I need help with Ativan/Lorazepam

[Moon_B]

I am taking Ativan (lorazepam) for now almost 10 months. I know it's not meant to be use for long term but my previous psychiatrist thought I needed it because of the intensity of my anxiety symptoms. My anxiety is still the same I am panicking everyday. I live in fear. I want to stop the meds because now I am scared I will develop early dementia. The problem is that the thought of tapering off is causing me distress. I feel like I could never stop it and I want to.

I don't know what to do. Should I taper off or should I keep taking it until I feel better. I feel so scared.

I just started a therapy and I feel like it will take forever until I feel better. I currently don't have a psychiatrist and I will meet a nurse to discuss my situation this week. I don't know what I want, I am scared and I feel like I am not ready to stop but I am disappointed in myself for relying on Ativan everyday.

[Dolphin14]

I would wait till someone tells you to taper off.

Who is ordering your meds if you don't have a psychiatrist?

[Moon_B in reply to Dolphin14]

I have one more refill and my primary care doctor knows about it so if I need more she can renew my prescription. This week I will meet with a nurse and he also has the authority to prescribe meds. He will assess my situation but I need to let him know what I want to.

[Dolphin14 in reply to Moon_B]

Mayb come down on the dose a little and see how you do?

Are you on an anti depressant also?

I worry about med side effects also. But, I have to accept the fact I need them now for quality of life. I couldn't function without them.

Whatever you choose to do doesn't have to be permanent. If you choose to come off and have problems they would probably resume the med.

If you want off, look at it as a trial. Take your time coming off and see how you feel.

Try not too put too much pressure on yourself. Have a pro and con discussion with your nurse before you start.

Good luck

[Moon_B in reply to Dolphin14]

Thank you Dolphin those are good advices. I do take antidepressants and also trazodone at night. Maybe for the time being I should keep Ativan as it causes me too much anxiety just to think about stopping it. I will ponder it for a little longer.

Have a good night!

[Brightfuture22]

Hi Moon,

What dosage are you currently on and have you tried to taper down yourself? If you’re still feeling incredibly anxious daily, the Ativan may not be working anymore. I take Ativan for anxiety and panic, also. Many of us on this forum take some sort of Benzo.

I am sorry you are going through such extreme anxiety, have you heard of the mindfulness or acceptance approach to anxiety/panic? There seems to be great success amongst anxiety sufferers when they are able to utilize this approach.

I hope you are able to find calmness and peace of mind, soon!

💜

[Moon_B in reply to Brightfuture22]

I am having a hard time to practice mindfulness it seems like an impossible task for my brain but I heard great things from it. If only I could stand still without panicking about everything.

Thank you for you kindness I really appreciate it. It feels good to be heard and understood.

[Want2BHappy3]

I took it for awhile, stopped taking it because my doctor lied to me, it wasn't the medication that I was suppose to have. I didn't have any side effects, everyone's different. She's my primary doctor, not a psychiatrist, the one I had left her practice, I didn't care she was a bully, I'll be able to go back next month, I've gotten better insurance

[Moon_B in reply to Want2BHappy3]

I hope you will find a psychiatrist who cares this time, that’s so unfortunate. Thank you for sharing

[Want2BHappy3 in reply to Moon_B]

Thank you, hopefully I will? Have a nice Thanksgiving 🦃

[Lulu421]

Hi Moon, I’m sorry to hear you are experiencing so much anxiety. I have been there myself...I know. As a benzodiazepine, Ativan is highly addictive, and it may take some time to wean off of it. Your new provider should be able to come up with a treatment plan to get you off of that medication and onto something less addicting. It may seem like a huge mountain right now, but believe me, it is possible. There are plenty of effective, non-addictive meds and treatments for anxiety, and your health care team can work with you on a plan that works best for you. Just take things one step at a time and never lose hope that you can do it. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen. You will get through this. Hugs to you.

[Moon_B in reply to Lulu421]

Thank you so much for your response Lulu421. It does feel like a huge mountain but it makes me feel better to know I am not alone and other have made it.

[Hope4me1]

I am similar to you. I would like to not take klonopin, but I can’t wean off of it without bad side effects. I take .05 a day. I used to just take it when needed only and basically kept it in my purse as a back up. Then stresses in my life came and I used it more and now I take it each day. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it’s not enough. My dr is not concerned with my dosage. I am concerned with my body being addicted to it.

[Yodude637]

I started using Citrolopram, and the anxiety lessened, now I only have to take the Lorezepam in emergencies, it can be done!

[anonymous-one]

Be careful about taking any benzos. Doctors prescribe it often not thinking about your future dependence on it later down the line. Believe me it happens and it's been happening to me for nearly 30 years. I was prescribed .05 Klonopin 1990 after a bad car accident. A drunk driver hit me at 65mph. Psychologically, I was in bad shape. I started taking the .05mg every other day. Thinking I could just stop anytime. My psychiatrist took me aside and told me that if I wanted it to work that I should take it as prescribed...every day. Well, over the months my tolerance changed and my dosage was increased to 1mg then with more time increased to 2mg. I felt better for several months. I still had panicky crying meltdowns at times. But I still couldn't deal with my life.

After 4 inpatient hospitalizations over the course of 20 years and my dose had increased to 3 mg per day. Psychiatrists added Lamictal to my psych cocktail in 2009. And that seemed to carry me through to the point of having outpatient psychiatric appts every 3 months. Then just when I thought I thought my crying spells were under control, my Klonopin dose was increased to 4mg in 2009.

Jump forward to last year, my psychiatrist tells me that the benzo policies were changed and I had to quickly taper off of Klonopin by half a pill each month. I got down to 2.5 mg and things went crazy. I was having severe withdrawal problems. I had deadly seizures 2 or 3 times daily and they lasted a couple of hours at a time. I couldn't barely talk and I chewed up my tongue so badly that I had to have reconstructive surgery. I began seeing a new psychiatrist who bumped my dose back up to 3mg last year.

Over the last few months, pharmacies have been very restrictive in filling my Klonopin prescription. So this week, I will begin treatment with an addiction psychiatrist to try to safely and slowly taper off the Klonopin. It may take many months to taper and I will more than likely deal with withdrawal symptoms again. Hopefully not as extreme. If it gets bad, I will have to go inpatient to detox off the Klonopin safely. That's where I am at after nearly 30 years of taking Klonopin (benzo). I don't really believe there are any "safe" benzos.

Don't believe any doctor who tells you that it's "safe" to take them. Months turn into years and time just flies as the need for benzos increases. My advice is to try an alternative medication and/or therapy. I've been seeing a trauma specialist for the past 6 years and chipping away at the issues that caused such a dependence. And hopefully after several months of tapering safely and being closely monitored twice a month, I'll finally get off the evil drug merry go round. Please taper now before it seems nearly impossible to get stop. Don't go cold turkey though. Find a good psychiatrist who wants to help you out.