How to manage side effects from 30 years use of Lorazepam

I've been on it for 10 years with no side effects. My favorite drug. Unless you have side effects, why get off it? They will just put you on another drug with side effects to get off it. Pick your poison.

What are the side effects of lorazepam? My neurologist gave me this for my chlosterphobia when I get CT scans and MRI/MRA and for CTA scans. I know I didn’t spell it correctly. I realize I can look it up but it’s not the same as actually hearing from someone who is going through it. It’s just different.

Why get off of it?

I was on lorazepam probably 20 years at night 1 MG. I started taking it when I was in a very stressful job situation. Since I’m retired now, I have weaned myself off.

The doctors didn’t really help me with the weaning. I did it myself. I do notice that during the day sometimes I feel very anxious and I do have a harder time going to sleep and staying asleep, but I’m trying to do some deep breathing and other things that will help me sleep as well as going to bed at a regular time and getting up at regular time.

I wish you good luck, maybe go see another doctor.

I have to say "Amen" to the other comments.
I have used Lorazepam for over 20 yrs & don't want to get off of it.
Why is it that you do?

Do look for another doctor & find another med you can live with.
100 yrs ago you probably would have just suffered but there
are so many choices now. Good luck.

I agree with this. I have been on it now for about 4 years for GAD (.5 mg 2x day) and it works wonders for me. Sometimes I take .5 in the middle of the night when I can't get back to sleep. I would rather be on this than some antidepressant that causes all kinds of other side effects. Pick you poison is a perfect way to describe it. I have sisters that are addicted to THC and puff it several times a day and now have terrible coughs. I know soooooo many that drink alcohol to "wind down". It would be a perfect world to not need to take anything at all, but perfect worlds don't really exist do they??

Perhaps perfect worlds do exist and we have to earn the privilege to live in one, who knows? I also take lorazepam for many years and it definitely helps me to cope with my anxiety and PTSD, if I haven’t found the therapy to help me cope by now, I strongly doubt that I will, I’m 74. I never gave it much thought that I was taking this medication to survive until I heard all the stories about being forced to stop taking them and the trauma it caused, it just breaks my heart that they hurt innocent people who don’t deserve it, it’s not often that someone will say they don’t want to stop these meds and it’s probably due to the fact that they’re afraid of getting in trouble. If the government wants to discontinue benzodiazepines they should start with the younger generation, let the older generation have their medication after many years of proper usage, also dementia is on the rise like most diseases and I’m sure they can’t put the onus on benzodiazepines, to date I have never seen definitive evidence that benzodiazepines are to blame, these rumours are not true and are merely scare tactics. In a perfect world we wouldn’t need any medications, amen.

Thank you for this very wise reply! I too am 70 and do not wish to ever have to go through the withdrawal process as it sounds like hell and my quality of life is the most important thing to me at this stage. The perfect world IS out there when the time comes and my Father calls me home. God bless you and may all of our days until that time be filled with grace and love.

Okay I am 77 yrs old and when I read about addiction and either need or desire to discontinue the med I wonder why. If you are a functioning adult who is under a doctor's care and are not constantly needing to increase the dosage I have to think that you should probably stay on this medication. I was addicted early on yo Valium and without any discussion or reason the doctor cut me off without warning. Terrible withdrawal and no help from anyone. This was the early 1970s and on hind site there wasn't much known about addiction in general. Fast forward to the late 80's when I was in therapy. I suffered terrible anxiety and panic attacks. My psychiatrist prescribed Klonopin. I actually took Klonopin for almost 30 yrs. I was still in therapy believe it or not. Sometimes I would see my doctor once a month and sometimes weekly. All of this time I was a single parent to two children and always worked full time with no financial help from the father. Then about 16 months ago I was hospitalized for the first time in my adult life. I was diagnosed with COPD and diabetes2. It turns out that klonepin promotes shallow breathing so it was recommended that I discontinue them. I am currently down to .05 mg. At nite. Oh I should also disclose problems with emptying my bladder and saw 5-6 different urologists until one diagnosed me with interstitial cystitis. I tried different remedies that would only work for a couple of days. Then the urologist advised me to go to the pain clinic at same hospital. I went and was prescribed Lyrica or gabapentin. Okay taking them alleviated my bladder pain but also helped with anxiety. Is this new drug addictive. Yes it is and I go to the pain clinic twice a year to touch base and of course show my drivers licence at the drug store where I fill my Rx. In fact I called in a refill to that pharmacy as I have a 30 day Rx only and 30 days had occured. I was told by the pharmacist that it was too early as yes the 30 days had occured but that I hadn't picked up the previous month's Rx until 37 days. I angrily accused the pharmacist if they were the drug patrol and how crazy it was not to fill it at the 30 day mark. She said that actually they have to behave like the drug patrol. I am not sure why they wouldnt fill the Rx. I still have a couple of pills at home to see me thru until the drug patrol people aka pharmacist will fill the Rx. I don't fully understand why and when reporting controlled substance to the states became the law. If in fact they need this info then they should also have state assisted withdrawal programs. Here's my 40 year thoughts on taking anything addictive. If you are under a doctor's care and not robbing or otherwise breaking any laws whose business is it anyways. It is really sad that pharmacies have been asked to provide this info to gov't agencies. I have to stick with my original thinking that if you are benefitting from this drug and under a doctor's care that should be enough. FYI when I told my doctors at the pain clinic that I was voluntarily withdrawing from klonepin they congratulated me on my progress as they said that in their experience that process can sometimes take years to do. So I think that if you need to stop taking one medication to start taking an alternate drug you might want to check in with people who truly understand addiction and withdrawal. Good luck with your journey

Just the connection between drugs like that and dementia, would make me want to get off it.