Long term Ativan use & I want to come off

I was in the hospital for 10 days laying in bed. I had gotten so weak I had to use a walker just to stay standing up. After that it was another in-patient rehab facility that really helped me walk again. During those 20 days I was never given my klonopin. They gave me adavan twice a day and buspar instead. Also, adavan should not be given for more than 14 days. Why you are still on it 3 years later is beyond me.

My list of older medications the hospital had was 3 years old and used it because they lost the list of medications I took with me. They stopped my klonopin cold turkey and I never got it the 20 days I was in the hospital and rehab.
Needless to say it was a living hell.. the doctor prescribed adavan twice a day every 12 hours. Unacceptable. I was given Buspar as well but had to stop it due to an allergic reaction and headaches. Talk to your psychiatrist if you have one. I’ve been on Paxil and it wasn’t working for me. You can taper off without getting addicted to another medication. This defeats the purpose. You need to speak to a psychiatrist, not a family doctor unless he’s also a psychiatrist. Nobody on this page can tell you what to do or what not to do.

You need professional help. Not Facebook members. We try to help but we are not you or professionals. I’m off Buspar and Paxil now since my (addictive) benzo klonopin weas added back to my medication cocktail. I’m hooked on Clonazapan (klonopin) and can’t get off it without probably needing a hospital admission. Klonopin is a dangerous drug.

To @hlinn90, I was reading your comment and wanted to help you out with some encouragement..you are young and that’s good..you haven’t been on Ativan that long, I realize it’s only two weeks to become dependent but believe me it makes a difference to your chances of getting off them. I am not your best example because I’m twice your age and I have taken Ativan on and off over twenty years..what I can say is Paxil helped me a lot to stop them and I did for two years.. I relapsed and went back to the Ativan..on another occasion I tried buspar but it upset my stomach. I think that you can listen to many accounts from other people but it’s always a different experience for everyone.. at the end of the day you have a lot in your favour and most of all you have the desire and motivation to stop the meds, of course as always you will need help to do so and sometimes finding the right person to do so is also for some a challenge. I wish you good luck with your efforts 👍😊

I was on Xanax for 24 years. I hit tolerance and wanted to get off of it and did not want any additional medications to help me with it, because I was afraid of having to get off of another medication. The doctor switched me to Klonopin because it has a longer half-life, and I made the jump from Xanax to Klonopin. Afterwards, I water titrated to get off of the Klonopin. I titrated for approximately 6 months and went off of the Klonopin. It was very difficult, due to the severe withdrawals, but I was desperate. I have heard that some people have had better success with switching from Xanax and/or Ativan to Valium (longer half-life) and then water titrating off of the Valium. I don't know how your doctor would feel about that, but it wouldn't hurt to ask or even get a second opinion from another doctor. In my opinion, water titration is the best way to wean off of benzodiazepines because of it being a very slow way to wean with the least w/d symptoms rather than cutting the pill. You might want to read the Ashton Manual and see if that has information that will also help you. She is a doctor that wrote "The Ashton Manuel." She worked for decades helping people with benzo addiction. You can also find her on YouTube. God Bless you on your journey.

Thank you very much!

You’re welcome anytime

I would suggest that you speak to your doctor about trying another antidepressant besides Paxil. Paxil and Effexor are extremely hard to discontinue should you want to in the future. Do some deep research into Paxil before you make a decision. According to my new physchiatrist some doctors do not use these two drugs in their practice any longer due the awful withdrawal. I personally went through hell discontinuing Paxil.

Wow, I am in your exact position right now. Taking ativan for a little over a year at about 1-2 mg per day. Def trying to wean off but also have the problem of adding the anti-depressant first. I already am so sleepy/no energy/weakness etc. and those anti-depressants only add to that. I just wish more than anything that I had never taken the 1st pill......afraid I am heading for rehab just to get the hell off! Good luck and let me know how it all goes for you.

What antidepressant are you on? I wish I would have done my research before taking Ativan. But, at the time I was going through some traumatic events and it gave me relief. I wish you the best of luck! We should keep in contact. It would be nice to have someone to talk to that knows what I'm going through.

I haven’t started one yet. My psych doc is working on that. I have some health issues that have caused severe anxiety and she is recommending Prozac/Remeron/Lexapro. Will decide in the next few weeks I guess….I am so hesitant until my health issues are resolved. 🙏🏼 Yes, let’s stay in touch! 💝