Tapering off Ativan Support Thread

[[ld...]]

Hi all,

 

Today is day 8 of my dry taper. I thought I'd check in. Today is a dose change day. And it is a harder day. The last two days were good. Do you all experience worse days on a dose change day and do they improve with time??? I'm only on 0.13mg. And I feel the difference b/w that and 0.18mg. Just need some good vibes.

 

ldbenzohelp

[[Gi...]]

It appears you cut your dose by about 27%.  I would definitely feel that.  It gets better with time, but the length of time varies per person. I suggest holding until you feel stable.  Best of luck.

[[ld...]]

Gingermint, yes, I thought I would be okay. The story of me. I am eager to be off! Aren't we all... I looked at your signature. You took it nice and slow. I noticed that you split your dose at one point. Did that help?

[[...]]

Hi ldbenzohelp,

 

So good to hear you were feeling good the last couple of days- I think that's a good sign; sorry today isn't so great.  From my experience this isn't always a linear process, but I did notice it would take a few days for reductions to catch up with me.  Maybe hang tight on that dose until you have a few more good days.  Sending good vibes and hugs your way. 

 

JuJuBi, 

I haven't personally experienced what you describe- where you actually feel worse right after you take a dose.  But I have read other people on BB describing something like that.  They've referred to as "paradoxical" where the med. does the opposite of what it's supposed to do. I read recommendations to move forward on your taper if you experience "paradoxical symptoms." I hope you're feeling better this afternoon.

 

Gingermint,

 

Welcome to the Ativan Thread. From your signature it looks like you've been tapering a low dose over several years.  I hope you're doing ok and will soon be able to complete your taper.  Are you part of the "long hold support group?"

 

Peace and Ease to All,

 

Luey

[[Ju...]]

Hello to everyone

 

Thanks Luey

This has happened since day one on this drug. Since lower doses and the liquid it has improved greatly. It isn't anything intolerable and usually only lasts a bit and is only occasional. When I had that happen a couple times with my afternoon dose I moved it from 1:30 to 2 and no problem since.  Maybe I will try that with the morning does. Shift everything out a 1/2 hr. Who knows.  Other than that bit I am doing well and keep moving forward.

 

 

ldbenzohelp

 

I am sorry you had a rough day today. I can feel changes in about 48 hrs. I am getting better about listening to my body and knowing when to slow it down.  I agree to hold until you feel better.  I do understand the urgent feeling to get off this drug. You have done great so far. Hang in there. You can do this.

 

 

Hello Gingermint

 

Welcome to the thread

 

[[Gi...]]

Idbenzo,

Yes, I split my dose early on.  It helped.  I have had a very rough time tapering even tiny amounts.  This is week six of a wave since I tapered 1% of my dose over four months.  Now holding until after Christmas.  Then I will rip the bandaid off and take whatever comes.  I can't keep going through this torture year after year.

[[Gi...]]

Luey,

Yes, I follow the LHSG but rarely post.  I found this group years ago and have been lurking ever since.

 

JuJubi,

Hello, I hope you are doing well.

[[Ju...]]

I am down to .75. I did meet my goal.  It seems this has been so slow. Took me 15 days to get down .05.  I am so anxious to get off this drug. I know we all are. In the back of my mind is always what it is doing to my CNS.  I took cuts .002 every other day to start. I was able to take a one time cut of .14. I held a daily taper rate of .004 for 5 days to meet my goal.  I am back down to .002 a day at least for now. Seems there is so much to sacrifice during this whole process.  Surrendering to daily sx, slowing down, holding, watching we don't over stress and accepting we are on it and have to, at least for now take it every day. My sleep I think is ok. It ranges from 4.5 to 7.5 hours on a good night. Most are around 5.5-6. I have never really been an 8 hr sleeper.

 

You are all doing so great and so close. I am hoping I can continue to reduce at a higher rate and hoping that as I go down I can find ways to go faster. I am grateful that I have been able to still work every day.

 

Are there any tips to being able to up my reduction rate? I may still be having a difficult time accepting the sx. They really are not that bad, at least in comparison to the suffering I have read. I am still functional and working.

 

Having you all hear for the support makes such a big difference.

 

Hope everyone is ejoying a peaceful day so far.

 

JuJuBi

[[Le...]]

Hi! I’m currently at .75 and want advice on a taper plan. I am dividing that .75 up into three doses. When I make my next cut should I take it from one of the doses? As I get lower it will be hard to keep each dose the same right? Also I only want to use Ativan and nothing else to taper, do you think that is possible?

[[Ju...]]

Hello LetsGetThisDone,

 

Welcome! Great job getting down in your dosage.

 

In this group we are all tapering off of Ativan and have not switched.  Many have done it this way successfully, so yes, it is very possible. You will do fine.

 

Some of us are dry cutting, some of us are DMLT. I am using a compounded liquid. Since I switched to the liquid taking smaller daily reductions has made it easier.

 

Most of us have our doses split. Seems to help with interdose withdrawal. I have found it best to reduce equally.

 

There are others on this thread using tablets. Powerball used dry cutting all the way down and jumped recently. He dosed once a day. Beauty is down low with 3 doses daily and uses dry cutting. She is still reducing equally.

 

I am sure others will chime in.

 

Glad you are here.

 

 

[[ld...]]

Welcome to the newest of the new. I'm fairly new myself. I am on such a low dose. Found BB when I was alternating b/w 0.25 and 0.125. I only dose once a day. I bought a scale and use that to weigh and measure. Here is a link that helped me:

 

http://benzo.alwaysdata.net/direct/directHelp.htm?help=Readme+First

 

I LOVE the encouragement on this site and this thread in particular. I will say that for those of us who started on small doses, every dose change is tiny and difficult, unfortunately. At least, that's how it is for me.

 

I have worked through this nightmare too. It has been extremely difficult, however. My career is full of stress and sometimes I have to work 24 hour shifts. This is really not a great fit for someone trying to taper off of a benzo. We all do the best we can.

 

I appreciate all of you.

[[be...]]

Hi everyone,

 

I’ve  been taking a much-needed break from the boards, and I just direct linked to our group to say hello to all of you. I’m doing very well this week and seem to be tolerating my most recent cut to .175 fine. So close yet so far away! Praying for continued minimal symptoms for my birthday this weekend.

 

I am so happy to see everyone’s progress. We are all DOING THIS, y’all. Keep up your warrioring, friends - you are such inspirations to me.

 

Beauty

[[Le...]]

Hi JuJuBi,

 

Thanks for the helpful response! I'm very happy to be part of this thread!

[[Ju...]]

I am holding for a few days.  I think the Sunday road trip and the heat of picking berries in 90 degrees was a little bit of a stretch. I am on day 2 of my hold and I am so lethargic and hot/cold sweaty and achy. I was tempted to have a cup of coffee this afternoon.  I had what I call an anxiety wave right in the middle of a conference call where I was presenting.  I just kept going but what a relief when the call ended! Then I had to roll right into another Zoom meeting. Thank God I wasn't presenting on that one. It has not been my best day , not the worst either. But I am still here and still working. 

 

I realized today that since the day I went on Ativan I have been tapering.  I am not even sure what stability is suppose to feel like with this drug. That is one of the reasons I am choosing to hold. Any insight on that would be appreciated. One response was you feel more like herself but still have symptoms just mild.

 

 

LetsGetThisDone

 

I started off tapering cut and hold, much faster than I am now. But I am still able to do my job, despite the conference call "waves".

I am glad you are here.  I think we all do better being able to support each other and truly relate to what we are all going through.

 

Hello Beauty-Happy Birthday!  I truly hope you enjoy you weekend! 

 

Where is everyone?  It has been quiet. I hope that means everyone is feeling well and moving forward.

 

Enjoy the evening.

 

 

 

[[be...]]

I say ‘stable’ is feeling like myself with mild or no symptoms at all. I saw Pamster say once that ‘stable‘ is being able to tolerate your dose without feeling like you’re on the verge of a panic attack. Regardless of how one defines it, I think there has to be acceptance of the fact that, even in slow taper, there will be good days and bad. Some buddies will fight and struggle every step down, others will suffer much less. All must remember that tapering is only the first part of the journey, and the healing afterwards is as varied as the response to taper.

 

I pray that each of us will find stability after each cut and heal quickly after our tapers are through. Like you, Juju, I’ve been tapering since just after starting this medication. It absolutely shut down the reaction I was having (which I was thankful for at the time) - I only wish I had known about benzos before I took the first pill.

 

Keep on keeping on, everyone.

[[po...]]

Hey JuJuBi and all: My check in with you all! MY MY this has become a low dose group! Luey and I came in just over a year ago and we struggled petty much all the way down from those high doses (more or less). I was at 4mg and Luey was 6 or 8?  On the 25Th I think is the my 1 month anniversary of being off that poison. I dry cutted all the way down to 0.01mg and my jump wasn't a real jump at all, more like swimming to shore and walking out and up to the sand.  My patience paid off. I was so fearful of what RuPaul says " .....and DON'T F it UP!" I am still in my Man With a Plan Stage and I have been practicing parts of it and soon I will put it together.  The plan is fairly rigid. Prehistoric evolutionary man did the same thing every day at the same time and it was seasonal. That is what our records indicate at least. And our best homeostasis likes the same thing too. In modern society we do have a little leeway. But I am talking a lot about sleeping, eating, etc. Most (most, maybe not all) of these drugs we are on are BS. We are the victims of modern pharmaceutical psychiatry. Can we taper off everything? Who knows. Why are there such low autism rates in Europe and Asia? I don't have any answers but I have a whole lot of dam...questions. Good night all. I wish Good Karma on you all. And my scale? Cheap. Gemini-20 from Amazon. About $25, Powerball.

[[te...]]

Morning all,

Glad to hear of all the new people. This is a great place to be .

Powerball and Luey nice to hear from you both.

My process has been slow but I am going to make it.

13.8 and still  splitting the dose in 3 . Sleep is still off and on but most other symptoms are gone.

Hope to be done soon.

Best Lisa

[[Ju...]]

Good morning All

 

This morning is THE first morning since the beginning I have not had the shakes. I am hoping it is an indicator of a better day.  I will take this calmer morning as a blessing.

I slept a full 6.5 peaceful hours! I have worked on my sleep hygiene. Changed my computer screen to night mode to lessen blue screen. Get off all electronics 30 min before bed. Removed electronics from the bedroom. Got it as dark as possible in there now. Hope that trend continues.

 

Beauty- it’s an ongoing struggle with the acceptance but I keep working on it. Thank you for the prayers.

 

Tech-so glad to her your symptoms are mostly gone! Sleep will come. You are doing great and are not far off from being off this drug.

 

Powerball- so good to hear from you.  As always you will find your way. We will all be off these horrible drugs. And BS doesn't cover it. We were sold a snake oil that gave us relief long enough to fool us. Thankfully we are all wiser now.  You are wise in taking a rest.  I think our tapers go forward best when we are ready. Although I am a turtle in my pace I am taking a few days to let my body rest up for the next run.

 

Praying for a day of peace and harmony for all of us.

 

[[ld...]]

Good morning all,

 

It has been a very hard few days since I dropped my dose on Monday. Doing the dry cut taper at such low dosages is NOT an exact science. One weight covers about 6 dosages when taken to the .0000. For example, I went from 0.023g (0.1941mg - 0.1881mg) to 0.017g (0.1445mg - 0.1371mg) since I've started my taper. I am definitely holding at the 0.017g indefinitely or until I feel better, but man, the symptoms suck. Headaches, dread, anxiety, fear, nausea, brain fog. I know you can all relate. Others have been successful with a dry taper at low dosages so I hope that I can do it.

 

I'm uncertain if I should go back up a little since I feel so badly. Of course, I don't want to. I've felt worse, but this seems excessive none the less. Any advice is appreciated.

 

FYI, my issue with liquid taper is the confusion I've read about Ativan not dissolvable in water or milk. Also, I'm lactose intolerant and I am NOT interested in dissolving in alcohol. Also, it seems that you still have to cut the tablet, so again, the dose isn't exact unless the cuts are exact. Or am I wrong???

 

Thanks all.

 

low dose benzo help

[[Le...]]

Hi! I have a question about pill weights. Am currently using .5 pills. When I weighted 10 of the pills it comes out to .606mg. So that would mean that the average pill is .06mg. Does that mean my pills are really .6 instead of .5 and I should dose accordingly? Sorry I am very confused by this

[[...]]

Hi ldbenzohelp,

 

So sorry things have been so difficult since your last cuts.  I would definitely keep holding as you're doing. If my symptoms were intolerable, I might consider trying to up-dose a little bit.  In the first months of my taper what kept me going was I would have some good days (or at least better days) every week that gave me hope.  I hope you have some relief soon.

 

I have a bias towards liquid tapering because it's the easiest and most accurate to micro-taper, especially at low doses.  But of course it's a personal choice.  Getting the prescription liquid like JuJuBi would be ideal, otherwise you would need to use a tiny amount of solvent like alcohol.  You're correct- it's not water soluble.  But, it's not necessary to break the tablets, they dissolve almost immediately in a tiny amount of alcohol before adding water. 

 

It seems like more people are trying dry cutting these days than even a year ago on BB.  Part of it seems to be because two of the main people who helped us so many of us get started with liquid tapering are no longer active on the site.

 

Anyway, I know everyone has to decide on the best approach, esp. as most of us are doing the micro-tapering on our own without doctor support. The important thing is for you to feel better and do what's right for you.  I hope the difficult symptoms start to ease very soon.  I hope you have time to rest and take care of yourself.

 

Sending healing thoughts your way, here to support you in any way possible.

 

Luey

 

p.s. JuJuBi, I hope you also start to feel better soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[Gi...]]

Good morning all,

 

It has been a very hard few days since I dropped my dose on Monday. Doing the dry cut taper at such low dosages is NOT an exact science. One weight covers about 6 dosages when taken to the .0000. For example, I went from 0.023g (0.1941mg - 0.1881mg) to 0.017g (0.1445mg - 0.1371mg) since I've started my taper. I am definitely holding at the 0.017g indefinitely or until I feel better, but man, the symptoms suck. Headaches, dread, anxiety, fear, nausea, brain fog. I know you can all relate. Others have been successful with a dry taper at low dosages so I hope that I can do it.

 

I'm uncertain if I should go back up a little since I feel so badly. Of course, I don't want to. I've felt worse, but this seems excessive none the less. Any advice is appreciated.

 

FYI, my issue with liquid taper is the confusion I've read about Ativan not dissolvable in water or milk. Also, I'm lactose intolerant and I am NOT interested in dissolving in alcohol. Also, it seems that you still have to cut the tablet, so again, the dose isn't exact unless the cuts are exact. Or am I wrong???

 

Thanks all.

 

low dose benzo help

Hello Idbenzo,

 

Sorry it's rough.  I had a good day yesterday, one of just a few in the last 6 1/2 weeks.  My last cut was April 30th.  I've been in a wave ever since with rare good spells.  My good day ended before bedtime and it was a difficult night of anxiety, pounding heart, well you know.

 

I dissolve my 0.5 mg pill in 5 ml vodka (80 proof).  Then I add 49 ml of water.  5 ml is only 1 tsp, so my alcohol intake is a fifth of a tsp per day.  This was easiest for me.  As a nurse I'm a stickler for accuracy in dosing.

 

I think you should hold now until you feel stable.  More cuts will just muddy the waters.  I generally never updose  but on the one occasion I did, it helped.  I just went up to the dose I was taking before  the last cut.  A week later I was able to resume my very slow taper.

 

There are many who have successfully dry tapered all the way down.  Have you looked for a dry taper group on BB?  There must be one and they would have good advice and tips.

 

I hope your wave ends soon. G

[[ld...]]

Thanks Luey.

 

Gingermint, you really are on some tiny dosages. I'm sorry that your w/d symptoms have been so bad for so long. Your journey has been a long one. Did splitting your dose help you???

[[Gi...]]

Thanks Luey.

 

Gingermint, you really are on some tiny dosages. I'm sorry that your w/d symptoms have been so bad for so long. Your journey has been a long one. Did splitting your dose help you???

 

Yes, splitting the dose did help.  I know others split into three doses daily instead of my two.  It just seemed easier to stay with two since I was working at the time.

 

I plan to hold until the end of the year and then jump.  I just can't feel so bad year after year.  I want it over with even if it takes a year to heal.

[[...]]

I dissolve my 0.5 mg pill in 5 ml vodka (80 proof).  Then I add 49 ml of water.  5 ml is only 1 tsp, so my alcohol intake is a fifth of a tsp per day.  This was easiest for me. 

 

Hi Gingermint, 

 

Did you mean to say you dissolve a 0.5mg pill in 1ml of vodka? And add 49ml of water.

 

That would make an easy 0.01mg/ml solution to work with.

 

A ratio of 1:2:8  is what I learned from Jim Hawk and Builder. And it's even less alcohol. Makes it very easy to calculate.

 

I hope you feel better soon!

 

Luey