May 19
from conniey
You did not mention what your diagnosis is. My son has bipolar disorder with schizoaffective features, or schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, whichever way one wants to describe it. Chronic insomnia has been a major feature of his illness for many years. During the past 2 - 3 years, he has been taking Seroquel, along with 4 or 5 other medications. I believe his current dose of Seroquel varies between 600 mg and 800 mg a night. He says he can feel himself getting calmer, and more tired, after he has taken his Seroquel. Sometimes, he has to add 1-2 mg of Klonopin to his evening meds regimen in order to get to sleep and stay asleep, but he tries not to take Klonopin consistently, because he does not like the way he feels the next day, after having taken it to treat his insomnia.

I hope you have been tapering off the Ativan under the supervision of a psychiatrist, not a PCP. It is somewhat unusual for a patient to have been taking .5 mg of Ativan every night, for 6 years., especially for an elderly patient. Was that done under the supervision of a psychiatrist? It is a well-established fact that benzodiazepines can cause addiction. Were you aware of that, during the 6 years you were taking .5 mg of Ativan every night? I would encourage you to seek treatment from an experienced psychiatrist, rather than a PCP or even a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

In general, I am surprised to find that so many of the posts on this Mayo Clinic site are questions from patients about medications. The best qualified person to give you advice about psych meds is a well trained and experienced psychiatrist. When you ask other patients about medication, you are getting a reply that is just one person's experience with that particular medication. A good psychiatrist, especially if you have been his/her patient for a number of years, knows you and the course of your illness well, and can use his/her experience and expertise to recommend meds that the psychiatrist thinks will be appropriate and helpful for you. A good psychiatrist is much better able to recommend medication for you than other lay people, who may or may not be patients themselves. Another patient's experience with a particular med may be quite different from your experience with that medication, for a variety of reasons.

Hello all
I’ve been taking Ativan at bedtime for since the end of March 2026 for anxiety which caused insomnia. I Originally started with a dose of 1 mg and since early June I tapered down to one .05 mg tablet and cutting in half a .05 tablets. The medication is effective in allowing me to sleep well. I intend to confer with my doctor as to continue to taper until I’m off completely off this medication.
However since taking Ativan I’ve experienced anxiety in the late morning to early afternoon.
Can anyone share any insight as to why this is happening. Could it be that the
potency of the medication becomes less effective as the day wears on ?
Has anyone had similar experiences ?
Tommy

I've been on .5mg Klonopin for six years for anxiety & panic and the three times I've tried to quit have resulted in either poor sleep, muscle pain or nightmares. I took Lunesta before Klonopin for simple insomnia (before such bad anxiety) and found it helpful. My most restful combo for a while was Ambien CR and Trazodone.