Tapering off Ativan Support Thread

[[be...]]

Wow! Why even mention the 8 days though. It's easier just to say cold turkey.

 

Glad you are healed. I bet that was one hell of a ride.

 

 

 

BDL

[[aw...]]

thought you might want to hear from a very long term user who got off the ativan in 8 days and is now 21 months benzo free.  it was very difficult, but no more difficult than the stories i read on this forum.  i would say that i'm now 80% normal, sleeping much better and have energy that i thought i had lost forever.  see my history below.

Managed:

Yes, I'm very interested in what the w/d protocol was and what you experienced during those 8 days and after you left the hospital. Tell me more about what '80% normal' is like, if you want to. Your story is amazing and inspiring. Thank you for sharing it (cliche alert)  .

 

Aweigh

[[ma...]]

thought you might want to hear from a very long term user who got off the ativan in 8 days and is now 21 months benzo free.  it was very difficult, but no more difficult than the stories i read on this forum.  i would say that i'm now 80% normal, sleeping much better and have energy that i thought i had lost forever.  see my history below.

Managed:

Yes, I'm very interested in what the w/d protocol was and what you experienced during those 8 days and after you left the hospital. Tell me more about what '80% normal' is like, if you want to. Your story is amazing and inspiring. Thank you for sharing it (cliche alert)  .

 

Aweigh

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

awaigh:  you can see the outline of my journey with lorazipam below.  here are some of the specifics:

the first several days after ct were ok.  during the next two weeks i had a couple of spacey episodes that lasted for a few hours but nothing that i couldn't handle.  i went for several days with one hour per night sleep, but i figured it wouldn't kill me.  it got better but didn't go beyond 6 hours (i need at least 7)for 14 months.  no energy (rubbery legs), dizziness, tinnitus, compromised immune system plus all of the other stuff you read about in this forum for 15 months.  nevertheless, i continued my everyday stuff.  i periodically got windows of semi normalcy (whatever that is) that lasted a few days, sometimes a week. 

 

i didn't have a forum to go to (my wife discovered benzobuddies a month ago), so i assumed my experience was normal; something to be worked through; so i did.

 

today i am in much better shape.  the big thing that still remains is the susceptibility to lose my "window" when something effects my body.  for example, if i overdo it in the gym, my hurt is greater than it should be and lasts two or three days, when one day might be normal.  liquor isn't important to me, but i suspect a drink might have consequences.  i don't even take ibuprofen because it puts me in withdrawal when i leave it.

  my wife and i biked to Manhattan Beach, CA this morning.  we live in Marina Del Rey.  i can truly say that i love the life i now live, and it was certainly worth pushing through the temporary junk to get to where i am today.

 

 

[[aw...]]

Managed;

Thanks very much. i'd say you had some pretty severe sx that you just pushed through because you figured they were normal and necessary  to get where you needed to go. That takes courage.

If you happen to have the a copy of the protocol that was used for the 8 day inpatient detox, I'd be interested in seeing it. I know it's personal confidential medical info, but you could redact anything making it personally identifiable.

 

And with that, I'm off-forum and out of the house!

 

Thanks again,

:thumbsup:Aweigh

[[ma...]]

The 8 day Protocol was pretty simple.  We started day one with 8mg and cut each day to 0 on day eight.  As noted below, it was done at UCLA hospital.

[[be...]]

Hey AV club. Well, after a month nearly free of symptoms I feel kind of slammed tonight.

Damn.

 

I'm hoping it's a bump. I'm at .25 going to hold here for a few days and hopefully it will even out.

I'm reporting this out of fairness because I know a couple of you have been following my progress.

I was doing well but it looks like the tiny cuts may have finally caught up with me.

 

I'm doing ok. Just achy and mildy paranoid. I'm going to work tonight so hopefully it doesn't get too bad.

 

I wish I he better news. I'll keep you posted. And I hope that you all are having a great night on this big beautiful earth.

 

Cheers.

 

BDL

[[aw...]]

The 8 day Protocol was pretty simple.  We stated day one with 8mg and cut each day to 0 on day eight.  As noted below, it was done at UCLA hospital.

Thanks. Did they give you any other meds to treat withdrawal sx? Anything for sleep?

Aweigh

[[Ma...]]

I'm sorry your having a hard time BZD.  Hugs.

[[be...]]

Feeling better today Mairin. Thank you!

I've been drinking lots of coffee, indulging sugar cravings, and not getting enough sleep.

I suppose it's just my body reminding me that I am not in the clear yet and stop acting like a fool.

 

BDL

[[ce...]]

Feeling better today Mairin. Thank you!

I've been drinking lots of coffee, indulging sugar cravings, and not getting enough sleep.

I suppose it's just my body reminding me that I am not in the clear yet and stop acting like a fool.

 

BDL

LOL BDL!      We all do this I think.  We want so much to be back to normal that we overdo it and indulge.  You'll be okay.  Hope the sleep improves soon!

 

Cedar

[[Al...]]

 

I know what the Ashton manual recommends but I have read threads on here saying you can taper off Ativan straight, usually with titration which is what I am doing.

 

I find it hard at .7 to make more cuts. Intradose withdrawal SXs spring up almost always now.

 

I am hoping to hear from those of you out there who tried Ativan withdrawal but at some point switched over to V.

Was it a difficult cross over or did it happen smoothly?

 

I am thinking I may need to speak to my GP and ask for this.

 

Thanks

 

[[ch...]]

Hope this is not too long. Fifteen yrs on Ativan, 2mg twice a day for CP seizures and panic. Did quite well for about 10 years but it did not work well the last five yrs, was quite sick did not know what was wrong, was diagnosed with MS, did not believe it, hospitalised for severe brain swelling, bowel blockage and so on. Ran out of Ativan, called pharmacy, pdoc denied request for Ativan script. I knew nothing about benzos then. Third day without any Ativan I was taken in ambulance with monitor alarms going off, to ER, ER doc deduced that I was having Ativan withdrawals. BP and heart rate rising high fast and nothing would control them. Doc said he did not know what to do, that I could possibly die or have seizure and die. Monitor alarms going off, doc sitting beside bed, docs and nurses standing around bed watching monitors, would not look at me. Trouble breathing, and talking, turned to ER doc and said "Ativan?" He said to nurse "Ativan 2mg, IV stat, push!" Nothing. Then BP and heart rate slowly began to come down. Eventually ...I felt totally normal! Doc gave me a  script for Ativan, to last until I could get new pdoc. I did. He talked me into staying on them, I did. He said he would never do what other doc did, he did not, until about 5 months later. Then he cut me off. Back into WDs. Have notebook of all phone numbers of docs, ERs, facilities, detox, recoveries, hospitals, psych docs and so on, that I called for help. Turned down by all. They will have nothing to do with benzo detox or recovery, not cost effective, takes too long and so many docs are getting sued. Back to ER, doc said anxiety, go home. Finally got Ativan but no help. Started dry cutting, down to 1/4mg 4 times a day, where I am now. Want to titrate taper, slowly. Math, no way. Want to use 100ml suspension and cut by 1/2ml or 1ml, but don't know how or when. Think I would like to cut every one or two weeks, don't know. Pharmacist said it could not be done as Ativan is not water soluble. He said to stop Ativan but warned I would be very sick and that I could die. Duh! Would appreciate any help very much. Thanks!

[[ce...]]

Oh my word Chanette, nightmare!  :'(    I am so sorry you've been put through such hell at the hands of these doctors.  SO glad you are here........you're in the right place to get help. 

 

Here is what helped me to taper off of Ativan.  Of course you can do liquid titration instead if you prefer and there are many here who do this with great success and they can help you with a titration plan.

 

 

1. If you can take doses 4 times a day (rather than 2 or 3) it's better, as to avoid interdose withdrawals.

 

2. I suggest taking your largest dose at bedtime for sleep.

 

3. A Compounding Pharmacy can be your best friend.  Every city has a compounding pharmacy, so just ask your doctor about where the nearest one is, or google your city name and compounding pharmacy.

 

4. Spread your doses out evenly.  For instance 7 a.m.  12 p.m.  5 p.m. and 10 p.m.  (OR)  7 a.m. 1 p.m.  6 p.m. and 11 p.m.  This is important so as to avoid interdose withdrawals.

 

Note: if you choose to taper Ativan you'll have to watch the clock closely everyday to make sure you take your dose on time.

 

5. Get a calendar and map out your taper plan.  This was so helpful to me to know how much to take at what time of day. Otherwise it's too easy to forget what it was that you are doing.  There's enough pain and confusion with withdrawal anyhow.

 

Here's what a "possible" Ativan taper can look like.  You may choose to slow it down or speed it up depending on what your symptoms are.  Many people find that the lower you get on the doses the harder it is, so make it slower as you get to those low doses.  Try to make the cuts every 10-14 days for the best results:

 

Possible Ativan taper:

 

.50          .50        .50        .50                  Total:  2 mgs

.25          .50        .50        .50                  Total:  1.75

.25          .25          .50        .50                  Total:  1.50

.25          .25          .25        .50                  Total:  1.25

.25          .125        .25        .50                  Total:  1.125

.25          .125        .125      .50                  Total:  1

.25          .125        .125      .375                Total:  .875

.25          .125        .125      .25                  Total:  .75

.125        .125        .125      .25                  Total:  .625

.125        .125        .125      .125                Total:  .50

.125        .0625      .125      .125                Total:  .4375

.125        .0625      .0625    .125                Total:  .375

.0625      .0625      .0625    .125                Total:    .3125

.0625      .0625      .0625    .0625              Total:    .25

.0625      .0312      .0625    .0625              Total:    .2187

.0625      .0312      .0312    .0625              Total:    .1874

.0312      .0312      .0312    .0625              Total:    .1561

.0312      .0312      .0312    .0312              Total:    .1248

                .0312      .0312    .0312            Total:    .0936

                                .0312    .0312            Total:    .0625

                                            .0312            Total:    .0312

                                                                  Off!

 

 

[[Ph...]]

Oh my word Chanette, nightmare!  :'(    I am so sorry you've been put through such hell at the hands of these doctors.  SO glad you are here........you're in the right place to get help. 

 

Here is what helped me to taper off of Ativan.  Of course you can do liquid titration instead if you prefer and there are many here who do this with great success and they can help you with a titration plan.

 

 

1. If you can take doses 4 times a day (rather than 2 or 3) it's better, as to avoid interdose withdrawals.

 

2. I suggest taking your largest dose at bedtime for sleep.

 

3. A Compounding Pharmacy can be your best friend.  Every city has a compounding pharmacy, so just ask your doctor about where the nearest one is, or google your city name and compounding pharmacy.

 

4. Spread your doses out evenly.  For instance 7 a.m.  12 p.m.  5 p.m. and 10 p.m.  (OR)  7 a.m. 1 p.m.  6 p.m. and 11 p.m.  This is important so as to avoid interdose withdrawals.

 

Note: if you choose to taper Ativan you'll have to watch the clock closely everyday to make sure you take your dose on time.

 

5. Get a calendar and map out your taper plan.  This was so helpful to me to know how much to take at what time of day. Otherwise it's too easy to forget what it was that you are doing.  There's enough pain and confusion with withdrawal anyhow.

 

Here's what a "possible" Ativan taper can look like.  You may choose to slow it down or speed it up depending on what your symptoms are.  Many people find that the lower you get on the doses the harder it is, so make it slower as you get to those low doses.  Try to make the cuts every 10-14 days for the best results:

 

Possible Ativan taper:

 

.50          .50        .50        .50                  Total:  2 mgs

.25          .50        .50        .50                  Total:  1.75

.25          .25          .50        .50                  Total:  1.50

.25          .25          .25        .50                  Total:  1.25

.25          .125        .25        .50                  Total:  1.125

.25          .125        .125      .50                  Total:  1

.25          .125        .125      .375                Total:  .875

.25          .125        .125      .25                  Total:  .75

.125        .125        .125      .25                  Total:  .625

.125        .125        .125      .125                Total:  .50

.125        .0625      .125      .125                Total:  .4375

.125        .0625      .0625    .125                Total:  .375

.0625      .0625      .0625    .125                Total:    .3125

.0625      .0625      .0625    .0625              Total:    .25

.0625      .0312      .0625    .0625              Total:    .2187

.0625      .0312      .0312    .0625              Total:    .1874

.0312      .0312      .0312    .0625              Total:    .1561

.0312      .0312      .0312    .0312              Total:    .1248

                .0312      .0312    .0312            Total:    .0936

                                .0312    .0312            Total:    .0625

                                            .0312            Total:    .0312

                                                                  Off!

 

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I am about to cry. I am doing a direct taper off Ativan. This is more help than you will ever know. Now if I can figure out how to sleep. You have no idea how much I appreciate this information. :-)

[[co...]]

BDL, glad you are feeling better. I will start liquid Ativan suspension tomorrow. I think you cut about .025 - 2.5 % every 3 days more or less. Are you dosing at 3 or 4 times a day? Are you using the syringe a 1ml syringe that the pharmacist provided?

 

Even with 4 doses a day at times I have interpose withdrawal. Did you experience that with your every 3 day small cut approach, especially with the lower doses?

 

Hoosierfans and Tinca,  How are you doing off the Ativan? Did you stabilize yet?

 

I hope all is well!

[[aw...]]

Hello:

I haven't been here in a while. As my sig shows, I take 6 mg Ativan/day. Once I get my dose equalized to 2 mg 3X day, I'm going to switch over to Klonopin for a very slow titration taper. I've heard a lot of people on this forum talk about the difficulty of a direct A taper, and have read a lot about how it's like fighting the half life of the drug--it's just too short to prevent ID withdrawal unless you're willing to dose 4 or 5 times a day, which means tiny doses. So I'm going to switch over even tho it's more time and more hassle and a new drug and why can't I just get off this stuff now, damnit?!

 

Well, because my body has to make new GABA receptors, and that takes time. Probably many months of time, for me. Anchors aweigh!

 

Aweigh

 

 

[[sh...]]

Hoosierfans!!

 

Hallelujah, sister   Hope you're feeling better each day and having a great time with your family!

 

I'm looking forward to hearing from you!!

 

Hugs,

Shortie

[[be...]]

Just a quick report. Holding again. Nothing too bad but definitely symptomatic. I had about 5 awesome weeks of a window. Thought I might be in the clear. Darn.

 

Well, I'm at least functional. It's a bummer that I have to slow down but so be it. .25 and holding.

 

Concerned, yes. 1ml. Yes 4 times a day. I don't know what my exact cuts are. I've stopped keeping track. I just keep them small.

 

Hell or highwater I I'm going to be rid of these this year.

 

Sigh.

 

Love,

BDL

 

 

[[ce...]]

Love your posts BDL.  So glad you had some relief there for awhile and glad to hear your funcitonal. Not everyone can claim that in w/d.  I'm certain you'll get free from this this year!  Really excited for you!

 

Hugs,

Cedar

[[co...]]

BDL, thanks for the info. Do you or anyone else  know if the liquid brand Ativan is much stronger then generic, as I seem to be feeling much better on the liquid then the compounded generic capsules. I suspect they are weaker and metabolized differently.

 

I wonder if I am on more now due to the increased strength even though technically it is a slightly lower dose then my capsules were.

 

Also, why did you decide to taper directly off of Ativan rather then crossing over to Valium or Klonopin?

[[Ph...]]

I don't know about liquid Ativan but years ago when I tapered off the namebrand Ativan I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms. It was a much smoother drug than the generic Ativan. I have disliked the generic from the beginning but couldn't take any other benzo.

 

I would love to switch to the liquid but I guess it has to be refrigerated.

[[co...]]

My liquid compounded formula does not have to be refrigerated. I to refrigerate it when possible however my pharmacist said it was not required. I suspect it is more potent then the generic and absorbed better because it is liquid.

[[Ph...]]

My liquid compounded formula does not have to be refrigerated. I to refrigerate it when possible however my pharmacist said it was not required. I suspect it is more potent then the generic and absorbed better because it is liquid.

 

Thank you very much for the information. I have been symptomatic all day. I know I'm not making even cuts. Do you think it's a lot of trouble but it may be well worth it even if it is. I see my doctor next week. I will ask. I'm so tired of all the cutting and trying to guess if it's the right amount. Best of luck to everyone. :-)

[[ce...]]

Phoenix and others,

 

Compounding or titration are the only ways to taper Ativan. Dry cutting does not work at all.

 

It's imperative to get the correct doses and to take them at the same times evenly split through the day.

 

Hope you have a good app. with your doc.     

 

Cedar

[[Ph...]]

Phoenix and others,

 

Compounding or titration are the only ways to taper Ativan. Dry cutting does not work at all.

 

It's imperative to get the correct doses and to take them at the same times evenly split through the day.

 

Hope you have a good app. with your doc.     

 

Cedar

 

Oh thank you so much! I tapered too fast in July and it was pretty awful. I didn't have clue as to what as to what I was doing. I hope she will go along with it. Cedar, did the low dosage at night never affect your sleep? I have been up and down 1.25 to 1.50 and I know that is bad to do but I have to get a little sleep for work. I'm so weary and some day's it's hard to maintain a positive attitude. I'm just so tired of the fight but I'm not giving up. :-)