direct taper issues; request for updated crossover & taper schedule

Hi everyone,

Since my last post I continued on direct taper w/Ativan, per the schedule below thinking that with the small dose I’m down to (.0292 mg 3x/day) and with the last 2 weekly cuts at only .0062 3x/day (meaning cutting .0186 each week) that I wouldn’t have a problem. I was pretty ok til a few days ago when sleep subsided by a couple hours, worries/anxiety returned significantly and I might be feeling interdose withdrawal.

Now I’m convinced switching to valium. And you can say ‘told you so’ : )

1) Could you please help with an updated crossover and taper schedule? I’m sleeping maybe 4 hours per night, thinking maybe I should even go back up to what I was taking 8/28-9/3 (.0354 mg 3x/day). I’d appreciate a plan that lets me keep taking Ativan 3x/day as I crossover to valium. I’m titrating so that is not a problem. I just don’t want to shock my body again switching to 2x/day or whatever.

2) Have you heard of other people being so sensitive at such low doses?

3) I’ve kind of asked this before but if I have a bad reaction to crossing over to valium can I just stop valium or would I then be stuck addicted to both valium AND ativan, needing to taper both?

4) In ballpark terms, what proportion of people would you estimate have trouble crossing over versus those that do fine? 1 %, 10%, 30%?

5) My doctor’s manual says 6 to 1 is the ration for valium to ativan yet on this forum & Ashton manual it seems to be 10 to 1, or am I mistaken? I’m nervous about getting it wrong.

Here are my dosages and history of cuts:

6/19/10 began Lorazepam .5 mg 3x/day

7/15/10-7/21 cut to .25 mg 3x/day (following a psychiatrist's advice but this is when I began to have severe withdrawal symptoms)

7/22-7/27 cut to .25 mg 2x/day

7/28-8/4 cut to .25mg 1x/day (before bed). severe withdrawal symptoms and with insomnia

8/5-8/11: mistakenly cut in 1/2 again & spread out the .25mg 1x/day into .0625mg 2x/day (this is when i began titration since I couldn't cut the tablets any smaller)

8/12-8/27: .0417 3x/day (instead of the .0625 2x a day, to avoid the interdose withdrawal). Slept much better and stabilized for perhaps 10 days.

8/28-9/3: .0354 3x/day. Felt pretty fine with this

9/4-9/13: .0292 3x/day. Ran into trouble by around 9/9, perhaps with even the previous cut catching up to me

Thanks so much!

cc

You started 2 almost identical threads on this board, cchester.  I have posted to the other one.  Please stick to just one thread per topic.  Thanks.

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=23342.msg352399#msg352399