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Advise for Tapering Off 1.0 Ativan


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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?

 

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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  :smitten:

 

 

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.

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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.
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