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How to manage side effects from 30 years use of Lorazepam
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: 2 hours ago | Replies (71)Comment receiving replies
@frouke I have been on Lorazepam 1mg. for 20 years for sleep and it works great. However, I have recently found studies linking Lorazepam (Ativan) to dementia or at least "Brain Fog", which I have started having at age 75. Therefore, I would like to get off Lorazepam and switch to one of the newer sleep meds that do not work the same way in the brain and have not shown any connection to dementia. I live outside Houston where you would think there would be LOTS of doctors who have the expertise to do a slow taper of this drug. NO, there are not! So we all hear about how allegedly dangerous narcotics are, blah blah blah, but there are few, if any doctors to get us off of them! I do NOT want dementia or any form of it if possibly so I'm willing to get off this drug. However, I admit to being worried about going back to my sleep problems, which is not pleasant. I LOVE my good sleep of 8-9 hrs/night with no after-effects. Does anyone out there know of a place or a doctor in the NW Houston area versed in the Ashford method of tapering a benzo?
Replies to "@frouke I have been on Lorazepam 1mg. for 20 years for sleep and it works great...."
@txdogmom
What dose are you on?
I am trying to taper off 2mg, I have taken for 3 years. I'm down to 1 mg, but it's hard. I have heard that it is more difficult the last percentages -- meaning it will be harder for me to taper off the 1mg I have left to go.
Has anyone else knowledge about that?
@txdogmom I would question the link between low dose Ativan and brain fog. Could something else be causing it? One mg daily is a fairly low dose and Ativan has a short half life so it clears through your system pretty quickly. Were the studies from reliable sources or from addiction centers selling their services? A good psychiatrist or possibly a good pharmacist should be able to help with tapering but I would expect sleep problems and maybe anxiety will return for awhile unless you get on other medication. But that’s just my personal opinion.
@txdogmom
I'm sorry but the thing that really jumped out at me, which is terrible, is you get 8-9 hours of sleep a night??
I can't remember the last time I had that...Oh yeah. I was 17.
Ativan is pretty addictive. It's not great for people in our age bracket (but what is?)
I don't remember how long I've taken Klonopin for but you can get dementia from lack of sleep, depression (maybe) and lots of other factors.
I would suspect that sleep meds have other downsides.
I've read about using weed to help get off opioids and maybe it could help you decrease your intake of Ativan.
If you don't want to actually smoke it, take an edible but start light. Edibles last longer so you don't want to have it hit when you're on the freeway.
Surprised there are no doctors who can help you taper. Even if you just take less, that's pretty good!
Or-switch to Klonopin which seems less "heavy" and lasts longer.
Valium-No. Not good at our tender ages. It metabolizes slowly and can cause dizziness/ loss of balance.
Great for muscle spasms but not daily.
CBD? Maybe as an adjunct to the med of choice.
Hope this helps!
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@txdogmom Btw, I have also been on Duloxetine (Cymbalta) for about 25 yrs and it changed my life after suffering from severe anxiety/agorphobia after giving up 27 yrs of smoking cigarettes (my drug of choice apparently). I was given it initially for a botched knee replacement which caused horrific nerve pain when the drug first came out for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy. It significantly helped my pain and also literally got rid of the anxiety! It is also used for general muscular pain and Fibromyalgia. I only take 30 mg./day. It can mess with your libido and did mine but my doctor suggested taking a "pill holiday" and see if that helped. It did! If you stop Cymbalta longer than a day, you get the "brain zaps", which are not pleasant. That sure keeps one from stopping the drug too quickly. I will never stop taking Duloxetine!