Taper: Lorazepam, Ambien, Phenibut

[[sl...]]

I’ve been prescribed 12.5 mg of Zolpidem and 2mg Lorazepam by a longtime psychiatrist for 21 years. I have OCD and experienced a childhood trauma. Four years ago, I added 2grams Phenibut, thinking of it as a nootropic.

My psychiatrist retired, and it seems like the right time to taper off.  My PCP seems reluctant to continue, though is doing it. I realize these meds are probably causing rebound anxiety and they no longer help with insomnia. 
 

I’m terrified, truthfully.  I need to be high functioning ( no pun ) in my job and life.  Plus, these meds are a ritual, a security blanket, and I’ve read memoirs and catastrophe stories. I’ve read the Ashton M .

Phenibut was a major mistake, and my instinct is to tackle that first?

I would appreciate any guidance or a schedule to follow. 
 

Thank you for reading 

 

 

 

[[pi...]]

Hello @[sl...],

I see you joined the forum years ago. It seems like you are ready to start the taper process. Yes, there are those who have had a difficult time with this process, but that doesn’t mean you will. We each will have our own withdrawal. It might not be easy, but it is doable. 

I don’t have experience with zolpidem, so I can’t speak to that. The same is true for phenibut. I hope others will weigh in with their experiences. 

The one factor in this equation that applies to all three drugs is that a slow, sensible taper is best. Since you need to be functional for work and life, as you say, a symptom  based taper might work well for you. We generally suggest reducing no more than 5-10% every 10-14 days. Some people go even slower. 

We have had people here in the past who were tapering pheibut. Since it has a pretty short half life, that might be the best drug to taper first. 

We’ll help and support you through this process so keep asking questions.