Beginning My Taper: Are These Symptoms Normal?

So this past Frisay I started a substitution taper, moving from Xanax to Lorazepam. I know it's an unusual way of doing things, since Lorazepam is another benzo, but I have my reasons.

The first is that I've never taken Valium before and I don't know how I'll react, so I figure the devil I know is better than the one I don't know. If you'll look at my signature, you'll see that I've taken it in the past. I know I can taper off of it with relative ease, so it's what I'm going with now.

Reason number two is that my current psychiatrist can no longer prescribe benzodyapines because of some new laws. Don't even get me started on that. I had to get my Lorazepam from an urgent care, and they only gave it to me because I have a set schedule and I want to stop my dependency.

So now that you have my backstory, I just wanted to ask if anyone has used this method before, and if so, what were your symptoms?

My worst symptoms are:

-Dizziness

-Feeling Faint

-Nausea

-Lack of Balance

-Exhaustion

I can barely function at a normal human level and I spend most of the day exhausted and just sitting on the couch. Most mornings I can eke out some energy for things, but it goes away quickly.

Any advice or encouragement would be wonderful. Thank you guys.

Hello SleepyPsyduck. I switched from Xanax to Lorazepam yesterday also. Xanax has a very short half life and after years of use I began to get inter-dose withdrawals (Which caused me to wake up in the middle of the night shaking, sweating, panic, etc...not fun)

I was inpatient last year and it was right after my Psyche doc said it would be fine if she switched me straight from Xanax to Valium. If you look at my signature I have been on Xanax for 20 years! My anxiety went up 100 fold after the switch. I ached all over had really bad dis-association from my surroundings, extremely sensitive to touch, SOUNDS, and light, I was exhausted but barely slept. I felt like my brain was on fire and I was exhibiting many psychotic symptoms as well. Long story short, I was put on anti-depressants and anti-psychotics for symptoms being caused by the direct switch from Xanax to Valium (Not to scare you as I don't remember the Valium dose I was given but it obviously was not accurate, I probably needed a higher dose). Then they tapered me off the Valium over 3 days. I have never experienced such agony in my life.

As I was driving to my psyche doc yesterday, I was going to do a cross-taper from Xanax to Valium. Given the current state of my mind and body, I decided at the last moment to just make a switch to a benzo with a slightly longer half-life (Lorazepam)

3 months ago I tried to switch from Xanax to Clonazepam but he didn't get the dose equivalency right and I became psychotic, as my moods were all over the place and my anxiety was 10X worse, so I switched back to Xanax.

I don't know what your Xanax dose was or what your Lorazepam dose is either. I just switched from Xanax 1mg 3X daily to Lorazepam 1mg 4X daily yesterday (But I think I can sneak by with 3X daily on the lorazepam)

I have only been on the Lorazepam for 2 days and my main symptoms:

-more sedating feeling than the Xanax

-some derealization (but not as bad as Xanax)

I have lower back issues and today the pain seemed to have increased with the Lorazepam.

All benzo's I have been on have made me tired, I isolate myself and consider myself agoraphobic. For Me, I feel more "normal" on Lorazepam as opposed to Xanax. Changing between Benzo's can cause their own unique symptoms too.

Sorry for the long post but just being 2 days into this myself I might suggest just accepting these symptoms are from changing Benzo's and just listen to your body and take it easy, try to keep drinking plenty of water and try to eat as healthy as you can on your schedule. Accept that it might take a few days or maybe a week for some, or all of these symptoms to lessen as your body adjusts to the change.

Just remember to "listen to your body" and take it from there. Most of all, try to distract yourself so you don't focus on the symptoms as much. I hope for you that this will be short lived.

So this past Frisay I started a substitution taper, moving from Xanax to Lorazepam. I know it's an unusual way of doing things, since Lorazepam is another benzo, but I have my reasons.

 

The first is that I've never taken Valium before and I don't know how I'll react, so I figure the devil I know is better than the one I don't know. If you'll look at my signature, you'll see that I've taken it in the past. I know I can taper off of it with relative ease, so it's what I'm going with now.

 

Reason number two is that my current psychiatrist can no longer prescribe benzodyapines because of some new laws. Don't even get me started on that. I had to get my Lorazepam from an urgent care, and they only gave it to me because I have a set schedule and I want to stop my dependency.

 

So now that you have my backstory, I just wanted to ask if anyone has used this method before, and if so, what were your symptoms?

 

My worst symptoms are:

-Dizziness

-Feeling Faint

-Nausea

-Lack of Balance

-Exhaustion

 

I can barely function at a normal human level and I spend most of the day exhausted and just sitting on the couch. Most mornings I can eke out some energy for things, but it goes away quickly.

 

Any advice or encouragement would be wonderful. Thank you guys.

Yes, nausea/dizzyness and related problems to balance are some of the most common symptons of WD. Benzos suppress the vestibular system which has a large affect in controlling balance. So as you come off the benzos your body is working harder to balance itself and restore its natural abilities.