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Has anybody successfully tapered off of lorazepam (Ativan)?
Has anybody successfully managed to successfully wean off of Lorazepam?
If so how was it done?
And if it was by way of switching to other drugs, were you then able to taper off of those entirely under a doctor's guidance?
My husband has been on Lorazepam for 16 years
He did well for 14 years, but dragged his feet about trying to withdraw while he was feeling better.
In May he had a relapse of anxiety, and insomnia, with brain fog, heart palpitations, and more.
Currently he's doing better, thinking better, but still feels like crap a large part of the time, can't sleep without the drug, can't nap.and still struggles with anxiety.
At this point, I believe it's the drug that is actually causing the problem. Currently he's doing 1 mg at bedtime and 3/4 mg when he wakes up at 2:30 am.
I know it takes 2 years for the brains GABA receptors to normalize after taking Benzodiazepines.
Also know it's really hard to withdraw, has to be done extremely slowly, and the side effects are exactly the same as the symptoms it is meant to help.
My goal is to eventually wean him off of all drugs as functional health tests show they block his nutritional absorption and may be damaging his intestinal lining. I would like to be able to repair his health using nutrition, supplements, and neurotransmitter amino acids.
All feedback is welcomed!
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I read somewhere that if you develop an addiction to a drug your doctor prescribed for you, the onus falls on you and the doctor. I mentioned this once to my php and he said no because I was in my forties at the time I started on them. I’m now in my seventies so what’s his point and to further add insult to injury, he is definitely pushing me away. I can still have phone appointments and he basically does whatever he can do for me without an office visit. I feel so sad that I’m being treated this way, I’ve been with him for 23 years and I don’t know how to deal with this at this time.. I’m also a cancer survivor twice in two years and in the past 3 years I’ve been in the php’s office twice to remove my stitches from cancer surgery. I realize I need to find another doctor but it’s difficult here due to a shortage of doctors and nurses, so I truly feel trapped and worried as to what will become of me. I’ve fought my share of battles over the years and I will try to find a solution because I can’t do it his way anymore.
I'm sorry to say that I do not know how much her dosage of the Xanax was. She did say that she could not drink coffee while she took the Buspar because it conflicted with the effects of the Xanax.
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1 ReactionOk, thanks. I was actually more interested in the dosage of Buspar?? If you know...
Thanks for all the info. I'm not going to read anymore about benzo withdrawal as it will only scare me more. Whatever happens it will happen.
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3 ReactionsI tried Buspar while in the hospital and Reba. I didn’t find it helpful. It’s not an Atavan weaning med.
For me Buspar was worse than Adavan. Thinking
it was the answer to my twice a day doses of .5 in the morning and another at 2 pm. Still made me a zombie. Adavan was too strong for me anyway and at one point after 14 days (the recommended dose time). I was cut off suddenly with no weaning off (in other words, cold turkey). Was a nightmare. I was in rehab and had to beg for another one in the morning and at 2pm.
When I finally came home I called my psychiatrist and he switched me to Clonazapan (Klonopin) and it was half the dose of Adavan and it worked. After a couple to three days I stopped taking it completely after and Klonopin took over but it wasn’t as bad as Adavan. Klonopin was a bit less addictive and fairly easy to take. Not as strong as Adavan but just enough to take the edge off.
Some people can’t take Klonopin but it was better than the zombie causing Adavan.
No way was I able to quit Adavan cold turkey. I am however no longer sleeping all day after I got rid of the Adavan. There is a path to free yourself from Adavan it just takes a few days. Good Luck
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1 ReactionI hit the wrong key and I meant to send this response to Nanagizer. Anyway, Oops, sorry. I meant to say Buspar instead of Xanax. I do not know how much the dosage of her Buspar was. When she was in the treatment facility, they gave her Buspar, and she was able to use that in order to get off of Xanax. She felt that Buspar was a good medication, and she was able to go off of it when she was ready--at least, that is what she told me. I just wouldn't drink caffeine with it so that it does not interfere with the effects of Buspar. Unlike benzos, Buspar is an Anti-anxiolytic medication. It is used often to treat GAD and it takes a month for a person to feel the effectiveness. I sure do wish you great success with it! Let me know how it works out.
I'm so sorry about your experience. I did like Klonopin very much when I was weaning off of Xanax. I've heard both, positive and negative thoughts about Buspar. I do hope that medical research will find a way to help people wean without addictive drugs. It would certainly speed up the process of getting well. Ahhh, wouldn't it be nice...
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1 ReactionYes it would be nice. I guess we have to let the mental health scientists figure it out.
It seems that what you’re going through with your doctor is very common. They prescribe us medication, we become dependent on the medication and then they abandon us. It happened to me . I was with my doctor 25 years. I hear this same story often. What a travesty!
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1 ReactionI meant to ask you about Reba. I've never heard of it. I didn't think you meant Reba McEntire.