lorazapam

[Bruisegirl69]

i was given lorazapam 2 mg and have been on it for years but for the last couple of months i have tapered off to 1 mg and doing well so i cut pill in half to do 0.05 half if that for 2 weeks but cannot sleep on that dose as wake up ever 90 minutes as only use it to sleep. Can you be on that for long term as having a really bad time getting off that as used it for years to sleep as dud to my husband severe heart failure. Is there is anything i can use instead as melatonin doesn’t work for me. Love to hear people’s experience with that medicine and advice . Thanks

[SCC1]

Hi Bruisegirl69

Many years ago, I was prescribed lorazepam. I started out at 1mg, then 2mgs, then after some time, my Dr had me on 6mg. From what I've read on the forum, even 2mg is high.

I took lorazepam for maybe 4 yrs, but not sure on the time, BC it was a long time ago. I know it was yrs, though.

I had no effects from going off of it. The Dr I had after the one who prescribed the high doses, took me off of all of it, slowly of course.

When I had been on the 6mg and lower, I would sleep no matter where I was. In the car (passenger), at someone's house, in a waiting room.

I guess my body got so used to having more and more of that med, that I had built up a tolerance to it. I hadn't even known that 6mg (or a little lower) was a high dose. The Dr who took me off of it was wondering why I had been on so much and said I shouldn't have been on that many milligrams.

For many, many yrs, I have been on no anti-anxiety meds, and although I think it would be better for me to be on one, I am okay as far as not having any residual side effects from going off the lorazepam.

I hadn't used that med for sleep, I used it for anxiety. I guess a little too much of it!

I don't know if you would have any problems going off of the lorazepam, I'm just sharing my experience.

Good luck!

[Agora1]

Hi Bruisegirl69, like SCC1, I too was on benzos (Xanax and then Ativan) when they

no longer worked. My psychiatrist (who is a specialist in getting off benzos) guided

me through the long weaning process. He used the Dr. Heather Ashton method of

safe weaning. Safe & Slow. The process is in slow cuts to Ativan for 2 week intervals.

Then it is slowly subsituted by Valium *longer acting benzo...

Eventually over a period of time, only Valium is left and that too is weaned every

2 weeks, leaving the bedtime dose as the last dosage to come off of.

So your having trouble staying asleep is quite normal while weaning.

That is the most difficult and then you will be home free.

I wish you well. I replaced my process with Sleep Meditation that can work wonders

as you go into a regenerated REM sleep state. Good Luck in continuing forward xx

[Bruisegirl69 in reply to Agora1]

it’s been 5weeks as still can’t sleep so dr put me on 1mg and follow up with her in 2 weeks as in process of having cardiac tests done and said not the time as she will switched me to something else as was weaning off this from 1 mg to 0.o5 mg but been doing this for 5 weeks and wasn’t working as she said i need to get 5 hrs at least straight sleep as was up every 90 minutes

[Agora1 in reply to Bruisegirl69]

Bruisegirl69, as I was on benzos for 30 years, it took me 2 years to wean off them

as well as another year for my brain to heal and make the chemicals on their own.

Our body needs time to heal. Nothing set in stone except the fact that you are

going in the right direction. Good Luck xx

[Bruisegirl69 in reply to Agora1]

i just turned 70 and was put on 2mg in 2019 fir my husbands heart failure decking and got mysel down to 1mg for several months and over the course of 5 weeks started to take 0.05 mg but wasn’t sleeping and was having heart papiplations and started when i got a bad upper respiratory infection and they started doing cardiac tests on me and chest. ray and ekg was fine and doing a holter monitor next week. she put me back on 1mg becauce i wasn’t sleeping waking up every 90 mi utes and feels the papiplations were the withdrawal symptom. she us going to try to wean be off again after results come in and try a different medication to see if it helps. She also informed me that this medication doesn’t affect the GRF in kidneys and say not us the time to start weaning off until my results come in. ThTs my experience in nutshell . Looki g to hear from you. Thank you

[Agora1 in reply to Bruisegirl69]

Hi Bruisegirl, your doctor knows what is best for you. It's not about weaning

off the meds at this time but addressing your other issues. I agree that this isn't

fully the right time until test results are in. You've been on this medication for

a much shorter time than I was and so the withdrawal period will be shorter.

Like I stated before, that last dose before bed is the hardest one to withdraw

from BUT...it can and it will happen eventually. I find using a bedtime Meditation

can help immensely in quieting your mind and body. Keep us updated as to how

you are doing. I care. xx

[Loughborough53]

I too have taken that medication for 25 years and now doctors want us off them. I am now almost completely off them after a very hard time with withdrawal. I have tried many antidepressants to take the place of this medication but they make me Ill. There is one that I tried called Mirtazapine that enables you to sleep like a baby but I couldn’t cope with them because I was tired all the time!

I . to this day got on very well with my lorazepam and would take it still if I could .