Ativan Withdrawal

Hi,

I'm 28 years old and have always had problems falling asleep, but not remaining asleep, I would sleep 9 or 10 hours no matter what. In April 2018 I just couldn't sleep at all and was given Amitriptyline 10mg which helped me sleep for almost a year. In November 2018 I was really ill with repeated glandular fever and a tonsil infection which was lasting for many weeks and making me extremely anxious. I had been prescribed Ativan before (1mg) as needed but I only used it for flights or extremely rare situations. When I was sick, I started taking more and more for stressful situations every few weeks. I started having more problems falling asleep in December but I didn't connect the two. In February this year the amitryptyline stopped working and I had muscle spasms, which made me anxious, and I started taking 1mg Ativan for sleep. I am also on 300mg Trazodone for depression but it didn't help that much for sleep. The situation got out of control over March and April, as I was taking about 3 Ativans a night to be able to fall asleep. Now I am also on Pregabalin 300mg. I had managed to spread the 3 Ativans throughout the day with the help of my psychiatrist. However, whereas initially I was falling asleep on 1mg at night, I started waking up sooner and sooner until the benzo wasn't putting me to sleep at all. I also started taking 2mg Diazepam a night and this only improved things for a couple of nights. Now that the benzos aren't working at all anymore I know I have to slowly taper off them. Insomnia has been my greatest fear for over a year and I have no idea how I'm going to deal with potential years of it. I also have an autism diagnosis, so extreme sensitivity has always been an issue for me. I don't know how I will get through weeks of not sleeping at all. Nothing is working for me anymore.

Welcome to Benzo Buddies. We are a support and information group for those wanting to get off of benzodiazepines.  Benzo's do eventually stop working, for some it takes years, for others not as long. Insomnia is a very common experience with withdraw.

This link explains the mechanism of benzo's, and why they stop working, or make us ill:

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=66397.0

Tapering is the safest, and most tolerable method for getting off of benzo's.

The max recommended cut is 5-10% every 2 weeks. Many of us have to go slower, depending on our medication and what we can handle. Here are the boards on tapering. Feel free to print out anything you wish, and share it with your doctor. From there, you can formulate a plan, and, you are always free to change it up if it's not working. It can take some trial and error. What works best for me may not be what works best for you.

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=56.0

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?board=145.0

This is a list of withdraw symptoms:

https://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha03.htm#4

In the forums pertinent to your circumstances, you will find other buddies going through their own tapers. This is a good place to ask questions, and receive guidance.

Again, welcome to Benzo Buddies, you have come to a safe, confidential informative support group, and we are happy to have you as a member. You can do this, with knowledge and finding coping skills.

Please take some time to Create a Signature. This will help other members understand your history so they will be better able to support you. Go to the top of the page and select Profile, then choose Forum Profile, insert drug history/timelines into the text box and click Change Profile.

We look forward to reading more from you over the forthcoming days and weeks.

Take care,

BB Team

Welcome to the Group!