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Weaning Off of Ativan For Sleep
Has anyone been prescribed Ativan for sleep, been dependent on it, and then weened yourself off of it and been given something else to replace it and/or been able to get off of it completely? I have been on 1 mg Ativan for 3 months due to the inability to fall and stay asleep due to what I have now determined was a botched nasal surgery. I have been tapering off of it for this last month and have gotten down to .125 mg, but am unable to get over the last hump, because it at least gives me a couple hours before I am jolted out of sleep from not being able to breathe. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what to do?
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Hi Rachel,I'll tell you my story.Have been on ambien for 16 years and no trouble.But recently my primary care doctor decided that I had to wen off it.Well she cut the amount from 30 to 27 to 24 and so on.I was to take 3 mg of melatonin for 2 weeks,thenn 5 and finally 10.Well it was terrible.I felt nore unsteady than ever.I then went to see a 'Sleep doc" and pulmonologist who thought I could stay on ambie, after I did a documentation for 2 weeks prior to my visit.He was very ingormative and said I could if I wante do a sleep study,which i will do after the Covid surge is less.On my next visit to my primary care doctor she went back to prescrbing my monthly dose,5mgand said Dr.Lee had told her it was all right.So maybe,because I recently turned 85 ,she was worried.I was angry with her because she never once in all those previous years suggested weaning off ambien.So i hope that you can settle your problem.
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1 Reactionmare12, so approx. 8 years ago my PCP retired. The new PCP was young and had been told what to do with older people who had been on ambiem for some time. She perscribed one of the NEW medications THAT ADMINISTRATION TOLD HER TO DO TO GET PEOPLE OFF AMBIEM! FOGOT THE name now but it has been on MayoConnect a month or so ago. Anyway she switched me over to it without going off the ambiem! Within 10 days I was having horrible headaches and other side effects! I stopped and told her what I was experienceing. She said to stop which I already had, as I was out of town on business!
When I got home I was ok the first night. The second night we don't know what happened to me but during the night I got up and blacked out and fell down 20' of stairs and suffered a TBI, Trumatic Brain Injury, a brain bleed.
They did not see the brain bleed with the first set of xrays, but 8 days later I had seizures and went into a coma for 7 days!
My point to this is that don't let them tell you it is bad for you or addicting! Yes, you have been on it for 16 years as have I! That was one of the lessons I have learned in the last 8 years.
WE ALL NEED TO BE OUR OWN ADVOCATES! WE NEED TO STAND UP A ND SAY NO TO THEM! I.m sorry but at my age,75, what the hell difference does it make if I am "addicted" to it! What if I still drank liquor, would they take me off of it!
Hang in there lady and stand your ground!
Sundance(RB)
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1 ReactionThere are some YouTube videos that can help you get off that last bit. Go really really slow. Good luck. There is a book called the Ashton Manual that explains how to withdraw from Ativan. Check it out.
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@libby123 & @mare12 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.
@libby123 That is a good question. Tapering can be complicated. I cannot give medical advice but I am aware that providers sometimes offer short-term medications to help minimize the side effects/withdraw symptoms from certain drugs. I'm not sure this if this strategy applies to Ambien. May I ask if you have asked your provider how you will manage the final taper dose?
@mare12 It's good that you sought a second opinion from specialists. Do you have suggestions about ways other members/patient can advocate, like you did?
That’s a low dose very low means your brain sleep mechanism is pretty good why bother to try for zero mg