Having a hard time, really need some support/advice

I posted before in the direct taper forum, but I have decided to go the switchover to Valium route.  As I said before, I was taking anywhere from 1 to 1.5 mg of Ativan daily for about three months (maybe 2 mg per day once or twice).  My doctor says that it is not possible to become dependent on doses this small for this short of a time, but my experience suggests otherwise.  I experience a tight dizziness in my head, feelings of being off balance, and tingling in my arms if it has been long enough since my last benzo.  Again my doctor says this is not withdrawal effects, but is anxiety.  What do you guys think about the likelihood that I have become dependent with this level of use for this period of time?

 

Secondly,  Two nights ago, I started taking 10 mg of Valium.  When I wake up in the morning I feel groggy and then with time I begin to feel the symptoms described above.  They get worse as the day progresses.  I took .25 mg of Ativan yesterday at about 3 pm (after the 10 mg of Valium the night before) and the symptoms went away almost completely and I was relatively comfortable with some minor symptoms as the afternoon and evening progressed.  Today I took 2.5 mg of Valium at about 6 pm in an effort to switch over to Valium completely, but did not get the same level of relief that the Ativan gave me yesterday.  Is it too soon to do a complete switchover?  Am I starting at the right daily dose?  Will there reach a point where I only need to dose once in the evening (it helps me sleep)?  WIth such a long half-life, why am I getting withdrawal effects so early in the day, the next day?  I had expected this to be a bit easier at least in the beginning, and am feeling pretty discouraged already.  I figured that I could taper relatively quickly (a month or so total) given that I have not been on the Ativan for that long, but I'm having a hard time even finding the right dose and schedule where I don't feel so dizzy and wobbly during the day.  I realize there are a lot of questions here, but I'm feeling really confused and discouraged and in need of some help.  Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to answer any or all of these questions.

 

One final question:  If this is in fact a dependency on benzos, how long would it take to withdraw if I did it cold turkey, given that I was on it for a relatively short time at a relatively small dose?  Part of me just wants to get this over and done with and is willing to to be pretty uncomfortable if it's not too terribly long.

What were you originally diagnosed with Jeff?

 

I wouldn't go cold turkey. you can try cold turkey if you think you can handle it, but I try to avoid shocking my nerves since I found large cuts to be problematic. I definitely support a slow taper and listening to my body as it adjusts.  I have learned the hardway because I too have a doctor that thinks benzos are not a problem. My anxiety is.

Hi Jeffery. The 1 to 1 1/2 mg of ativan is equal to 10-15mg of valium. It's not really small though it may seem like it is. Benzo's are meant to be prescribed for a period 2-4 weeks. Even people who have taken it for the recommended time can have problems coming off. I wouldnt recommend a cold turkey but you can try a more rapid taper and see how that goes.

Valium can be more sedating and doses have to be adjusted to suit you. It also takes time to build up to full strength which may explain the symptoms your experiencing.

The time it takes to recover from a cold turkey or even a sensible taper varies. There isnt a timeline that can tell you that.

 

Hope you feel better.

 

Amanda

Hello again, and thanks again for your replies.  I was originally diagnosed with "anxiety", which I realize is not a specific disorder.  My initial problem was that I was having anxiety about sleeping and therefore could not sleep.  I started taking one .5 mg Ativan at night as needed.  Then I was put on an antidepressant and told to take Ativan as needed to tolerate the side effects.  The first antidepressant did not work, so I tried a second which had worse side effects, for which I was told to take more Ativan, and finally I tried a third antidepressant, and you guessed it more Ativan to tolerate that one.  Then I got off all the antidepressants and was left with tight dizziness in my head and tingling in my arms which is readily alleviated by Ativan, but is otherwise fairly constant.  My Psychiatrist assured me just yesterday that these are not withdrawal effects but are instead symptoms of anxiety.  I am completely confused.  Please anyone and everyone reply to this and tell me how likely it is that I would be experiencing dependency to Ativan and therefore withdrawal effects from about three months of anywhere from .5 mg to 1.5 mg daily (in .5 mg doses).  It is all a bit of a fog and I'm not entirely sure how often I took which amount, but that is definitely the range of daily amount and length of time.  My doctor says no way I am dependent on this drug with "such modest dosages for such a short period of time" and is recommending that I continue to take Ativan to alleviate my dizziness.  He says as long as I keep my daily intake to 2 mg or less, I can't get dependent.  My therapist is basically giving me the same advice.  Hell, even my girlfriend thinks I should keep taking the same amount of Ativan as needed.  Please tell me what you guys think.

 

I am trying the switchover route, but I don't like the way the Valium makes me feel and would rather not take it at all but want to do what I can to get well.  Thanks again for the support.

He says as long as I keep my daily intake to 2 mg or less, I can't get dependent.  My therapist is basically giving me the same advice. 

 

If that's what your doctor says, you have to listen to him. It is not what I experienced but I was on a slightly higher dose. I experienced psychological symptoms like depression and insomnia (something I never had pre Benzo), and physical symptoms like tinnitus, muscle twitching and tightness in my face. Keep in mind I had nothing wrong with me until I stopped taking klonopin.

 

Hopefully everything goes smooth Jeff. All in all, we do have that "anxiety" element in our heads and it is a ticking time bomb. If you worry about it too much, the potential is there to make it worse then it really is

You can definitely become dependent on ativan at 2mg or less, it is widely known. Everyone's body chemistry and tolerance for drugs is different. Ashton and other will tell you that it is very possibler to become addicted to Ativan at even less than 2 mg a day. I did. I switched to an valium taper recently, but i am having a terrible time so far with unbelievable anxiety and nervousness and depression. I welcome anyone's advice and help. Most doctors mean well, but so many of them simply don't understand how addictive these benzo drugs can be, even after a few short weeks. Doctors are simply not trained to get you off these drugs. Best of luck to you, you can do this but taper slowly.

Hi Jeffrey,

Glad to see you are here for support and advise !!  You are making a good step .  Yes, according to research and individual testimonys, benzo's and Z drugs can be addictive in as little as two weeks !!  Unfortunately, most doctors (even psychiatrists) will deny this fact .  They also do not seem to understand the nature of this benzo beast and the symptoms that we experience when we wean off of them or quit them C/T.  You will find that many of us have been told things by well meaning doctors only to find that what we are experiencing is indeed withdrawl.  ( I think that if the Doctors went thru this personally, they would definately think differently )

I did a C/T off of xanax years ago and I can tell you it is definately not the route to go.  I ended up in the hospital and was very sick. ( I did not know this was because of benzo's.  I have now been on klonopin for 10 years.

I switched over to diazepam 80 mg. last Jan. 09.  Although my journey has not been easy, I must say that it has been easier then doing it C/T and much much safer.  I am almost there (actually in a few days )  I know that your symptoms are distressing and what you describe is not unlike many that I have had.  Your system is adjusting and healing from a chemical that it is used to having.  The symptoms do pass.  I am not the most patient person in the world and I tried going faster in my taper and I ended up having alot of problems.  I then just decided to stick with a tapering schedule and allowed myself some flexibilty with it.  It is true, the slower the better and you can greatly alleviate and get thru the withdrawl process alot better.  I try not to give my doctor too much information about the symptoms that I get during the withdrawl period because then I get another diagnosis (generally wrong) . I know without a doubt that these are benzo induced symptoms.  But, may I be a testimony to you, that these uncomfortable and sometimes frightening symptoms do go away and go away for good.  Life will get better from this point on.

Ginia

 

Ginia, i need your help. I am having terrible, terrible thoghts, horrible anxiety and nervoiusness and depression. I was taking about 2 mg of ativan for about three months during my cancer recurrence scare this past fall, started tapering about a month ago and got down to 1.5 mg, but was very, very, very unstable. I switched directly over to valium, at 15 mg, and am now even more unstable. I am having terrible thoughts, like I can't go on. I don't know what to do. If I go to urgent care or the emergency room they'll just likely give me more benzos for teh anxiety. I am desperate. My wife and I are sitting here right now just totally desperate, I'm feeling like I am not going to make it. I also have this terrible paradoxical effect - when I take the benzo niow it causes more anxiety (ativan AND valium). Should I not have just crossed over immediately? Astong and others seem to suggest that if you are taking 1.5 mg or less of ativan that you can switch right over to 15 mg of valium. my psychiatrist told me that, as well. Well, he's my former psychiatrist. I've seen five psychiatrists now in the past 4 months and none has really known anything about tapering down off benzos. I live in California, is this benzo buddies board mostly based in the UK? It seems doctors thre are far more knowledgable and willing to help you get off these drugs than they are in the states. docs keep prescribing more drigs they tell me will help with the side effects and sleep. none has helped. They've tried neurontin, seroquil, riseridone, trazedone (for sleep), vistoril, and more. Have you heard of pointofreturn.com? or The Road Back? These are organizations that try to help you get off benzos, with nutrition, etc. There's another one called neurogenesis.com, it's lesser known. I'm just curious if anyone out there as tried these? I am truly desperate, at the end of my rope and need advice on what to do.

DAMN IGNORANT DOCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I had to guess it is heightened anxiety from both the Ativan and the ssri. It's not in your head and it is not your existing anxiety disorder. Medications can cause more anxiety in MANY people.  Getting off an ssri to quick could be causing your problems also. It's a neverending downward spiral once on any psych medication. Anxiety can be beaten through so many other ways than drugs. I hear docs giving anti seizure meds for anxiety disorders and it gets me so p'od. There are big lawsuits going on as we speak against Glaxo Kline and it's saviour Paxil and  it's disregard of not testing on animals and humans about the likelihood of tolerance before releasing this monster to the public. Time is going to show how using all these drugs can make one develop tolerance and withdrawal. It is not just benzos. Benzos just are usually the first line of defense for anxiety which creates depression and real physical pain then you need MORE drugs. OHHH LORD!!!!!!  What you should definitely not do with the Ativan is go cold turkey. Just don't PLEASE. Either try to slow taper directly off the ativan or get some advice on a taper plan and possibly a switch to a longer acting benzie. There are so many here who can help you with that. And I think the one thing all of us on here can agree on regardless of our differences is that the medical community either doesn't want to recognize the withdrawal because big pharma has them in their back pocket. Or they really are that narrow minded about these meds. Either way we are the sufferers for this. On the good side you have not been on it for that long so your recovery will be better. And you have found this site for help early enough on your journey. We are all here for you.

Your BB,

Rev Blue

I was on a similar dose of ativan, and when  I tried to reduce my dosage, I got the same tingly sensation in arms, that many times radiates up into the upper chest. Whether it is anxiety or withdrawals, it sucks, and my symptoms are also alleviated with another dose.

 

I am one night into a switch to Valium (substituted night-time .25mg ativan with 2mg Valium), so I will let you know how it goes!