Tapering off Ativan Support Thread

[[Th...]]

Ok.  I could try and cut a different amount, but the 0.5 tablet is so small

[[Sa...]]

Warrior you're so kind...it is funny how much we both say the same things...I hope your wave is letting up...you're pretty amazing yourself 

 

No Fun , I'm going to clarify my comment from last night a bit. I still think it's a good idea not to psyche yourself out over the % drops. It's strange that I'm forgetting parts of my taper already...I believe that drop was the first larger one I did. I had a rough time the first half of my taper. After that drop I held for a month hoping to feel better but I never really did. I began to push my numbers after that one and honestly every drop was the same for me regardless of %. I had rogue waves not related to when I cut the whole way through.

 

Yes the .5 pills are very tiny to work with. Especially when you get to this point in the taper I do believe a certain degree of accuracy is helpful. That's why I began using the scale and a lot of people move to a more accurate measuring method including using the pills to make liquid.

 

That doesn't mean you can't do this simply eyeballing the cuts. You can and people have done so in the past. Anyway good luck with whatever you decide

[[Th...]]

Ok.  I think i am going to continue eyeballing.  So the plan for this week is to continue 4 doses a day.  0.125, 0.125, 0.25, 0.125;  at 7am, 12pm, 5pm and 10pm.  I take my Neurontin 3 times a day now, 6am, 2pm and 10pm, 200mg each. 

As long as i can still function and still enjoy life, this should be ok.  I just need to be careful with my blood sugar, it seems to get out of whack a lot more now that i am tapering.  I don't want to be driving my kids and pass out from hypoglycemia....

[[Ki...]]

Hi Fellow Ativan Taperers, Ive been reading about your non-stop terror and anxiety. Its been very rough for me too since my last cut. I just couldnt stabilize except for a few hours maybe at night. I asked my doc to give me Visteril bc I read about it here. She said it is a very safe drug, non-addictive, and its given to children and pregnant women. Its technically an antihistamine. Well I tried it last night and for the first time in months I did not wake up with horrible anxiety. It was such a relief!!!!! I took another dose which kept me relaxed and calm all day. Even a little drowsy which was welcome. I dont plan to stay on it long term, but it will certainly help get me through. I just hope it doesnt poop out. Maybe you want to try it?

[[Th...]]

So far, so good!  Headache started around 6pm yesterday, shakes at bedtime.  No vibrating this morning.  Headache, but otherwise fine.

Not too bad!

[[La...]]

Hi Fellow Ativan Taperers, Ive been reading about your non-stop terror and anxiety. Its been very rough for me too since my last cut. I just couldnt stabilize except for a few hours maybe at night. I asked my doc to give me Visteril bc I read about it here. She said it is a very safe drug, non-addictive, and its given to children and pregnant women. Its technically an antihistamine. Well I tried it last night and for the first time in months I did not wake up with horrible anxiety. It was such a relief!!!!! I took another dose which kept me relaxed and calm all day. Even a little drowsy which was welcome. I dont plan to stay on it long term, but it will certainly help get me through. I just hope it doesnt poop out. Maybe you want to try it?

 

kickinit: glad you found sopme success with the vistaril. Unfortunately, the sedative actions of vistaril do poop out pretty quickly, at least they did for me but let us know what your experience is. 

[[Th...]]

Spoke too soon. DP and DR

[[Th...]]

Hi all, hope everyone is dojng as well as possible!

 

Is visteril like benadryl?  I take benadryl almost every night now, for allergies but also because it does help me fall asleep.

 

Doing ok here, hoping for a good day today. 

[[su...]]

I don't know how to tag someone on here but wishing to ask Kiddo about the taper.  I am on 1 mg of lorazepam 2x a day and really would like to get off this crap!!  Did you always dose 5x a day?  Guess that is my main question...I know I am having some tolerance and don't want to updose and still fee like crap so just as well time to take the time to end this nightmare!!  Anyone that has any inputI would greatly appreciate it!!

[[Th...]]

I am pretty new to this, but this is my schedule: i dose four times a day, 7am, 12pm, 5pm, 10pm.  My psychiatrist created a taper schedule, cutting by 20% a week.  I started at 1.25mg, went down to 1mg the week after i saw him, split into 0.25mg four times a day.

 

I am now at 0.625mg a day.  0.125 at 7am, 0.125 at 12pm, 0.25 at 5pm, 0.125 at 10pm.  What i do is considered dry cutting.  I get the smallest tablet available, 0.5, and split it into 4 equal pieces.

 

I also take 200mg Neurontin 3 times a day for seizure protection.  I heard that a lot of people have trouble weaning off Neurontin, so this may not be for everyone.  I was on it once before and weaned off no problem, so i am hoping it will be the same this time.  The plan is to wean off Ativan, then Neurontin. 

 

20% is a pretty big cut compared to most peop,e here.  I believe most cut by 10% or less per week.  I may have to adjust if my withdrawal symptoms get worse.

 

Hope this helps!!

[[ma...]]

Sunnydeigh !

 

How long have you been on lorazepam?

I was on a total of 4 weeks! I'm afraid I don't have good tapering advice because I didn't know better at the time and did my own little taper, which was pretty rapid....

[[Rr...]]

I don't know how to tag someone on here but wishing to ask Kiddo about the taper.  I am on 1 mg of lorazepam 2x a day and really would like to get off this crap!!  Did you always dose 5x a day?  Guess that is my main question...I know I am having some tolerance and don't want to updose and still fee like crap so just as well time to take the time to end this nightmare!!  Anyone that has any inputI would greatly appreciate it!!

 

Hi sunnydeigh,

 

Ativan tapers usually go a lot smoother if you divide your dose into 3-5 smaller doses and take them at the same times every day.

 

For example, I was taking .75 mg Ativan all at night and going crazy every afternoon from interdose withdrawal. This cleared up immediately after dividing my dose into thirds (.25 mg 8:00 a.m., .25 mg 3:30 p.m. and .25 mg 11:00 p.m.).

 

You could take .50 mg 4 times a day to get your 2 mg, then start tapering once you feel more stable. I wouldn't begin tapering until you have a dosing schedule that smooths out the interdose withdrawal.

 

Also, don't cut more than 10% every 7-10 days. Even this schedule is too harsh for some people. When you start cutting, try a small amount, like 3% or 5% every 10 days to see how you react. You may be able to go faster, but it's better to start small and work your way up then cut too much and crash.

 

Rriver 

[[Ki...]]

Hi Sunny - I'm happy to answer your questions, and please feel free to PM me any time as well.

 

I dose 5x a day, which quite frankly isn't necessary, and wish I had started at 4x a day but don't want to change anything now. I think for the majority, 3-4x a day is plenty.

 

I dose at 7am/11am/230pm/6pm/11pm

 

The general guideline is not to cut more than 10% every 7-14 days. But everyone is different. Some can go faster, most can't. I started way too fast and had to hold for a long time and felt pretty awful. Once I started back up I tried 2% then 3% then 4% then 5% then 6% then 7%. That seems to be as far as I can go comfortably. There is a delicate balance. I'm rarely symptom free, but I'm going at a pace that allows me to work and parent young children while still inching myself towards freedom. Healing is DEFINATELY happening as I go down in dose. I'm one of the people that feel better the lower they go (knock on wood).

 

My cuts hit me usually days 2-4 after I drop and then I gradually feel better until I drop and start all over again. I hold for things that I want to feel well for, and try not to feel guilty about that.

 

This really sucks, but it's doable. Listen to your body. I always recommend people start with smaller cuts and build towards higher ones. This will help you find a way to taper that fits YOU. If you cut too big at the beginning and end up in the weeds it's hard to get out of. Learn from my mistakes! Lol

 

Good luck, dig deep 

[[su...]]

Thank you all soooo much!!  I am hearing a lot more positive attitudes here then on some other forums/groups I am on which helps because I was almost ready to updose and just say forget getting off of this crap!! NO WAY!!  I am going to start the 4x a day dosing of .5!  I only have the 1mg pills right now so I don't know how small I could cut and get a good cut!! I am sure I will have many more questions!!  Good luck to you all and keep on keeping on!!

[[Om...]]

Hello buddies. I figured Id chime in. I just jumped. Its been almost 24 hours since my last dose. Im feeling a little rough. Im not too sure what to expect from here on out. For those of you who are religious, please pray for me. This is the next big step in my. I just want to be back to normal. I long for the day that comes when I can lay down at night knowing I will get a good nights sleep and wake up refreshed. Where I can eat what I want when I want and keep it down. I pray for you all each and every day. Ill check back in tomorrow sometime. Hope you are all doing well.

[[Ki...]]

Omni - what dose did you jump from?!?!? I thought you had a couple months to go still. Congrats!!!!! 

 

Please do check in as often as you can and let us know how you're doing  :yippee:

 

 

[[Om...]]

Omni - what dose did you jump from?!?!? I thought you had a couple months to go still. Congrats!!!!! 

 

Please do check in as often as you can and let us know how you're doing  :yippee:

 

 

I took a total of .035 mgs yesterday. Been tapering .015 mgs a day for the vast majority of my taper. Ive held maybe a total of 2 and a half weeks, with one updose. Thank you all for your support.

 

No worries Kiddo, Ill be checking in, Im not going anywhere. You guys are here for me, and I will do my best to continue to be with you. Im just a little scared. Hopeful, but scared.

[[Ki...]]

OMNI - yahoo!!!!!! 

 

So proud of you (and über jealous) lol

 

http://i.imgur.com/is4H7m7l.jpg

[[Om...]]

Thank you for the fireworks Kiddo that's going up as the wallpaper for my laptop. Youre almost there, keep it up! What is your taper speed?

 

[[aw...]]

I am pretty new to this, but this is my schedule: i dose four times a day, 7am, 12pm, 5pm, 10pm.  My psychiatrist created a taper schedule, cutting by 20% a week.  I started at 1.25mg, went down to 1mg the week after i saw him, split into 0.25mg four times a day.

 

I am now at 0.625mg a day.  0.125 at 7am, 0.125 at 12pm, 0.25 at 5pm, 0.125 at 10pm.  What i do is considered dry cutting.  I get the smallest tablet available, 0.5, and split it into 4 equal pieces.

 

I also take 200mg Neurontin 3 times a day for seizure protection.  I heard that a lot of people have trouble weaning off Neurontin, so this may not be for everyone.  I was on it once before and weaned off no problem, so i am hoping it will be the same this time.  The plan is to wean off Ativan, then Neurontin. 

 

20% is a pretty big cut compared to most peop,e here.  I believe most cut by 10% or less per week.  I may have to adjust if my withdrawal symptoms get worse.

 

Hope this helps!!

 

No Fun:

IMO, 20% a week is way too fast for almost everyone. Your current taper is ~15% per week, not much different. Those severe symptoms aren't just unpleasant, they indicate that damage is occurring. A failed taper often makes the next attempt more difficult. You might ask your Psych if there is a special reason for choosing such an unusually rapid taper rate? I'm not trying to scare you, but I would get some other opinions--I think you may be at risk.

 

Aweigh

[[Sa...]]

Omni - what dose did you jump from?!?!? I thought you had a couple months to go still. Congrats!!!!! 

 

Please do check in as often as you can and let us know how you're doing  :yippee:

 

 

I took a total of .035 mgs yesterday. Been tapering .015 mgs a day for the vast majority of my taper. Ive held maybe a total of 2 and a half weeks, with one updose. Thank you all for your support.

 

No worries Kiddo, Ill be checking in, Im not going anywhere. You guys are here for me, and I will do my best to continue to be with you. Im just a little scared. Hopeful, but scared.

 

Ah so here is the nitty gritty!!! Just gave you congrats on the jumpers thread but I too wondered where you jumped from!  I also thought you had some time to go...anyway very very cool Omni so happy for you

[[wa...]]

  Hi all,

            My wave is over ! Glad that one is out of the way .

 

  Can anyone explain to me what the difference is between Paradoxical on A. ?  Then what is Tolerance  A. ? What is Toxic on A.  ?  I have tried to research but thought BB's would do better explaining it.

My one doctor said I was paradoxical . The more A. he gave me the worse I got with sxs,s. If so does that mean a person will feel better as he goes down on the cuts ? This last cut my breathing got real bad and wave my  was the worse since May. When I started my taper. Any thoughts on this ?

 

OMI You are FREE ! Great Job !!!!! 

 

Saga, Kiddo hoping things are better !!!!! I know I forget people, I am sorry.

 

Love to all, Warrior 

 

 

[[Th...]]

Omni - what dose did you jump from?!?!? I thought you had a couple months to go still. Congrats!!!!! 

 

Please do check in as often as you can and let us know how you're doing  :yippee:

 

 

I took a total of .035 mgs yesterday. Been tapering .015 mgs a day for the vast majority of my taper. Ive held maybe a total of 2 and a half weeks, with one updose. Thank you all for your support.

 

No worries Kiddo, Ill be checking in, Im not going anywhere. You guys are here for me, and I will do my best to continue to be with you. Im just a little scared. Hopeful, but scared.

 

That's awesome, congrats!!!

[[Th...]]

Well my daughters confirmation went without a hitch yesterday!!!  It was a great day, and besides my allergies i felt great.  Hope everone has a symptom-less/free weekend!

[[...]]

Attempting to cross over from ativan to valium this week. A little stressful since I'm switching doctors and the first one hasn't seen me in a long time and doesn't know. Still I hope to be able to do this and then to more easily () taper off the valium. I do feel a bit like an addict - in fact I know I am. Yesterday extremely agitated; this morning kind of apathetic. Have moved a little bit into the valium. Zaps and some whiteknuckling-it tension. I hope I belong here in some fashion.