How did you successfully taper off of 0.5 lorazepam (Ativan)?

Have taken small doses ~ under 2.0 since 1992 ~ Now on 0.5 at night and .25 at noon time ~ I can not seem to get past the 0.5 at night and the .25 at noon ~I am now thinking about tapering off that dosage. I work with a Nurse Practitioner while trying to cope with this very slow taper and starting to feel I need to stop taking current dosage but it is very difficult to do so. At a loss at the moment but would like to be drug free ~ It is the only medication I take ~ Am almost 76 years old and want to get back to feeling good again ~ Medication causing blurry vision, anxiety at times, my gait is off and overall malaise ~
I also meditate in the am, do yoga and a balance exercise and meditation readings.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I have tried the Ashton method and may go back to it ~ Thank you.

Have taken small doses ~ under 2.0 since 1992 ~ Now on 0.5 at night and .25 at noon time ~ I can not seem to get past the 0.5 at night and the .25 at noon ~I am now thinking about tapering off that dosage. I work with a Nurse Practitioner while trying to cope with this very slow taper and starting to feel I need to stop taking current dosage but it is very difficult to do so. At a loss at the moment but would like to be drug free ~ It is the only medication I take ~ Am almost 76 years old and want to get back to feeling good again ~ Medication causing blurry vision, anxiety at times, my gait is off and overall malaise ~
I also meditate in the am, do yoga and a balance exercise and meditation readings.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I have tried the Ashton method and may go back to it ~ Thank you.

It sounds like you are on the right path.

I did it with the Ashton method up to a point and it worked very well for me up until the end. I took the recommendation of exchanging lorazepam to valium. At the end of my taper of valium, I was taking 1mg at night (for sleep). I did this for about 5 months. Reason I took so long to stop was because the end was the most difficult for me. I also had self-imposed anxiety about giving up my crutch I had been using for sleep for decades. I love the fact you are using meditation. That is extremely helpful to get and remain in the 'right state of mind' for detoxing. It doesn't work for everyone and I congratulation you on perseverance and you are blessed to be able to use this. My thought process was probably the biggest threshold to overcome. I had been taking benzos for so long I did not know if I could live without them! After 5 months, I self-talked into stopping. Just stopping and I had resigned myself to go through any discomfort that would happen. And there was none! Like any habit, it can be hard to break.

I did it with the Ashton method up to a point and it worked very well for me up until the end. I took the recommendation of exchanging lorazepam to valium. At the end of my taper of valium, I was taking 1mg at night (for sleep). I did this for about 5 months. Reason I took so long to stop was because the end was the most difficult for me. I also had self-imposed anxiety about giving up my crutch I had been using for sleep for decades. I love the fact you are using meditation. That is extremely helpful to get and remain in the 'right state of mind' for detoxing. It doesn't work for everyone and I congratulation you on perseverance and you are blessed to be able to use this. My thought process was probably the biggest threshold to overcome. I had been taking benzos for so long I did not know if I could live without them! After 5 months, I self-talked into stopping. Just stopping and I had resigned myself to go through any discomfort that would happen. And there was none! Like any habit, it can be hard to break.

How much were you taking and for how long before you started your taper?

12 2mg tabs 3X a day (32). I do not remember what I was taking of the lorazepam. My memory is slowly, slowly coming back. I realize I missed great deal of my life.

Wow! So you were taking 32 ativan per day? Confused??