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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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Real sorry to hear of those health issues and it's good to hear you're working with PA. I'm challenged with MDD that's really messed up my sleep and since I've last posted I'm going to change my strategy for weaning to .75 mg for a week then most likely go to .50 and see where I'm at.
I think you’re making a good choice trying .75 first before lowering to .5
I have a good feeling about you doing this.
I will post again after my appointment next week.
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1 ReactionI am not one of those people that is against all meds. Sometimes meds are necessary. Sometimes it can take quite a bit of fine tuning to find the correct med and then the appropriate dosage. @kylastar & @cactuswilli have you asked the prescriber / provider for recommendations on how to wean off the med?
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1 ReactionYes, I conferred with my prescriber and she advised to do so slowly with caution. She's aware that I would like to be med-free and supportive; by the same token I'd love to have my old sleep patterns but I'm also aware the older I get that sleep patterns do change.
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2 ReactionsI have an appointment next week with my doctors assistant who is knowledgeable about weaning off my med.
I mentioned this previously in my comments and also that I will post again after my appointment when I find out more of my situation.
And I agree with you in not being against all meds.
I only take if needed.
I have been on doxepin for 17 years and the only negative I have encountered is a lot of weight gain. It has helped me much more than had a negative effect.
I do research meds before I take them to make sure they don’t counter react with others I take. I’m not on that many but it’s enough for my age and health problems. They all do have side effects.
Dear Human Family,
I carefully detail my successful tapering off of 1.0 mg of Lorazepam after being on it for much of two decades in my recently published book, "Tools of Transformation".
Loving regards,
Joe Lerner
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1 ReactionMy doctor put me on an anti-depressent/anxiety medicine to replace it.
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1 ReactionWhat new med did you try? Did you take both at the same time or completely come off one before starting new med?
I'm on a cousin of Lexapro, Fluvoxamine. I can stay on the Ativan for a short time and take both. Ativan works so well for me and has for 7 years that I am not hopeful this med will help me sleep. But my old primary doc retired and these new kids that are running the show are scared to prescribe anything.
my doctor has me on 100mg quetiapine, 1mg lorazapam and 7.5 mg ambien to sleep. I notice that at night that I don't get tired anymore and need to take these meds to get 5hrs sleep. Has anyone else had this issue? I really want advice on how to get off this stuff and a reason my body doesn't get tired at night so I styart yawning