Only 10 days of low dose Ativan and withdrawals

[[ba...]]

Hi guys! My story: I only took Ativan prescribed for mild anxiety for 10 days at 1mg per day. I stopped on the 11th day and developed severe withdrawals like akathisia, skin burning etc. I reinstated and have been tapering since 5 weeks. My daily dose is about 0.05mg of Ativan. I am dividing this dose in 4-5 doses during the span of a day via watertaper..I ran into a wall now at the 0.05 mg Ativan daily dose. I have serious musclepains and now also vaginal burning and other skin burning and sensitivities. I have a spinal cord injury and preexisting nerve issues and spastic muscles but never this bad. My nerve pain is multiplied now and I can't make it till the end of taper. I had to updose today since it is too much. I took a natural Gaba supplement yesterday which atually helped for the muscles pain but seemed to rebound later badly via skin?! I dont know how to proceed. Why is it so difficult now. I am reducing minimally via percentages from day before.

I tried Baclofen from my paindoctor but it makes me dizzy. I already am dizzy from withdrawal and have ringing in the ears. 

How can 10 days do this. In 2017 I was 4 month on Valium and basically cold turkeyed off with some gabapentin no problem! Now this???

 

[[Co...]]

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

The usual and most sound advice, after short-term use, is to quit as soon as possible. After ten days of use, the majority of people can quit in a single step without suffering withdrawal effects.

In a small number of cases, a short taper schedule is required. But the taper should not so long as to increase the depth of dependency. Five weeks to taper off after ten days of use is already more than I would usually suggest to people in your situation.

To make sure that we are not a cross-purposes, what was your daily dose during then days, before you started your taper? And, you do mean 0.05mg (one-twentieth of a milligram), yes?

Assuming there is nothing out of the ordinary in your situation, you might have to just bite the bullet and taper off. I would probably suggest reducing your dose by 0.01mg every day or two.

But first, please let us know your dose before you started your taper, and confirm your present dose.

[[ba...]]

I was on 2x0.5mg which is 1mg of lorazepam per day for 10 days. I had severe withdrawal symptoms after only the 10 days. I had akathisia and burning skin. It seems I am kindled. I was on Valium for 4 month in 2017 and was cold turkeyed with not much trouble yet later I had weird neuro symptoms which could be protracted...

Now I am on about a 10th of that dose yet I try to stop or wean to zero via watertaper and I have massive musclestiffness at night and in the am. Today neuralgia kicked in and my head is burning. I have preexisting neurological problems since I have a cervical.spinal cord injury and this seems to flare because of the trying to stop the benzo. Today my day was very bad and it seems I can't stop even this very low dose and I notice if I take it or not. Yesterday I waited a very long time for my dose and today I am a mess neuralgia , ringing in ears. I think its a combo of my issues and withdrawal. Yes its too long but I don't know what to do. I am truly having issues maybe it just flared it up? So my daily dose NOW after i tapered down really is only 0.05 mg lorazepam.

Edited September 10 by [ba...]

[[ba...]]

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

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

The usual and most sound advice, after short-term use, is to quit as soon as possible. After ten days of use, the majority of people can quit in a single step without suffering withdrawal effects.

In a small number of cases, a short taper schedule is required. But the taper should not so long as to increase the depth of dependency. Five weeks to taper off after ten days of use is already more than I would usually suggest to people in your situation.

To make sure that we are not a cross-purposes, what was your daily dose during then days, before you started your taper? And, you do mean 0.05mg (one-twentieth of a milligram), yes?

Assuming there is nothing out of the ordinary in your situation, you might have to just bite the bullet and taper off. I would probably suggest reducing your dose by 0.01mg every day or two.

But first, please let us know your dose before you started your taper, and confirm your present dose.

10 days lorazepam: 1mg per day

Tapered 5 weeks (after trying to cold turkey)

Now end of 5 weeks sitting at about 0.05 mg of lorazepam daily so 1/10th of my 0.5mg pill ( took 2x0.5mg per day initially)

I tried to stop yesterday and musclepain and skin burning on my whole body everywhere even inside of mouth. Partially my preexisting neuralgia got triggered but also nerve issues from stopping. It seems impossible despite ridiculous low dose. Thinking about restarting corticosteroids I used before once for this so I can jump off. Also trying musclerelaxers so i take care of my symptoms which are not all withdrawals but just flaring of preexisting as I said.