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Tapering from Ativan prescribed for gastroparesis
I was put on Ativan for nausea and stomach cramps for my Gastroparesis. I am allergic to all the antinausea meds they normally give and they use Ativan with cancer patients. I am on 1mg at night to sleep, .5mg mid day and .5mg evening. I just had to add the mid day .5 because of interdosage withdrawal. I have been o.n this for 8 months. I'm afraid to start tapering because of my Gastroparesis symptoms. Anyone else have this issue?
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@jneener, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Because it's more unique to be put on lorazepam (Ativan) for nausea and stomach cramps with gastroparesis, I moved your post to start a new discussion with it.
That's unfortunate that you are allergic to medications typically given for nausea and stomach cramps.
I take a different kind of medication, cetirizine hydrochloride (Zyrtec) for allergies, where the effect wore off on the 24-hour pills at about 5 p.m. daily. I just didn't get relief for all day at all. I told my doctor, and he changed how it was prescribed for me and had me take it twice daily. That helped tremendously.
All that to say, it might be worth explaining the problem you were having and seeing if your doctor can officially change your prescription. That way, the doctor could know exactly what you are taking and when and best be able to guide you in the future.
It sounds like you are consiering wanting to taper off the lorazepam. What is making you want to be off of it or take another medication instead?
@lisalucier it feels as though it is not working at the current dosage and I'm having interdose withdrawal. If it was still working the way it was in the beginning I would have no issue continuing with it. Having gastroparesis is bad enough, especially when you are on TPN because you can't eat enough to survive and then you add my drug limitations for nausea on top of it.
@jneener - sorry to hear that. What does your provider suggest you do next?
Don't know. He hasn't responded to my messages.
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1 ReactionAtivan is a medication my hospital takes very seriously due to side effects. I do not know enough about your medical history to give you any patient centered advice. However, I have not heard or experienced Ativan being used for gastroparesis. I have known people that end up with slow intestinal motility because of Ativan. It is a highly addictive medication. It should be weaned off. It can increase risk of dementia. You might want to get a second opinion from another doctor about the use of this medication for your circumstance. See if there are not better options for your condition. Do you go to a Gastroenterology doctor? I wish you all the best on this endeavor.
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1 Reaction@kelly619
You mentioned side affects are a concern. Can you elaborate on them? I want to see if there are any I have been having.