Ativan not working

Posted by gmamrj @gmamrj, Dec 8, 2023

I have been taking .5 mg of Ativan for almost 5 years. It is not working now. Get really anxious and down in the afternoon.
Not sleeping well. Wake up and can’t go back to sleep.
Last night I took a 1 benedryl at 3:30am.
Big mistake! I did sleep a couple of hours but I feel horrible. Anyone tried this?. Also what about a glass of wine before bedtime?
I know I need to get with my PCP and start weaning off Ativan but we are going on vacation for 2 months and I don’t want to be experiencing withdrawal. I am a mess.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
Thank you

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dfb | @dfb | Dec 14, 2023

In my experience the body seeks balance, what scientist call "homeostasis". If I move my biology too much in one direction my body will compensate by moving in the other. I have been on a lot of medication over a very long time. All of them, without exception, either stopped working, created unstable side effects and/or need to be continually increased.

I'm pretty confident that such trial and error is not accepted in other areas of healthcare. Unfortunately it is standard practice in mental health care. I despair when I write this, but I have found that I am on my own. I have to do my own research. Try to figure out the root cause of what is going on and then inform my doctors. The good ones will tell you they simply do not know exactly what to do. They welcome the input from the patient and work with you to find an answer that works for you. They are far and few between.

Modern medicine has been able to standardize a lot of what goes on with many of the organs in the human body, When it comes to the brain/body connection we are in the dark ages.

I have two sisters, one with rheumatoid arthritis and one with arterial sclerosis. Both conditions are eminently treatable. Neither has done any of their own research. I started a company that does patient medical research and neither have asked me to look anything up for them. They simply keep doing what their doctors say and complaining that they are getting sicker and sicker. One will probably die of another heart attack soon the other if she changes nothing will end up in wheel chair.

Both rheumatoid arthritis and arterial sclerosis are well understood conditions with a lot of proven interventions. Mental health, not so much.

If I were to give anyone advice about how one drug or another works for them I would most likely be wrong. I had to take personal responsibility and do what had to be done to get better. Had I done so earlier I might not have lost everyone and everything that ever matted to me.

I wish someone had told me!

I hope you find the peace you deserve.