How fast can I taper? 1mg Ativan/day for ~1 year

I've taken 1mg of Ativan before bed for about a year now. Ativan is the only addictive substance I take. I quit alcohol, meth, nicotine, caffeine, and weed about 3 years ago, and I quit kratom about 3 months ago.

 

I got the ativan prescription from my psychiatrist while I was considering tapering off the kratom. I do think it helped me sleep during the kratom withdrawals, but now it is time for the benzo to go as well.

 

About a week ago I decided to stop using electronics completely for a couple days. It was really nice and peaceful, it showed me how addicted I was to video games and porn, and how I was using them as distractions from things I needed to face and deal with.

 

Now I'm still limiting technlology, and only allowing myself to use it for things I need to do (no scrolling social media, no video games, no porn).

 

This new clarity of mind, however, has revealed to me that the ativan is causing some serious mood swings within me. I guess I couldn't feel it when I was distracted by video games.

 

I noticed that I become extremely anxious during the middle of the day, leading up to when I take my dose (about 2-3 hours before I plan to sleep).

 

After researching, I realize I am experiencing interdose withdrawal, because Ativan is so fast acting.

 

I would love to be completely substance free, so I want to get rid of the ativan. 

 

I saw someone on here talk about a water taper that lasts 3 months, I am wondering if that would work for me? He said to put the pill in 90ml of water and dissolve it, and then remove 1ml the first day, 2ml the second day, 3ml the third day, and on, until 90 days later and you're done.

 

That kind of appeals to me, it sounds simple and is a compromise between how fast I want to taper and safety.  Like ideally I would only taper for 1 month, that is what I was hoping for. But after researching benzos so much, I have realized this shit is kinda scary, and I really don't want protracted withdrawals for years after I stop, so if a slower taper will stop or limit that, I'm willing to do it.  So 3 months is a good compromise, I think.

 

I should also say I believe in psychedelics, and plan to probably microdose shrooms during the taper. I microdosed during opiate withdrawals (kratom), caffeine, and nicotine withdrawals.

 

It is my belief that the shrooms helped me to accept what I was feeling, and stopped cravings.

 

With benzos...I don't know these feel like a different animal. I'd say I'd hope that the shrooms help my brain realize it needs to adjust itself faster.  I don't think dealing with cravings will be as big of an issue, but I do think maybe it might help me deal with the increased anxiety I may feel.

 

So ya, I'd appreciate any advice. With my use pattern, is a 3 month taper safe? Should I go longer? Shorter?

 

How long after I stop completely (like complete the taper) should I expect to take to balance out again?

 

Should I wait until after the summer is over to do this taper? I don't really want to waste my summer writhing around in anxiety. I had kinda hoped to attend a festival and trip acid. But if I'm going to be in the middle of a taper and feeling extreme anxiety maybe a full LSD trip is not a good idea? lol

 

I feel so frustrated overall that I am in this position. I wish I had never started taking them. I really thought my sober journey was at its end. Now I realize it will take much longer than I thought to complete!

Hi skixlix, I realize this post is a couple of days old but wanted to know what you decided.  Are you ready to taper, or are you going to wait until summer is over?

I think I want to taper? It kinda depends on how one feels during a taper, like does life have to stop or can you keep doing things? This benzo stuff is new to me.

 

When I tapered off kratom, which is like an opiate, I was able to continue life as normal during the taper, and I was only in bed writhing around for the first week after I stopped completely.  Then over the course of 3 months I gradually felt better and better, and now 4-5 months later I feel I am completely over it.

 

If benzos would be the same way I'd definitely taper now.  But benzos seem different, and scarier...you can't just willpower through them like you can quitting opiates...so I am not sure what the taper will be like

If you’ve experienced interdose withdrawal then I would imagine your body is dependent on the Ativan but it might be worth it to experiment a bit by deliberately missing a dose to see if you experience withdrawal symptoms, I suspect you will.  This means you’ll need to do a slow, symptom based taper that can hopefully keep you functional.

 

As you’ve seen by reading, this can be a long process with unpleasant symptoms as you taper and recovery feels pretty much like tapering.  We generally see short time users (about 3 months) recover in weeks and months, long time users like you will typically recover between 1-2 years.