Benzos and seniors

Posted by sears @sears, Oct 20, 2020

Do any seniors out there have trouble with walking and coordination when taking a benzodiazepine?

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@rosa66

How did you taper?
I’ve been on Ativan for 8 weeks and want off and am so scared.

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You've only been on Ativan for 8 weeks at an extremely low dose. You have NOTHING to be scared of! Are you thinking you'll have to be admitted to a drug rehab facility and go through hell to get clean? Tale a deep breath rosa, at the dose you're taking and the short amount of time you've been on it, your doctor may tell you to just stop. Let her know you're scared and she may have you cut the dose by half for one week, THEN stop. But I am not a doctor and tapering off certain medications should always be done under the supervision of a doctor. Please don't be scared. You'll be fine. I promise

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I so appreciate your reply.
They say two weeks max to be on it :/
Will be staying on the Ativan while I taper off Primidone, a barbiturate for my essential tremor THEN the Ativan.
Then I will have been on it for THREE months 🥺
I am unsteady and feels weird to drive, like I’m high or something and I hate it.
Just finishing Paxil and ambien taper. Drs put me on a nasty poly drug cocktail in may 😣

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@rosa66

Thx for your reply!
I’m so scared reading all the stories of crushing, making liquid and all that, I just can’t figure that out 🙁
Am on .25 three x/day, 1/2 of a .5. Wondering if I can taper by 1/4’s of a tab…..

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Check out the Ashton Manual for more information on tapering off benzodiazepines. I think the sooner you can get off them the better, our bodies develop a really strong dependence on them over time. There are a couple of other threads on this topic if you are up for looking around.

I hope it goes without saying, but I will - always consult with a medical professional when tapering. Don’t just go cold Turkey. If you don’t like your current doctor keep looking!! Good luck and best wishes!!

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I've been on 20 mgs of citalopram for years. After having chemo treatment for breast cancer around a year ago I developed neuropathy in my feet. I 'm 80 years old. I find that when I wear ankle high support socks with no toes my balance is better. They seem to make my feet lay flatter to the floor and I can feel with them better.

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@rubywitch67

You've only been on Ativan for 8 weeks at an extremely low dose. You have NOTHING to be scared of! Are you thinking you'll have to be admitted to a drug rehab facility and go through hell to get clean? Tale a deep breath rosa, at the dose you're taking and the short amount of time you've been on it, your doctor may tell you to just stop. Let her know you're scared and she may have you cut the dose by half for one week, THEN stop. But I am not a doctor and tapering off certain medications should always be done under the supervision of a doctor. Please don't be scared. You'll be fine. I promise

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You won’t have to crush or make a liquid. I really feel at your low dose and the amount of time you will be taking the Ativan, you’ll discontinue easily.

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@raebaby

I've been on 20 mgs of citalopram for years. After having chemo treatment for breast cancer around a year ago I developed neuropathy in my feet. I 'm 80 years old. I find that when I wear ankle high support socks with no toes my balance is better. They seem to make my feet lay flatter to the floor and I can feel with them better.

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I am your same age, and I have had tingling in my left toes, my toes feel
funny when I point them down they feel tight, I went for new tennis shoes
and they fit me wider and a whole size bigger, I was going to see if this helps and
if not call my primary Dr.
What do you do for your neuropathy? are you seeing a specialist?

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My oncologist put me on gabapentin 300 mg. three times a day I had to stop driving as I can't feel the pedals. It is very frustrating. I had some neuropathy before taking Taxol in my IV during chemo but I was still okay to drive.
I had my port removed recently and it got infected. When it started healing it itched like crazy. I took a few Benadryl and that stopped the itching at the time. Then I found it also seemed to help with the numbness in my toes. It's all crazy!

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That's one of the side affects of Benzodiazepines, that and auto accidents.

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@kermit2021

Check out the Ashton Manual for more information on tapering off benzodiazepines. I think the sooner you can get off them the better, our bodies develop a really strong dependence on them over time. There are a couple of other threads on this topic if you are up for looking around.

I hope it goes without saying, but I will - always consult with a medical professional when tapering. Don’t just go cold Turkey. If you don’t like your current doctor keep looking!! Good luck and best wishes!!

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I’m tapering now.

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@sears

You won’t have to crush or make a liquid. I really feel at your low dose and the amount of time you will be taking the Ativan, you’ll discontinue easily.

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Oh my that makes me feel better…..all the benzo sites scare the hell out of me! I’m going to taper off Primidone in a week, that will take a month then the Ativan.
I will have been on it 3 months then….hoping to decrease one dose at a time….it will take a bit of time. Will I still be ok?
I DO know that I cannot drive well, I feel loopy except when I’m home.

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