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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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Hi Yvonne
I too was diagnosed with GAD and started out on 2mg Loraz 4x day about 16 years ago.
It helped me but think I felt high all the time.
My next doc cut it down to 1mg 4x day, which I am back on again.
However I have been tapering myself down to 1 every 8 hours instead of every 6 hours and am doing fine. I have at times tapered to 1 every 12 hours and that works as long as I can take zolpidem for sleep (it also connects to GABA receptors in our brains.
Right now though I am going through some scary new symptoms after having gone through endometrial cancer and have supposedly been cancer free for over 6 years. So my anxiety is up and I need to sleep so I am taking it one day at a time.
But I do know you can safely taper yourself and see how you feel. Just don’t go cold Turkey because I did once and wound up with no pills and in the ER where they lectured me on drug addiction when I hadn’t slept at all for 3 days.
Think the md who first got me on it ought to have told me about the addiction that goes along with lorazepam and other benzodiazepines
Wishing you the best. Take care of You < 3
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2 ReactionsHi, I’m planning to stay onthe 7.5 mg mirtazapine at least through October. Have a lot going on till then. Then I’ll try to taper that as you’re doing. How are you getting it in liquid form? I just saw my doctor today and he’s thrilled that I’m off the Ativan. No major issues with my taper.
I started at .5 for over two years. Then did .5, .5, .25…for two to three weeks. Then .5, .25, .5, .25… two to three weeks.
Then .25, .25, .5…
Then .25 every day
Then .25, .25, .125 (I cut pill in quarters)
.25, .125, .25, .125
.125, .125, .25…
.125 every day
.125, .125, 0…
.125, 0, .125, 0…
.125, 0, 0….
Then done!!!
I hope that helps
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2 ReactionsHi again Ashley,
When your doctor cut you back from 2mg lorazepam 4x a day, to 1 mg 4x a day did you have any withdrawal symptoms? After all you were losing 4 mg a day.
Wishing you the best too! 🙏
No problems at all Yvonne when going from 2mg to 1 and felt s lot better on the lower dose.
However my present doc suggested going from 1mg to .5 and that freaked me out!! I tried doing it before and like one of my other docs said “that’s like licking the pill” LOL 😂
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3 ReactionsIs it possible to feel better as you taper off Ativan? I have felt better but I'm nervous going from .5 one day and .3 the next to .3 every day at bedtime.
My initial prescription was .5. So maybe for you it would be like “licking the pill” but it did work for me at the time. I never had to go higher.
But even with that low dose, I had to wean. My doctor and I joked about licking the dust when I cut the .5 into quarters! But…it worked for me to get off it.
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1 ReactionIf you eventually want to go off of it, it’s worth the try. The very low wean I wrote about worked for me. Good luck in whatever decision you make!
In saying that, I’m sure it depends on why you were prescribed the drug. I got it because of situational anxiety…a medical diagnosis that was very stressful. I do not have a psychiatric disorder.
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1 ReactionThe doctor that is helping me taper sent a prescription to a Compounding Pharmacy. I get it in liquid form and am now down to 2.15 mg from 3,75 1/2 of 7.5 pill. I could never take the 7.5 as it was too sedating and I got some other side effects. I am cutting down .25 about every 2-3 weeks and will stop at the lowest dose that will still allow me to sleep and stay there. Thanks for sending your taper schedule. The doctor also put me on liquid Ativan to taper, She has me tapering for about 1 year I was only at 1 mg 1 x per day but I am very sensitive and she feels this is the best way to do it. I was looking at what you used but I think it is probably too fast for me. The thought of tapering for 9 more months is daunting.
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2 ReactionsYou should do whatever works for you!
Where did you find a compounding pharmacy?
I have been on 3 mg a day for ten years with one forced break. I am coming off it now with vigorous exercise five days a week and dietary changes. What I have found is that Lorazepam and other drugs have been making my depression worse ( I have bipolar disorder) and they’re increasing my mixed episodes. I am undertaking with my provider a major rethink of my entire treatment plan. My hope is that with dietary changes and exercise all I will need is mood stabilizer. I am on a lot of other drugs now.
Read Brain Energy by Palmer. It may not apply to you, for me it has codified much of what I suspected and other researchers have found; there are other factors besides neurotransmitters in the brain that affect mental health. In fact the defective neurotransmitters are a secondary effect of cellular health; interesting read. I feel like I am waking up from a life long nightmare!
Usually feeling good doesn’t last, so Im cautious. Next up is getting of Venlafaxine, that will likely take a year or so.
Oh, in addition to Lorazepam I’ve recently come of Quintiapan (SP) it was also worsening my depression.
Talk to your docs and keep a journal of how you feel. It helps.
All my best to all those that suffer with mental illness; if they haven’t been there they’re not likely to understand.
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