Ativan taper after 15+ years of use

I have been using ativan for 15+ years. At 1 mg twice a day, usually morning and afternoon, not before bed. I started to taper down about 3 weeks ago. I am now taking .5 in the morning and .5 in the mid afternoon. I have joined this site for support from people who are going through benzo taper and withdrawal. I don't have anyone in my life who would understand, and so haven't had anyone to talk to about this.

Edit: Account modification

Hello, Bracess1 — 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 few links that may be a good starting place for you:

  General Taper Plans

  Titration Taper Plans

  Withdrawal Support

Please take a moment to Create a Signature — you can enter your pertinent drug and taper history in the box at the bottom. 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 provides information that can be useful during any stage of withdrawal and recovery, and includes 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.

Edit: Account modification

Welcome

You will be understood!

Follow the links above and I am sure an Ativan taperer will be along

Dickk

As you get on less and less, if you don’t trust your hoppy knife cuts then there is infonon the site regarding making a  liquid taper..

Really impressed you can cope with just twice a day.

You must be a tough bunny

Dick

I would also like to add that i have googled info on this subject for several weeks, and have read so much about benzo withdrawal and tapering. I have read the Ashton manual, and i do not want to do a cross taper with another benzo, i want to just slow taper off the ativan from the dose I'm on. ,5 twice a day, and have been at this dose for 8 days and the withdrawal symtoms have been uncomfortable so I'm holding at thus dose until i feel i can move down

That's a rather big jump if I understood your first post correctly. Jumping from 2 mg a day (1 mg am; 1 mg pm) down to .5 am and .5 pm. That's a 50% drop and I wonder how you're handling that. I'm rather tough but I don't think I could even do that! You may have to hold at that dosage level until you become accustomed to it, however long that takes. I'm also tapering off of Ativan. I've been on it since early November, 2018 (2 weeks off in mid December and then back on by 26 December). I did a 25% cut on my dose and it was rather uncomfortable but I definitely made it. I'm beginning to stabilize at my current level (.25 am; .5 pm) so I'm looking forward to cutting my evening dose in 6 days. You hang in there!

I think scorpion it’s spot on.

Firstly it’s a big jump

Secondly some Ativan users are more comfortable on four times a day.

As for starting an antidepressant then mirtazipine in lowest dose has helped me calm down and reduce Diaz. But it is quite addictive.

Why not pose a new question about ADs is getting off meds, there are threads running in that genre already but buried a bit.

I am not allowed to advise you how to proceed but can make observations.

Best wishes

Dick