Has anybody successfully tapered off of lorazepam (Ativan)?

Posted by healthlady22 @healthlady22, Feb 5, 2019

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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diverdown1 | @diverdown1 | Jul 19 8:02am

In reply to @berekann "I have a good pill cutter and I’ve been able to successfully cut in half tablets..." + (show)

@berekann Agreed. Pill cutter's can be purchased at any pharmacy and sometimes in grocery stores in the healthcare supplies. Good luck. It can be done!

ashleyharris728 | @ashleyharris728 | Jul 19 4:44pm

In reply to @happytoseeyou "Hi All, I'm new here and happy to see you all and great that we can..." + (show)

Just want to offer support for your insomnia and make sure that you are getting help with that in some other way(s) if you are cutting down on Ativan. Do you have another med to help you sleep? I assume you have done everything from the cognitive therapy angle to work on insomnia.
I know it’s not a popular opinion but I take Ativan nightly and my psychiatrist is totally fine with it. I have cut down from higher doses and I also split the pills and did it very slowly (like 25 mg reduction over 6 weeks). It’s hard and it helps me to have a different meds that help sleep.

Good luck and I hope you’re sleeping better.

laughlin1947 | @laughlin1947 | Jul 19 8:01pm

In reply to @happytoseeyou "Hi All, I'm new here and happy to see you all and great that we can..." + (show)

You're overly worried about going to a relatively minor lower dose of the Ativan and besides, you've only been on it for 5 weeks, which is a really short time as well. Ativan is not that potent unless you are on the multiple milligram dosages, and that does not apply to you. So what are you going to take instead, seeing as how you have severe insomnia? Ever try melatonin? Your practitioner says it is ok, so just take that for what it is worth. There is a lot of misleading info about taking benzos, but many, many people rely on them, taking them for years and years. The side effects only arise when you want to wean off the benzos and them it must be slow.

happytoseeyou | @happytoseeyou | Jul 20 5:56pm

In reply to @berekann "I have a good pill cutter and I’ve been able to successfully cut in half tablets..." + (show)

@berekann
Hi and Thanks very much! I have a pill cutter and cut .5mg tablet which is tiny and the halves are not 100% even. Is that ok, and any tips on how to get most exact results? I'm following instructions closely.

happytoseeyou | @happytoseeyou | Jul 20 5:58pm

In reply to @diverdown1 "@berekann Agreed. Pill cutter's can be purchased at any pharmacy and sometimes in grocery stores in..." + (show)

@diverdown1
Thanks so much!

happytoseeyou | @happytoseeyou | Jul 20 6:07pm

In reply to @ashleyharris728 "Just want to offer support for your insomnia and make sure that you are getting help..." + (show)

@ashleyharris728
Thanks so much! No, nothing else for sleep at the moment and getting extremely little and have to figure that out asap. Managed for decades just dealing with it naturally, because meds I tried did not work ultimately or had paradoxical effect, etc. Yes, CBT, sleep hygiene, etc ongoing but not much help, but sure doesn't hurt. Glad the Ativan works for you and wow, .25mg reduction over 6 weeks? I'm starting taper tonight, going from 1mg, to .75mg and am really scared, but hoping for the best,

happytoseeyou | @happytoseeyou | Jul 20 6:17pm

In reply to @laughlin1947 "You're overly worried about going to a relatively minor lower dose of the Ativan and besides,..." + (show)

@laughlin1947
Thanks so much!
You think so? About the 5 weeks and going to a relatively minor dose? I appreciate your encouragement and know there's a lot of misleading info, but have read about some really terrible protracted withdrawl and worse, etc, even with folks that used short term and not very high dose. Starting tonight and trying not to be scared. Tried melatonin in the past and didn't make a difference, was ok for decades dealing with it without meds as the ones I tried have always ultimately not worked long term or had paradoxical effect, etc. Tried Hydroxizine and Trazadone recently, worked for a very short time, then did not even after increased dose. And yes, I know many are helped and use benzos for years and years with no issues which is great.

happytoseeyou | @happytoseeyou | Jul 20 6:39pm

In reply to @ggj196658 "Is it safe to tapper off 3 milagrams of Ativan to 2 milligrams a day" + (show)

Thanks everyone for your input and support! @diverdown1, @ashleyharris728 @berekann @laughlin1947 ...hope I didn't miss anyone and meant to comment so would be in the discussion as opposed to reply. Starting taper tonight, trying not to be scared...thanks again and hope all are well! 🙂

berekann | @berekann | Jul 20 7:01pm

In reply to @happytoseeyou "@berekann Hi and Thanks very much! I have a pill cutter and cut .5mg tablet which..." + (show)

@happytoseeyou gosh, I’m not a doctor. I guess use your best judgment?

bajjerfan | @bajjerfan | Jul 20 7:03pm

In reply to @diverdown1 "@berekann Agreed. Pill cutter's can be purchased at any pharmacy and sometimes in grocery stores in..." + (show)

@diverdown1

I got mine from the hospital since they are supposed to discard them after every use. A nurse just gave it to me. I found it a PITA to try to cut unscored pills in half. Messy and not easy to split them evenly. I can do it better with a knife. I cut 10mg Atorvastatin in 2, but IMO not really critical to do an exact split.