Lorazepam taper 5mg down to 3.75mg

[[Re...]]

Hello, im new to this forum.

I have been prescribed Lorazepam starting with 3 times .5mg a day, over time i had to updose because of tollerance.

I tried a fast taper with my doc and help from a clinic, but it wasnt doable, but since than my doc stopped prescribing me... so had to get them from the black market... i was up to twice 2.5mg a day.

Im doing a taper now doing these steps every 2 weeks.

First cut 25% to 3.75
Second cut 10% to 3.375
Third cut again 10%
Fourth cut again 10% etc etc, till im down to 1mg.
Than i will start doing 5-7% cuts till i can jump off at 0.025.

Can anybody tell me if this is a decent plan?

Im a week into my taper and had a few bad nights, and a bit lightheaded, but overall not to bad.
Also my muscles are more tense.

And is melatonin safe to take while tapering?

Thanks in advance!
 

Edited May 7 by [Re...]

[[...]]

@[Re...], welcome to BenzoBuddies!) I believe this community is the best to find support&advice for people going through the benzo withdrawal.

You seem to be doing reasonably well with your taper, although i can imagine how difficult it might be when you're refused to be prescribed.

I'm not an expert at lorazepam taper but think other members will take over and help you. Could you elaborate the term of your benzo use? Guess It's necessary for members to know so as to provide you with better help.

Hope your taper won't be tough on you. Good Luck!)

[[Re...]]

At first i got them for anxiety dissorder, but turned into sleeping meds over time.
So stopped taking them for anxiety but could not sleep without.

Im also prescribed Escitalopram (lexapro) 15mg daily for depression.

 

[[...]]

1 hour ago, [[R...] said:

At first i got them for anxiety dissorder, but turned into sleeping meds over time.
So stopped taking them for anxiety but could not sleep without.

Im also prescribed Escitalopram (lexapro) 15mg daily for depression.

 

@[Re...], i mean how long have you been taking lorazepam all in all?

[[Re...]]

about 2 years.

[[Co...]]

Hello @[Re...]. Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

I panned taper rate is reasonable, but mileage varies. So I would suggest a flexible approach. If you do not feel ready to apply a new reduction, hold off for a while longer.

I would also suggest that since you seem to be able to make quite small cut reductions, aiming to cut 5% every week might be more tolerable than reducing your dose by 10% every two weeks, even though the overall taper is similar. Again, though, allow yourself to be felxible.

How are you managing to to make your 10% reductions to dose?

[[Re...]]

@[Co...]im a week into my first cut of 25%, doing fairly well.

[[Re...]]

@[Co...]i also have a scale to meassure out any weight.

[[En...]]

4 hours ago, [[R...] said:

Hello, im new to this forum.

I have been prescribed Lorazepam starting with 3 times .5mg a day, over time i had to updose because of tollerance.

I tried a fast taper with my doc and help from a clinic, but it wasnt doable, but since than my doc stopped prescribing me... so had to get them from the black market... i was up to twice 2.5mg a day.

Im doing a taper now doing these steps every 2 weeks.

First cut 25% to 3.75
Second cut 10% to 3.375
Third cut again 10%
Fourth cut again 10% etc etc, till im down to 1mg.
Than i will start doing 5-7% cuts till i can jump off at 0.025.

Can anybody tell me if this is a decent plan?

Im a week into my taper and had a few bad nights, and a bit lightheaded, but overall not to bad.
Also my muscles are more tense.

And is melatonin safe to take while tapering?

Thanks in advance!
 

A taper according to how you feel is the best plan. You will get withdrawal but it should be manageable. If your withdrawal is not tolerable then you are going too fast or cutting too much. My advice is to keep moving forward with your taper and try not to updose if your symptoms are bad. Updosing can cause problems in your future tapers and does not guarantee you will aliviate your symptoms. I found if I had to hold a taper for awhile longer I did that instead of updosing. I was tempted to updose a couple of times but I held my taper until I felt good then continued with my taper. I do not go backwards only forwards. I believe that is what causes protracted withdrawal making the symptoms last longer and more intense. 

That is only my opinion. 

[[ns...]]

8 hours ago, [[R...] said:

Hello, im new to this forum.

I have been prescribed Lorazepam starting with 3 times .5mg a day, over time i had to updose because of tollerance.

I tried a fast taper with my doc and help from a clinic, but it wasnt doable, but since than my doc stopped prescribing me... so had to get them from the black market... i was up to twice 2.5mg a day.

Im doing a taper now doing these steps every 2 weeks.

First cut 25% to 3.75
Second cut 10% to 3.375
Third cut again 10%
Fourth cut again 10% etc etc, till im down to 1mg.
Than i will start doing 5-7% cuts till i can jump off at 0.025.

Can anybody tell me if this is a decent plan?

Im a week into my taper and had a few bad nights, and a bit lightheaded, but overall not to bad.
Also my muscles are more tense.

And is melatonin safe to take while tapering?

Thanks in advance!
 

 

8 hours ago, [[R...] said:

Hello, im new to this forum.

I have been prescribed Lorazepam starting with 3 times .5mg a day, over time i had to updose because of tollerance.

I tried a fast taper with my doc and help from a clinic, but it wasnt doable, but since than my doc stopped prescribing me... so had to get them from the black market... i was up to twice 2.5mg a day.

Im doing a taper now doing these steps every 2 weeks.

First cut 25% to 3.75
Second cut 10% to 3.375
Third cut again 10%
Fourth cut again 10% etc etc, till im down to 1mg.
Than i will start doing 5-7% cuts till i can jump off at 0.025.

Can anybody tell me if this is a decent plan?

Im a week into my taper and had a few bad nights, and a bit lightheaded, but overall not to bad.
Also my muscles are more tense.

And is melatonin safe to take while tapering?

Thanks in advance!
 

Hi there,

Had to stop by and add my two cents.

I'm tapering lorazapam. 

25% is a very large cut and I'm sure you'll feel it soon if not already. Please only cut 5% until you know how you'll respond. Only you can know how you feel and how you'll react to each cut. I did what your doing according to your plan. It was a disaster!

I went to fast and it didn't catch up to me for a week. 

Please go slow ok

Lorazapam is a short acting benzo and it's very difficult to taper and deserves respect!

I'm in my 9th month tapering. My symptoms aren't manageable. I'm do not stabilize so it's difficult. 

Once you cut. Wait until you feel as stable as possible before you cut again. Your brain abd body will tell you when you're ready for the next cut.

Please go slow.

You'll have many questions once wd starts. Hopefully you will be a lucky one and breeze right through it.

We are all here to help. I'll be around if tou have questions that I can answer as will others here who are experiencing withdrawal symptoms. 

We can help you get through it are happy to do it, please know that. 

You'll need a file for your reductions. I'll send a link later. I'll add it here. 

Take care, please remember to go slow!

Ns

[[Co...]]

8 hours ago, [[R...] said:

@[Co...]im a week into my first cut of 25%, doing fairly well.

A 25% reduction is more than I would suggest to someone who was seeking advice in advance of a taper, but as I wrote yesterday, mileage varies. Having said that, larger percentage cuts are generally better tolerated from larger doses. And 5mg Lorazepam is a fairly large dose. If you do not feel ready, allow yourself to push back your next planned reduction. The aim is to quit Lorazepam, not to quit Lorazepam at any cost.

[[Co...]]

8 hours ago, [[R...] said:

@[Co...]i also have a scale to meassure out any weight.

Good!

[[Ka...]]

Hello @[Re...] sorry to learn your doctor stopped prescribing. Presumably this relates to both your meds? This is concerning & it would of course be best if you had input & support from a prescriber. Are you in Netherlands? I ask because another NL member I recall had some taper help from a pharmacist. 

In case you haven’t read this here is a link with lots of info:

 

https://www.benzoinfo.com/benzodiazepine-tapering-strategies/

 

Hope this helps. 
Best taper plans are with steady reductions always watching how you feel. Wishing you well. 

 

[[En...]]

10 hours ago, [[n...] said:

Hi there,

Had to stop by and add my two cents.

I'm tapering lorazapam. 

25% is a very large cut and I'm sure you'll feel it soon if not already. Please only cut 5% until you know how you'll respond. Only you can know how you feel and how you'll react to each cut. I did what your doing according to your plan. It was a disaster!

I went to fast and it didn't catch up to me for a week. 

Please go slow ok

Lorazapam is a short acting benzo and it's very difficult to taper and deserves respect!

I'm in my 9th month tapering. My symptoms aren't manageable. I'm do not stabilize so it's difficult. 

Once you cut. Wait until you feel as stable as possible before you cut again. Your brain abd body will tell you when you're ready for the next cut.

Please go slow.

You'll have many questions once wd starts. Hopefully you will be a lucky one and breeze right through it.

We are all here to help. I'll be around if tou have questions that I can answer as will others here who are experiencing withdrawal symptoms. 

We can help you get through it are happy to do it, please know that. 

You'll need a file for your reductions. I'll send a link later. I'll add it here. 

Take care, please remember to go slow!

Ns

I agree it is better to start slow and see how your body reacts. If you can handle the small cut then try a larger cut next time. Go slow is the best advice. Listen to your body before you continue. That is the key to a successful taper and you won't suffer like you hear in some of these horror stories on here. If you are suffering you are going too fast. Hopd your tapes until you feel good. 

[[Re...]]

i just cant seem to sleep any longer than 4-5 hours, really fatigued during the daytime.. like REALLY fatigued...

[[Ka...]]

Hello @[Re...] so sorry. It seems the lorazepam 25% reduction may be catching up with you. If you can go more slowing with reductions it will really help. 
So many of us have sleep problems. There is a dedicated section where others share ideas. Maybe have a look at: https://benzobuddies.org/forum/123-insomnia-depression-anxiety/

 

[[En...]]

1 hour ago, [[R...] said:

i just cant seem to sleep any longer than 4-5 hours, really fatigued during the daytime.. like REALLY fatigued...

That will improve in the short term. Keep going forward.

[[Pe...]]

@[ns...]could you also send me a link for the file to file down the Ativan? I am going on very little sleep and I’ll forget otherwise. Thank you so much. I’m so glad this community is here. This is such a lonely scary thing.