Long Hold Taper Strategy Discussion

[[da...]]

@[in...]
Thanks for the post. It is really informative and reassuring. I am currently in a turbulence because I am tapering too fast. I wait for 5 weeks and my body seems not going to stabilize. Your posts comforts me a bit.

May I ask how is you going recently?

[[Ha...]]

I've done long holds, longer than most I've read in this forum. I started tapering off 3 mg of Ativan in April 2022 and I am now almost completely off of them at a quarter of an 0.5 tablet or less. I did my first cut at 1/2 milligram (too much) but had no choice but to go with my doctor's plan. I held for one month then did another 1/2 cut. Held for another month and did 1/2 cut which was too much for my body. My psych was understanding and let me stay holding for 2 months -3 months or when I FELT that MY BODY was STABLE enough to do another cut. I think this saved me from really bad protracted symptoms. I just listened to my body when I felt stable. Regarding your symptoms at the 0.5 cut - I had my worst W/D symptoms at the 0.5 cut for some odd reason. The lower I got the harder it got. I think I may be a lucky one who has been through the worst of W/D at my 0.5 cut which was last October and I have felt like hell for the past 6 months, BUT starting to turn a corner! Starting to sleep better, the bad smells are lessening, tinnitus is not as bad, intrusive thoughts are not as rampid, on and on. In other words, I feel I am healing and you will too. This is coming from someone who was on Ativan for FORTY years. Best to you!

Edited April 10 by [Ha...]