[...] Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 I am 53 yrs old. I had full-blown panic attack twice, once in 1994, and another one in 1997. I got married in 1999. I had a work-related depression in 2004. For 12 years, since 2004 I was on lexapro till 2016 (a pretty low dose, can't remember exactly). I tried to stop it cold turkey. Went through the withdrawal syndrom, then after a few months I had another panic attack. Doctor prescribed me tranxene, but it didn't work, so we switched to Ativan instead. I take .5mg pill, somedays 1, somedays 2 pill. So I would get (from state medical provision) 90 pills for 2 months. I'd say my averaged intake was .75 mg/day I have been doing this for nearly 2 years now. I tried to stop the medication, but couldn't. So I kind of take the pill as needed, at least one pill a day, sometimes 2 pill. This daily unsystematic and unequalized consumption gave me a slight depression and foggy brain almost everyday in the mid afternoons during last weeks. I have seen many videos about the micro tapering process, and am now trying to do it properly with the initial starting dose of 1 mg. I am on my day 6th of the micro tapering process. I would like to get more advise if I am doing the right way or not. This morning I start off the day by taking the 2 x .5mg ativan pills, crushed them and mix with 300 ml. warm drinking (filtered) water. After assuring that the pills are readily mixed with the water, I use syringe to take out 6 ml., then replace back with 6 ml. normal drinking water to even up the quantity to 300 ml. for ease of division. I divide into 4 portions of 75 ml. using a black marker to draw lines for the 4 portions on the side of the bottle. I take the bottle everywhere I go and try to take the portions on time. I shake well before drinking each portion, followed by a sip of plain drinking water, to clear off any left over in my mouth ( and maybe to prevent soar throat & sinus, as I heard that someone had this problem). I drink the portions at 9 am; 2 pm; 7 pm; and 10 pm. Sometimes I combine the last two at 9 pm or before I go to bed. For the past two days I had mild depression in the late afternoon. I take calcium magnesium supplements 3 tablets/day. Seemed to help me sleep better. Can someone please advise if I am doing the process correctly. Do I need to cross over to valium? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest [Le...] Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 Hello, Kevo - welcome to BenzoBuddies! I'm glad that you decided to join the forum – our members have gone through benzodiazepine use and withdrawal themselves, so you'll find plenty of information and support here. Here are a couple of links that may be a good starting place for you: General Taper Plans Withdrawal Support Titration Taper Plans Please take a moment to Create a Signature. This will allow members to see where you are in the process, so that they can better support you. Looking forward to seeing you on the forum! Leslie The Ashton Manual is an authoritative resource on what to expect during withdrawal and recovery. It provides information that can be very reassuring during any stage of this process, including a list of common symptoms with helpful explanations. For those who are currently tapering, a starting guideline is that the dosage not be reduced faster than by 5-10% every 10-14 days, although some taper even more slowly than that. One exception: very short-term users of a few weeks or less may be able to taper somewhat faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[...] Posted April 17, 2018 Author Share Posted April 17, 2018 It seems my body is revolting against the 4 portions mixed solution format. Should I use the weight scale instead? I'll have to buy one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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