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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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@berekann Ok, thanks very much and I'm sorry about overthinking it, just very fearful when it comes to meds, and this type, this process, etc, and am normally the one who helps others that overthink stuff! lol...Glad to hear your doctor said it was ok, and totally get it about feeling better on less sleep with less Ativan.
@david707 Do you know if the F'Anxiety can be taken while tapering off of Ativan?
@happytoseeyou believe me I am guilty of overthinking things too, and I certainly did with the tapering off of the lorazepam. I was scared I wouldn’t have enough to last me through the taper and that I’d have insomnia and anxiety, and would never get over it, but I did.
And like you, I’m often leery of meds, especially after a bad experience with Flagyl. And like you, I was always the one helping others. And I still do even when I have my own issues. hang in there you can do this.
@berekann Ok, thanks again and I agree it would be much more difficult if I had taken it for years and at a higher dose. On a side note, it's times like this that I wish ex hubby was still here, lol,.. great guy and still friends, would be comforting not being solo, not to sound like a big baby. Having said that, I'm so grateful for your support and all of the support from this wonderful community!
I switched cold turkey to Trazadone and it worked. I was addicted for years and taking increasingly higher doses of ativan.
@happytoseeyou Sorry, I wish I knew. I will say this though. After a very serious fight with my partner, I had to make a decision whether or not to leave him and knew I would have difficulty sleeping that night, so I took a Xanax and slept like a rock. No adverse effects. I don't think there is that much difference between the various Benzos. The natural remedy costs less than $29 a month so I would try it. If it definitely makes it easier to get off the Benzos, you would be a godsend helping others on this site with your experience.
@laurabamford4015 Wow, switching cold turkey sounds very scary and so glad it worked out for you. May I ask what dose of Trazadone works for you and do you take it nightly?
50 mg. I went through a severe depression when my husband died and I was abusing ambien combined with alcohol and got myself admitted to a rehabilitation hospital. That was a horrible experience because the other patients were serious addicts.
I should have just paid out-of-pocket and gone to a clinic for grieving people. It was effective however for getting off ambien and introducing me to Trazadone.
Trazadone works great and isn’t addictive although I take it every night.