was switched from ativan to xanax

[[el...]]

Sweetpea,

 

You could start by reducing by a quarter pill for now, and keep doing that for awhile, at least until your are down to 2mg

 

 

When you get to that point, if you can't get smaller dose pills, you can make smaller cuts by crushing and dissolving a quarter pill in a cup of milk Mix it well and drink half. You can save the second half for the next day.

 

If it doesn't make sense, I'll explain it a bit better in more depth if and when the times comes. But you should be able to get to at least 2mg or maybe less by just reducing by a quarter pill (0.25mg) every week or so for now.

[[sw...]]

Thanks so much

[[Pa...]]

Are you ready to get started? 

[[sw...]]

Im starting already

[[sw...]]

HI,Im just wondering which is stronger 1 mg of ativan or 0.05 mg of klonopin??????

[[Th...]]

HI,Im just wondering which is stronger 1 mg of ativan or 0.05 mg of klonopin??????

 

Do you mean 1mg of Ativan to .5mg of Klono? If so, they are considered to be equal in strength according to The Ashton Manual.

[[sw...]]

ys thats what i wondered

 

[[el...]]

HI,Im just wondering which is stronger 1 mg of ativan or 0.05 mg of klonopin??????

 

Hi Sweetpea,

 

Img of ativan is of aprox. equivelant strength to 0.5mg of klonopin.

[[sw...]]

my dr is placing me on klonopin again says it will be easier for me to get off of.I was taking 3 1/2 mg of ativan....the dose for klonopin is .5mg 2  1/2 times a day....she said nothing about tapering,,,,,,,,and i took a klono at 11 am and one at 2 30 and one at 5 30 AS i was so confused and scared..will i over dose plus i had ativan this morning,,,iknow i have been thru this before.....im afraid tonight might be the end of my life....i have been on a diet pill phenterminesince nov 4th but stoppedit today

[[Be...]]

my dr is placing me on klonopin again says it will be easier for me to get off of.I was taking 3 1/2 mg of ativan....the dose for klonopin is .5mg 2  1/2 times a day....she said nothing about tapering,,,,,,,,and i took a klono at 11 am and one at 2 30 and one at 5 30 AS i was so confused and scared..will i over dose plus i had ativan this morning,,,iknow i have been thru this before.....im afraid tonight might be the end of my life....i have been on a diet pill phenterminesince nov 4th but stoppedit today

 

Sweetpea - 

 

From what I've read at drugs.com, phentermine should probably be tapered.  Did you talk with your doctor about stopping it?  This is from drugs.com:

 

"You may have withdrawal symptoms, such as depression and extreme tiredness, when you stop using phentermine after a long period of use. Do not stop using phentermine suddenly without first talking to your doctor. You may need to use less and less before you stop the medication completely."

 

You have been on it for nearly 3 weeks and while that's not a long time, I really think you should discuss this with your doctor. 

 

As to the ativan and klonopin, no you haven't overdosed and yes we've been through this exact same thing before, haven't we?  Maybe you need to read back through your thread and remind yourself of what you worried about that time and how it worked out.  Maybe there's something you can do differently this time that will help you get off the klonopin faster or easier. 

 

 

[[sw...]]

Since i was only on half a pill of phentermine they said just stop it,,,,i read my posts on here but im still  confused amd my dr ddint say wheter to taper off the ativan onto the klonopin,,,,the ativan was 1 mg 3  1/2 times a  day and the scrip i have of klonopin is .5 2  1/2 pills a day.How many hours aprt shouldi do that,,,,,and do i need to tapeeroff the ativan i have been on it since may,,,,,

[[Be...]]

Since i was only on half a pill of phentermine they said just stop it,,,,i read my posts on here but im still  confused amd my dr ddint say wheter to taper off the ativan onto the klonopin,,,,the ativan was 1 mg 3  1/2 times a  day and the scrip i have of klonopin is .5 2  1/2 pills a day.How many hours aprt shouldi do that,,,,,and do i need to tapeeroff the ativan i have been on it since may,,,,,

 

If I understand you correctly, sweetpea, your doctor wants you to take 2 .5mg tablets + 1/2 (.25mg) klonopin every day. Is that right?  If that is correct and it were me, I'd probably take 1 pill (.5mg) when I got up and 1 1/2 pills (.75mg) about 12 hours later.  Klonopin stays in your system a pretty long time so taking it just 2x/day is okay for most people and I think it's easier to remember, don't you?

 

You are getting enough klonopin so that you shouldn't have awful withdrawal symptoms switching to klonopin without tapering.  The ativan leaves your system pretty quickly so if you took your last pill yesterday, it is for the most part gone now and the klonopin is taking over now.  Now throw the rest of the ativan away or return it to the pharmacy!  You don't want to take some by mistake and scare yourself again like you did last time.  Nothing but klonopin from here on out, okay?

[[...]]

Hi Sweetpea:

 

Just want to reinforce what Beeper says about throwing away the ativan.  Keeping it around is just asking to make a mistake that could make you pretty sick.

 

ntw

[[sw...]]

im wondering about my dr she just called  me and said i could take ativan one day and klonopin the next>>>......is that odd or what,,,i went ahead and took a half a ativan and 1 klonopin so far today...no more ativan  think,,,,i dont knw what she is thinking...have u every heard of such a thing.

[[Pa...]]

 We've often found that Dr's have limited knowlegde in regard to benzo tolerance and withdrawals.

[[sw...]]

ok my pharmaisit said to lower amountof ativan and taper off it while going on klonopin,,,,,any ideas? was om3mg ativan klonopin is .5 mg 2 1/2 times a dayscared to death again

[Guest [Ju...]]

ok my pharmaisit said to lower amountof ativan and taper off it while going on klonopin,,,,,any ideas? was om3mg ativan klonopin is .5 mg 2 1/2 times a dayscared to death again

 

sweatpea- 3mg's of Ativan is your current, your pharmacist is suggesting switching to Klonopin at .5mg's at what rate? Is it .5mg x 2 a day= 1mg or .5mg x 2 1/2 times a day = 1.25mg's....your post wasn't clear or I just didn't understand. Are you not feeling stable enough at the 3mg's Ativan to start to taper from there? Seems you have been swapping on benzo's for a while which can leave you pretty scattered and unsure of what to do. Will note that the Klonopin is stronger and has a longer half life then the Ativan; all benzo's are different and they feel different so be ready to allow time for your body to adjust if you to switch over from Ativan to Klon. As far as strength in doses and from what I have researched and read, 1mg of Ativan = .5mg Klonopin if that helps any.

 

Just Breathe

[[sw...]]

Im stable at 3 mg of ativan....jusst doesnt help the anxiety..the klonopin would be  .5    .5    then  half of that..to equal 2 1/2 times a day for  a total of 1 .5 mg of klonopin....i just dont know how to taper off the ativan.

[[sw...]]

Maybe i should just try half a klonoipn if that is equal io like 1/2 a 1 mg ativan,,,,i was taking 1/2  1 mg ativan every 3 hours to equal 3 mg a day.The klono seems  to lower my  blood pressure and up my heart rate.....i go in to heart dr today to see if he is putting me on oxyagen for my mild sleep apnea ...they think maybe the apnea is the cause of my dizziness.

[Guest [Ju...]]

Im stable at 3 mg of ativan....jusst doesnt help the anxiety..the klonopin would be  .5     .5     then  half of that..to equal 2 1/2 times a day for  a total of 1 .5 mg of klonopin....i just dont know how to taper off the ativan.

 

sweatpea1960-

 

I don't know what to tell you. I don't think you are asking for benzo taper advise but for someone to tell you how to switch over to another benzo, not sure what your plan is after you would switch to Klonopin? Are you wanting off of benzo's? Your doctor should be the go to person for this as your doctor is prescribing these meds, IMO. Please keep in mind also that all benzo's, after time will create anxiety due to interdose withdrawal and/or tolerance to the medication; these meds are supposed to be used for 2-4 weeks. An idea would be to look into other ways to manage the anixety, then you can taper off your benzo and have coping skills

 

 

Just Breathe

[[sw...]]

I do wantoff benzos they said klono would be easier to get off..my dr didnt return my call on the tapering process off ativan,,,,so im at a lose on that

[Guest [Ju...]]

Here are the three methods BB has listed:

 

 

Direct Taper

Advantages: simple; wide support from doctors; probably all that's required by the majority of people in the general community looking to quit benzos.

 

Disadvantages: many benzos are too potent to allow a smooth taper for some people (or the pills prescribed are too large in dose for successful pill-splitting); many benzos have too short a half-life to allow a smooth taper (interdose withdrawal is often a problem); can be tricky to split pills accurately.

 

We suggest that unless past experience of attempted tapering indicates otherwise, members should initially try cutting their dose by no more than about 10%, and will probably make new cuts (about 10% of their dose at the time of the new cut) every 7-14 days. These figures are intended as ballpark estimates - mileage will vary.

 

Substitution Taper

Advantages: switching to an equivalent dose of Valium from a short half-life benzo (this must be carried out gradually) virtually guarantees that you will experience no interdose withdrawal effects; switching from a very potent benzo to Valium allows for much smaller cuts to your dose (more frequent small cuts are better tolerated than less frequent large cuts); if you have had problems sleeping, you may benefit from the sedating effects of Valium.

 

Disadvantages: some planning is required with a switch to Valium (but we will help you with this); an equivalent dose must be calculated and tweaked where necessary to suit the individual; many doctors (particularly in the USA) do not support a switch to Valium; switching will likely add to the overall time taken to withdraw; a small number of people appear to not tolerate the switch to Valium very well (this sometimes might be due to the wrong equivalent dose being prescribed or a failure to tweak the dose for the individual concerned according to how they react).

 

Prof. Ashton achieved very good results in her clinic by switching patients to Valium. Usually, her patients had already failed to quit benzos via the Direct route. If your doctor is supportive, and willing to adjust the equivalent dose as required, you are more likely to benefit from substitution.

 

Titration Taper

Advantages: allows for a very smooth taper, even when tapering from a large dose pill and/or potent pills; does not require a sympathetic doctor.

 

Disadvantages: ties you down to the kitchen, as a fresh batch must be prepared each day, and refrigeration is required too; your doctor might be unsupportive if you explain that you are titrating your benzos; interdose withdrawal effects still might be a problem if you are taking a benzo with a short half-life; it is more complicated, and requires the purchase of some equipment.

 

We will work up a titration schedule for you, and post it to this website - just print it off. It will include the exact dose to be taken and the dates of changes to your dose. It might appear a little complicated at first sight, but after you have gone through the preparation proceedure a couple of times, you will find it is pretty straightforward.

 

Also, a link to the Ashton Manual:

 

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/

 

Hope some of this info can help you....knowledge is power.

 

Just Breathe

[[sw...]]

Thank you ,But Im not on valium and i have tried to taper off ativan before no luck,,,,this does not tell me how to taper,,,while going on klono thanks for your help though

[Guest [Ju...]]

Thank you ,But Im not on valium and i have tried to taper off ativan before no luck,,,,this does not tell me how to taper,,,while going on klono thanks for your help though

 

Sorry sweatpea....I did a direct c/o from Xanax to Valium, no switching out doses. I know there are others that did a C/O from Xanax/Ativan to Klonopin. It is doable but you have to know that you may not feel great until you stabilize on the new med and you want to make sure the substitution amount of the new med is accurate. I am not a doctor so maybe if you ask the pharmacist for more info or can get a hold of your doctor, that will help.

 

Also, here is a link to the substition section of the board. Maybe if you ask your question there, more members will see it and have some suggestions.

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=61.0

 

 

Just Breathe

[[sw...]]

I am stopping the abilfiy tonight....it could be the culprit as to why my walking is slow motion and unsteady..praying i have no withdrawls fromstopping it.