Has anybody successfully tapered off of lorazepam (Ativan)?

Posted by healthlady22 @healthlady22, Feb 5, 2019

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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benzossuck | @benzossuck | Jun 26, 2023

In reply to @kawanhee "I am currently taking 7.5 mg mirtazapine. I tapered lorazepam (Ativan.) Which are you trying to..." + (show)

Last November I did a cold turkey of .05 Ativan after about 7 months. I knew better but did it anyway. I had successfully tapered 4 years ago and had no problems or real sleep issues during that taper. Well this time the cold turkey really did a number on me. During the cold turkey I did not sleep for more than 0-2 hrs for three weeks. I finally went to my NP and she told me to tough it out. I finally talked her into prescribing the liquid Ativan so I could taper correctly. She raised my dose to get me "stable" from the anxiety I was having and told me to take as much Ativan as I needed. Thank goodness I did not listen to her. I finally found a doctor two hours away that had a clue. I started the taper again in February. This doctor put me on Mirtazapine as well to help with sleep. 7.5. I had some unpleasant side effects but it was definitely helping me sleep. If you would share how much Ativan you were on and how long you took to taper and the schedule if you don't mind. I am also tapering the Mirtazapine by using a compounded liquid to try to get to the lowest dose that will still allow me to sleep to try and minimize the side effects from it. I am now at 2.25 of Mirtazapine and still able to sleep on that. The 7.5 was too sedating for me along with the other side effects I had from it. I know you said you are doing well after the Ativan taper and wondering if you had anxiety during the taper and wondering if you plan on continuing the Mirtazapine for sleep? I am not sure my taper schedule is the best for me so would like to see what worked for others. Thank you for sharing

azashley | @azashley | Jun 27, 2023

Since lorazepam (Ativan) connects to GABA receptors I found the only way to get off of it has been using another GABA receptor medication
So I have been taking 10mg Zolpidem (Ambien) so I could sleep along with tapering my 1mg Loraz 4x day to 3x, 2x, then .5x
Now want to give it up completely
Without tapering or using Ambien I wound up in the ER thinking I was dying. Was one of the worst experiences of my life. And wish it has never been prescribed me. Will be really glad when I do get completely off of it

mikaylar | @mikaylar | Jun 27, 2023

In reply to @greenville "I was put on 1mg of ativan a day back in 1995 when I was hospitalized..." + (show)

This is a brutal benzo to get off. I'm down from 0.50 mg to 0.25 mg since January. My doctor said he would help me but he just retired. Hang in there and go slowly. If you have issues, your primary doctor can give you a substitute med.

sears | @sears | Jun 27, 2023

In reply to @cking56 "Please Google and read The Ashton Manual. This is the gold standard (at least in the..." + (show)

@cking56

Please Google and read The Ashton Manual. This is the gold standard (at least in the UK where their NHI isn’t controlled by Big Pharma) for benzodiazepine drug discontinuation practices. US and Canadian doctors wean dangerously fast.

Do not chance a rapid taper. It’s serious stuff. If you fail and reinstate, each consecutive attempt will be harder for your body to adjust to causing major problems. Benzodiazepines now come with an FDA Black Box warning, of course doctors don’t read these, but benzodiazepines should NEVER be prescribed long term (over 4 weeks) and should be very slowly discontinued.

Also look at https://www.benzoinfo.com/
You will find all the info you need here, including the Ashton Manual.

There are some who are lucky and can just jump off these drugs fairly easily, but it’s a crap shoot. Better to start slowly and see how you feel. Do not bother telling your doctor about it. They know very little and you do not want to be ripped off these drugs rapidly by a nervous doctor.

If you doubt this, look at some of the online forums: Benzo Warriors on FB or BenzoBuddies.org and see what’s going on in the real world where people have been gaslighted by the medical profession simply because the medical profession doesn’t have time or money to research these very dangerous drugs. It’s not their fault, but most certainty aren’t bothering to learn anything new. You will see horror stories beyond belief, but also tremendous support. It’s all they have. Not for the faint of heart and, trust me, you do not want to become one of the rapid taper persons. Slow tapers can be bad enough. BTW, dosing every other or few days doesn’t make tapering off easier. The body needs a steady stream of the drug to alleviate interdose withdrawal while tapering. Ativan has a very short half-life so one would feel the withdrawal effects more quickly.

If you choose to stay on these drugs, they most likely will eventually stop working and your prescriber will suggest a higher dose when the SANE thing to do is to slowly taper off and use CBT and other coping techniques. Benzodiazepines are NOT recommended for anxiety or insomnia anymore. They never should have been. There is no research on long-term use (past 4 months). NONE! ZERO! ZILCH! That should make anyone worry.

Best of luck to anyone reading this on a benzodiazepine.

Jump to this post

Excellent information. Thank you for posting.

sears | @sears | Jun 27, 2023

In reply to @mikaylar "This is a brutal benzo to get off. I'm down from 0.50 mg to 0.25 mg..." + (show)

What substitute med?

cking56 | @cking56 | Jun 27, 2023

In reply to @sears "What substitute med?" + (show)

The only med I’ve heard may be at all helpful is propranolol, but it isn’t for everyone (Blood pressure issues). The point is, any drug will probably need to be tapered as well. If you are adding more chemicals to an already dis-regulated CNS, how are you giving your body a chance to heal naturally. So many receptors need to repair themselves. An anti-depressant is just going to tamper down more “normal” chemicals. It’s better for the body and mind in the long run to find ways to heal by CBT, clean diet, exercise, etc.

Try another drug to augment the withdrawal symptoms if you believe it will help, but what research there is, and a plethora of anecdotal evidence shows otherwise. Almost all doctors will suggest more meds. They are flying blind. Ask them to explain exactly why and how and how to get off in the end. They will give you the standard answers: they’re safe. It’s your body. I think you deserve proof.

I’m not anti drugs or medicine. I just don’t believe they are the best choice for anxiety, depression, pain or insomnia . ESPECIALLY not benzodiazepines.

Best!

cking56 | @cking56 | Jun 27, 2023

In reply to @sears "Excellent information. Thank you for posting." + (show)

I think I reposted from your post. The word needs to get out there. I see so many ill-advised tapers here. That was me before I did a boatload of research.