CT Ativan .75mg daily 3 months use

[[Ch...]]

 

Hey all, I was trying to slowly taper off Ativan after 3 months of daily use and am struggling. I have a post up elsewhere describing the background. It started with .25mg per day with intermittent days of .5mg-1mg per day for anxiety - sometimes a few day break between any doses, it then progressed for a whole month of 1mg-1.5mg per day, the last two weeks I was doing .75mg per day split into 3 8 hour doses and was starting to feel stable here then cut to .625mg Friday. By Monday I had flu like symptoms and yesterday had a panic attack and up dosed to 1mg total for the day. I really just want off this shit. For now I'll stay at .75mg (.25x3) but I may be taking a month off of work would it be safe to just CT quit and what should I expect? Should I go to a hospital for monitoring? I know in this moment I am probably underestimating the hell I may endure but my understanding is with ativan if I can make it past 5 days I can then begin to recover. I have propranolol, hydroxyzine, and Remeron to help with symptom management.

Thanks for any advice or help.

 

[[El...]]

@[Ch...] I am very sorry you are having a difficult time!  But, unless there are other over-riding circumstances and needs, CT is always a risky venture. Evidence indicates that the withdrawal from CT can be much more difficult and may require a very lengthy time to recover (more than a month).

It was very positive that you were “beginning to feel stable” at three doses per day evenly spaced. Perhaps the re-emerging symptoms are from the rather large 12.5% cut last Friday when you were just beginning to feel stable. It is recommended that cuts be no larger than 5-10% every 2 weeks while closely monitoring your symptoms.

Perhaps you should consider stabilizing again at 0.75 mg…then proceeding with the more “modest” recommended cuts.  Even though you have been on Ativan for a short period, you do show evidence of physical dependency. Thus, a slower pace may enable you to proceed through you taper more “comfortably”.

This is, of course, your decision.  Please let us know how you are proceeding!

 

[[Ta...]]

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

Hey all, I was trying to slowly taper off Ativan after 3 months of daily use and am struggling. I have a post up elsewhere describing the background. It started with .25mg per day with intermittent days of .5mg-1mg per day for anxiety - sometimes a few day break between any doses, it then progressed for a whole month of 1mg-1.5mg per day, the last two weeks I was doing .75mg per day split into 3 8 hour doses and was starting to feel stable here then cut to .625mg Friday. By Monday I had flu like symptoms and yesterday had a panic attack and up dosed to 1mg total for the day. I really just want off this shit. For now I'll stay at .75mg (.25x3) but I may be taking a month off of work would it be safe to just CT quit and what should I expect? Should I go to a hospital for monitoring? I know in this moment I am probably underestimating the hell I may endure but my understanding is with ativan if I can make it past 5 days I can then begin to recover. I have propranolol, hydroxyzine, and Remeron to help with symptom management.

Thanks for any advice or help.

Are you still using the THC? If so, this might be part of the reason for the panic attack. I used lorazepam for a long time, and any little change, whether up or down, caused my brain to get upset! I finally faced the reality that a slow and steady taper was the only way to safely get off.

I can only tell you about what happened to me in trying to taper  lorazepam. I felt much worse every time I tried some other substance that might "help" me.

It's an important step that you found stability at .75 mg. Good job! But, every time we fluctuate up or down causes distress to the brain. We have to pay the price, and it's not worth it!

Slow and Steady.

Edited Wednesday at 19:24 by [Ta...]