over to Klonopin, and tapering with that.  I know very little about klonopin, never taken it.  Is it similarly long-acting like valium? 

 

 

Klonopin is one evil little drug.  Very strong and hard to get off of. Now, some people do take klonopin and they end up tapering off it but I don't recommend it.  Valium is what most people have success with.

[[el...]]

I'm one of those people who tapered directly off klon with relative ease, but I seem to be in the minority.

[[Co...]]

Given your recent use, I do think that 1mg daily of Lorazepam is rather optimistic. The least you had daily was equivalent to 2mg Lorazepam. By taking 1mg, you are halving the minimum dose you would take per day. This is a very big drop in your dose!

[[bl...]]

1 mg lorazepam yesterday afternoon + 10 mg inderal at night.  A little jumpy now, but my eyelids and lips aren't twitching anymore, and the headache is bearable. 

 

I'm off to the gym this morning, trying to get back in the swing of things.

[[tr...]]

 

I'm off to the gym this morning, trying to get back in the swing of things.

 

Good for you!!! :thumbsup:

[[bl...]]

I skipped dose yesterday as I was feeling decent and even managed to work out at the gym.  The day went pretty good.  This morning is a different story.  Slept soudly and dreamed profoundly but awoke with a dread I cannot describe.  When I got up to go to the kitchen to pour a glass of water, I could not keep my balance.  I'm only 32, but this experience is making me feel old and worn out.

 

I guess I'm a stubborn s.o.b. I am realizing this is going to be a drawn out process.  My prior history of prolonged benzo use has really taken a toll, I guess. 

 

This is all very difficult for me because benzos now seem to jump-start an underlying depression.  skipping doses or drastically reducing them is actually an attempt to feel better and healthier, but the consequences are grim. 

 

 

[[el...]]

Blick, most of us have depression while tapering. I developed a profound depression just a few weeks after being put on klon. I didn't know it was from that, and was put on wellbutrin, which didn't help. When I finally decided to get off klon, my depression lifted halfway thru my taper, and it has never returned.

Benzos can cause depression, or the depression can manifest during tapering. But in my experience, it goes away as one gets free of benzo.

Even if one had depression before, I've seen lots of cases of it going away after getting off B. 

 

But just know it very commonly kicks in during wd.

 

Linda

[[el...]]

Oh, and try not to skip doses, as this will definitely not help your state of mind!

[[TP...]]

I guess I'm a stubborn s.o.b. I am realizing this is going to be a drawn out process.  My prior history of prolonged benzo use has really taken a toll, I guess. 

 

This is all very difficult for me because benzos now seem to jump-start an underlying depression.  skipping doses or drastically reducing them is actually an attempt to feel better and healthier, but the consequences are grim. 

 

Yep, I can relate all the way bro. You're not alone!

 

T

[[Je...]]

I tapered directly from Klonopin and didn't have too hard of a time.  I guess the Klonopin felt so much better compared to Xanax...I didn't realize what bad shape I was in. 

 

Love,

 

Jen

[[bl...]]

very unsteady on my feet, the last two days.  not quite vertigo.  is this a common early withdrawal symptom?  does it usually dissipate?  anyone else go through this?

 

thank you!

 

 

[[Th...]]

Hi blick,

 

I have read that some have experienced these symptoms, Pete described it as being on a cruise. It is always safe though to have your blood pressure checked.

 

 

 

T2

 

 

Edited from INB to Pete's Randomness

[[bl...]]

being on a cruise is exactly what it feels like.  I'm going to try not to obsess over it, though it is distracting and uncomfortable.

 

 

[[tr...]]

blick, I've heard of other people experiencing the same feelings, it's a strange feeling but it does go away.

[[bl...]]

well, after a little experimenting and a several pretty harsh panic attacks, I've learned one big mistake I was making.  I was assuming that since I was taking my benzos in the evening I could also take my tapered doses in the evening.  oops.  the lorazepam lasts longer than xanax, but really not that much longer.  I'd feel horrible in the mornings, sometimes in the middle of the night, when the previous dose wore off.  So I'm splitting my dose up .5 mg lorazepam 3 times a day.  I could probably go higher, but I am going to stay here for another week and see how I feel.  Going to see a new doctor tomorrow.  hopefully, I can switch to diazepam, with his help.  However, I am concerned this doctor will not agree to prescribe the valium becuase of my history with alcohol and drugs.  (I just got that feeling, talking to him briefly on the phone.)  What would I do then?  I am really worried he'll offer to put me on an A/D or something else, but insist I discontinue the benzos.