Ativan withdrawal

I took 5 mg melatonin and it did nothing.

Same here. If anything it caused anxiety

I am a 81 year old man who has been on Lorazepam (1mg x 3times daily as needed) for 40 years. This has been prescribed by the same Primary Care Doctor during this time. It has helped me greatly with anxiety, essential tremors, neuropathy, hiatal hernia, insomnia, and still does to this day. In June, I requested a prescription refill & when picked, The label read 1 tab daily @ bedtime. That is my notice of Lorazepam reduction from 3mgs to 1 daily. Having a pre-op exam for cataract surgery in a few days , I confronted him then. His explanation was the associates were required to ween anyone over 65 off benzos. His plan for me was "Breaking them (1mg) in half & taking half a milligram 3 or 4 times a day would be a decent decrease. We will also start you on Lexapro. My goal is to get you off Lorazepam before I retire in 6 months". He also told me that the new doctor would not prescribe 3 mgs/daily
I was in shock & told him that I would not do any tapering off until my cataract surgeries were over in mid August. I have never abused Lorazepam but am dependent. I live alone & this thought of no more Lorazepam is consuming me. I have scheduled an appointment with him in mid August to give me time to find options
I have never written to a forum or ask for advice, but I need it now.
Thank you

My primary care physician gave me Lexapro to help in weaning off Ativan.
I took it for 3 days along with my .5 mg of Ativan.
Horrible experience. Climbing the walls Couldn’t sleep.
Since these benzodiazepines are a controlled substance I think they are wanting us mature folks off of them. The do affect brain and memory.
Good luck.

Did not notice any. I was on Remeron as I tapered to help with sleep. My slow tapering made a difference

Exactly. I really wanted nothing to do with benzos

I am so sorry your doctor is dealing with this issue like this. If it’s working for you, at your age, doctor should accommodate you.
My doctor also got gunshot about prescribing .5 once a day. Told me he’d only support taking it every other day. I was relying on it for sleep and it wasn’t working anyway anymore, so I tapered

I was very careful and monitored my weight. I gained a couple pounds. I can sleep now and it was well worth it.

I'm 73 and have been taking as much as 2 mg / clonazepam for about 40 years. I did stop taking any at all when I lost my job and insurance for over a year 30 or so yrs ago and felt somewhat "withdrawn," taking on a high profile job with a mid-size company. I only took the job because my wife was in grad school and needed the insurance for her. I would have had the VA to fall back on, working or not, but never really used them except for treatment relating to injuries sustained in Vietnam. Just before quitting the job, went back on Benzos--1-2 mg/day of clonazepam again, but the doctor added Ambien as well because I'd developed insomnia during the course of the four years of working for the high tech company as an upper level manager. I felt so relaxed and at ease in what had become extremely pressure-packed situations that I was more than Okay with taking all of that crap. I continued taking all of this medication and even was prescribed higher dosages when we moved abroad--never expecting to return to the U.S. In 2018 I was diagnosed with Parkinson's and we returned to the states only to find out that it was non-idiopathic nerve problems and the VA denied me Parkinson's Disease disability due to traumatic brain injury and the long-erm effects of "medication." I did however lose most of my Social Security upon return to the U.S. because I hadn't been paying into Medicare Part B--useless outside the U.S. We were running out of money while looking for work and a place to live when my wife got a job that gave me regular health insurance. Sure enough, the psychiatrist I was seeing for my Bipolar mood disorder prescribed me Benzos once again; this time 2 mg of Xanax which had me buzzing with relaxing high. It even relaxed me to the point where, even though I was experience moderate tremors, I was able to continue surfing, playing tennis, and even teaching martial arts, at least for the next couple of years when my nervous system condition worsened and began losing balance, falling down, had severe insomnia, rigid muscles and joints, and several other symptoms of what many Parkinson's Disease and Parkinsonism sufferers experience; but the VA shut the door on my claim for Parkinsonism--finally approved conditions for disability for the toxic drinking water at Camp Lejeune, as well as for Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam. I'm currently unable to work--severe tremors, speech problems, and some cognitive decline. The VA acknowledged all this, but continued to reject my claim for compensation, so I found a doctor who prescribed 1 mg of alprazolam/day (the VA will not prescribe Benzos, linking them to the opioid epidemic, so I took the "medication" once again because it lessened the effects of whatever nervous system disorder I was suffering from. Looking back, I wish I'd never taken any of this stuff in the first place, but at my age, I figured I may as well use them, but only as needed--which is most days now allowing me to live a more "normal" life. My psychotherapist told me that since I was only taking 0.5 mg alprazolam, she said that at my age and with my condition, she sees taking the Benzos as beneficial for me. Most doctors these days do not share her opinion and refuse to prescribe Benzos; probably a good idea for people who would be coming on board for the first time, but for long-term users such as myself (and Benzos should never have been prescribed long term--I firmly believe that, now). I'm stuck running around looking for a doctor who will prescribe 0.25-0.5 mg or alprazolam (we recently relocated) and it appears I'm going to have to stop taking them anymore. Now, except for how much suffering I would cause my wife, I feel as if I have only a worsening condition to look forward to, so I pretend to be content with what I (we) have (are), and often wish I could simply end it all. After all my years of big-wave surfing, which included an early near-death experience when I was still a teenager just before getting drafted, I have absolutely no fear at all of death, if in fact that state does exist. I don't believe in religion, so if we return to universal dust or get reincarnated or go to hell or whatever; I'm simply not concerned. But what's the harm in taking the tiny dosage of Benzos at this point in my life if it at least will allow me to be a loving partner for my wife; at least until my brain turns into oatmeal, at which point my wife and I have agreed to doctor-assisted suicide should either one of us reach that state. The U.S. government knew that many of the troops in Vietnam were using opium/heroin but let it slide. Now, it's holding a hard line on Benzos. I'm actually looking forward to leaving this loony bin of a planet. Some states, however, are experimenting with giving patients such as myself hallucinogens tor treatment. At least some people are attempting to make some much-needed improvements.

Thank you for reaching out. I feel betrayed. This is my doctor of 40 years & a man that I greatly respect. I am terrified at the age of 81 to start this withdrawal seemingly without guidance. I retired in 2019 @ 76 hoping to enjoy my final years. The pain of Neuropathy is limiting my movements & I fear that no relief is coming during withdrawal The many side effects of withdrawal are disturbing to me living alone in the country. I don't have enough lifetime left to regain the health that I will lose during this withdrawal period. I was happy with my life going into the doctors meeting, now I'm desperate. There must be a way not to be forced into this withdrawal
Thank you for listening