How did you successfully taper off of 0.5 lorazepam (Ativan)?

Posted by ch2232 @ch2232, Jan 8, 2022

Has anyone tapered from 0.5mg of lorazepam per day? Can you share your experience? Thank you.

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ajateha | @ajateha | Jan 30 3:26am

I, Albert, am a user of lorazepam 0.5 mg every night before going to bed. May I know how to get rid of this drug addiction? I am now 79 years old. Thank you for your attention.

gerberdaisy19 | @gerberdaisy19 | Jan 31 8:58am

In reply to @renegade71 "try grammarly its free." + (show)

Being polite is free too

sears | @sears | Jan 31 10:48am

In reply to @ajateha "I, Albert, am a user of lorazepam 0.5 mg every night before going to bed. May..." + (show)

If your doctor is much younger than you are and you don’t have to worry about him retiring I’d just stay on that .5 if I were you. It can be hard finding a new doctor to prescribe Benzos.

sears | @sears | Jan 31 10:48am

In reply to @renegade71 "try grammarly its free." + (show)

Let’s not turn this helpful site into Facebook.

ajateha | @ajateha | Feb 4 4:32am

Thank you very much for your concern for my question and your very supportive suggestions for gradual withdrawal or reduction to a safe dose to stop. I have been on Ativan 0.5 mg for a week and have tried a small reduction of 0.175 mg from 0.5 mg for 4 days and this 0.375 mg dose seems to work. I will try it for 1 week and then reduce it to half of 0.5 mg for a week and half of 0.25 mg for another week and then stop. Hopefully my plan will work.

didymus237 | @didymus237 | Mar 6 6:14pm

I went from .5 daily to taking lorazepam just when I need it then tapered down to just 1/4 of a pill once in a while but it was exacerbating my asthma so I had to quit taking it. Taper slowly. I've been on benzos for over 10 years and, although they help with anxiety I don't they are good for us.

jmaclellan | @jmaclellan | Jul 4 8:59pm

Im on 0.35 of ativan at night. I was taking 0.5 mg and have tapered down to 0.35mg. I started taking 0.5 to help with a trazdone taper/ withdrawl. That was horrible. Ive been on it for 2 and half months. I only take for help with sleep. What kinda of symptoms should I expect on such a low dose? Scared after the trazdo e to go lower

frouke | @frouke | Jul 5 8:25am

In reply to @jmaclellan "Im on 0.35 of ativan at night. I was taking 0.5 mg and have tapered down..." + (show)

I’ve been taking Ativan for over 20 years, I somehow managed to stop in the early days and now it’s a different thing. I take 0.5mg. daily and haven’t tried to reduce any more at this point, I wish to stay on them because they work for me, I don’t respond well to antidepressants and have tried many to no avail. I read that you’re taking 0.35 mg. and you want to know what to expect at this point in time, it’s very difficult to say because they effect everyone differently, even though you’re dosage is low it’s still in your system and affecting you without really feeling anything, I’m sure you will feel it if you stop taking them. I think that if you decide to stop taking them then you must still go very slowly to do so, there’s lots of people who have managed to get off Ativan so it’s hopeful to do so, best wishes.

hraka13 | @hraka13 | Jul 6 4:34pm

Talk to your doctor. I’ve never taken it but I know you need to wean off of most medications. (I take carbamazepine and it’s one of those that has horrible side effects of stopped too quickly.)
I know with mine, when I couldn’t afford the office visit to get renewed (😢), she was going to taper me off 1 pill a week. I bit the bullet and spent the $250-300 the office (discounted) visit PLUS almost $200 for the labs. The alternative is I’m not a very nice person.