Has anybody successfully tapered off of lorazepam (Ativan)?

@laughlin1947
Thanks so much!
You think so? About the 5 weeks and going to a relatively minor dose? I appreciate your encouragement and know there's a lot of misleading info, but have read about some really terrible protracted withdrawl and worse, etc, even with folks that used short term and not very high dose. Starting tonight and trying not to be scared. Tried melatonin in the past and didn't make a difference, was ok for decades dealing with it without meds as the ones I tried have always ultimately not worked long term or had paradoxical effect, etc. Tried Hydroxizine and Trazadone recently, worked for a very short time, then did not even after increased dose. And yes, I know many are helped and use benzos for years and years with no issues which is great.

Thanks everyone for your input and support! @diverdown1, @ashleyharris728 @berekann @laughlin1947 ...hope I didn't miss anyone and meant to comment so would be in the discussion as opposed to reply. Starting taper tonight, trying not to be scared...thanks again and hope all are well! 🙂

@happytoseeyou gosh, I’m not a doctor. I guess use your best judgment?

@diverdown1

I got mine from the hospital since they are supposed to discard them after every use. A nurse just gave it to me. I found it a PITA to try to cut unscored pills in half. Messy and not easy to split them evenly. I can do it better with a knife. I cut 10mg Atorvastatin in 2, but IMO not really critical to do an exact split.

@penelope5678

From Dr Google
https://www.oregon.gov/oha/HPA/DSI-Pharmacy/MHCAGDocs/Tapering-Benzodiazepines.pdf
""Utilize the following approach to care when tapering a patient from
benzodiazepines:
• Use one prescriber and one pharmacy.4 Time-limited dispensing may be
helpful (e.g., once every 1-2 weeks).
• Regular check-ins by the provider are essential for a successful taper.2
A clinical pharmacist and peer-support provider can also be valuable
resources when available. (A peer-support provider is someone who has
their own lived experience of overcoming behavioral health challenges
and can be a useful resource when engaging people currently going
through a similar experience.)
• Before the taper begins, plan the first few weeks and then review; if
necessary, amend the schedule according to the patient’s progress. Be
flexible and be ready adjust the schedule to a slower (or faster) rate at
any time."

"'Most patients will benefit by switching to diazepam before tapering (Table
2).
1-5
• The extended half-life and slow elimination of diazepam creates a
smooth decline of concentrations in the blood and tissue, which allows
the body to adjust to the taper.
• Diazepam allows for twice daily dosing during the taper.5 The less often
a patient takes tablets, the less their day will revolve around their
medications.
• Diazepam is widely available in 2 mg, 5 mg and 10 mg tablets which can
be cut in half. The ability to taper using only 1 mg of a less potent
benzodiazepine allows for more precision in the taper. No other
benzodiazepine comes in this small a dose with similar relative potency. ""

Unfortunately the Pharma folks aren't always your friend when it comes to dose size. No idea what they do for tapering studies, but one has to assume that they're providing the smallest doses necessary.

Remember that the above info includes a change from Lorazepam to Diazepam prior to tapering.

@happytoseeyou don’t be scared! Doesn’t sound like you’ve been on it for that long? I was on it for nine months and went from 1.5 mg down to .5 mg in about a month. Hardly even noticed the First few tapers. By the time I got to .5 it was really easy to go to .375 for about a week and then to .25 and then I was done I did have a little rebound anxiety and insomnia, but not too terrible and my doctor prescribed doxepin to help me sleep, which didn’t work that well so then he prescribed Ambien. I’ve also taken trazodone & Hydroxyzine neither one of which worked for me.

@happytoseeyou Have you tried Ambien? I tried Trazadone too, but it was not effective. My wife takes that along with temazepam for sleep, and they work very well together for her, but the doctors always go nuts when she tells them she takes both together. She's taken them for over 20 years now.

@happytoseeyou yes I’m very sensitive to meds and I have to ramp up and down very slowly. I have bipolar disorder so I have a lot of meds. Speaking of bipolar, ever try Seroquel? I know people use it off label for sleep all the time. I cannot believe how much it knocks me out. Ultimately I tried to come off it due to some weight gain, but if my insomnia ramps back up, I’ll end up going back on it. And yes I suffered chronic insomnia for years as well so I really feel your pain. I tried everything under the sun (moon? Haha) and the meds were the only thing that finally helped get it under control. Once I got it under control, I finally started to taper, but that was basically two years of meds at least and I like to have them in my pocket.

This is probably weird advice but if you’re going to do 1mg to 0.75mg, this helps me with the anxiety over cutting down.

Use a pill sorter to do 1mg odd days, 0.75mg even days for example. Check the pill sorter well for accuracy.

But don’t commit to memory which days are 1mg and which ones are 0.75mg! Just dump all the pills for the evening right in your mouth. You won’t know if that night is a 1mg night or 0.75mg night.

This helps me feel a lot less anxious during my tapers. I document everything carefully like which week I started the taper, so when refilling my pill dispenser, I know when it’s time to cut down further.

Obviously it’s always best to discuss strategies with your prescribing physician.

Maybe this unconventional method will help you! Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself.

Good luck and best wishes for a good night’s sleep!

@berekann
Gotcha! Thanks!

@bajjerfan
Thanks! Copy that and it is definitely a PITA to try to cut unscored pills, especially tiny ones. 🙁
Will try knife and glad to know exact split not critical.