Looking for help to taper off Ativan (lorazepam)

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.

Yes it would be nice. I guess we have to let the mental health scientists figure it out.

I 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

Hello everyone.

Long story short I've been on Ativan for 1 year, with 0.5 morning and evening. I tapered the morning dose 2 times in the past year. It's been a week since i finished my 2nd taper for the morning dose. I've noticed an increase in anxiety in the past week so obviously I'm scared of stating the evening taper.

I'm doing all of this under the direction of my doctor. And she does a taper that is once 1 day off several times, then every 2,3,4 days over the course of 2 months or so.

To be honest idk why i made this post. Maybe just wanted to put my fear of withdrawals, seizures somewhere.

The word “ Reba” is a spellcheck error that I failed to notice during my proofreading and the word is “Rehab”. I found it easy to quit klonopin but I was placed on Seroquel as I have GAD and I need to sleep at night and it makes a big difference when you sleep as I get 100 mg at bedtime instead of klonopin.
Is it the same thing as klonopin? I don’t know but all I know is I get a good nights sleep. Very important for us to sleep and stay asleep all night.
Was I abandoned by my psychiatrist? I don’t think so because he is a phone call away whenever I need him.
He’s not just medicating me and flying off to the Bahamas.
I can reach him anytime.

Hello everyone.

Long story short I've been on Ativan for 1 year, with 0.5 morning and evening. I tapered the morning dose 2 times in the past year. It's been a week since i finished my 2nd taper for the morning dose. I've noticed an increase in anxiety in the past week so obviously I'm scared of stating the evening taper.

I'm doing all of this under the direction of my doctor. And she does a taper that is once 1 day off several times, then every 2,3,4 days over the course of 2 months or so.

To be honest idk why i made this post. Maybe just wanted to put my fear of withdrawals, seizures somewhere.

This is a request for simply encouragement from others who are going or have gone through this. I have taken Lorazepam for a little over a year, and am now on my third attempt at tapering off. In both cases, I had a 'stressful event' occur toward the end of the taper, and my Dr. upped the dose right back up to 1.5mg daily the first time, then 2.5mg the second time. I wish I never would have allowed that, but one can't go back in time. I'm seeing a really good neurologist now, who immediately dropped the 2.5 back to 1.5 because it wasn't doing anything other than making me sick. And to say the last 6 weeks have been hard would be an understatement (I've had almost every withdrawal symptom listed). I'm holding at 1.5 for another week, then will drop in much smaller increments, next is .25mg off the current morning dose of .5. And we will go much slower going forward. I'm just feeling pretty low (I feel like this drug has made my life miserable for the last 9 months), and would appreciate hearing a few 'you can do this' and 'it's so worth it' from a few who are also much more sensitive to this drug and a painful withdrawal. Thanks in advance.

You can do this! I posted my taper from being on .5 mg Ativan for over two years. I did a VERY slow taper, (posted on another thread here) slower than doctor recommended and am happy to say I’ve been free since early June.
Best wishes!!

You can do this! I posted my taper from being on .5 mg Ativan for over two years. I did a VERY slow taper, (posted on another thread here) slower than doctor recommended and am happy to say I’ve been free since early June.
Best wishes!!

You can do this! I posted my taper from being on .5 mg Ativan for over two years. I did a VERY slow taper, (posted on another thread here) slower than doctor recommended and am happy to say I’ve been free since early June.
Best wishes!!