Tapering off Ativan Support Thread

[[Ta...]]

Mindfulhope,

 

I wonder if 12.5 mg of Seroquel would take the edge off of your dpdr symptoms? Or even 6.25? It is an anti-psychotic after all, and you are healing from Benzo injury - which is pretty serious. I think that you are very wise in feeling that you don't want to become addicted to something else. You've already been thru so much. Wishing you all the best.

 

Eileen

[[mi...]]

Mindfulhope,

 

I wonder if 12.5 mg of Seroquel would take the edge off of your dpdr symptoms? Or even 6.25? It is an anti-psychotic after all, and you are healing from Benzo injury - which is pretty serious. I think that you are very wise in feeling that you don't want to become addicted to something else. You've already been thru so much. Wishing you all the best.

 

Eileen

 

thank you for the kind response

 

I’m prescribed 25mg BID (morning, night), so 50mg total. I think I’m going to lower my night dose to 12.5mg, and then eventually lower my morning dose to 12.5mg as well. Or maybe Ill lower my morning dose first? Not too sure yet. I should probably call my pharmacist to see what they think is the best method.

[[Ta...]]

I suffered horribly with DPDR, and of course, it makes you feel like you are losing your mind. But I read here on BB about the late Dr. Claire Week and her study of anxiety. It seems like anxiety tries to "bully" us, and wants control. But Dr. Weeks says that accepting and acknowledging the presence of anxiety, or DPDR, takes away a lot of it's power! It's like popping one of those Chinese spy balloons. It starts to deflate and fly away from us. When I had DPDR I felt like I was watching a giant television screen. The world was just a TV show, and I was the audience. To me the worst part was my terror that because of that maybe I was officially "nuts." But I started to see that in other ways I was still functioning. I still fed myself, and took a daily shower, and cared for my kitty. So even if I was a little "nutty," I'm basically okay. And watching the giant TV show of life was maybe not so awful after all. Then the DPDR started to dissipate. Maybe facing it can help to take out a bit of it's "stuffing!" Wishing you joy and healing.

 

Eileen

[[Ta...]]

I'm going thru extreme fatigue and muscle weakness. If I walk to the kitchen to make some tea, I have to sit down and rest. I've had some short glimpses of this before, but not so totally debilitating. Has anyone gone thru this? Does anything help?

 

E

[[ha...]]

Greetings and muh respect to you all in your journey.  My mom 72 years old was tappered off of Ativan over a 4 month Period ending June of 2022.  She took 2Mgs for 8 years for sleeping legally through her PCP.  The journey has been difficult since then the anxiety she has is focused on walking almost is phobic about it she is strong and battling through her doctors will not even think about Paws being an thing since it was only 2MGs of loraspam.  The Mental health MD's like throwing a cocktail of Anitdepressens (SSRI) Buspar 10 MG twice a day, Sertraline 25MG daily and  trazadone 100 MG.  When they up these medications it makes the PAWs symtoms even worse.  Good things is she does go to the Senior Center to work out everyday and go to PT but it is frustrating to us as the famiy and her since she wants to get healthy and every medical test says she is ok and the Psyc says it is no way it is still caused by the Ativan.  Just wonder what your experiences are.

 

brad

[[Di...]]

Hello Brad,

First thing, Congratulations to your mom for being free of the ativan. 

Oh my gosh!!!  That Psyc doctor is nuts!  Your mom was tapered very fast I am sure the ativan is what is causing her symptoms.  Bless her heart I understand her wanting to get on with her life.  The doctor I had caused me a lot of unnecessary harm and I am still suffering from it.  It will take her system time to recover sadly we don't know how much time.  Your mom sounds like a strong and very determined lady she will heal from this.  Its wonderful she has such a supportive family.

Sending her a big hug 🤗

[[ha...]]

Another question for you fine folks.  What after affects are you seeing for my mom she has a fear of walking i think this comes from her breaking her ankel during the detox.  but what are you folks experiencing.  my mom is sitting with me right her i am her mouth piece.  i type better and being an IT guy makes it easier for me to type. 

 

brad

[[Di...]]

Hi Brad, I am still tapering but I have a lot of fear about eating food and if my symptoms are ever going to get easier.  I'm sure in time your moms fear of walking will disappear.  Just keep reassuring her that she is ok.  She sounds like a sweetheart.

Hugs 🤗

[[ha...]]

Thanks for the support and feedback.  The scariest part as a person watching this is how backwards the Mental Health System is.  My dad went into the Psyc with my mom brought up the PAWS idea (I did the same last month).  Oh she is off the pill for x number of months this has nothing to do with the Benzo.  i think this site and alot of the medical studies i have read proves the doctors wrong.  Where is the magic doctors in NY/LI NY area who actually understand or care  have yet to find one.

 

Brad

[[Di...]]

Brad you are welcome.  If you haven't heard of Dr. Jennifer Leigh or Jennifer Swantkowski they are both psychologists and have been damaged terribly by benzos.  Dr. Leigh is healed and Jennifer Swan (she uses this name because its easier for people) is still tapering and struggling.  They both have websites and videos/audios that they have made on YouTube.  Just Google their names and you can find them they are trying to help get the word out.

 

Hugs Diane

[[ha...]]

much thanks i will look them up.  much thanks

[[Di...]]

You are welcome. 

[[Th...]]

I am sorry your mom is going through it ;_; I used to to scared to sit down because when I did, I could feel my heart beat and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Makes nooooooo sense, I know lol But it was a very real fear and because of it I was on my feet the entire day. This went on for months. I was also worried to be stuck in traffic because I was scared my heart would stop and no one would be able to help me. The fear is very real and debilitating. No amount of speaking or convincing can pull you out of it. That’s how it was for me at least. She can do it. It will be hard, but she can do it.

[[ha...]]

Thanks for the feedback it is helpful she is fighting hard.  She will make it but it difficult to watch but trying to stay supportive and keep far away from the doctors since they don't understand any of this.

 

brad

[[Ta...]]

This is my 34th month of tapering off of all the horrible drugs that medical doctors said would "fix" me. Effexor (by far the hardest,) lorazepam, xanax, valium, hydroxyzine, trazedone, remeron (horrible withdrawals after being on it for 11 days) and then back on lorazepam again (much harder to taper the third time around.) And thru it all, being in constant torment, and people who I thought loved me or were my friends, only ever said "well, you LOOK ALRIGHT." I've heard that a thousand times it seems. I continued to run on a daily basis, and my "friends" would say "well, you must be okay, cuz I see you running all over the place." There are only two people who believed me, and I won't even speak to anyone but them. It's like we were abducted by aliens and have been living on another planet for years. So when we're finally off of drugs and healing, we enter into a whole new existence, and our old life, and our old self doesn't exist anymore. We start all over. So, if you love someone who's been thru this horror, give them lots of love, support and permission to be the new person that they are slowly becoming, that THEY want to be. And please don't say "but you look okay." The process just is what it is.

 

Eileen

[[Pa...]]

I know how you feel Eileen, my friends and family would comment how much better I must be feeling but I was only getting better at faking it, I wanted to tell them I was screaming on the inside. 

 

I guess people can’t acknowledge injuries they can’t see.

[[ha...]]

From the ousider and family/Friends prospective we see everything I think we are just trying to be supportive.  In my case watching this is difficult when you see progress come and go.  It is waves of taking 2 steps foward and one steps back and you can't do anything to help.  Those people saying the kind thoughts might be trying to be supportive. But they see the reality also it is self soothing the them to see the positive even when we see there is both one step foward and 2 steps back.

 

 

Brad

[[Pa...]]

From the ousider and family/Friends prospective we see everything I think we are just trying to be supportive.  In my case watching this is difficult when you see progress come and go.  It is waves of taking 2 steps foward and one steps back and you can't do anything to help.  Those people saying the kind thoughts might be trying to be supportive. But they see the reality also it is self soothing the them to see the positive even when we see there is both one step foward and 2 steps back.

 

 

Brad

 

I appreciate you sharing your perspective, thank you, its very helpful.  I wonder if I’m guilty of doing the same thing now?  I’ve been through it and understand the pain and frustration but I’m always trying to point out to our suffering members the positive’s I see or know, oh dear. 

[[ha...]]

@[pa...]

 

brad

[[Ta...]]

Brad,

 

Your Mom is an extremely fortunate lady to have you for her Son. Many of us have to do this on our own, and it's a lonely process, indeed. Especially since there are almost NO doctors anywhere who understand this horrific phenomenon. Or maybe many of them just act ignorant since they feel guilty for throwing the drugs at us for so long.

 

Still, I am grateful that I have survived (so far.) I'm at .4 mg, and my wonderful fairy godmother therapist tells me "the only thing on your plate is 3.5 mg...NOTHING else." That really helps me to take things one step at a time, one chunk at a time, instead of getting all worked up about the Benzo universe and what might go wrong!

 

And I'm infinitely more compassionate than I ever have been in my life. Any kitty that showing up starving and abandoned gets at least a nice meal, and many times, a loving forever home. Now, that's progress!

 

Eileen

[[Cl...]]

@[ta...]

I encountered a few bumps at 1mg and had to go back at 1.5 to remove the withdrawals symptoms. It was awful.

[[Ta...]]

Clinda,

 

It's been a bumpy ride for me, too. I crush the .5 mg pill up and then mix it with one teaspoon of plant milk. I use an oral syringe to measure the dose. It's the only method that I could figure out, and yes, it seems to be pretty precise. I get panicked easily now that I'm at the lower end of this journey. I'm grateful for Benzo Buddies, I don't think I'd survive otherwise. Valium was a nightmare for me, so tapering directly off of lorazepam has been the only route

 

If I can be of help please don't hesitate to contact me. All the best to you. - Eileen

[[Cl...]]

Thank you for your kind answer. Did you do this technique from the get go? From the 2mg?

I might keep cutting even though I will have withdrawal symptoms. By 0.50 or 0.25mg depending how well I do I might transition to this method. It seems quite slow enough to prevent withdrawals.

As anything in this journey, nothing is guaranteed.

I just wish to taper off and stay functional without pain. I hope I will be able to achieve that.

I wish you a safe tapering.

[[Ta...]]

Hi Clinda,

 

Sorry for the delay in responding, days 4 & 5 of the current cut have been especially brutal. Yes, I have done the liquid taper of 2 mg lorazepam from the beginning. It just seems like the only choice that works for me.

 

I read about diamine oxidase (DAO) supplementation on BB, and it really helps me. I woke up at 4 am yesterday with the most horrific COLD full body ache. I took DAO with some aminos, and ibuprofen. In thirty minutes I was about 80 percent improved, and able to go back to sleep. This has been something of a miracle for me, but still, I'm weary and emotionally and physically beaten up by this process. Last night in the kitchen I discovered that the garbage disposal was broken, and I sat on the kitchen floor and cried & cried! It just pushed me over the edge!

 

I hope you find the right path off of lorazepam with as little discomfort as possible. Comfort and peace to us all!

 

Eileen

 

[[Di...]]

Tall Girl and Clinda,

I just wanted to say hello.  I haven't been posting lately but I saw your posts and wanted say Hi.  I am sorry you are both dealing with this Lorazepam nightmare.  I have been tapering since July 2020 and it has definitely been a horrible journey. 

Keeping you both in my prayers.

🤗🙏🙏