Accidental overtaper

Hi all,

I made a major mistake and decreased from taking 3.0 - 3.25 mg Ativan daily to taking 2.5 mg Ativan daily. I'm being jolted awake at night and can't go back to sleep until early morning when I take my next Ativan dose around 5:30 am (I'm taking it every 8 hours).  Should I go back up to a higher dose or try to hold at 2.5 mg?  I guess it's been about 1 week that I've been on the 2.5 mg dose.

Hi all,

I made a major mistake and decreased from taking 3.0 - 3.25 mg Ativan daily to taking 2.5 mg Ativan daily. I'm being jolted awake at night and can't go back to sleep until early morning when I take my next Ativan dose around 5:30 am (I'm taking it every 8 hours).  Should I go back up to a higher dose or try to hold at 2.5 mg?  I guess it's been about 1 week that I've been on the 2.5 mg dose.

 

Yes.

Do you mean yes go back up to a higher dose?  What dose do you think?

I wouldn't updose. I would hold where you are until you feel better. Try splitting your dose into three or even four times per day. When you feel better start a much slower and organized taper. Hang in there.

Withdrawal sxs are the distress and discomfort you experience when you body cannot stabilize because you reduced your benzo dose more quickly than than the body can correct.

 

So, you can either hold  (and suffer) while you wait for your body to catch up, or you can increase your dose enough to get back to equilibrium.

 

Go back to a "comfortable" dose, stabilize, and restart your taper at a slower rate.

Thanks builder. I've been told you make taper plans. I plan to go back up to 3 mg Ativan tonight. Would you be able to make me a micro taper plan based on that starting dose with a Valium crossover? My dosing will be 0.5 mg Ativan in the am, 0.5 in the pm and 2.0 at bedtime until I cross over to Valium. I would truly truly appreciate it.

I totally agree with Builder, also 1mg ativan is a big cut. My valium equivalent for 1mg (personally) was 20mg V For some people it's only 5mg!! Everyone is different. You may want to focus on the cross over first there is a board for that. I did mine immediately because my psych is totally clueless and it was pretty awful. Take your time to stabilize, cross over slowly if you choose to, I personally wish I had just direct tapered off the Ativan, that is an option.

Why do you wish you had just tapered off ativan? Isn't that much harder due to short half life, etc?

IMO, a benzo is a benzo and should be tapered off off. But I also openly admit that very long tapers don't seem to help people. Some of the worst off cases are on very long tapers. The entire purpose of tapering is supposedly to avoid the tiny risk of seizures, and supposedly make wd symptoms less. But from what I have seen, tapering does NOT make wd symptoms any better. No one should go CT, but it does happen and most people do just fine. I think the most important thing to know about benzos is how terribly they will affect you if you continue to take them. If you don't believe me, read my Success Story. It was moved to Buddie Blogs but my SS it still is. "eastcoast's trip" and I just bumped it up.

I think you have to go according to how you feel right now. Are you having a lot of WD symptoms? If yes, re-figure your taper. If not, just keep on going. The sooner you are off benzos, the sooner your brain will begin to heal itself.

east

Thanks builder. I've been told you make taper plans. I plan to go back up to 3 mg Ativan tonight. Would you be able to make me a micro taper plan based on that starting dose with a Valium crossover? My dosing will be 0.5 mg Ativan in the am, 0.5 in the pm and 2.0 at bedtime until I cross over to Valium. I would truly truly appreciate it.

 

Combine 30mg ativan + 60ml vodka pr propylene glycol + 240ml water.  That gives you approx a 10-12 day supply, .1mg per ml.

 

3mg X 5% = .15mg

.15mg/14 days = .01mg per day cut rate.

 

Schedule:

 

30ml              (3mg)

29.9ml            (2.99mg)

29.8ml            (2.98mg)

29.7ml            (2.97mg0

etc.........

 

Just lower your dose by .1ml  (.01mg)

 

You might find the DLMT works so well you don't need to cross to Valium.

I don't want to stress you out because it's different for everyone, but valium C/O was horrible for me. It goes well for many people. Not me. Hindsight is 20/20. I would have just DLMT'd off Ativan super slow, in retrospect. The half life thing made and does make total sense. I also did my crossover, overnight, so that could be the issue.

 

Like you, I also made large cuts and really paid for it. I was impatient, I regret that now. I wish I had listened to the slow and steady thing, but I'm stubborn and wd doesn't exactly make us patient . It's taken a lot of pain and suffering for me to finally accept that this just may take a long time. I do NOT do well with dry cuts and the crossover was very difficult but like I said, I didn't do it slowly or even know that was an option. I was on a long hold because of all that and force CT in a hospital, so now I'm going to attempt the DLMT when I'm feeling up to it.

 

I am also just one of those people who this is just very very difficult for. We never know how our bodies and psyches are going to react to this but one thing is for sure, the people on this site can help you and know what they are talking about. Next to no medical professionals have any clue about benzo wd syndrome.

 

Good luck to you whatever you choose!

Builder,

 

When you say to combine 30mg ativan - what form of ativan do you mean?  The pill form? Right now I have the liquid concentrate that needs to be refrigerated. So I guess I would need my doctor to prescribe me pills instead?  I'm not sure she would be on board with this plan...

 

Does this concoction have to be refrigerated?

 

T

Builder,

 

Thanks so much for your help.  I'm actually terrified of making my own solution, so I found a compounding pharmacy that will make me a compounded liquid lorazepam prescription that is 0.25 mg/ mL. 

 

I'm currently taking 2.75 mg of lorazepam daily (I didn't go all the way back up to 3). 

 

What would my DLMT schedule be in this scenario? 

 

Would it be 2.75 mg x 5% = 0.138 mg

.138 mg/ 14 days = .01 mg per day cut rate

 

Schedule?

 

OK, someone please tell me if this is right...

 

I hope to get a compounded liquid lorazepam prescription that is 0.25 mg/ mL. 

 

I'm currently taking 2.75 mg of lorazepam daily.

 

I believe I want to cut 5% every 2 weeks. 

 

2.75 mg x 5% = 0.138 mg

0.138 mg/ 14 days = .01 mg per day cut rate

 

DLMT

2.75 mg = 11 mL

2.74 mg = 10.9 mL

2.73 mg = 10.8 mL

2.72 mg = 10.7 mL

 

and so on...

 

Is that right?

IMO, a benzo is a benzo and should be tapered off off. But I also openly admit that very long tapers don't seem to help people. Some of the worst off cases are on very long tapers. The entire purpose of tapering is supposedly to avoid the tiny risk of seizures, and supposedly make wd symptoms less. But from what I have seen, tapering does NOT make wd symptoms any better. No one should go CT, but it does happen and most people do just fine. I think the most important thing to know about benzos is how terribly they will affect you if you continue to take them. If you don't believe me, read my Success Story. It was moved to Buddie Blogs but my SS it still is. "eastcoast's trip" and I just bumped it up.

I think you have to go according to how you feel right now. Are you having a lot of WD symptoms? If yes, re-figure your taper. If not, just keep on going. The sooner you are off benzos, the sooner your brain will begin to heal itself.

east

 

Yes, you are getting more diplomatic with your wording, but the message is the same... So..

 

...Yet again I ask... How do you know what the outcome would be for those of us that have to taper particularly slow, -were we to CT or RT (Rapid Taper).. In your head, do you imagine it would be better..?? Fyi, most people dont start off with a particularly slow taper.. -It becomes a necessity for some...

 

There are and have been plenty of people who did great slow tapering, sometimes after the devastating effects of your CT type taper... You cant just go of those who are posting for help all the time.. Is that not obvious..?? -7yrs here you say..??

Did you not instigate the question asking for success stories of those that healed quickly after a CT..?? -How did that go..??

And yet I know that plenty do, they are not so well represented here on BB though...

 

You may want to brush up on your "entire purpose of tapering" ideas too.. Not all of us are prepared to accept the post jump aftermath you "describe" as a "mandatory".. -And well beyond that...

Penty here are unfortunate to have to contend with that without having to seek it out by choosing to taper faster than our bodies can adjust..

 

I will leave it at that, as it seems an endless circle, and not in the interests of this thread.. 

But on the bright side, you seem to be getting there on some other general concepts...

 

My apologies kjt... We are talking about particularly slow tapering, beyond the usual Ashton type speeds (well I hope thats Easts objection..!!), and its not what is the norm...

Builder was right re. increasing doses to match, and I best leave math details to him or others proficient with it... Sorry..

 

 

 

 

IMO, a benzo is a benzo and should be tapered off off. But I also openly admit that very long tapers don't seem to help people. Some of the worst off cases are on very long tapers. The entire purpose of tapering is supposedly to avoid the tiny risk of seizures, and supposedly make wd symptoms less. But from what I have seen, tapering does NOT make wd symptoms any better. No one should go CT, but it does happen and most people do just fine. I think the most important thing to know about benzos is how terribly they will affect you if you continue to take them. If you don't believe me, read my Success Story. It was moved to Buddie Blogs but my SS it still is. "eastcoast's trip" and I just bumped it up.

I think you have to go according to how you feel right now. Are you having a lot of WD symptoms? If yes, re-figure your taper. If not, just keep on going. The sooner you are off benzos, the sooner your brain will begin to heal itself.

east

 

Yes, you are getting more diplomatic with your wording, but the message is the same... So..

 

...Yet again I ask... How do you know what the outcome would be for those of us that have to taper particularly slow, -were we to CT or RT (Rapid Taper).. In your head, do you imagine it would be better..?? Fyi, most people dont start off with a particularly slow taper.. -It becomes a necessity for some...

 

There are and have been plenty of people who did great slow tapering, sometimes after the devastating effects of your CT type taper... You cant just go of those who are posting for help all the time.. Is that not obvious..?? -7yrs here you say..??

Did you not instigate the question asking for success stories of those that healed quickly after a CT..?? -How did that go..??

And yet I know that plenty do, they are not so well represented here on BB though...

 

You may want to brush up on your "entire purpose of tapering" ideas too.. Not all of us are prepared to accept the post jump aftermath you "describe" as a "mandatory".. -And well beyond that...

Penty here are unfortunate to have to contend with that without having to seek it out by choosing to taper faster than our bodies can adjust..

 

I will leave it at that, as it seems an endless circle, and not in the interests of this thread.. 

But on the bright side, you seem to be getting there on some other general concepts...

 

My apologies kjt... We are talking about particularly slow tapering, beyond the usual Ashton type speeds (well I hope thats Easts objection..!!), and its not what is the norm...

Builder was right re. increasing doses to match, and I best leave math details to him or others proficient with it... Sorry..

I couldn’t agree more!