Hi, I'm new! Want off Lorazepam

[[b1...]]

Sure will Lori!  I took another cut last night and so far, so good...but I'm knocking on wood VERY hard right now LOL.  The worst s/x right now is the benzo head and the dry eyes.  I'm going to see my optometrist today to see if he can give me a set of contacts with a higher water content and see if that helps.  I'm assuming dry eyes can be a side effect of withdrawing, or from Ativan itself???

 

Beth

[[Lo...]]

Hey b1791,

Glad your cut is going well, I think!? About the dry eyes!! I have gotten that on all my cuts so far. Usually, it lasts the first 2 days that have the most withdrawal symptoms. They get so dry that they burn when I close them. I bet having contacts with this symptom is not fun at all!! Hope your eye dr. can help you with that. Might even suggest some eyedrops?? Thanks for the update on your cut and how you are feeling....we're here for you!!

 

Lori

[[b1...]]

Just an update...so far, so good. W/D s/x have been pretty minor (dry eyes, a little bit of muscle fatigue, a bit of body "buzz") but nothing I can't really handle.  I'm cutting 0.125 every 3 1/2 days.  I'm so anxious for this all to be over as I'm postponing my treatment of my inner ear problem until this benzo is out of my body.

 

One question, does it seem extreme that I was only on these for 2 weeks and I'm scheduling 4 weeks to come off them?  Can i speed up this taper or am I asking for trouble?

 

Beth

[[Th...]]

Hi Beth,

 

If you think you can handle bigger cuts, it's totally up to you. Try cutting .25mg every 4 to 5 days and see how you do.

 

T2

[[Be...]]

I agree with Theresa, Beth.  As an alternative you could cut 0.125mg every 2-3 days.  No real "rule". 

[[b1...]]

I guess i could always give it a try and see how it goes.  My main concern is now I've been taking it for 4 weeks (including 2 weeks of tapering) and I'm terrified that if my body wasn't dependant on it before, that it will become so because now I'm getting into more of a "long term" use.

 

I always feel better and more myself after I cut. I don't get any interdose w/d, and in fact, the last couple hours before I take my next dose my head feels at it's clearest.

 

How do you know if your body is dependant on it??

 

Beth

[[Be...]]

I guess i could always give it a try and see how it goes.  My main concern is now I've been taking it for 4 weeks (including 2 weeks of tapering) and I'm terrified that if my body wasn't dependant on it before, that it will become so because now I'm getting into more of a "long term" use.

 

I always feel better and more myself after I cut. I don't get any interdose w/d, and in fact, the last couple hours before I take my next dose my head feels at it's clearest.

 

How do you know if your body is dependant on it??

 

Beth

The wake-up call for me was when I started catching myself looking at the clock to see if it was time for the next dose.  I'd get kind of shakes or tremors, too.  Since you feel better after a reduction and the best before you take your next dose, you are not dependent.  I think you will do fine speeding up your taper based on this new information.

[[b1...]]

Wow, I had no idea if I was dependant on it or not.  I think when I made my original post and I said I was having problems withdrawing from it it was because a) I was cutting 0.25mg every 1 - 2 days and b) I had only weaned myself from a beta blocker a couple days before and was still having withdrawal s/x from them.  Now that I'm pretty sure the beta blocker is out of my system I feel a whole lot better and I'm not having any anxiety (except for when i OBSESS about weaning off the Ativan LOL).

 

Thank you Theresa and Beeper, I think I will try cutting another 0.125mg tonight (2 1/2 days from my last cut) and see how I feel.  The great thing is my hubbie is off for the next 2 weeks so him being home with me is a great distraction and I won't feel the need to obsess about the weaning nearly as much

 

Beth

 

P.S. I will update on my progress next week.

[[Lo...]]

Hey Beth,

Hope you enjoy your time with your hubby and your tapering continues to go so well! You'll be off the benzo before you know it. Did your eye dr. give you anything to help with your dry eyes?? Thanks for keeping us posted on how things are going for you...

 

Lori

[[b1...]]

Hi Lori, the eye Doc did give me higher water content contacts and they seem to help a little.  Thanks for asking!

 

Beth

[[Lo...]]

Hi Lori, the eye Doc did give me higher water content contacts and they seem to help a little.  Thanks for asking!

 

Beth

 

Great!!

 

Lori

[[b1...]]

Just wanted to update you how I'm feeling.  Been tapering a bit faster over the past week or so and for the most part it hasn't been too bad.  So I decided this morning I was done with the am dose and I will cut the pm dose in a few days.  So far today I've had some anxiety...but I'm not sure if it's "real" anxiety or if I'm doing this to myself as I feel I should be having withdrawal s/x.  A little tingling in my legs and my dry eyes are still there, but not as bad.  Sleep has been getting worse so that's when I decided enough was enough and it was time to get off these drugs for good.  I have to sleep half-sitting up or my legs go all tingly.  Anxiety has gone down a bit this afternoon but my head still feels like it weighs 100 lbs!!  Anyways, will check in again in a day or so and let you know how it's going.

 

Beth

[[Lo...]]

Hey Beth,

Thanks for the update. You are moving fast on your taper, but you were only on the Lorazepam for 2 weeks. The dry eyes, the tingling in the legs (I get feet tingles), and the head feeling heavy are all typical withdrawal symptoms; I have had/get all of them. As long as you are feeling good, I say go for it. Don't be surprised if your sleep gets worse before it gets better. Hopefully, that symptoms won't last long for you. That would be great to check in and let us know how things are going in a day or so. Wishing you all the best; you're almost there!

 

Lori

[[Th...]]

Just wanted to update you how I'm feeling.  Been tapering a bit faster over the past week or so and for the most part it hasn't been too bad.  So I decided this morning I was done with the am dose and I will cut the pm dose in a few days.  So far today I've had some anxiety...but I'm not sure if it's "real" anxiety or if I'm doing this to myself as I feel I should be having withdrawal s/x.  A little tingling in my legs and my dry eyes are still there, but not as bad.  Sleep has been getting worse so that's when I decided enough was enough and it was time to get off these drugs for good.  I have to sleep half-sitting up or my legs go all tingly.  Anxiety has gone down a bit this afternoon but my head still feels like it weighs 100 lbs!!  Anyways, will check in again in a day or so and let you know how it's going.

 

Beth

 

Hi Beth,

 

Thanks for checking in!! Other than a few w/d s/x sounds like you're doing great!! Yes, please keep us updated!!

 

T2

[[b1...]]

Well, I think I may have spoken too soon   I was feeling not too bad so I went to my boys' hockey practice and while I was there I got awful anxiety, extremely fatigued and just not feeling good at all.  Now I'm not so sure I did the right thing by cutting fast.  All the cuts before this were "easy" but I just feel anxious and scared today.  I'm trying to put on a brave face for my hubby and my kids but it's pretty hard today.  Up until now I didn't think I was dependant on the Ativan because I never really felt the need to take them...I just took it at the time I set for myself.  Now I'm not so sure if I am dependant on them or not.  I'm supposed to go to the Dr. tomorrow to talk about something else, but now I might have to mention the problem coming off the Ativan and he won't be too happy because he told me about the dependancy thing and I said I would be alright.  It was the ER that originally prescribed them to me and my own Dr. wasn't too happy about it.  I'm not sure what to do now...should I ride it out until I take my next dose at 9pm and see how I feel tomorrow morning???  Is it normal to feel ashamed that I may be "hooked" on a drug?  I'm almost afraid to tell my Dr. about it, but I might have to.  Oh, and add to this I'm having a heck of a time controlling my low blood sugar, but, I ate when I felt bad this afternoon and it didn't really help. 

 

Beth

[[Be...]]

I know you are scared and upset, but, really, this is just a little blip, Beth. It is possible that your prior fast cutting caught up with you a bit and could have been made worse by low blood sugar.  I have diabetes and know that low blood sugar makes me feel very strange and shaky.

 

There's nothing wrong with going back to 0.125mg 2x/day and staying there another week or two.  It's totally up to you if you want to mention all this to your doc but, really, you have been doing so well and will soon be benzo-free; you just had a bad few hours. 

 

I know it upsetting to realize that you are dependent on that little flake of a pill, but it is only temporary. It doesn't make you a addict.  Cut yourself some slack, okay? 

[[b1...]]

Beeper, you always make me feel so much better   I know the w/d s/x I have are probably about 1/10th what some of you are working through so I should really count my blessings.  It's just been a really long time since I've felt well (long before this Ativan thing) and the dr's just want me to take this med, or that med, and I'm just so tired of it.  I think I may just have to hang low for a few days and see how I feel and stop trying to be the mom/wife I was and just accept that things have been/will be different until I can heal myself.

 

Just curious, has anyone else completely lost their appetite while on these meds?  I have to FORCE myself to eat everyday, and since I have a problem with low blood sugar it seems I'm always having to force myself to eat.  If I have to eat one more piece of whole grain peanut butter toast I am going to lose it LOL.

 

I'm sitting here with my relaxation music on my headphones and have shooed the kids out of the room so we'll see how I feel in a bit.  Like you said, if it's only a "blip" I may be able to work through it.  If not, I'll talk to my doc tomorrow and see if I can get another prescription and may have to slow the last little bit down.

 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart

Beth

 

[[Th...]]

Beeper, you always make me feel so much better   I know the w/d s/x I have are probably about 1/10th what some of you are working through so I should really count my blessings.  It's just been a really long time since I've felt well (long before this Ativan thing) and the dr's just want me to take this med, or that med, and I'm just so tired of it.  I think I may just have to hang low for a few days and see how I feel and stop trying to be the mom/wife I was and just accept that things have been/will be different until I can heal myself.

 

Just curious, has anyone else completely lost their appetite while on these meds?  I have to FORCE myself to eat everyday, and since I have a problem with low blood sugar it seems I'm always having to force myself to eat.  If I have to eat one more piece of whole grain peanut butter toast I am going to lose it LOL.

 

I'm sitting here with my relaxation music on my headphones and have shooed the kids out of the room so we'll see how I feel in a bit.  Like you said, if it's only a "blip" I may be able to work through it.  If not, I'll talk to my doc tomorrow and see if I can get another prescription and may have to slow the last little bit down.

 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart

Beth

 

 

Hi Beth,

 

I always was borderline hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) before I ever got on these poisons. I have experienced this much worse since being on them, part of it was due to my low thyroid which I also believe was brought on by these poisons. My thyroid levels were always pretty consistent on the same dosage for years but during the first half of my taper it went whacky. During that time I was starving every couple of hours and hardly able to eat. I lived on oatmeal, cheese sticks, whey protein with milk, smoothies with ensure, Arby's roast beef, chicken slices. After my thyroid was stabilized, it has not been as bad but still get shaky if I don't eat. Anxiety also tends to make one not want to eat. When I was too anxious to eat I would have soup and the smoothies that went down easier.  Hope this helps.

 

T2

[[Be...]]

Beeper, you always make me feel so much better   I know the w/d s/x I have are probably about 1/10th what some of you are working through so I should really count my blessings.  It's just been a really long time since I've felt well (long before this Ativan thing) and the dr's just want me to take this med, or that med, and I'm just so tired of it.  I think I may just have to hang low for a few days and see how I feel and stop trying to be the mom/wife I was and just accept that things have been/will be different until I can heal myself.

 

Just curious, has anyone else completely lost their appetite while on these meds?  I have to FORCE myself to eat everyday, and since I have a problem with low blood sugar it seems I'm always having to force myself to eat.  If I have to eat one more piece of whole grain peanut butter toast I am going to lose it LOL.

 

I'm sitting here with my relaxation music on my headphones and have shooed the kids out of the room so we'll see how I feel in a bit.  Like you said, if it's only a "blip" I may be able to work through it.  If not, I'll talk to my doc tomorrow and see if I can get another prescription and may have to slow the last little bit down.

 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart

Beth

 

There have been a couple of people lately (LittleViolet and Sugarlily come to mind) and there've been threads on it so the loss of appetite is fairly common.  I know there are posts on "what to eat when you can't eat"; if you want me to try to hunt them down, I'll give it a try.  If you have a problem with low blood sugar, you know how important it is for you to eat regularly, even if it's a "power" bar or smoothy.                                                           

[[b1...]]

Actually, I'm sitting here trying to drink an Instant Breakfast drink, just to get something in me...seems to be helping a bit.  I've had my thyroid tested lately and it was ok (this is what they originally thought I had).  I have a pretty limited diet like you (T2)...peanut butter toast, bananas, instant breakfast, apples and cheese.  It's so hard to get the protein, carbohydrates, etc that they say to have every few hours...but I guess on the positive side I've lost the 15lbs of pregnancy weight that I've been trying to lose for the last 8 years LOL.  Pretty hard way to do it though.

 

I can't believe how supportive everyone here is!  I so appreciate all of you

 

Beth

 

[[b1...]]

Ok, I've been thinking about this all night and I'm going to try to stabilize on 0.125mg x2/day for awhile and then I think I may titrate the very end of this.  I'm going to ask my dr. today for another prescription so I can take my time doing this.  I know it seems really silly to titrate this small amount but I need this to be the easiest on both me and my family.  I've disrupted the family so much that I feel almost as bad about that as I do physically.

 

Beth

[[Be...]]

Just so you know, Beth, it not only is NOT silly to titrate at the end, it actually makes a lot of sense.  You can still be off as quickly as you want but you'll be making teensy daily reductions instead of 0.125mg "chunk" cuts every 10-14 days or so.  A lot of people encounter more w/d symptoms at the end; I know I did.  I was too stubborn and confused at that point to switch to titration but many do.  You are going to be fine. 

[[b1...]]

Thanks Beeper, again, you always make me feel better   I put in my titration request so I'll wait for that to come back and then will get going on it.  As you said, I'm going to stop being so hard on myself and just slow this down and do it the right way.  The cuts at the beginning were just so much easier, I thought it would be like this all the way to the end, but you're right...the end seems to be the hardest.  And the dry cutting was getting to be so hard...who knows if I was getting EXACTLY 1/4 of the pill...it was always busting when I was trying to cut it so I took my best guesstimate.

 

Thank you!!!

Beth

[[b1...]]

Just got back from the doctor and he was totally cool about it.  I had to explain what titration was but he thought it was an excellent idea, and gave me another prescription in case I needed it to get to the end.  And Colin gave me an idea how to do my titration (he said I didn't need a formal titration schedule) so I think I'm good to go!  Though I think I may stick to 0.125mg x 2/day for the next 2 or 3 days to let my body adjust before I start (I must start thinking more like the tortoise and not the hare LOL).

 

Oh, and the Dr. agreed that it most likely wasn't anxiety attacks I was suffering, but episodes of low blood sugar.  So after uneccessarily taking a heart pill that made me so ill, and now the Ativan...who would have thought it would have been solved months ago with a glass of OJ!  Oh well, can't dwell on the past   At least I found out today that my echocardiogram came back great so I have a perfectly functioning ticker (heart)

 

Take care everyone,

Beth

 

 

[[Lo...]]

Hey Beth,

That is wonderful news about your dr. being so supportive and giving you a refill to titrate the rest of your taper. Some aren't so lucky! Don't blame you a bit for staying at .125mg for 2 or 3 more days before you start tapering again. I like the tortoise and the hare analogy. Then, there's always something Petey said, "Get in touch with your inner snail." LOL. Just wanted you to know that your attitude is wonderful!! Goes a long way in the tapering process. Great news that your echo came back normal. Oh, if you like any kind of nuts, I carry a zip log sandwich bag with cashews in my purse. That way, if I am out and about, I can always keep my blood sugar up (the healthy way and not with sweets) by eating some of them. Wishing you all the best on the rest of your taper....

 

Lori