pregnant and need tot taper ativan

[[Pu...]]

hey,

 

I figured out that I was pregnant when I was +/- 3 months. I was on ativan 1 mg for 4 moths. I began to taper off by 0, 05 mg cuts. But now on 0, 75 i start to feel a lot of anxiety and depressed feelings. I really don't know how I have to tapper. Are 0, 05 cuts okay and when do i have to make another cut? Sorry for my writing skills, but english is not my foreign language.... Can anyone give me some advice?  I really must get off the ativan because of the baby but I'm sooooo afraid....

 

thanks!!!

[[...]]

You may wish to take a look at the Ashton Manual as it contains a lot of information on how to taper including examples of specific taper schedules.  Here's a link to the manual.  http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/

 

The recommended rate of taper is 5% to 10% every two weeks and holding until you feel stable before making another cut.

 

Hope this helps.

[[Pu...]]

Thanks! I looked at the manual but I can only find plans for substution with valium. I know that is a good way, but I'll rather do the direct taper.... Any tips for that?

 

 

[[of...]]

Have you talked to your obgyn about this.

 

It's important that you do this safely.  Medical help is really important if you are pregnanat.

[[...]]

Like offandrunnig said, definitely get medical help with your taper.

A direct taper off ativan can be done without a crossover to valium.  There are several options including dry cutting, titration, as well as compounded suspension or compounded capsules.

You may wish to discuss these options with you doctor to decide which is the best solution for you.

[[Pu...]]

yes, I already talked to my obgyn... he just don'n know anything about benzo's. he said that I have to taper down before my due date but he also don't know how. I go to a psych. (who gave me ativan) but he said it is not such a big deal to come off and I have to do it like I want it. He does not have an tapperplan for me. He wants to put me on antidepr. to make it more comfortable, but I'm not depressed and I don't want any more pills (I already feel bad enough). I read a lot on the forum here to make myself a tapperplan  , but I think I have to do it really slow because I feel that My body is really sensitive now. My first child was born to early because of the stress (no medication, just panic attacks), so I don't want that again. Pfff, it's all a bit difficult 

 

But thanks x 1000 for all the good advice....

[[of...]]

Maybe you should try to contact and obgyn that specializes in critical pregnancies.

 

Also,  you best bet for tapering would be water titration.

 

Maybe ask in the tapering section for help with anyone that has water titrated ativan.

 

Please keep us posted and go very slow.

 

much love to you zoe

[[Pu...]]

Thanks :-)

I have to go to a pediater to talk about the risks. The protocol in the hospital is that the baby will be observed in het special care department. I go to my obgyn every two weeks, so the follow up is not so bad. I just feel that they don't make a big thing of it, but I really do. I'll try to tapper down as much as possible so that the withdrawal symptoms for the baby are not so bad. I feel really bad and I'm scared, but there is nothing I can do now except being a bit strong and tappering :-). The echos show no visible abnormalities and all the organs are fine, but that's all they can say by now....

Now I feel that I m fine on 0,7 mg ativan. So I'll try another cut sunday (a small one :-)) and I'll look for the titration method. I'll keep posting here, it is really a help...

 

xxx

[[bl...]]

I'm in no way discouraging you from tapering, because if you feel you should, you should.

 

I will share that I went through a pregnancy that was considered "high-risk" because I was on 3 mg Xanax per day (throughout the day) because my anxiety was too high to come off, and I don't think they knew about the slower tapers then. They said my child would be born addicted. He wasn't though, so I don't think they know. If you can taper, obviously you will want to. But if it's impossible, they can either help your child detox OR maybe you will be like me and things will be okay? Talk to your OB-GYN, or try to find one who specializes in high risk pregnancies as I did.

 

I just remember the nurses in sort of disbelief that my baby wasn't showing withdrawal symptoms. They kept us in the hospital for three days "just to see." My child is now a teenager and has never had any problems. Everyone will have a different view on this, but this is my family's real story.

 

I did choose not to breast feed because I didn't want to pass the meds on any longer than necessary. 

 

My very best of luck to you!

[[...]]

I'm glad that you were lucky and your child was born healthy, blueorchidlady.

 

I would like to post what's in the Ashton Manual regarding the use of benzos during pregnancy.

 

Benzodiazepines cross the placenta, and if taken regularly by the mother in late pregnancy, even in therapeutic doses, can cause neonatal complications. The foetus and neonate metabolise benzodiazepines very slowly, and appreciable concentrations may persist in the infant up to two weeks after birth, resulting in the "floppy infant syndrome" of lax muscles, oversedation, and failure to suckle. Withdrawal symptoms may develop after about two weeks with hyperexcitability, high-pitched crying and feeding difficulties.

 

Benzodiazepines in therapeutic doses appear to carry little risk of causing major congenital malformations. However, chronic maternal use may impair foetal intrauterine growth and retard brain development. There is increasing concern that such children in later life may be prone to attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, learning difficulties, and a spectrum of autistic disorders.

 

I think it's important to be aware of the potential problems.

[[bl...]]

Of course. That's why I saw a high-risk OB-Gyn at a teaching hospital who cost me a FORTUNE and a half. However, they decided to not withdraw me. This was in the late 90's. It was pretty much before there was Net access about this stuff. So I trusted my doctor on this one, not having any other real information source at that time. And in this case, it came out okay, although they thought that my child would go through a nasty withdrawal. They were also worried about cleft palate. We were lucky. Definitely.

 

If I'd had the net around when I started on Xanax, I'd never have started it at all. Sigh...

[[...]]

Same here.  If I had known what I know now about benzos I would have never started taking them.

 

I completely understand that you trusted your doctor.  I think anyone would have done the same.

 

It's too bad we had to learn the hard way that we can't trust our doctors to know best.

 

 

[[Pu...]]

@[Bl...]

 

@mmgc: You're right that one 'successtory' doesn't say anything about my situation, so i'll keep tapering and the baby goes after she's born to a special care unit to see how she is doing and to give here help when she needs it. I really hope she'll do fine.

 

thank you all for your advice, I just feel so alone because I feel I can't talk with anybody. My docters are not so concerned as I  .

 

a big thanks and hug!!

[[...]]

Hang in there and lean on us whenever you need to talk.

All you can do is try your best to keep you and the baby healthy.

 

[[Pu...]]

Pff, bad day  . I really think I can't taper more, i feel so anxious and i'm afraid of losing control. My psych wants to put me on antidepr but I know it takes a while to kick in and by then my baby has two medicines... all I want is to sleep for the rest of the weeks  :'(Anyone any experience with antidepr. and anxiety?

[[po...]]

HI Pupke

 

i'm sorry you are in a challenging situation, but lovely to think of a happy healthy mum and baby at the end of this.

 

I have some experience with tapering off ativan, I'm in the last phases of a long slow taper.

 

I found my withdrawal experience greatly improved when I got a compounded liquid ativan as it enabled me to be sure about accuracy and reduce at a really precise rate.  I think the Ashton no more than 10% of your current dosage principle is a good one to follow, and any troubles I've had have been when I've tried to go too fast.

 

I use a compound that is 1ml to .1mg, as I'm not strong on maths and this made it easier for me.  Currently I'm on .16mg of Ativan, and so I draw out 1.6mls per day using a syringe.  I take one third of this at 11pm, one third at 7am and one third at 3pm as this stops interdose withdrawal.

 

hope this helps, and that today is getting better

 

best

poppins

[[bl...]]

Pff, bad day  . I really think I can't taper more, i feel so anxious and i'm afraid of losing control. My psych wants to put me on antidepr but I know it takes a while to kick in and by then my baby has two medicines... all I want is to sleep for the rest of the weeks  :'(Anyone any experience with antidepr. and anxiety?

 

Pupke, yes... I have taken a bunch of antidepressants in my life for anxiety. I think they're different for everyone, but the ones which I tried didn't help me. One thing that did kind of help was a very low dose of a beta blocker. Not sure if you can take while pregnant. I have taken 2.5 mg Inderal, a really small dose, without much side effects to lower my b/p and heart rate and stop my trembling and the surge feelings of nerves in my stomach.

 

I want to tell you to try a milk titration taper. I've just started this kind of taper. You do it slowly and smoothly so that your body doesn't notice much. How far along are you now, sweetie? If you can reduce even partway on your meds, that would be good for the baby. However, you also cannot stress your body out. So that sounds gentle to me! You would also feel in control of it, I think.

 

Also, if you feel like sleeping all day, I think that's okay. Hey, I was on bedrest for part of my pregnancy. I pretty much just slept all the time. Whatever will get you through, right? It's a temporary situation, and you do NOT have to be superwoman, even if it seems like other pregnant ladies are. You just have to get through this. That's it! If you can, you need to start by babying yourself. Keep me posted please. I will be thinking about you.

[[Pu...]]

Hi blueorchid, thanks for your message. I feel al bit better today, but not really. I'm 25 weeks in two days.... The problem is that I want to sleep, but I realy can't. Since I use Ativan, I get anxious when I sleep during the day and it is difficult to sleep at night. I sleep an average of 3 hours, maybe that's the reason why I feel so bad.

 

I'm afraid that like you antidepressants will not help me. I tried it once and they turn me crazy. They also say that they have to kick in for six weeks. So after that I have to taper the ativan and that is to late for the baby... I feel so hopeless.

 

I think I wait for another week for further tapering.... maybe I feel a bit better than. And in the meanwhile, I will read a bit more how to taper with titration.

 

But enough about me, how are you doing?

 

thanks and big hug

[[bl...]]

Hi sweetie,

 

I'm doing pretty well. I'm early into the titration. It's pretty easy so far compared to other things I'd tried, like cuts.

 

25 weeks! You're halfway to home base. You should really talk with your OB-GYN, preferably a high-risk one, about cutting down at this point. It might be hard to taper down in 15 weeks, depending on how long you'd been on your medication. Either way, you're going to be alright and so is your baby. The baby could have some addiction. It's true. It's not definite, but it's possible. But at least they would be, well, a baby... and not as aware of it. They basically withdraw the baby if it's born addicted. I don't think it's quite as bad as it is for us grownups. It shouldn't actually hurt the child though. There's a tiny, tiny risk of cleft palate. Other than that, just some possibility for withdrawal which will be handled medically.

 

I was soooo worried about this too and it could even worsen your anxiety, I think.

 

You know, Saint John's Wort is a pretty good antidepressant that is herbal. The studies say it's good. I don't know if you can take it while pregnant but maybe worth trying? Also, despite having really bad insomnia, melatonin at a high enough dose DOES make me sleepy. Or maybe they can try to move what time you take your meds around so they work best at night? I think you can still have a glass of wine too while pregnant (no more than that, I was told). Ask your doctor. But maybe that would help you feel a little drowsier? I'm just thinking hard about what I would do in your situation. Which I've been in!

 

But yes, I'm personally doing pretty well. If you want to hear about how to titrate down the easiest way, let me know. You could probably reduce your dose with minimal discomfort. You won't fix your anxiety though, but it might not make it worse for now at least. I have panic disorder and know ALL about feeling anxious!

 

Great big hugs!

[[...]]

Alcohol during benzo withdrawal is not advised.  Here's some information regarding this from benzo.org.uk.

 

Alcohol consumption, even in relatively small amounts, is not advised during benzodiazepine withdrawal. Many people report that alcohol, a sedative that should cause a reduction in anxiety, actually heightens withdrawal symptoms, particularly those of derealisation and depersonalisation.

 

Even if you find that alcohol has a calming effect on withdrawal symptoms, regular alcohol use creates a toxicity that will almost certainly prolong your recovery process. And even if you are able to withdraw successfully from benzodiazepines while consuming alcohol on a regular basis, which is unlikely, you will have probably substituted one addiction for another.

[[Pu...]]

After a few horrible days I saw my psych. who decided to put me on paxil (10 mg) because of the panic and upcoming depressed feelings. I spoke to the pediater who will join me when the baby will be born. She told me that the doses are not such a big problem. So now it's more important to let the paxil work and after that I start tapering again. When it does'nt work, I can stay on the dose. I feel a bit better now, but I really hope I can continue my tapering after a week or two. I know Paxil is not such a big joy to stop with, but I've done it after the birth of my first one and it was nothing compared by what i'm experiencing now (but perhaps that is also because they think I have  a prenatal depressiond due to the hormons)...

 

pff, pregnancy is supposed to be fun  :-)

[[...]]

I'm sorry you're having a rough time.

Hope things become a lot smoother for you soon so you can enjoy your pregnancy and look forward to meeting your beautiful new baby.

Take care.

 

[[bl...]]

I'm glad you found a plan and some reassurance! 

[[Pu...]]

@[mm...]

 

big hug

[[me...]]

I'll be honest. I was on klonopin all 4 of my pregnancies and I have 4 healthy babies. Ages 9, 8, 2 and 1. In fact I am currently still breastfeeding. My last two pregnancies it wasn't even considered a big deal. Being on a benzo does not automatically mean high risk. I had all of my babies immediately and took them home the next day. Yes there are some small risks to the newborn and you need a 20 week ultrasound. That's really it.

 

I'm not saying that it's ideal to be on meds in pregnancy. But cortisol (stress hormones) are NOT good for the fetus either. Having extreme anxiety or withdrawal during pregnancy may very well be worse for the baby than the benzo.