Has anybody successfully tapered off of lorazepam (Ativan)?

18 months

I've done the Ashton Manual as I have her book
Both times I got really sick and worse withdrawal

I used ativan for 10 years for anxiety specifically around sleep, and never used more than 2mg. This was sufficient to develop a physical dependency (withdrawal symptoms by 4am if I forgot to take it), and an emotional dependency (even more anxiety about sleeping without it). About 2 years ago I decided to begin the tapering process with the assistance of my psychiatrist, without the addition of another sleep drug. We tried a few other sleep
Medications, non-benzos, new types, trazadone, newer anti-anxieties etc. but I honestly have a fear of sleeping deeply combined with a fear of not being able to sleep. So I started tapering very slowly, essentially by crumbles. From 2 to 1.5 to 1.25 to 1 to .75 to .65 to .5. I’ve done this over two years. And I’ve halted the process at times when I had to much stress or too many transitions for a few months. The first jump was too big. If I did it over again I’d do 1.75. My doctor suggested even starting the taper with every other night a lower dose, and the regular dose on the off nights. I think finding an ally is key. I also played around with valerian root, didn’t like. But now in the last month have found dissolvable 3 mg melatonin tablets, just enough to fall asleep(and take in the early hours if need be), but not sleep too deeply. Just my experience. Best of luck to you and your husband. Have faith, and don’t be afraid to make it a long process, go at your own pace, and re-up the dose if need be. I’m a 34 year old PhD student in wildlife for life context.

Hi I’m new and interested in seeing that a lot of us are going through the same thing. I was on Xanax for years and it got so bad right around 3:30-4 hrs after I took it , I would start having severe withdrawals. My doctor put me on Clonazepam it is a lot better, but I want to get off of this also. It’s so hard to wean off, even with doctors help.

Im on Clonazepam and have tried to wean off it. Because I feel my body wanting to need more. Mostly at night I wake up and it’s like a panic attack, heart is racing. I try to relax most of the time I have to take a pill. My prescription is 1 mg 3 times a day as needed. I use to only need one pill and now I take 3.

My husband has been taking Lorazepam for many years believing that it relieves his heart palpitations. I suspect that it might be the cause of his palpitations in between doses. A form of withdrawal, causing him to feel the need to take another dose.
Any opinions?

I was on ativan .5 miligram for years, maybe 20 years or more. I decided to wean off of it because I heard that China is drastically cutting back on exports to the U.S. I am afraid that ativan will eventually become unavailable because they say the ingredients for most medications come from China. I weaned off extremely slowly - probably a year or so. I have been off of it for about a month or so. Main side effect I have is not being able to get to sleep. I have been taking huge amounts of melatonin to sleep but it does not work. It takes me between 2 to 4 hours to fall asleep. However I am glad I weaned off ativan because I feel it will eventually become unavailable and I certainly did not want to be forced to stop it suddenly.

Was taking 3mg/day of Lorazepam for 20 years and content with it. It helped me relax enough to function fairly well with my business and life. Then my primary care physician abruptly left her practice to join a physician's concierge, leaving me without a source to renew my prescription.
I tried two other doctors, both of whom refused to prescribe it. One gave me a one month prescription and a schedule to wean myself off in that time period. Yeah right! She also suggested that I see a behavioral specialist if I preferred to continue the medication.

So I made an appointment with a behaviorist and she also refused to prescribe a single pill even though I told her I was nearly out. So I just laugh when I read all these comments about how I should work closely with my physician to wean myself off the drug. Apparently they couldn't care less!

Anyway, does anyone know if Buspar can be used to transition off Lorazepam? Certainly no doctor I have spoken to has suggested it. But again, they don't seem to care much anyway!

That’s exactly how this medication works…it’s just like you’re going around in circles. My research indicates that these drugs can cause symptoms that make us take more, it’s a vicious cycle. I’ve taken them for over 20 years and I try my best to cut down when I’m able to do so..pushing yourself too hard can and will cause terrible stress and it can set you back so you will feel more stressed out. I try not to think about it but rather embrace the day and see how you are doing, if it’s not a good day then go easy on yourself, the main thing is that you are trying and that’s really good. I have a mantra I say to myself daily, it goes like this; “Yesterday is gone, tomorrow hasn’t happened yet, we live in the present and that’s why we call it a gift. Enjoy each day and don’t worry because you’re only human after all 👍🤞😊

What a frightening story, it’s almost like we share a nightmare, I felt like this all the time and the fear was eating up my soul. I admire your strength and congratulate you on conquering this addiction. I did quit twice but I relapsed especially when I got cancer, my stress level went off the charts. I also tried Buspar to wean myself off Ativan but it gave me severe stomach pain so that defeated my purpose …I tried other meds but they didn’t help much. I wish you good luck with your efforts and don’t forget to pay yourself on the back for trying.