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Here just to get some advice and vent.

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AZNW,

 

Can you tell us a little about yourself first?

 

Thanks, Billy.

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Mid-20's on 3mg/day of Ativan for the past 1.5yrs, taken as prescribed, tried the past week to shake this going cold turkey with minimal tapering and at first it was easy...only lack of sleep. Now it's rattling me in my head plus no sleep -- I'm basically over-analyzing things and it's causing one hell of a whirlwind.

 

I was prescribed the Ativan due to muscle spasms that have put me in the ER a few times. I've passed out, thrown up, got hot/cold from the pains, and they happen about 2x a week for about 1-3hrs at a time. After tens of thousands of dollars spent on hospital and doctors bills, Ativan was a last ditch effort for this very rare medical issue. It's worked brilliantly! Never had anything hit a pain scale above 5 with Ativan, whereas pre-Ativan, it was a constant 8+ on a good day.

 

My decision to come off is one just to test the waters. Looks like the waters are pretty deep in hindsight. I'm going back on Ativan to start a correct withdrawal in about a month or two, because the instant shock is too much to handle currently. I'm at a really good place in my life right now with my career, and I can't afford to mess anything up or miss work. I have two pretty unique jobs, both of which put me in the spotlight and require 110% focus. So I'm looking for a covert and relatively easy taper solution.

 

When I was 18, I took myself off an addiction to cocaine, which is 100000x easier than this. This is mentally AND physically intensive. I thought with my previous history of being able to drop a hard drug that this would be a close match...not so much.

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Hello AZNW and welcome to Benzo Buddies!

 

You have been through a lot, and should be very proud you've come this far.  Doing a proper taper is highly recommended when coming off of Benzos, as coming off "cold turkey" CAN lead to protracted withdrawal or seizures.  Going back on to taper is a great idea I think.

 

Do you have a plan for how you will taper?  Many people follow the "Ashton Manual".  And some people find that making 10% reductions every 10-14 days (or longer for some) is a great way to go about it.  Listening to your body and how it responds to cuts during your taper is a good idea. 

 

Tapering from Benzos can be daunting, but please realize that you WILL get through it and our bodies DO fully heal over time.  All the best to you and I know you'll find a lot of support on this forum from others in a similar place.

 

Take care,

Schatje

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Definitely appreciate it, Schatje. I've seen a lot of discussion on this board regarding the Ashton Manual, but I just need some free time to peruse through it.

 

Since I've been off Ativan cold turkey for 7 days now, I'm thinking of picking up my Rx tonight and starting with 2 for a few weeks, then 1 for another couple weeks, then 1 every other day, etc...