I don’t know if I can ask for suggestions advice but here I go

[[Co...]]

6 minutes ago, [[U...] said:

@[Co...] can you help please ? 

Hi @[Ur...]. I will have to reply tomorrow. It is getting late for me and I need to read through the thread before replying.

[[Ur...]]

@[Co...] that’s perfectly fine and much appreciated Colin. I’ll wait for your response tomorrow. Thanks so much 

[[An...]]

7 hours ago, [[U...] said:

Hi every one 

I had insomnia which started in December just gone. The doctor put me on Halcion / Triazolam 25mg without any warning whatsoever. I started taking it and noticed that my anxiety was beginning to get worse. I thought it was because of the insomnia - which I concede didnt help. I went back to my doctor who sent me to a psychiatrist and he put me on quetiapine / seroquel - 25 mg at night and 6.5 in the morning and 20mg of Citalopram. 

I started to take that and the anxiety seemed to be a bit better and it helped me sleep so I just stopped taking the Halcion for a couple of nights. Then my anxiety went through the roof. I was also staking antihistamines that my doctor never warned me about. Then I started taking the Halcion again and sometime I would take half the does and sometimes I would take one and half times the dose. I was oblivious. Then my anxiety and feelings of doom went off the chart, especially I noticed around my monthly cycle. I’m definitely peri- menopausal.
 

I asked the psychiatrist about being on Halcion for two and a half months which was how long I was on it and if it could be causing the depression and extreme anxiety. He agreed to taper me off it cutting it by a quarter of 25mg every week for four weeks. I am down to a half of 25mg a night now. But I’ve had terrible feeling of anxiety and depression and doom during the days and the physiatrist then prescribed Lorazapam and I’ve taken that for every other day 1 mg for about two weeks. 
 

i know nothing about Benzos and I’m really scared. I want to get off them safely and stop taking any Benzo. How do I do that without feeling horrendous? Any advice would be so welcome. Please be gentle with me too and don’t scare me. 
 

thank you so much ! 

Did this doctor start you on 25 mgs or .25 mgs of Halcion? 25 mgs seems like a lot to me.

According to drugs.com >>>>>

Quote

The recommended dosage is 0.25 mg once daily before bedtime. A dosage of 0.125 mg once daily may be sufficient for some patients (e.g., patients with low body weight). A dosage of 0.5 mg should be used only for patients who do not respond adequately to a trial of a lower dose. The maximum recommended dosage is 0.5 mg once daily.

 

[[Ur...]]

I looked at the blister pack and it says 250 micrograms. I don’t know much about drugs or Benzos 

[[An...]]

4 minutes ago, [[U...] said:

I looked at the blister pack and it says 250 micrograms. I don’t know much about drugs or Benzos 

OK, looks like .25 mgs to me. Halcion is very potent with a super short half-life.

Have you thought about switching to a long half-life benzo like valium?

[[Ur...]]

I’d rather not switch to Valium if I could help it. I have histamine issues and Valium lowers DAO from what I’ve read 

[[Ur...]]

@[Co...] apologies for bothering you but I wondered if you had a chance to read the thread and offer some advice. Many thanks 

[[Co...]]

On 16/03/2024 at 14:46, [[U...] said:

I had insomnia which started in December just gone. The doctor put me on Halcion / Triazolam 25mg without any warning whatsoever. I started taking it and noticed that my anxiety was beginning to get worse. I thought it was because of the insomnia - which I concede didnt help. I went back to my doctor who sent me to a psychiatrist and he put me on quetiapine / seroquel - 25 mg at night and 6.5 in the morning and 20mg of Citalopram. 

Hello @[Ur...]

You might have already clarified this, but if not, please check your dose of Halcyon. Do you, perhaps, mean 2.5mg, 0.25mg?

I am not the best person here to comment on the antidepressants you mention there, as I have never taken any.

On 16/03/2024 at 14:46, [[U...] said:

I started to take that and the anxiety seemed to be a bit better and it helped me sleep so I just stopped taking the Halcion for a couple of nights. Then my anxiety went through the roof. I was also staking antihistamines that my doctor never warned me about. Then I started taking the Halcion again and sometime I would take half the does and sometimes I would take one and half times the dose. I was oblivious. Then my anxiety and feelings of doom went off the chart, especially I noticed around my monthly cycle. I’m definitely peri- menopausal.

I understand that Seroquel can be and effective treatment for insomnia. And, it would seem - as an off-label treatment - for the treatment of anxiety. And I know that Citalopram is sometimes prescribed in the treatment of panic attacks (and (off-label - I think) for insomnia). Were all these medications prescribed for insomnia only or for anxiety too?

On 16/03/2024 at 14:46, [[U...] said:

I asked the psychiatrist about being on Halcion for two and a half months which was how long I was on it and if it could be causing the depression and extreme anxiety. He agreed to taper me off it cutting it by a quarter of 25mg every week for four weeks. I am down to a half of 25mg a night now. But I’ve had terrible feeling of anxiety and depression and doom during the days and the physiatrist then prescribed Lorazapam and I’ve taken that for every other day 1 mg for about two weeks.

Hmm. I am unsure why a benzodiazepine, with a longer half-life, was prescribed to aid you to quitting the first benzodiazepine. Yes, this can help where dependency has developed. But dependency is highly unlikely with Halcyon if taken just once per day, and particularly after relatively short-term use.

On 16/03/2024 at 14:46, [[U...] said:

i know nothing about Benzos and I’m really scared. I want to get off them safely and stop taking any Benzo. How do I do that without feeling horrendous? Any advice would be so welcome. Please be gentle with me too and don’t scare me. 

Try not to be scared. The chances are that you quit them without too many problems. If you have been reading a lot of horror stories about benzodiazepines, might this be responsible for you anxiety?

[[Co...]]

On 16/03/2024 at 15:51, [[U...] said:

Thank you so much Oregon lady. This is all so new to me so I’m quite anxious to get the right advice. 
 

I started on Halcion/ Triazolam in mid December. I’ve been on that up until two weeks ago when I tapered from 25mg to 18.75 for one week and then down to 12.5 mg the next week. I am due to taper down to 6.25mg this Monday.

Again, please clarity your dose.

On 16/03/2024 at 15:51, [[U...] said:

while I was doing that I’ve been having feelings of doom and hopelessness and anxiety so the psychiatrist started me on Lorazepam 1 mg to take when needed. I’ve taken it twelve times. Every other day. I can take it and the next day feel ok and then need it the day after. As of now I have no plan  or don’t know how to taper off the Lorazepam safely and without symptoms.

So, am I correct that you were prescribed Halcyon purely for insomnia? And that the the antidepressants were prescribed because you then began to feel depressed? (Rather than as additional medications to treat insomnia?)

What is the aim here? Is it to stop taking all benzodiazepines, or to switch to Lorazepam? And what about the two antidepressants? Are you aware that both Seroquel and Citalopram (when taken to treat depression) will take at least a few weeks to take effect (or up to 2-3 months in the case of Seroquel)?

On 16/03/2024 at 15:51, [[U...] said:

I don’t know if I need it while I taper off the Halcion or even if the Halcion plan is the right thing to do. I read in the Ashton manual that you can just stop Halcion / Triazolam abruptly but I don’t know what to do. My psychiatrist doesn’t seem to be an expert on drug withdrawal and he just bats my concerns away. 

The usual course in quitting Halcyon, when taken just once per day, is to stop taking it in a single step. Or, at most, taper off over a week or two. How did you feel when taking just the Lorazepam in addition to Halcyon?

[[Co...]]

On 16/03/2024 at 15:55, [[U...] said:

I also feel like my use/ misuse of the Halcion Triazolam caused the initial increase in anxiety and depression and now I’m caught in this spiral and I don’t know how to help myself get out safely. 

How did you misuse Halcyon?

[[Co...]]

A quick comment: I misunderstood. You taper off Halcyon is 25% every week. Probably longer than usually necessary, but it does not seem overly long (I thought you were tapering off at 25% per month).

[[Co...]]

22 hours ago, [[U...] said:

Is it ok to increase the Halcion ? I thought it was bad to go back up ? 

If you and your doctor think Halcyon is the cause of your difficulties, then I suggest that you do not increase your dose (not without first speaking with your doctor). The taper plan is not too fast. On contrary, it is generous.

[[Co...]]

On 16/03/2024 at 16:07, [[U...] said:

My questions are : Do I need a drug support of whatever kind like Lorazepam to mitigate symptoms to taper off Halcion / Triazolam ? 

Is one month long enough/ too short a taper for Halcion after being on it for nearly three months ? 

How do I safely taper off Lorazapam given about two weeks use and with the Halcion in mind ? 

Given that you use of Lorazepam has been very short term, and Halcyon, by itself, and when taken just once per day is highly unlikely to create meaningful levels of dependency, you can probably taper off Lorazepam quite rapidly after you have finished your taper off Halcyon. Ideally, though, (if you aim is to be off benzodiazepines), you would take Lorazepam for as short a period as possible. I am not stating that you should not taper - you might need to follow a short taper - but keep the total time on the medication as short as reasonably possible (to best avoid the risk of developing dependency).

[[Co...]]

21 hours ago, [[U...] said:

I looked at the blister pack and it says 250 micrograms. I don’t know much about drugs or Benzos 

1,000 micrograms (mcg) = 1 milligram (mg).

So, 250 micrograms = 0.25mg. A small dose.

[[Co...]]

21 hours ago, [[A...] said:

OK, looks like .25 mgs to me. Halcion is very potent with a super short half-life.

Have you thought about switching to a long half-life benzo like valium?

Probably best avoided when looking to quit a very short half-life benzodiazepine (taken just once per day), where likely little to no dependency has developed.

[[Co...]]

21 hours ago, [[U...] said:

I’d rather not switch to Valium if I could help it. I have histamine issues and Valium lowers DAO from what I’ve read 

Can you provide me with a reference for this? And, how does it relate to you and your situation?

[[Co...]]

2 hours ago, [[U...] said:

@[Co...] apologies for bothering you but I wondered if you had a chance to read the thread and offer some advice. Many thanks 

No problem. Though, I have many more questions than answers. If the intention is quit benzodiazepines, my general advice - in your situation - is to get off sooner rather than later. With your usage history, the chances of you having developed dependency is remote. However, this is not true if you regularly take Lorazepam for an extended period. Though, to be clear though, this is not me telling you that you to quit benzodiazepines (this is decision for you to take in consultation with your doctor).