new frog on the block

[[li...]]

hi everybody,

 

I'm joining in this forum because the more information I can get, the better. I also belong to the french Benzo Support Group, because, well,....I 'm french. So if you need info related to this topic about the way it is in my country, don't hesitate to get in touch.

I have been taking antidepressants for more than 7 years now (Effexor, 150 mg). Recently I ve been put under a mood stabiliser (Lamictal / latrogine, 200 mg) additionnaly because the AD are not working that well - so the idea is to get off Effexor in a faw months. When it comes to benzo, I ve been taking Lexomil for the same amount of time, unfortunately. I am taking in at night to help getting into sleep, with some kind of sleeping pill along : at the time being, it is an antihystaminic called Atarax, I m on 25 mg but cutting it down. As for lexomil, I m on 6, 25 mg ; I will tackle it as soon as I ve get rid of Atarax (or maybe keep 3 mg of it, and stopping it altogether once I m done with lexomil ;I don t know yet). I used to takea bit of lexomil during the day when feeling anxious, but I haven't done it in a long while now. I ve already try getting off lexomil by myself in the past, but never succeed to suppress the last bit ( approx. 0,6mg). I ve came to a point in my life where I can see clearly that all this medication is not helping that much after all. I want to reclaim my mind and my body, and be free of all toxic substances to see how it feels. I feel extremely comforted by the fact that forum like this one exist, it is giving me a lot of hope, and it is great to have buddies with whom sharing experiences other people don't know about. Thank you for creating this forum, it is just wonderful.

[[Co...]]

Hello littletoe,

 

Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

 

I take Atarax, but only occasionally. If I suffer from bad bout of insomnia, I will take 10mg (or sometimes 25mg), but only for a limited period ( a few days, or - on rare occasions - a week or two), since tolerance is developed very quickly with this drug. It takes discipline to make Atarax work for you. For how long have you been taking Atarax?

[[Be...]]

Hi Littletoe,

 

Welcome to BB 

 

Good luck with your tapers    You will find a wealth of support here to help you along the way.

[[St...]]

Hi littletoe, welcome to BenzoBuddies

 

I was given Aterax (Hydroxine) too after I ct'd benzos, so far I haven't tried it. In the beginning I just dealt with insomnia and agitation and things slowly started to come around. I'm sure eventually it will be that way for you too, but I know it's hard. You will find lots of info and support here, I'm glad you found us. Please ask any questions you have, we're here for you.

 

 

Star 

[[li...]]

Hello everybody, thank you for your warm welcoming ! 

 

Colin : it is hard for me to say for how long I ve been on Atarax, because sometimes my GP would make me swap to something different, like Zopiclone (far too strong), and then I would ask him to put me back on Atarax, and so on......but I ve been back on it steadily  for 10 weeks now. Very surprised to notice that by reducing it from 25mg to 18,5mg my sleep deteriorated immediately. I have read somewhere that when tapering benzo, one should not be on Atarax, but I have no idea of the reason why.....? Does anybody has some information about it ?

 

I'd also like to know if someone has a magic trick for pill-splitting ? I m doing it with a sharp knife but can never ever split it into two amount perfectly

identical ; so every night I m taking a different amount, even if it 's about a few milligrammes (but I know it s very annoying in that process..)

It actually came to my knowledge recently that you can get Atarax in drops...

 

And : I ve heard about a (medical) laboratory in UK where they can prepare a mixture for you departing from whatever benzo you re on and want to get off (probably also for AD, ...) which make it very easy for you because you don't have to go through the tedious process of titration (with the risk of getting it wrong with numbers..)

 

gosh, I m asking 3 questions at the same time ! 

 

[[Co...]]

Hi,

 

As far as I know, there is no particular problem with taking Atarax during benzodiazepine withdrawal, since they are not cross-tolerant. The problem with Atarax is that tolerance is developed rather quickly.

 

Some of our members 'titrate' their benzo, to make a liquid. It is much easier to make reductions to dosage when using a liquid. Start a thread (topic) on the Titration board for some help if you think this might be for you.

[[li...]]

thanks Colin. I ve just started a new topic in one of the groups !