Tapering off Ativan Support Thread

[[da...]]

Welcome Granny50

When starting out at a higher ativan level sometimes the cuts can be more manageable to start out with so you might be able to taper down on ativan for a while and then switch over to vallium, I second Klondike's advice of dosing 4 or more times a day.

 

We here at BB can do a better job of supporting you if you could attach a short benzo history to your profile.  If you need help let us know and read the Ashton manual (the benzo wd bible).

[[da...]]

Miserable, welcome to BB (Benzo Buddies)

Refer to the Ashton manual as a starting point.  www.benzos.uk.org  then listen to your body.  you can try waiting longer between these cuts if you want and see what happens but my and some others experience was once below 1mg ativan/Lorazepam per day, 5-10% steps waiting to stabilize (usually 5 to 10 days) worked.  Going from .75mg to .5 represents a 33% cut. 

Hang in there!

[[...]]

I hope this is the proper area for this.....

 

I have now discovered that all my odd feelings are due to my 10+ years of ATIVAN use.......

 

I was talking 1mg per day - 1.5 days, so 100 pills lasted on average 100-150 days, I took them as needed......

 

Now it seems that all my bad feelings over the last years have probably been my constant state of withdrawl......

 

So what are suggestions for my tapering.......

 

How do you guys achieve 0.1mg etc.... hard to chop up such a tiny pill!

 

Thanks.

Richard.

 

 

[[po...]]

hey Richard and welcome to this dubious club where we are all reluctant members.

 

I know how shocking it is at the start to realize how being on these drugs has impacted on our lives, especially if we have been going through daily withdrawal.

 

You are in a good place, there is a lot of information and support from others going through the same thing.

 

In terms of cutting tiny segments of the pills, you will need to find out some information about titration, and maybe about compounding too.  Titration is where you mix a whole pill with water, withdraw and discard an increasing portion, and drink the rest.  So if you wanted to taper over a hundred days, you could start with 100ml, and each day you discard more and more of the liquid.

Another option, the one I've chosen, is to find a compounding pharmacy.  Its not cheap, but involves the pharmacy mixing your pills with a compounding syrup, in quite a strong dosage.  So I have my ativan/lorazepam compounded at .1ml to .1mg.  This means I use a syringe and can accurately draw out what I need each day.  I found when I shifted from titration to compound that my withdrawal symptoms leveled out, so its working well for me.

 

hope this helps

poppins

[[...]]

Thanks,

 

I suspect I need to start taking it daily 1mg and to do this everyday to avoid the withdrawl that I must have been putting myself through, then I can slowly cut it down...... it sounds with what your saying is it might be possible to even do 1mg one day, 0.99 the next 0.98 the next and 100 days later 0..... as long as there are no bumps......

 

Because I was only taking it when needed I even had once a 7 day period I never took one, which in hind site seems odd......

 

I think the compounding sounds the best method as it can be more accurate in the dosage when done that way, so I will see what the pharmacy says and my doctor.

 

I will keep everyone posted how this goes.

 

Thanks again!

Richard.

 

[[...]]

hey Richard and welcome to this dubious club where we are all reluctant members.

I know how shocking it is at the start to realize how being on these drugs has impacted on our lives, especially if we have been going through daily withdrawal.

 

So after 10 years did you notice changes or issues with yourself? What prompted you that enough was enough?

 

Richard.

 

[[po...]]

Hi Richard

What prompted me to stop was entering a new relationship and being asked by a partner why I took them.  It got me thinking it had been a long time, so one day, when I had a cold and was taking some cold medication that made me drowsy, I cut down my dose from 1.5mg to 1mg overnight, which is a drop of the equivalent of 5mg of valium.  The effects were fast, profound and nightmarish - particularly immediate tinnitus that is only now nearly 18  months later starting to diminish.  I hopped on the net and wised up about what I was dealing with.  I wish I'd reinstated and started to taper at that point, but I was determined to get it out of my body, and kept fast cutting for a few weeks until it all caught up with me.

 

I find it hard to know what was benzo related prior to this - I'd been through a relationship break-up that was really tough and its hard to separate out what belongs where.  I had taken some extra pills to try and sleep through this time. 

 

I do know I feel the better for coming off in all kinds of ways

 

hope this helps

poppins

 

 

[[po...]]

Thanks,

 

I suspect I need to start taking it daily 1mg and to do this everyday to avoid the withdrawl that I must have been putting myself through, then I can slowly cut it down...... it sounds with what your saying is it might be possible to even do 1mg one day, 0.99 the next 0.98 the next and 100 days later 0..... as long as there are no bumps......

 

Because I was only taking it when needed I even had once a 7 day period I never took one, which in hind site seems odd......

 

I think the compounding sounds the best method as it can be more accurate in the dosage when done that way, so I will see what the pharmacy says and my doctor.

 

I will keep everyone posted how this goes.

 

Thanks again!

Richard.

 

sounds like a good plan to me Richard, others have reported its been useful to implement a constant level before starting to reduce.  Many taking Ativan have found it good to divide their dose and take it 2 - 4 times a day.  Ativan has whats called a short half life in the body, so you can be thrown into withdrawal on a daily basis.  Until recently I was dosing at 11pm, 7am, 3pm which worked for me.  I'm now dosing twice a day.

 

Good to have you here, will look forward to hearing how you get on. 

 

poppins

[[Ti...]]

Poppins--you are getting so close--so wonderful!

[[po...]]

Poppins--you are getting so close--so wonderful!

 

I know 

 

[[sa...]]

Reporting back to base:

I FEEL GOOD!!!!  lalalaaaaa singing.....   

 

Bloody Benzos! They caused most of my problems, as it seems!

[[po...]]

We are receiving you satashax2

 

Awesome to hear you singing and happy, yay for getting it out of your system 

 

...over

 

poppins

[[gi...]]

Hey everyone, I am really i need of advice, thoughts, opinions. I just saw a new doctor yesterday because I need to wean off of 1 mg ativan that I take only at night for sleep. He agreed to switch me over to valium. He wanted me to stop the ativan completely and switch right to valium. So he wanted me to start with my first dose beginning with 8 mg of valium. However, I did show him the schedule I printed from the benzo.org.uk website. After started the switch to valium last night I realized it seems he has me weaning/switching to fast. He wants me to wean of with schedule like this:

1st week-8mgs valium

2nd wk-6 mgs valium

3rd wk-4 mgs valium

4th wk-2mgs valium

5th wk -1 mg valium

Is this to fast? Is there anyone here that has come of ativan this quickly??

[[sa...]]

It could be ok, could be too fast, but does he let you taper according to your feelings? How long had you been taking it?

[[Kl...]]

Hey everyone, I am really i need of advice, thoughts, opinions. I just saw a new doctor yesterday because I need to wean off of 1 mg ativan that I take only at night for sleep. He agreed to switch me over to valium. He wanted me to stop the ativan completely and switch right to valium. So he wanted me to start with my first dose beginning with 8 mg of valium. However, I did show him the schedule I printed from the benzo.org.uk website. After started the switch to valium last night I realized it seems he has me weaning/switching to fast. He wants me to wean of with schedule like this:

1st week-8mgs valium

2nd wk-6 mgs valium

3rd wk-4 mgs valium

4th wk-2mgs valium

5th wk -1 mg valium

Is this to fast? Is there anyone here that has come of ativan this quickly??

Hi Ginger, If you have been taking 1mg Ativan/night for more than a few months then the schedule looks like it may be on the order of about 4X too fast?? Every one is different but you might show your doctor Ashton's "10% cut every 1-2 weeks" guideline.  But if you are not experiencing any interdose wd with just one Ativan dose/day then you may be fine. Some people come off Benzos without all the symptoms. God bless.

[[th...]]

have been on ativan for a year and have been slowly tapering off now for a couple of months - was on one mg of ativan 4 times a day but am down to 3 with one diazepam replacement at night - its a revolting process and most days i feel like sh*t - severe aches in my neck and shoulders and general aches in other muscles - no energy and my mind is just a foggy sludge - i have had to take leave from work in order to withdraw because i just can't concentrate - when i wake up in the morning i feel like I've been kicked by a horse and my mind is so fuzzy that some mornings I've wondered where i am - i drag myself out of bed and get dressed and go up to the local coffee shop to meet friends as it is the only thing that lifts my mood - then i do my best to have a productive day but it is very hard and can leave me quite weepy at times. my partner is supportive but is just as confused by all this as i am. i am literally just beginning to find the courage to shave a little off two of my tablets each day - do the symptoms get worse as you taper or do they begin to plateau after a while - how long should i wait to stabilise before shaving more off - will my symptoms stabilise after a couple of weeks so i know its the right time to begin shaving a little more off or is it just a matter of getting on with it?

 

[[...]]

Hi, 

 

This thread is a great idea, had not seen it before.  Have not been on site much lately, and used another site before it was shut down. 

 

Was also on Lorazepam (Ativan) for over ten years for an inner ear disorder.  Too tired to go into story now, but I was very, very sick in summer of 2010.  Was being worked up for neuromuscular disease (ALS among others) because of the severity of my myriad, strange symptoms. 

 

Figured out it was Lorazepam.  Decided to do a very slow, direct taper with help of a Dr. beginning in Oct. 2010. 

I had been up to 2mgs per day before the taper as Doctors were telling me to take more Lorazepam for the anxiety of the diagnostic process. 

 

I have steadily improved from being non-functioning, to being able to do most things again.  When I make cuts (I use Intensol) they are very small and gradual.  My symptoms rebound for a few days, but not for as long as before, and not with as much intensity.  So far, I have done well with this process.

 

I have also done a lot in the way of affirmations, meditation, prayer, read books about health (emotional and physical) etc.  I try not to worry about having long term symptoms.  Am focused on healing and believing the body is programmed to heal.  At the beginning I was way to sick to even entertain this kind of thinking.  But, the love and support of some amazing people has carried me through.

 

Thank you for creating this thread.

 

All the best,

 

Yael

[[po...]]

severe aches in my neck and shoulders and general aches in other muscles - no energy and my mind is just a foggy sludge - i have had to take leave from work in order to withdraw because i just can't concentrate

 

Hi Thoroughbred, I so recognize your symptoms from ativan - especially the mind sludge and painful neck and shoulders.  I know how scary it is to face the lowering process.  For me, once I was careful and well paced about it rather than trying to speed through withdrawal, then cutting was a mixture of good and bad.  Slowly slowly my brain function has returned.  But sometimes really quickly after a cut I'd have some vivid epic almost hallucinogenic dreams that I loved after years of dull slumber.  Sometimes my mood would improve and I'd feel confident.  Other times I'd fall into a worry spiral that was misery.  I think getting control over your mind and fear and separating out real fear from drug symptoms in the body that mirror fright (rapid thoughts, heartbeat, shakiness) can really help.  Once you recognize it, you can have a plan to manage it.

 

Hmm, I hope thats not scaring you at all, its meant to do the opposite.  The feeling of just keeping slowly but surely moving towards the finish line is great, its about taking control back over your own life.

 

best and hope this helps, poppins

[[po...]]

Hi Yael

 

I remember you from the other website - I'm the New Zealander you chatted with a bit.  Great to see how well you are doing, makes me happy to read this.

 

cheers

poppins

[[th...]]

thanks guys - it all helps 

[[da...]]

thoroughbred,You asked,

 

"do the symptoms get worse as you taper or do they begin to plateau after a while - how long should i wait to stabilize before shaving more off - will my symptoms stabilise after a couple of weeks so i know its the right time to begin shaving a little more off or is it just a matter of getting on with"

 

The taper symptoms on the way down seem to vary alot by individual but sometimes they are easier then harder and easier again on the way down, your fog will start clearing long before you are off. (So long as you began your wd stable) people frequently stabilize in 1-2 wks with cuts of 5-10% but listen to your own body.  Below 1mg/dy my body preferred smaller cuts-but thats just me.  From time to time you are going to hit a real wd wall, I NEVER won that battle so eventually I learned to updose by half for one dosing then back down for a couple and maybe back up again for one dose (this somewhat non-standard approach worked for me). 

 

If you haven't already done so read The Ashton Manual (the benzo bible) at www.benzo.org.uk  (click box on top left) it specifically addresses most of these questions.  Hang in there we at BB are here for you.

[[be...]]

I will also chime in with my experience thus far. Hopefully you'll get some comfort. I was so own in the dumps about this. Terribly foggy, achy, pretty much constant rebound anxiety and interdose withdrawal. I crashed and burned a little at first because, like most people here I was improperly educated on the diabolical nature of benzo dependance. And as a result, had no idea what was happening to me.

But, long story short my situation improved with each cut. I felt the cuts and a little discomfort each time but they were just bumps in an otherwise smooth healing process. I am not done yet. I'm at .5mg a day spread over 4 doses but I was on 3mg.

 

If you go slow enough, your body will adjust to lower doses. And when it does, your mind becomes stronger and clearer. And when that is the case, you will tolerate the cuts better.

 

I personally recommend everyone try a direct taper before they jump into valium and/or any other method that may prolong or complicate the taper process unnecessarily. The fact is that MOST people do fine with a direct taper. That is not really communicated much here in these forums. Unfortunately because most people on these things are probably the worst casers.

 

Best advice: Do a taper under a doc's care. Listen to them. Then listen to your body. And just remember that this is just something to get through and move past and that you DEFINITELY will.

[[Ch...]]

Hi guys i am tapering off of ativan and in 19 weeks i will be done . I have been put on a tapering sceduale that i cut 5% a week unless i need to hold.. I will be jumping at0.025 is this a small enough dose once a day to get off of?? I am currently taking 0.425 three times a day any advice would be great not really great at math sooooo not sure if 0.025 is going to be small enough trying not to be scared cause it makes my symptoms worse!!! Thanks

[[Kl...]]

Hi guys i am tapering off of ativan and in 19 weeks i will be done . I have been put on a tapering sceduale that i cut 5% a week unless i need to hold.. I will be jumping at0.025 is this a small enough dose once a day to get off of?? I am currently taking 0.425 three times a day any advice would be great not really great at math sooooo not sure if 0.025 is going to be small enough trying not to be scared cause it makes my symptoms worse!!! Thanks

 

.025 mgs/day Ativan seems very reasonable... I crossed over to Valium and jumped at 0.5mg/day Valium which would look like 0.05Ativan....so you are jumping at half of what I did. I also was a short time user of Ativan but I sure got hooked in just a few months. As you get lower you may want to dose 4-6 times/day because of the short life of Ativan....you may also want to get the liquid.

[[Ch...]]

Hi klondike!!! Thank you for responding!!! I am using a compounding pharmacy who has done my whole taper plan for me!!! He has compounded the ativan into cspsules mixed with arrowroot. There is a week pill wich is0.025 of ativan per cappsule and a strong pill wich is  0.10mg  then he did up the whole scheduale for me it is working fairly well.. I have anxiety and panic but i am learning to deal with it alot better.... Meditatio exercise!!!  man this is not fun!!! 19 more weeks and hopefully i will be done!!! How was the switch over to valum?? I have a atrong tendancy for depression so i am sscred to go that route...  I cant belive that all of these poor people are going thru this!!!!! Hope you are well!!