Help with titration

[[su...]]

I need help with titration,please.

[[su...]]

I need help with titration,please.

I need help with titration,please.

I take 1mg lorazepam,three times a day.

[[Pa...]]

Hi susana,

 

Have you watched the video's on titration, do you understand the concept, or are you asking for help in making a tapering plan?  Here are some video's a member made in case you'd like to watch them.

 

Part I

 

Part II

 

[[su...]]

Hi Pamster.Pamster,yes i need help making a tapering plan.Thank you for taking the time to write to me, i appreciated.Pamster i'm so happy that you are off klonopin,congratulation.

[[Pa...]]

Hi susana,

 

Could you give us just a bit more information, have you tried dry cutting your dose?  The reason I ask, is that most people will dry cut until they get lower in dose, because titration while effective is a lot of work.  Many people can cut their pills using a pill cutter, or a razor blade, have you tried this?  We'll be happy to help you with titration, but just need to get some background information first.

 

Pam

[[su...]]

Hi Pamster,Pamster i have tried to cut the pill,but the 1mg of lorazepam is so little,that i have trouble cutting it,maybe ishould ask my doct.to give them to me in 0.5mg,what you think Pamster?Pamster what do you mean when you said"because titration while effective is a lot of work".Pamster the other day my husband cut like 3/4from the pill,and the next day he saw that my hands where shaking,so he said that i have to go back to the 1mg again.Tank you.

[[Pa...]]

Hi susana,

 

If you've watched the video's about titration, you'll know that it requires mixing your solution each day, so while it's a good way to reduce your dose, it requires some commitment on your part.  It can certainly be done, so don't let me discourage you, I just wanted to make sure you've already tried to taper by dry cutting your dose. 

 

You can ask your Dr to prescribe you the lower dose Ativan, but you should be able to dry cut from 3 mg of Ativan with the 1 mg pills you already have.  You probably won't need to get the .5 mg pills, until you get lower in dose. 

 

Have you decided how quickly you'd like to do this, we have some tables which might help you decide what percentage you'd like to cut, here is the link.  Maybe you and your husband could take a look at the information on this page and make a joint decision about how you'd like to proceed.  http://www.benzobuddies.org/benzodiazepine-withdrawal-methods/direct-taper

 

 

 

[[su...]]

Hi Pamster,Pamster i really don't know much about the concept of dry cut ,can you please explain to me how should i do this with the pills that i have,Pamster i will like to do a slow taper,thank you.

[[Pa...]]

Hi susana,

 

If you'd like to try to dry cut your pills, you could start by cutting 1 of your pills into quarters, depending on how slow you'd like to do this.  If you cut it into quarters, you'd begin your taper by taking 1 quarter less each day, so instead of taking 3 mgs Ativan a day, you'd take 2 3/4 each day.  Your schedule might look something like this:

 

Morning: 1 mg

Afternoon: 3/4 mg

Evening: 1 mg

 

After a couple of weeks, if you're feeling fairly stable on this reduced dose, you might try to reduce it a little more, so your schedule might look something like this:

 

Morning: 3/4 mg

Afternoon: 3/4 mg

Evening: 1 mg

 

As you can see, taking the Ativan several times a day is preferable to only once a day because it has a short half life, you might even decide to take it four times a day.  Ativan doesn't  last very long in your system, so to keep your blood levels as even as possible, you'd take it more often.  The point of tapering is to slowly reduce your dose, hopefully allowing your body to get used to the reduction in slow stages.  Most people don't feel well during this process, and even after it's done, but this is the best way to come off of the drug.

[[su...]]

Hi Pamster.Pamster how i'm going to cut my pills,what if they crumble up when i'm cutting them,if they crumble up how certain i'm going to be that what i cut is 3/4 of a pill.

[[Pa...]]

Hi susana,

 

There are many tips people use to cut their pills, some use pill cutters, others use razor blades.  Some use a surface of a couple of sheets of paper to cushion while they cut, still others use a scale to weigh the pill pieces.  This isn't an exact science, but it can be done, many have been successful.  If the pill pieces crumble, then you can put the pill pieces into little piles, trying to approximate an even distribution for your doses.

 

The key is experimenting enough to get comfortable with the process, or if you're not steady enough, ask your husband to help you do this.  If you find you're not up to doing this, some benzo's come in liquid form, you could try that, or you could ask your Dr to prescribe your Ativan so that a compounding pharmacy can make up your doses.  Or you can use titration, just let us know what you want and we'll keep trying to help you.

 

Pam

[[su...]]

Hi Pamster.Pamster what you think about buying a scale to weigh pills,Pamster do you think they are to exspensive.Pamster and about the compunding liquid you mention,how does this work.

[[Pa...]]

Hi Susana,

 

I don't have any experience with scales, you could try Googling them to get information, or you could try using the search function here, to see what others have to say.  As for compounded pills, your Dr can write you a prescription and a compounding pharmacy can make up your doses for you.  They would come in capsules of any strength your Dr wishes you to taper with, it's a little more expensive than regular pills though.  I'm not aware that Ativan comes in liquid form, so if you decide you'd like to use a liquid, you should probably consider titration.

 

Pam

[[Be...]]

Have you checked to see if lorazepam comes in an orally disintegrating tablet(s)? If so, it makes titration much more flexible and easy.

[[su...]]

Hi Benzo3.Thank you for writing to me.No Benzo3,i haven't check if these pills comes in an orally disintegrating tablets,i'm going to call the pharmacy and ask them.