Assistance with Ativan

Hello,

 

I have been taking 2mg of Ativan every night for sleep for about 6 years.  I had a wake up call last week when I was out of town for a night and forgot my Ativan, resulting in only being able to sleep for one hour.  The next day I experienced what I assume to have been horrible withdrawal symptoms, combined with lack of sleep.  I also have Multiple Sclerosis and sleep is crucial to managing the disease.  I want to get off the Ativan, but I have to be able to sleep.  Hoping to get some assistance from this group, thank you for accepting me.

Welcome to BenzoBuddies!  We are glad you decided to join us.  You'll find a lot of support and information on this forum, which is currently the only one of its kind online.  Many of us first realize how dependent we are on benzos when we travel and forget to bring them, or run out during a longer trip.

 

For those starting a taper, we generally recommend starting out at a rate of 5-10% every 10-14 days, then adjusting the taper to suit your own needs.  One exception: very short term users may be able to taper faster. During and after the taper there are often withdrawal symptoms, most commonly anxiety and insomnia, but these are temporary and will go away in time.

 

In general, those who've never withdrawn from benzos before seem to have fewer problems healing, while those with multiple withdrawals sometimes have longer, more challenging healing periods due to nervous system sensitization.

 

Here are a few useful links:

 

The Ashton Manual A great, short and concise reference for tapering and symptom issues.

 

Withdrawal Support (during your taper)

 

Again, welcome!

 

Megan918

Administrator

 

Welcome Haveonlylove!  Many people here have experience with Ativan, me included.  Please feel free to ask any questions.

Hello Haveonlylove, welcome !

Thank you for the warm welcome!  Quick question - would it make sense that I would have withdrawal symptoms after skipping only one dose of 2mg of Ativan?  Since I also have MS. It’s difficult to determine where the symptoms came from (withdrawal vs. worsening MS from not sleeping).  Also what could the effects be from me being on Ativan for 6 years?  I always have blamed all of my symptoms on the MS, but now I’m wondering how much is due to the Ativan. Are side effects like fatigue, emotional numbness and brain fog common from being on only 2mg of Ativan per day? 

Thank you for the warm welcome!  Quick question - would it make sense that I would have withdrawal symptoms after skipping only one dose of 2mg of Ativan?

 

Yes, absolutely.  Ativan has a short half-life (10 hours), so skipping a dose can definitely put you in an interdose withdrawal, especially if you've been on it for a while at a substantial dose (in your case 6 years at 2mg every night). The symptoms you described are classic benzo withdrawal symptoms.  I wouldn't skip any doses and I would start tapering when ready.  Good luck and let us know if you have any questions. 

For me, interdose withdrawal was never an issue and I only feel the results of a cut two to three weeks later. Skipping a dose never affected me either. But we are all different! It depends on a lot of variables, including on how fast we metabolize the benzo.