Tapering off Ativan Support Thread

[[ce...]]

BDL, sounds like maybe things are looking up for you lately!  I'm happy to hear it. Falling in love will make us forget all kinds of pain.   

 

I hope things go really well for you and that you enjoy your life to the fullest.

 

Hugs,

Cedar

[[Ho...]]

YEAH BDL.  I am so happy for all the good things that are happening to you!!!!! 

 

The Thailand thing sounds really cool; just don't get caught on the way home with a hollow snake full of cocaine that lands you in a Thai prison  where you have to lend all the girls your bra and have to teach them how to properly sing "Like a Virgin."    We BBs have a lot of power, but probably not enough to break you out!  :laugh:

 

Yes, I've been watching too much Bridget Jones' Diary. 

[[Ga...]]

If my doctor would work with me I could do this.  He won't even talk to me.  Just throws stuff at me.  Then gets mad if I have questions or it isnt quite what he thought.  Do you live in the US?  Our doctors are not very helpful.  I need a new doc and our whole area is one big monoply and works together.  Not much chance to get a doc that will work with you.  I'm caught in a trap.  I need more to stablize, and can't get it.  I'm wondering if moving to the every 6 hour schedule will make it better or worse. 

[[be...]]

I recommend every 4 hours personally. And It sounds like your doctor just sucks.

Consult with someone new. Bring them the Ashton research. They can't argue with it. She is very well respected in the medical community. It really worked for me. My doc admitted outright that he didn't have a lot of experience with slow tapers but that the Ashton stuff was sound.

If that's not an option do it yourself. All of the information you need is right here. But honestly, I can't imagine how a doctor, who has already prescribed you Ativan, would have a problem with you wanting to taper off very slowly.

You can do this. The fear present at the beginning of withdrawal can make this seem harder than it is.

But it's totally doable.

 

[[Ga...]]

Thank you so much for the info.  I am currently trying to find a doctor that will work with me on the reduction  I don't have much choice in this area.  It takes 3 months to get into a new doctor and you don't get to talk to them before you make appointments to see if they are willing to work with you.  Makes it very hard if the current doctor will not help. 

 

Did you dry cut all the way?  Those are really little amouts at the end. Did you titrate?  I think I can do all of this if that's what it takes, but first I have to have a DR that will work with me.  Thanks for all the info.  So glad you made it off this stuff.  How are you doing Now?  Any left over w/d?

[[Ma...]]

hi folks, glad to hear you are doing well bdl. 

 

I have cut down to 5.75 from 6.  Am trying to hold for two weeks.  Its just a little more than a week now. 

 

Am having terrile trouble with low blood pressure and eating. My weight is way down.  Also the desert heat is just killing me with no relief in sight.

 

Any help appreciated.

[[Ho...]]

Mairin, have you checked in with your doc about your low bp?  If you don't have one, get a cuff at the local pharmacy so you can keep track of it (it will greatly help your doc).  If it is causing you this much trouble, and you do have a ways to go in your tapering, I would get in to see your doc about adding something to help your bp (whether just salt, licorice root supplement, or one of the prescription meds).  I highly recommend the compression stockings if you can stand them; they are pricey but worth it!!

 

Low bp totally zaps you of any energy that you have to fight this thing, and add that to your not eating, and it makes me concerned for you.  Not eating can make the low bp worse; at least that is my experience.

 

If it helps anything, know that when I was on the higher doses of Ativan at the beginning, I would get stronger low bp symptoms between doses (i.e. interdose w/d); as I went down, I could still feel I was running low, but it wasn't as dramatic.  And now that I'm off, I seem to be evening out.

[[Ma...]]

Thanks Hoosier fans, you've been a big help and I am seeing a doc today.  I am trying to eat more, drinking V8.  Thanks so much.

 

Hugs

Mairin

[[Ho...]]

No problem, Mairin, keep me posted on what your doc recommends! 

[[Sl...]]

Thank you so much for the info.  I am currently trying to find a doctor that will work with me on the reduction  I don't have much choice in this area.  It takes 3 months to get into a new doctor and you don't get to talk to them before you make appointments to see if they are willing to work with you.  Makes it very hard if the current doctor will not help. 

 

Did you dry cut all the way?  Those are really little amouts at the end. Did you titrate?  I think I can do all of this if that's what it takes, but first I have to have a DR that will work with me.  Thanks for all the info.  So glad you made it off this stuff.  How are you doing Now?  Any left over w/d?

 

You mentioned that your Doctor won't work with you on reduction.  Earlier this week, I had a follow-up visit with my Psychiatrist and mentioned tapering off the Lorazepam but having some difficulty sleeping.  His first words were, "Would you like to try something else ?" and then he rattled off the names of sleeping pills ... one I recognized as Ambiem.  I told him, "No" explaining that getting off of the Lorazepam was difficult enough and I don't want to go through it again with another medication.  I mentioned taking Melatonin and wanting to stay with natural products .... he responded with a comment that to the effect, he, as a doctor, does not prescribe natural things.  After a couple of go arounds in which he looked for other prescriptions, he said, "You're very sensitive to medications ... so it's good to try natural things."

 

That said, your signature line indicates you are tapering and below is my experience ... note that I was a relatively short time user @ 0.5 mg (at bedtime) Lorazepam :

 

I experienced what I now realize was withdrawal symptoms after trying to taper off Lorazepam last month.  I came upon this forum and poured over the posts looking for ideas.  One member suggested a relatively quick taper as my dosage was low and usage time relatively short.  Other forum members wrote about Theanine providing some anxiety relief and sleep aid.  Some wrote about Melatonin's benefits. These tips helped me. 

 

To start the taper, I cut the Lorazepam pills in half and took 0.25 mg for five nights and then went off after that (as a 3-day weekend was coming up for me).  At bedtime I took 2 mg Melatonin and 100 mg Theanine (a chewable I cut in half) as well as 10 mg Norpramin (an anti-depressant, my Psychiatrist says its a low dose).  The first few days and nights after tapering down to 0.25 mg Lorazepam were difficult.  The first few days and nights after stopping the Lorazepam were difficult but not as difficult as the tapering to 0.25 dose level.

 

The last two nights, I have had at least 5 hours sleep ... which is my 'best' since early July.

 

I am now tapering the Melatonin from 2 mg to 1.6 mg this weekend and am hopeful that the taper process will be a smooth one.

 

Good luck on finding a taper that works for you.

 

 

[[Ma...]]

Ok I am holding at 5.75.  I plan to cut in two days.  I am temped to cut earlier but its only two more days.  I've been tapering for 4 months now and when it gets close to the time to cut you get antsy.  Well at least I do.

 

I'm going to cut and hold this cut for 3 weeks.  I have the goal in mind to get down 1 mg in about two months.  I am trying to go slow as I have come off a huge dose.

 

So far it has not been too bad but I am far from what I was before all this.

[[Ga...]]

When we get to taking such small doses and cutting such small amounts, how are all of you taking your drug? Are you putting it under your tongue, swallowing it, taking it with food or by itself?  IF you are using liquid do you put drops under your tongue, put it a small amount of water and swallow it or what?  I just took a .125 amount and swallowed it just before I ate dinner.  I don't think it is going to do anything.  I was having pretty good w/d sx.    I guess it is time to start making my doses even thorught the day.  I've heard it makes a big difference? 

[[Ga...]]

Ok here I am again.  I took that small amount tongiht.  I didn't think it would do anything.  Now I feel really weird. I'm caught somewhere between drugged and still having w/d.  Can anyone tell me what is going on.  When you even out the dose to take it every 6 hours does it drug you all the time to where you can't function?  Does your body build up a tolerance so you can function?  Somebody please tell me about this?

[[Li...]]

Hi Mairrin-

 

I kind of think your body/brain might be able to give you an indication if you could cut a few days early...... If it were me, I would try it.... But I have no patience.

 

Looks like your taper is moving right along - that's awesome and inspiring

 

Way to go and I hope you're holding up okay-

 

Litn

 

 

[[Ma...]]

Hi Livein the now, nice to meet you

 

Thanks i don't feel like an inspiration but yes I'm plugging along.  I was cutting down by .5 from 8 mg but I was sort of under pressure from my doc to do so.  It wasn't too bad coming down from 8 mgs, however I did have to back up once because I wasn't stable enough to keep cutting.  if you can handle the .5 cuts then ok but I have now switched to cutting .25.

 

I'm gonna hold the next cut for 3 weeks to get through my cylcle, which makes it worse, esp. emotionally.

 

I hope to cut down to 5 by dry cutting, and then maybe move to water titration.  I know that will take much longer but I also know it will be a bit easier on my system.  I primarly want to cut down to five a bit fast because of the downward pressure on my blood pressure.

 

hope you are doing ok and don't be afraid to make the cuts a bit less if you have to.  I'm glad there is someone here who is a bit closer to my dose

 

Hugs Mairin

[[Ma...]]

Garden Lady, yes it would probably help if you split that dose into 4 parts.  Ativan has a half life of 6 to 10 hours but 6 is usually when people feel the interdose withdrawal.  Some people feel ok at 3 doses per day.  But you can try 4 or even 5 if it makes you feel better.

 

I'm on a high dose and having trouble with low blood pressure, the ativan will drive my blood pressure down.  So I've been advised to take the dose with food to help counteract that drop.  But you may not have the blood pressure problem.  You might try taking it on an empty stomach and then eat a half hour later.  It gets into your system pretty fast.  By taking the pill and swallowing.

 

I wouldn't do the sublingual, just take the dose with water.

 

Try to keep yourself calm.  I can sense you are upset about this whole thing and really who wouldn't be, especially when faced with the realization of how difficult this can be.  But its best to try to keep yourself calm and accept the situation and try to deal with it as calmly as possible.  Hope this helps.

 

Love to you,

Mairin

[[Ma...]]

Also Garden Lady, what you have in your favor is that you have not been on Ativan long and at a fairly low dose.  Many times people fare much better in this situation than if they had been on it for a long time.

[[Ga...]]

THANK YOU FOR THE RESPONSE MAIRIN.  i DO APPRECIATE THE RESPONSES.  tHINGS ARE CHANGING VERY FAST, PROBABLY BECAUE i DROPPED .125 TOO FAST.  iT WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO WORK OUT  ALSO I'M TRYING TO MOVE TO MORE THAN ONE DOSE AT THE SAME TIME AND MY BODY STILL EXPECTS IT'S DOSE AT MIDNIGHT.  IS THERE SOME PLAN FOR HOW TO START THE MULTI DOSE PHASE?

[[Li...]]

Hi Garden Lady:

 

I too was taking my entire Ativan dose solely at bedtime then experienced interdose withdrawal by about 2pm the next afternoon.  I learned on this wonderful forum that it's usually easier on your system when you're withdrawaling to break up your dose.  A lot of people do 4 equal doses, that's what's recommended.  Your wd symptoms might ease a bit if you break up your dose.  Some people also have good luck adding just a little melatonin liquid at bedtime also.  It has helped me immensely. Of course I'm not a doc or anything but it may be helpful..... 

 

As far as timing for starting the split doses, I just started the day after I realized this was a highly recommended way of dosing the taper.......

 

Anyway, I hope you're feeling better!  These symptoms are annoying, painful, and sometimes scary i think.

 

Best wishes,

Litn

[[Ga...]]

Hi Garden Lady:

 

I too was taking my entire Ativan dose solely at bedtime then experienced interdose withdrawal by about 2pm the next afternoon.  I learned on this wonderful forum that it's usually easier on your system when you're withdrawaling to break up your dose.  A lot of people do 4 equal doses, that's what's recommended.  Your wd symptoms might ease a bit if you break up your dose.  Some people also have good luck adding just a little melatonin liquid at bedtime also.  It has helped me immensely. Of course I'm not a doc or anything but it may be helpful..... 

 

As far as timing for starting the split doses, I just started the day after I realized this was a highly recommended way of dosing the taper.......

 

Anyway, I hope you're feeling better!  These symptoms are annoying, painful, and sometimes scary i think.

 

Best wishes,

Litn

 

Thank you SOOOOO much.  That was a wonderul help.  Did you notice a difference during the night when you didn't get the big dose?  I'm worried about night time w/s over it.  Also Where did you get the liquid melatonin?  Does it have vit. B in it.  I had to really look for one that doesn't have Vit. b init.  For some reason the vit. B wakes me up 2 hours after I take it in a real  panic.  Do you have problems sleeping?  That's the reason I took the Ativan to begin with.

[[Ho...]]

Hey BBs,

 

Just need a little support from my AV club because the s/x are still going strong; and unfortunately today has been a mostly in bed / on the couch day because of the crushing fatigue and dizziness.  Ugghhh.  This weekend was also a lot of in and out of bed.

 

BUT, Aunt Flo showed up today and this time of the month is always hard for me.  And, if I try and step outside of myself and look back a month, this time last month I was jumping out of my skin -- the horrible jitters all day, tons of vertigo, crushing fatigue, headaches, nausea, electric sensations, and totally weak.  So, while I'm bad today, it's probably 30% better than last month.  And my mood is even keel -- last month I had crushing depression for more than a week.

 

I just would so much like to feel normal, and kind of frustrated that here I am 6 weeks off the Ativan and still battling these s/x 24/7.  Spent some time reading the success stories today and know that I am still in "early days."    Just looking for some encouragement that these effects will continue to lighten....

 

Thanks, BBs, as always!

 

 

[[Li...]]

Hi Hoosier

Oh it sounds like your couch is seeing as much action as mine this weekend   I'm sorry you're having such a rough time ....... But I did notice towards the end of your post you do know that your healing .

 

Seems like maybe the monthly hormonal fluctuations we lucky ladies have could be the culprit for the wd sx overdrive.....  I bet you'll feel "better" in a day or two........ Congratulations for being benzo free....... That's amazing!  I can't wait to say that

 

Take care,

 

Litn

[[Li...]]

Hi Garden Lady:

 

The melatonin, I think, is the reason I'm sleeping at all.  I've been an insomniac since childhood.  Having said that, it can affect everyone differently, but I'd say it's worth a shot!  To answer your question about being able to get to sleep without taking my big dose (4mg for many years).  I have been able to sleep actually pretty soundly and my bedtime dose decreased significantly.  I decided to dose a little higher at bedtime than the rest of the day at it seems to be working.  I went from 4 to 1mg at bedtime (splitting the dose throughout the day is the ONLY way this was possible). About 20 minutes before bed I drink my melatonin (2.5 mg with a cup or so of water).  Then, take the A at the last minute before bed.

 

I can see how melatonin with b vitamins could amp you up..... I think the Bs are meant to do that.  I looked everywhere for liquid melatonin (tried the pills and they did nothing for me at all)..... Finally found it at Rite Aid on the bottom shelf of the vitamin section.  It doesn't have any other vitamins in it and comes with a dosing cup.  Looks like cough syrup but actually has a nice flavor when mixed with some water.  It's by Natrol and the bottle is purple.  A word of caution though, I tried some one afternoon as s/x were bad and it back fired....... Made me feel very anxious and depressed..... Really quick onset.  I think it's only meant for nighttime (darkness has something to do with it).  So again, it is working for me super well...... If you do try it, maybe it will be just what you need.

 

Based on your tapering schedule it looks like you're in the home stretch! Just keep that in mind....... 

 

Take care,

Litn

[[Ga...]]

Hi Garden Lady:

 

The melatonin, I think, is the reason I'm sleeping at all.  I've been an insomniac since childhood.  Having said that, it can affect everyone differently, but I'd say it's worth a shot!  To answer your question about being able to get to sleep without taking my big dose (4mg for many years).  I have been able to sleep actually pretty soundly and my bedtime dose decreased significantly.  I decided to dose a little higher at bedtime than the rest of the day at it seems to be working.  I went from 4 to 1mg at bedtime (splitting the dose throughout the day is the ONLY way this was possible). About 20 minutes before bed I drink my melatonin (2.5 mg with a cup or so of water).  Then, take the A at the last minute before bed.

 

I can see how melatonin with b vitamins could amp you up..... I think the Bs are meant to do that.  I looked everywhere for liquid melatonin (tried the pills and they did nothing for me at all)..... Finally found it at Rite Aid on the bottom shelf of the vitamin section.  It doesn't have any other vitamins in it and comes with a dosing cup.  Looks like cough syrup but actually has a nice flavor when mixed with some water.  It's by Natrol and the bottle is purple.  A word of caution though, I tried some one afternoon as s/x were bad and it back fired....... Made me feel very anxious and depressed..... Really quick onset.  I think it's only meant for nighttime (darkness has something to do with it).  So again, it is working for me super well...... If you do try it, maybe it will be just what you need.

 

Based on your tapering schedule it looks like you're in the home stretch! Just keep that in mind....... 

 

Take care,

Litn

 

Thanks for the Info.  I know I need to switch to the 4 times a day.  Just not sure what changes it will make for me.  wondering if it will make me so sleepy I can't function during the day.  Sometimes it makes me drugged, but not enought to sleep.  I figure it will take a few days to even out.  Do you have probelms with day doses making you sleepy or drugged?

I use the melatonin and have for years.  I just use a .5  amount now.  I've tried more, but it doesn't do anything for me.  I used to take 5mg before surgery4 months ago and have wondered if that was part of my problems after surgery not sleeping.  Wondered if I needed to ween myself off of it or something.  Anyway.  I only sleep about 2 hours at night now with the .68 I am currently taking.  Included in that amount is a tiny amount in the evening to help me over the breakthrough w/d.    If you can give me any info on how your dose schedule during the day is, I would appreciate it.

[[Ga...]]

Jeanie,  You had a support thread for info on a sleep aid.  I read it earlier, but now I can't find it.  Could you tell me what it was you used for sleep?