Splitting ativan doses

[[...]]

If I split my mainly night dose of 3mg Ativan into 3 equal doses across the day, will I lose sleep? 

[[Al...]]

You may well do, but the only way to know for sure is to try. I wonder if splitting into 3 doses, but adjusting the timing of the doses so that they are weighted more towards the night time than the morning is an option. Hopefully the mods and admins can advise you on this.

[[...]]

0.5mg 2.30pm,  2.5mg 8.30pm 

I am symptomatic throughout the day. I started a small noon dose to prepare for evenly split doses and tapering. 

Most symptoms resolve after night dose.

Afternoon dose is of late bringing on dizziness and slight anxiety.

I'm also waking up with morning anxiety of late.

 

[[Co...]]

Hello @[...]

What you might try doing is to move another 0.5mg to the day, to a time when you feel you need it.

For example:

0.5mg 8:30am; 0.5mg 2:30pm; 2mg 8:30pm.

You would adjust the times to best suit you. And if you find 0.5mg is not enough, then move more of your dose to the day.

Be sure to make just one change at a time and apply any additional changes gradually.

[[...]]

And sleep @[Co...]?

I have some important work to complete. I need to stay involved in it for the next 4 weeks at least and should be able to step out of home. I can't be in a daze or irritable. I can't hand it over to anyone else right now.

But I do need to prepare for the taper too. Sxs ramping up.

Atarax (or similar) that you mentioned to help sleep...does it make dizziness worse? Because i have the dizzy.

Will melatonin work? I used it a fortnight ago after some long travel. It was a hit or miss.

Is there some past knowledge on how people fare when transitioning from a single dose to multiple doses on ativan?

 

Edited June 12 by [...]
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[[Do...]]

[[...]]

I tried diazepam crossover and quit it over the sedation issue.

 

[[Ct...]]

@[...] Possibly @[El...] can stop by to help you. She helped @[Mo...] with dosing suggestions for 3 times per day.

[[Co...]]

[[...]]

@[Co...], after my 2.30pm doze, i feel substantial dizziness and a low level of sedation.

If that repeats in the morning upon starting a 0.5mg doze, i cannot complete my pending work.

Pls advise.

[[Co...]]

[[Hu...]]

Edited June 12 by [Hu...]

[[...]]

That's a detailed answer. So what do I try first? Splitting the ativan?

Or trying clonozepam?

My prescriber has to agree.

[[Co...]]

[[...]]

Yes, i hope the foundation I'm setting will help me taper with fewer issues. 

[[Do...]]

[[Do...]]

3 hours ago, [[C...] said:

Hi,

I can provide no guarantees. I suggested moving just 0.5mg so that you continue to take most of your dose at night to help you with sleep. But will the reduction from 2.5mg to 2mg have a significant negative effect upon your sleep? I cannot say. The only way to know for sure is try it. If I was to guess, you will probably notice some impact upon your sleep - the hope is that it will not be significant.

Melatonin is hit or miss. I tried it and noticed no effects; for some other people, it seems to work well. Atarax is hit or miss. For me, it worked well; others report no benefit. It can also make you feel dopey during the following day. It is also only good for short-term use - if you take it for more than a few weeks, it likely will cease to be effective.

How do you feel after your 2:30pm dose? If you do not feel 'dizzy' or sedated, my guess is that you will be OK with adding a small morning dose. I stress, though, I can only guess.

Vary many of our members will have moved from a single dose of Ativan to two or more doses per day. It is not unusual to do this with any benzodiazepine.

I went from 1.5mg to 0.5mg at night and didnt experienced any sleeping issues, i could sleep the same, the only thing i noticed was early waking cause of the fast drop effect around 8hours after the take and interdose WD.

Melatonine was bad for me, brought me weird and disturbing dreams and micro awakenings.

Ativan was never sedating for me if i took low doses like 0.5mg during the day so the 0.5mg every 8 hours is the best plan and the rest at night.

[[Co...]]

12 minutes ago, [[D...] said:

I went from 1.5mg to 0.5mg at night and didnt experienced any sleeping issues, i could sleep the same, the only thing i noticed was early waking cause of the fast drop effect around 8hours after the take and interdose WD.

There is great variability. For some, withdrawal effects during the day is the greater issue. I am glad this worked for you.

12 minutes ago, [[D...] said:

Melatonine was bad for me, brought me weird and disturbing dreams and micro awakenings.

As far as I could ascertain, it had no effect upon me whatsoever.

12 minutes ago, [[D...] said:

Ativan was never sedating for me if i took low doses like 0.5mg during the day so the 0.5mg every 8 hours is the best plan and the rest at night.

I took clonazepam. And except after my very first dose, I never noticed any significant sedation. But then, I did not take it for insomnia, so I was not taking any notice of how my sleep was affected. The only time I felt drowsy was after my very first dose (during the day).

[[Do...]]

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

I took clonazepam. And except after my very first dose, I never noticed any significant sedation. But then, I did not take it for insomnia, so I was not taking any notice of how my sleep was affected. The only time I felt drowsy was after my very first dose (during the day).

The truth is that i didnt take it for insomina either. I took it for anxiety, but anxiety wouldnt let me sleep so my night dose was the one that let me sleep decently for 6-8 hours.

[[...]]

If I split doses,  will it affect my mental state at the time when I lower dose?

I ask because the

other day, I took my noon dose along with my night dose and in the interim, my brain was certainly not normal. 

[[Co...]]

Hello @[...]. You are seeking certainty, where there is none. But my guess is that if you move a small proportion of your evening dose to the morning, the effects upon your sleep will be fairly moderate. But there is no way for any of us to know. The only way to know is by trying it, but this decision must be yours.