Tapering off Ativan Support Thread

[[Wa...]]

Thanks Luey!

 

I am really struggling with increased anxiety and nausea and am not sure if it has anything to do with changing one of my daily doses to compounded liquid on Jan 20th. Or if I should just switch all my doses to the liquid?

 

Did anything help you (or anyone in the group) reduce the nausea? I'm trying ginger but don't know what might help.

 

 

Welcome Walter,

 

We are a small but supportive group.  I hope you find some helpful information looking back through posts.  The reoccurring themes seem to be listen to your body and go as slowly or hold as needed.  Fatigue was my worst issue too along with nausea but they have subsided since switching to DLMT.

 

Haha Powerball, Yes the nordic ski trials for Ativan taperers. I am trying to make the team and it is helping! 

 

Sorry to hear about all the sleep challenges at lower doses.  I am still on a higher dose.  I take half my dose at night because I want to try to preserve my sleep as long as possible.  As of today I take .71mg at night and .71 divided by 3 in the day.  Creeping down from my current dose of 1.42.  It still seems so high.  I keep reminding myself I started at 6mg. and I am doing well, one day at a time.

 

Happy palindrome day 02022020....May all endings become new beginnings!

 

Luey

 

 

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You are welcome Walter.  Nausea was the worst.  I did have to switch to a bland diet and sometimes wait until evening to eat when I felt better.  My nausea started because I was flying down from the higher doses a year ago and it lasted for several months until I got things under control.  I held and slowed down considerably by changing to daily liquid micro tapering.  I've always used a water and alcohol solution so I don't know anything about compounded liquid.  It did take me a while to adjust my pace but finally the nausea went away and it has been a huge relief!  I've been nausea free now for several months.  We are all so individual here- I believe with time and patience you will find a strategy that works for you.  Thanks for writing and I look forward to hearing how you're doing.  You're in good company here.  Luey 

[[te...]]

Welcome WalterB

 

Luecy has great advice. Go as slow as your body tells you, Sometimes with a switch of any kind you have to wait it out for about a week and then things start feeling better. Dont make too many changes too fast.

I never had nausea so I dont know how to help with that , but the anxiety was a big problem for me as I slowed my taper to micro taper liquid things got better , but I am not going to lie it took time alot of time .

And I still have off days , And a very bad sleep problem.

I have had 3 good nights in a row now about 4 hours of sleep each night , That is alot for me and I am thankful

Welcome to our group .

Lisa

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Welcome Walter to our group. Welcome to our hang-out All of us are different here, some liquid, some dry cuts, some multi doses a day, and I think I am the only one taking a dose solely for sleep. Luey has given you a good orientation. Since I dry cut even at very micro levels (I am cutting to 0.029 mg right now), I think perhaps the majority here use a liquid taper. Last night I got down to 0.23 mg and slept, even though I was up to 1 am watching election returns where nothing happened. I knew I would pay for it this morning but at least I slept.

 

Tech, I am surprised you have never had nausea, but then again I get the inter-dose nausea when my Ativan fully metabolizes out around 5pm.  It went away in Peru and now has returned. So what am I doing? Back to my Sunday Services. Good. Meditating. Good. No gym. Bad. Stress. Mostly ok. Reading? Slacked off. Getting my daily 5 minute sun tan? Lapsed. Eating healthy? Mostly. Happy? Relatively. Feelings about tapering down? Mostly ok. Alive? Yes. For that I am thankful. And thankful to all the company you and this site gives me.

 

Walter, I began at 4 mg last March 31. I could NEVER have gotten to where I am today without this group. Hang around often. Good night. Powerball.

[[Ja...]]

Hi all, I’m hoping to get off Ativan ,but I’m very apprehensive . I’ve looked at the liquid taper schedule but cannot figure it out. The slower the better . The last two tries were too fast and I’m not ready to go through that again

    I don’t drink so alcohol is out of the question . I’ve read about milk being used or water. Any help or suggestions  would be appreciated .

 

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Hello Jannalia,

 

Welcome to the Ativan Taper Support Group.  I hope you don't mind I looked back through your posts.  I understand your apprehension considering you have taken it for many years and this will be your third attempt to taper.  I agree with you to listen to your body and go very slowly.  Most of us here are also going very slowly.

 

I also know how confusing liquid tapering can be at first.  I studied information about it for a long time before I began.  I see someone on the titration board shared Jim Hawk's computer application with you.  http://benzo.alwaysdata.net.  He gives the best overall description I have seen for micro tapering. Did you go through the Readme First sections?  I had a math teacher friend help me go through it.  Do you by chance have a friend or family member who could help you?

 

Ativan is not soluble in water or milk, that's why most people use a tiny amount of alcohol to dissolve it and then mix water to dilute it. Is a tiny bit of alcohol absolutely out of the question?  Propylene glycol can also be used but from what I've read it has some safety issues.

 

You've probably seen on Jim Hawk's computer application you can plug in numbers to generate a taper plan.  Have you played around with it?  If you prefer to do your own math let me know and I can share a way to calculate your daily reductions.

 

Please try not to worry, you've come to a good place for support.  Let us know what specific questions you have.

 

Luey

 

 

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Hi all, I’m hoping to get off Ativan ,but I’m very apprehensive . I’ve looked at the liquid taper schedule but cannot figure it out. The slower the better . The last two tries were too fast and I’m not ready to go through that again

    I don’t drink so alcohol is out of the question . I’ve read about milk being used or water. Any help or suggestions  would be appreciated .

 

It's not ideal, but I did my liquid taper with only water. I tried the alcohol thing, but seems like I felt a little worse or the same as with plain water.  I got the how to in the Yahoo benzo group.

[[he...]]

Hi friends and welcome, WalterB and Jannella -- you have found a good place. I am relatively new here, but since joining the group in November 2019 I have been feeling better about my taper and more confident that I can get off this poison. I have decreased my dose by 50%! The lowest I've been in years. Feeling mostly good. With the supportive advice of others here who have been tapering longer than me, I have learned to slow down and listen to my body.

 

WalterB I've had bouts of extreme, debilitating, near constant nausea. I am not sure what sets off those spells. Around 0.75 mg (down from high dose of 1 mg) it was the worst, this was also around Christmas with some added stress, poor eating, and an occasional glass of wine. Everyone is different, but I have found that slowing down (cut and hold until you feel better) has helped. As well as exercise when able, fresh air and sunshine even if below zero, and for me reducing/eliminating sugar and coffee, drinking gallons of water. You get the idea. I consume a lot of fresh ginger -- sometimes I make a tea, sometimes I just eat pieces of it, add it to most everything I cook. I did use anti-nausea medication on some of the worst days when I did have to function at work. It feels important for me to remember that these are just feelings in my body and they will pass. And they have! I've been nausea free for several weeks. I just made another small cut and so far doing Ok. I hope you find some relief and have moments of feeling better today.

 

Hugs to all! I'm grateful for this group.

[[Bl...]]

Hi everyone just a question! My last Ativan cut was .125 3 weeks ago . For the first 2 weeks after the cut all was well. All of sudden I have increased heart rate, more anxiety can't sleep and feel very weak! Can this happen 3 weeks after a cut or could it just be a stomach bug . Thank you so much

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Hi Blkhawks19 -- I'm not a doctor or a pharmacist, but it seems to me that a sudden spike in anxiety and heart rate 3 weeks after dose reduction would indicate something else might be going on. I do think everyone is different and we respond to the medication changes in unique ways. But with the half life being what it is, I think your body has probably stabilized at the new dose. That being said, our minds need to adjust too. Is there a situation making you anxious? We have to give ourselves time to learn to cope in new ways (I know I do). I guess I would try to be easy on yourself and not obsess too much about symptoms and if it's withdrawal. Feeling weak with a fast heart rate makes me wonder if you are dehydrated or fighting a bug? Try more water and some deep breathing, but if you're not feeling better or you are worried, you could make an appointment with your primary doc.

 

p.s. I'm not trying to triage your symptoms or tell you what to do, but thinking about what I would tell myself, if that makes sense. Hope you feel better soon

[[Bl...]]

Hi heartsonfire

Really appreciate the response . Yeah it's probably a stomache bug . It's just when you have severe anxiety it's hard to tell if it's anxiety or a virus. I'll wait a couple of more days and if in still under the weather call my doc. I was about to updose today thinking in feeling withdraw but that's not a great idea

[[he...]]

Hi again blkhawks19 -- I totally get the virus/anxiety spiral. Each makes the other worse, hard to tell where one ends and other starts. It can be rough. I've been there. Try to remember you WILL feel better. Whatever you are feeling now will pass. Take care. I'm heading out for some cold sunshine. 

[[Bl...]]

Thank you so much heartison fire and enjoy your walk :)

[[Ja...]]

Thank you so much for answering me!. I appreciate the kind words so very much. I was hoping I could use milk or water , but alcohol is out of the question as I’m a recovering alcoholic and haven’t had a drink in 33 years. I did read all the information ,but maybe I’ll go back and read it again. My therapist tried to help me with the numbers but she ended up confused too  .

  I feel so relieved to have found someone to help me figure this thing out. I’ll go check again.I have one more question, currently I take 1 mg at night and 1/2 during the day. I have no interdose symptoms now. Should I reduce with 2 doses as I’m taking ?or should I try to spread it out to 3 ? When I divided them up before it bothered me a lot. It was also too fast. Again thank you so much 😊

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Hi Jannalla, 

 

I had to read through the information a few times too until it all made sense to me.  I wanted to be sure about what I was doing.  I bought the supplies suggested on Jim Hawk's application and then practiced measuring with just water before I started making the ativan solution.

 

For your other question about dosing: My opinion if you are not having interdose withdrawal symptoms is to stay with what you're doing.  All of us are a little bit different when it comes to dosing.  I think the most important thing is listen to your body and do what works for you. 

 

Write back with any questions,

 

Luey

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Hi Heartsonfire,  You are doing amazingly well on your taper, that is so good to hear!

 

Hi everyone just a question! My last Ativan cut was .125 3 weeks ago . For the first 2 weeks after the cut all was well. All of sudden I have increased heart rate, more anxiety can't sleep and feel very weak! Can this happen 3 weeks after a cut or could it just be a stomach bug . Thank you so much

 

Hi Bikhawks, I had my cuts catch up with me because they were too big of cuts and it wasn't immediate.  I know it seems strange but I do think your cut could catch up with you even after three weeks.  Your symptoms sound similar to withdrawal. It can be hard to sort out but you did make a pretty big cut in terms of percentages.  In any case, it sounds smart to hold at your current dose until you feel better even if it takes a while.  Have you considered titrating your dose to be able to reduce more gradually?  Sorry you have been feeling badly.  Maybe it's a virus like Heartsonfire was thinking.  Let us know how you're doing.  Luey

 

 

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Hi luey I once tried taking a full dose in water ( until it dilluted) mixed it then took it but felt like I didn't take anything it was weird. Im scared to do the liquid titration as I don't know if my body is absorbing it properly and all of it .

Thanks for the response

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Hi Bikhawks,  I understand why you wouldn't want to try liquid again since you had a bad experience.  We are all so different (and also the same). I know each of us has to figure out what works best.  Hang in there and feel better soon.  We're here to support you. Keep us posted, Luey

 

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Thank you luey means so much to me. I have a prescription for clonazepam that I just got from my doctor you think I should crossover slowly from .25 Ativan to .125 clonazepam at a time . Every week until Im fully on clonazeoam

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Thank you luey means so much to me. I have a prescription for clonazepam that I just got from my doctor you think I should crossover slowly from .25 Ativan to .125 clonazepam at a time . Every week until Im fully on clonazeoam

Oh my gosh Bikhawks, Since you are asking my opinion- I will share my opinion.  But please remember it is my opinion and I am not a doctor.  I personally would not switch to clonazepam.  It is a potent benzo that is said to be twice as strong as Ativan. I have not seen good reports about switching to it from my time on BBs.  I have never tried to seriously try to switch to a different benzo.  Ashton recommends Valium because it is long acting and much less potent.  My doctor had me try it for a month but when I took the valium, I had withdrawal symptoms.  I have heard several people here in this group say they tried to switch to valium but had problems and decided to stick with tapering from Ativan.  I just wouldn't want to add any complexity to an already difficult situation or risk making it worse.  Again, that is just my opinion. Thanks for the conversation and sharing here.  Wishing you only ease and freedom from suffering,  Luey

[[po...]]

I am doing pretty good with my micro taper. It has been working very well. I stay at my dose for three days and then cut by 0.001 the forth day. Tonight will be a milestone. I will taper down to 0.22mg (from 4 mg late last March) and tie for my previous lowest taper, but last time I failed going to 0.21 pretty bad. I do not recall what happened but in the end I had to dose back up considerably to around .30 or perhaps higher. It has taken me a while to here, but I am back. If I do well the next three nights I then will set my record at 0.21. God that will feel awesome and then what about going below 0.20! Of course I am getting ahead of myself....but the amazing thing is I a still sleeping soundly and not much night eating. To all who are tapering here, I done tons of experimenting with my tapers! Luey knows. But at this slow dose I must be very patient with myself and as Rupaul says "And don't F it up!" Oh by the way Luey, what temps are you living with now? Good night all. Powerball.

[[Bl...]]

thank you luey and sorry for all the questions 

just overthiking too much. wishing everyone a comfortable taper!

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Bikihawks, Please ask as many questions as you want!  This is the place to do it.  I just wanted to be clear I am only giving my opinion and experience, I am certainly not the expert.  Hopefully others will chime in too. Wishing you and everyone good sleep. Grateful for all of you in this supportive group, Luey

[[sa...]]

Yes, I agree, don't cross over if possible.

[[he...]]

Hi friends --

 

Blkhwks19 I agree with Luey and satashasatasha and would not cross over to clonazepam. But I want to reiterate what Luey said, that we are not doctors and not giving medical advice, can only speak from our personal experiences and feelings. You need to do what is right for you and in consultation with your prescribing doctor. For me personally, I am really sensitive to medication changes -- probably a lot of us are. It could be fairly disruptive to switch to a medication that you still need to taper from. I, like Luey, have seen people try switching only to go back to what they were taking before. I would say hold steady with the Ativan where you are now -- even if it's a long hold. Then continue forward. Best of luck to you!

 

It's snowing here today, heading out for a walk with my dog then going to work for a long night. I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. Hope it is just that, as influenza is everywhere here now.

 

Hugs to all and sincere wishes for moments of peace and contentment -- wherever you are on your taper journey.