Ativan withdrawal

[Davie1234]

I have been on ativan for 3 months,. .5, mg.  Please advise how to taper off
Warm regards

[Dad77]

Go slow cut dosage in half for two weeks and again until your finished.

[Paxiled]

That's actually quite fast for this drug.  People react differently, so there is no one schedule for everyone -- you go as fast or as slowly as your brain tells you is okay.  The minimum taper and one used by most shrinks is 6 weeks, with varying ways of getting there, but that's not a scientific way to do it.  Because we know people have varying degrees of difficulty stopping these types of meds, the best schedule is the one that suits the individual doing it.  Your doc won't do it this way, but if you insist he or she will.  

[Paxiled]

Tapering off should be at a schedule that suits you, not some generalized one that your psychiatrist does for everyone.  It's also usually, though definitely not always, best to do this with a psychopharmacologist, not a general doc, just because they do it a lot more often.  Now, you don't say if you're taking them every day or several times a day or just as needed, but still, safe is best.  Don't quit abruptly, as that can lead to worse withdrawal and possible seizures.  Because that's not a long time, you have a better chance of avoiding a really bad problem, so be optimistic but careful.  Because your dose is small, you might have to do some pill splitting, but given the short duration of time on the drug probably not.  Different docs have different ways of doing this, but most want you off quickly rather than slowly because they don't want to spend a lot of time on you.  Don't let them rush you.  Some will tell you to start alternating days, some will go down in dose each day.  No way to know which is the most effective, though to me it seems logical to go down each day so it's still n your system and not shocking the brain every other day.  And remember, most people do this without that much trouble, but you do want  to make sure you're not one of the many who don't.  If when you stop you notice problems you've never had before, that's a sign of withdrawal, and if it's bad, you can go back on it and taper off more slowly.  If when you stop it's the same as before you went on the drug, it's a sign you haven't fixed anything and everything you had you still have.  

[Paxiled]

As for the time involved, it's up to how you respond and how long you've been on it and which drug it is, but most of what I've read uses at least a six week taper.

[Davie1234]

I was thinking of rehab.  Would it be worth it?  Any responses about rehab?

[Davie1234]

Many thanks for your reply.

[AnxiousNoMore]

You don't need rehab to taper off Ativan, just use common sense. Everyone is different and I didn't know I was supposed to taper and just quit 2.0 daily cold turkey with no effects. Someone else won't be so lucky.
So you took Ativan for sleep, which is a bad idea, but it won't matter since you are going to go off it. Did your doc tell you to use Ativan for sleep for the 3 months you kept getting prescriptions? Have you found any methods to deal with your sleep issue? Gone to a sleep clinic or read books on the subject?

[Davie1234]

,I take  ativan .5 mg.  1 time daily,. And sometime I will take 2.  What would you suggest a good taper?

[AnxiousNoMore]

Have you found any methods to deal with your sleep issue? Gone to a sleep clinic or read books on the subject? Did your doc tell you to use Ativan for sleep for the 3 months you kept getting prescriptions?

[Paxiled]

For people who have been on a benzo for a long time on a daily basis there is one benefit to doing rehab, and this only applies if the rehab is genuine and not just somebody making money off of other people's problems.  Most rehab isn't legitimate, it's an area of great fraud, so make sure if you do it you get a referral from a professional in the field.  if you go to some place really good (which will be really expensive and probably a long way from wherever you live) psychiatrists who specialize in addiction treatment are more likely to understand the less common cases of severe withdrawal problems and long term withdrawal problems.  Your average psychiatrist doesn't know much about this stuff.  But you've only been on it for 3 weeks, and that's not a long time, so for you, a safe taper will be fine.  And as I said above, the taper will depend on how you respond.  If it's easy, it goes quickly.  If it's hard, it takes longer.  But you've only been on it for 3 months, so I would imagine you won't have a big problem with this.  And Anxiousnomore tells you important info, which is that benzos aren't great sleep remedies because of the problems they can present with long-term use.  You'll be fine.

[AnxiousNoMore]

You took Ativan for sleep, so are you able to sleep now without it?

[AnxiousNoMore]

In response to your inbox that you can sleep without Ativan, that is great. Have you started your taper?

[AnxiousNoMore]

How many .5 mg per day do you take?  

[AnxiousNoMore]

Have you resolved the anxiety problem that made the Ativan necessary?Are you on any other meds?

[Davie1234]

Just taking blood pressure med.  Usually I take 1-2 .5 me. Daily.  Just started taking for sleep.

[Davie1234]

No anxiety problems

[Davie1234]

Have you had this problem?