Tapering off Ativan Support Thread

[Guest [ba...]]

How fast to taper is fortunately a pretty easy answer for Ativan since it has a fairly short half-life.  I think a safe place for a micro-taper start point is to cut by 0.25% per day.  That's only 3.5% every two weeks so a fairly conservative rate.  Then you apply a rubric each day to determine if you will stay with that rate, reduce the rate or increase the rate.

 

Basically, if you're feeling OK (not great, but functional), stick with the 0.25% daily cut rate.

 

If you're feeling good, consider increasing the rate to 0.5% per day.  If you still feel good, consider increasing the rate to 0.75% per day.  That would put you up near 10% every two weeks (our maximum suggested rate).

 

If you begin feeling poorly, decrease the rate to 0.125% per day.  If you feel really poorly, hold.

 

Make sense?

[[Di...]]

How fast to taper is fortunately a pretty easy answer for Ativan since it has a fairly short half-life.  I think a safe place for a micro-taper start point is to cut by 0.25% per day.  That's only 3.5% every two weeks so a fairly conservative rate.  Then you apply a rubric each day to determine if you will stay with that rate, reduce the rate or increase the rate.

 

Basically, if you're feeling OK (not great, but functional), stick with the 0.25% daily cut rate.

 

If you're feeling good, consider increasing the rate to 0.5% per day.  If you still feel good, consider increasing the rate to 0.75% per day.  That would put you up near 10% every two weeks (our maximum suggested rate).

 

If you begin feeling poorly, decrease the rate to 0.125% per day.  If you feel really poorly, hold.

 

Make sense?

 

Badsocref I love the way you explained this.  I have been so confused.  Thank you.

[[Ho...]]

How fast to taper is fortunately a pretty easy answer for Ativan since it has a fairly short half-life.  I think a safe place for a micro-taper start point is to cut by 0.25% per day.  That's only 3.5% every two weeks so a fairly conservative rate.  Then you apply a rubric each day to determine if you will stay with that rate, reduce the rate or increase the rate.

 

Basically, if you're feeling OK (not great, but functional), stick with the 0.25% daily cut rate.

 

If you're feeling good, consider increasing the rate to 0.5% per day.  If you still feel good, consider increasing the rate to 0.75% per day.  That would put you up near 10% every two weeks (our maximum suggested rate).

 

If you begin feeling poorly, decrease the rate to 0.125% per day.  If you feel really poorly, hold.

 

Make sense?

 

Genius. Thank you! Makes total sense. I will 100% use this as a guide.

 

I seem to have hit another hard wave. It feels exactly like the last one with insomnia, nausea and anxiety.

 

I completely changed my diet April 11th - no sugar, msg, chocolate or gluten. Only dairy was whole milk yogurt with no sweeteners. April 13th-14th is when I started to feel relief from wave (but also started period April 14th)

 

This Sunday, I ate sugar and bread for lunch. Stupid, I know but was at my grandma in laws and felt the pressure. I felt a little nauseous Sunday night. Monday morning woke up around 5 with the anxiety, looping thoughts, fear of withdrawal big time. Monday - nausea bad  throughout the day and night, anxiety, no sleep at night.

 

With what you see and your experience, can food really cause this much of an issue?

 

I always was the one to say don’t go extreme with dieting (because it didn’t bother me before that I know of)  but it seems I’m going to have to be so strict.

 

I lowered .001mg yesterday but know that’s not the cause considering I was feeling bad before. I’ll hold here until symptoms calm. Starting a new probiotic (garden of life) tomorrow. I’ve been taking one since before all of this but it’s weak so hoping this will help some of the nausea.

 

Starting to think my last wave was diet related too - am I off with my thinking or on track here?

[Guest [ba...]]

I wasn't one to have a lot of food sensitivities, so maybe I'm a bad person to ask.  Certainly, there are people in the forum who feel that they need to be very careful with their food intake.

 

Might also consider the impact of being with the in-laws.  That can be stressful for some people.  We had in-laws visit last week and it definitely changed our routine.

[[sm...]]

I'm not even tapering yet from 10 months use up to 3-4 MG and have been having all these weird symptoms like issues swallowing, throat tightness, no appetite, weird chest tightness and left rib cage pain. Nothing has really showed up on imaging or mild issues and of course is blamed on anxiety. Anyone experience any of this? suggestions? I am just assuming the ativan is screwing up my stomach at this point.

[[Di...]]

Smitty I've been struggling with no appetite have lost a lot of weight.  I haven't had your other symptoms but have had others.  Yours all sounds like benzo withdrawal symptoms.  I was only on Ativan barely 4 months when I started having symptoms.

Wishing you the best.

[[sm...]]

Smitty I've been struggling with no appetite have lost a lot of weight.  I haven't had your other symptoms but have had others.  Yours all sounds like benzo withdrawal symptoms.  I was only on Ativan barely 4 months when I started having symptoms.

Wishing you the best.

 

Thank you. Yea I have lost about 30-40 lbs since starting this poison. Had no idea what I was getting myself into as it was injected into me in the ER twice in June. I never even heard of Ativan before that night

[[Di...]]

Oh bless your heart!  I am so sorry seems like most people on here haven't been given much a choice when they end up on benzos...me included

[Guest [...]]

Smitty

 

Yes, welcome to my world.

I have all those issues you mentioned.

I was fine tapering off a very short course of ativan, 2 weeks, then came down too fast, unsupervised (didn't know) and then got hit with a massive midazolam dose at a colonoscopy.

I've never been the same since.

 

I did introduce a small valium amount for some of my nighttime dose and I've been able to taper 0.024 in 2 weeks, which is amazing for me.

 

I found that the little valium made some stuff go away, but I have wicked acid reflux and I had no issues when they did the endoscopy in Oct. now I can see red marks in my throat.

 

You might want to consider crossing over to valium. I think I may crossover more, but it's weird, I still like the ativan, as I can feel results of cuts very quickly and can stop the tapering etc.

 

good luck

 

Winnie

[[Ho...]]

Hi friends. It has been a little since I posted.

 

I had a big weekend this past weekend so I went really slow tapering.

 

I completely changed my diet which seemed to help some (mostly paleo).

 

On 4/20, I dropped .001mg

On 4/27, I dropped another .001mg

On 5/1, I dropped another .001mg

5/4, dropped another .001mg

 

During that time, I had some gastric issues. Mostly just nausea and air hunger. I assumed this was just the diet change and not withdrawal since the drops were so tiny. I also dealt with insomnia. It took FOREVER to fall asleep but once I did, I got a couple of hours. I attributed this to my stomach being upset. Again, didn’t think withdrawal due to small cuts. I would get random sensations of tinnitus which was new, as well but that faded as quickly as it came.

 

5/7-5/9 - busy weekend. Did not feel good but functioned and pushed through. On 5/8 I took a couple pieces of a biscuit to calm my stomach. It did temporarily calm it. I did the same thing again on Sunday. Slept great Sunday night - first night I was able to fall asleep quickly in the last week or so.

 

On 5/10, I dropped another .001mg from my morning dose. Started feeling bad throughout the day. By evening, felt pretty restless, fatigued, nauseous/no appetite. That night, I fell asleep right away, woke an hour later with tinnitus, sweats, nausea and joint pain. Sleepy but when I close my eyes to go to sleep, fear took over and my heart would race badly.

 

From 4/20 to 5/10 I went from .225mg to .220mg. With it being such a small decrease, do you think these are withdrawal symptoms or GI upset issues (change in diet + adding back gluten/bread) those 2 days? If withdrawal, should I go back to .221mg, stay here and hold or just keep on? My plan was to drop .001mg every 3 days but now I’m so fearful.

 

I guess my worry is that I’ll never get off of this stuff if I can’t even handle such a small reduction without debilitating symptoms  :'( so a part of me is hoping that the GI issues could be causing these uptick in symptoms.

 

[Guest [...]]

Hi Hope:

 

I get those same wd symptoms after only dropping 0.001 mg per day!

 

It's crazy! Hard to believe such a tiny amount can impact you.

 

I have found this hard since I moved to the liquid ativan.

 

I'm now in the midst of a crossover to valium.

 

Seems to be helping, I was able to cut 0.024 mg in 2 weeks, but I'm now holding as wd's increased, but I'm also getting my vaccine tomorrow.

 

You're getting there.

 

For myself, I'm so desperate to get off, that I pushed through and just kept going!

Not sure if that was smart or not, as now I'm hurting a bit.

I don't think I'll get off without this pain, so in some way that's why I pushed it.

previously, I had held for 2 months, and felt like crap the entire time.

Don't have time to wait anymore, need to get off to get better.

 

But you are close to getting off!

Taking some time to hold out might help a lot and then you can proceed etc.

 

Good luck

 

Winnie

[[Ho...]]

Hi Hope:

 

I get those same wd symptoms after only dropping 0.001 mg per day!

 

It's crazy! Hard to believe such a tiny amount can impact you.

 

I have found this hard since I moved to the liquid ativan.

 

I'm now in the midst of a crossover to valium.

 

Seems to be helping, I was able to cut 0.024 mg in 2 weeks, but I'm now holding as wd's increased, but I'm also getting my vaccine tomorrow.

 

You're getting there.

 

For myself, I'm so desperate to get off, that I pushed through and just kept going!

Not sure if that was smart or not, as now I'm hurting a bit.

I don't think I'll get off without this pain, so in some way that's why I pushed it.

previously, I had held for 2 months, and felt like crap the entire time.

Don't have time to wait anymore, need to get off to get better.

 

But you are close to getting off!

Taking some time to hold out might help a lot and then you can proceed etc.

 

Good luck

 

Winnie

 

 

Goodness! This is crazy! When you make a .001mg cut, how long does it take the symptoms to calm down for you? Do you get symptoms the same day of the cut? It hit me pretty quickly. The first 4 .001mg cuts weren’t bad...this last one is hitting hard. I don’t understand?

 

YUCK. I want off too. I refuse to cut .001mg once a week like I’ve been doing. It’s crazy. I may hold a week and see how it goes.

 

I have fear of withdrawal and symptoms so much but I’m also growing weary of it all.

 

When they hit me hard like this, I feel like I’ll never be able to get off. Thank you so much for the encouragement.

 

I took one Valium years and years ago for a reaction to an IV and woke up so depressed. I’m scared to even think about that route. I’m so happy it’s working for you though! Are you pushing through/functioning/faking it until you make it?

 

I try to distract like crazy but I grow weary through this.

[[Co...]]

hi Everyone!  My husband was on Ativan for about 10 years and finally got off it about a year ago after a long slow taper that he did mainly on his own (after reading internet guidance) since no doc was giving him any advice.  He has had several symptoms after coming off including tinnitus, unsteadiness, head pressure, ocular migraines - all of which he has mainly managed, but just in the past few days the head pressure has been really bad - to the point where he's in bed.  This is a man who is very active, fit and otherwise healthy.  Has anyone else experienced this side effect following stopping their Ativan?  Head pressure like having a head cold without the cold! Would really appreciate any insights anyone can offer.

[[be...]]

Hi Concerned Wife,

  I’ve had that symptom the last two months in varying degrees. I am 9.5 months off of the med, and I didn’t have this symptom at all until now. It can be very hard for me to believe that it’s still the withdrawal - new symptoms try to convince us that something else is going on. If you have doubts, don’t hesitate to have him see the doctor for imaging or even just a check up. It gave me great peace of mind to know that my ears and sinuses looked fine, and my brain did as well. I was a fit and active person too, but I’ve been sidelined lately by this head pressure. Anything goes in withdrawal, I think! Keep hanging in there, and on behalf of all of us suffering through this, thank you for being a caring spouse. My husband is too, and it makes such a world of difference in our healing to feel the support of our people.

 

Beauty

[[Sh...]]

Hello - I have been taking .5mg of Ativan 3 times per day since last November. I am also taking Gabapentin 300mg/day and 20mg/day of Lexapro. At my last Doc visit since I mentioned I felt ‘stable’ he suggested that I try removing my mid-day dose of Ativan to start withdrawing.

I thought that this was fast, so I took .5 in AM, .25 in PM and .5 at bedtime.

 

Within 2 days I had nausea, anxiety, gut issues, tension...silly me didn’t even clue in that this is likely from Ativan withdrawal! I stuck it out and after about 6-7 days, I dropped the mid-day dose entirely. This was on May 7...nausea, anxiety, muscle twitching, insomnia, etc started almost immediately! Suddenly, it occurred to me that this was my body freaking out about this missing dose!

 

Yesterday I added back in .25 in afternoon, but today I re-upped to .5 as I believe I should restabilize at my regular ‘full dose’ and begin a proper taper where each dose is reduced equally and slowly...

 

Does that sound like a good plan? Any idea of how long will it likely take for my CNS to settle down after this horrible advice? A few days?

 

Thanks for any input. This has scared me so much! 🙏🏽

 

[Guest [ba...]]

Shushan - we usually recommend reductions of no greater than 10% every 10-14 days.  You did a 17% cut followed by another 17% cut within a week.  So it's not a surprise that you had nasty symptoms.  Hopefully, you re-stabilize on 3x 0.5 and can begin a much slower taper than what you previously tried.

 

Ativan levels equilibrate very rapidly, so I think you should get back to stable in just a day or three.

[[Sh...]]

I’ve been taking Ativan .5mg x 3 times per day since last November. I was also started on Lexapro (20mg) and 300mg Gabapentin for severe physical anxiety symptoms. Things have been stable lately so my GP suggested that I drop my middle dose of Ativan to start weaning off.

 

This was a disaster...within a couple days things went crazy...severe anxiety, hot flashes, nausea, insomnia, fear, etc etc.

 

I reinstated the middle dose, but after 1 week I’m not where I was before this ‘experiment’.

 

Does anyone know if it can take awhile for my central nervous system to stabilize?

 

Do I just need to be patient or should things have levelled out after 6-7 days?

 

Thanks!

[[An...]]

 

Hello ConcernedWife,

    I have many of the symptoms your husband is experiencing. I've had the head pressure, tinnitus, loads of stomach pain, and probably the most persistent symptom has been the muscle fasciculations in my lower legs. The fasciculations are not disturbing or painful, they just feel like tiny spasms, they are very rapid and let me know I'm definitely still in benzo withdrawal. I've been off benzos for 9 months now and I'm still in withdrawal, though for the most part things are much, much better than when I first ceased taking Ativan. Read my by-line for a more comprehensive list of symptoms. Benzo withdrawal takes time for most of us. I'm hoping after 1 year I'm healed but that may not be the case.

    I had a complete upper GI and colonoscopy to see what's going on with all the stomach pain, I got a great bill of health from the GI Dr. I also had an MRI of my brain and neck and a visit with a neurologist and got a clean bill of health. All of these strange symptoms are all benzo withdrawal related. I wouldn't have believed this unless I had actually experienced it for myself. If your husband wasn't crazy before all this began, he almost definitely isn't now. This is benzo withdrawal and it's ugly and difficult. With time, he will heal. I would guess he's nearing the end of his withdrawal. From what I understand as far duration of withdrawal symptoms, most of us heal completely at about 12 months to 18 months, but no rules of any kind can be stated definitively.

    This process is unique to the individual.  I've had to develop new and better coping skills while going through this, and that has been a blessing. I meditate, pray, run, and go for walks. I did this stuff before being prescribed benzos, but lost some of these great things when on the benzos. I've had to dig deep and put new roots down. Part of this process has been a sense of awakening. May it be so for your husband too!

 

Best wishes, Andy 

[[Pa...]]

hi Everyone!  My husband was on Ativan for about 10 years and finally got off it about a year ago after a long slow taper that he did mainly on his own (after reading internet guidance) since no doc was giving him any advice.  He has had several symptoms after coming off including tinnitus, unsteadiness, head pressure, ocular migraines - all of which he has mainly managed, but just in the past few days the head pressure has been really bad - to the point where he's in bed.  This is a man who is very active, fit and otherwise healthy.  Has anyone else experienced this side effect following stopping their Ativan?  Head pressure like having a head cold without the cold! Would really appreciate any insights anyone can offer.

 

Head pressure is a common symptom, in fact another member recently revived an old support group thread for those who suffer with it.  http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=178901.0

[[Sh...]]

Shushan - we usually recommend reductions of no greater than 10% every 10-14 days.  You did a 17% cut followed by another 17% cut within a week.  So it's not a surprise that you had nasty symptoms.  Hopefully, you re-stabilize on 3x 0.5 and can begin a much slower taper than what you previously tried.

 

Ativan levels equilibrate very rapidly, so I think you should get back to stable in just a day or three.

 

Hello - thanks for your input. It has been a week and I am still struggling!! Seemed like symptoms were waxing and waning, but today the anxiety is through the roof, stomach in knots, nausea, non-stop muscle twitching in legs especially...could I be extremely sensitive and need more time to stabilize?

 

 

[[Ho...]]

How fast to taper is fortunately a pretty easy answer for Ativan since it has a fairly short half-life.  I think a safe place for a micro-taper start point is to cut by 0.25% per day.  That's only 3.5% every two weeks so a fairly conservative rate.  Then you apply a rubric each day to determine if you will stay with that rate, reduce the rate or increase the rate.

 

Basically, if you're feeling OK (not great, but functional), stick with the 0.25% daily cut rate.

 

If you're feeling good, consider increasing the rate to 0.5% per day.  If you still feel good, consider increasing the rate to 0.75% per day.  That would put you up near 10% every two weeks (our maximum suggested rate).

 

If you begin feeling poorly, decrease the rate to 0.125% per day.  If you feel really poorly, hold.

 

Make sense?

 

I think I have a problem with this for the liquid compound.

 

If I drop .25% per day -

Day 1 - .219mg

Day 2 - .218mg (and so on)

 

Which ends up dropping me more than max percentage, right?

 

I dropped another .001mg/.01mL Sunday and symptoms are pretty bad. Not much sleep, very fatigued, heart racing, inner restlessness, weakness, tinnitus.

 

Any suggestions on a smoother process? Feeling very, very discouraged with the reaction I’m having to minuscule cuts.

[[2c...]]

Hello all,

 

I have been having some extreme muscle pain and burning particularly in my hips and legs that started out being somewhat sporadic but is now almost constant and almost unbearable. I hate to blame everything on benzo withdrawal, especially with the tiny cuts I’m making so just to be sure,  I have seen docs to make sure it wasn’t another condition... so far they have found nothing.  I’ve done Physical Therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, gotten MRIs, scans, EMG test on legs....nothing except some “normal” effects of aging in spine.

 

I’ve tried topical treatments like BioFreeze, Pain patches, massage therapy, bought a TENS unit, etc. 

I’ve also tried taking supplements like magnesium for muscle calming and Tumeric for inflammation.

 

The pain is sometimes incredible and getting more constant.  Has anyone else dealt with this?

 

I am losing my mind over this.... besides the usual insomnia, & other wd.         

 

[[be...]]

2cats, I could have written your post. I’m 10 months off, though, and this is my prevailing symptom for the last 2. I’ve seen buddies say it passes. I’m hoping so, because it’s ruling my life right now. My mental symptoms are mostly resolved...the physical ones are so much more stubborn for me. I can’t believe the body can hurt so bad and have ‘nothing’ obviously wrong.

 

You are wise to rule things out. I pray we both get some relief soon!

 

Beauty

 

[[2c...]]

Thanks Beauty, for your kind words.  I’m sorry that you have to deal with pain like this too. 

I went to an osteopathic doc today that explained what was going on with my back and pelvis so part of my issues are definitely not necessarily the benzo WD. But it’s not an easy fix, the majority is just the way my back is aging  ;...but some of the leg pain is unexplained so I’m thinking that could be heightened by the benzo withdrawal.....

 

I do hope you get some relief soon, too. Thanks again for your response.

 

2cats

 

[[sm...]]

I just got my taper plan with a crossover to Valium from Ativan 4 MG+10 mg valium added for severe withdrawal from detox experience. It was like a year long taper plan. Feeling overwhelmed to say the least. Have been using Ativan for about a year now. Was anyone with a similar dosage able to taper a little faster? It is a tough pill to swallow that I may have to undergo another year of torture. I am really hoping that is a conservative plan and my body will be able to respond quicker.