Trying to understand doing a .25 ativan taper

[[ga...]]

My wife has been on a .25 ativan dose for 6 months. Taking 3x day for the last 4 months. 8am, 3:30 pm, and 11:30 pm. For the past 2 weeks, taper has been a total guess at how much to cut and I measured the pill size with a micrometer. Finally got a scale today to see where we are really at and where to go next. If tapering at 3%, do I go from the current dosage weight each time and subtract the 3%, or do I figure the 3% from the starting weight?  Is 3% a good amount, or up it to 5%?

I found that what appeared to be a small amount shaved off with a blade was way too much! In 2 weeks time the reduction is 33%. She feels like crap! Now we know why. Holding until she stabilizes.

Thanks. Good info on here and wish I knew about this site sooner. Like even before she took this poison.

[[Bu...]]

Hello @[ga...],

Welcome to BenzoBuddies.

First let me say how wonderful it is that your wife has you to help her with this process.  Good support during this process is priceless.  I'm glad that you've found the site to be so helpful.  Many of us, including me, also wish we had found this place a lot earlier.  But we're all here now and we'll do our best to help you.

The finer points of tapering are not my strength, but I can give you some basics.  I am sure other people will be along soon with more in-depth info.  Generally speaking, we recommend cutting 5-10% of the current dose no more than every 2-3 weeks depending on symptoms.  You can certainly cut less than that.  Many of our members have found that a smaller reduction is necessary to keep withdrawal effects at a minimum.  If you have a doctor that is willing to prescribe and let you set the speed of the taper, then there really is no reason to hurry.

I am sorry that your wife is dealing with such horrible effects now.  I cut my doses too large and too fast several times, so I know how miserable that is.  Holding until she feels better is an excellent plan.  Please let us know how else we can support you both.  We're glad you found us!

 

[[ga...]]

Doctors are of no help. Their response has been "why do you want to get off ativan?" The response to tapering is " cut in half for a week, then quit." Doctors really have no clue to what they are actually telling patients! My wife was told by EVERY doctor that ativan is not addictive, and she won't have problems getting off of it! And here we are.

Also finding that with my current scale measuring to .001 that a 3 or 5% cut is not possible. Looks like figuring 10% cut from each dose is more realistic.

Edited June 4 by [ga...]

[[je...]]

You might want to read this thread. There’s lots of relevant information on scales and weighing here.