Ativan

  Hi,

      I unwittingly made the mistake of a cold turkey cessation of 3mg per day of Ativan after 7 weeks daily usage. Apparently that is all the time it took for me to develop a physical dependence. After 5 days of not knowing what was happening I wound up taking 1 pill and the withdrawal subsided a bit. I am currently doing an at home taper on my own, but its been rough.

Hello Nellcote,

Welcome to Benzo Buddies!  That's a hefty dose of ativan to stop suddently, cold turkey. I know just how difficult a cold turkey can be.  I was on ativan for about the same time frame and yes, I also developed a physical dependency.

Did you take a 1mg tablet of ativan?  Since you were on ativan for just 7 weeks, in my opinion, your taper does not need to take months and months. The longer on the drug, the stronger the dependence is embedded.

A slow taper can help with symptoms of withdrawal.  Usually, a reduction of no more than 5-10% every 10-14 days is suggested. I'll give you a link to the General Taper Plans for additional information.

I'll also include a link to the Ashton Manual. It is an excellent resource about these types of drugs and how to withdraw. The manual was written by Dr. Heather Ashton, an expert in the field.

You are still likely feeling some effects from the cold turkey, how long ago did you stop taking ativan.  Once reinstating, if not at the original dose, it can take a while for the nervous system to adjust. 

We understand what you are going through. You'll find a lot of good information here as well as support.  Please let us know how we can help.

General Taper Plans   

The Ashton Manual

pianogirl 

Welcome to the forum, lovie!  Yep, we all know that it can sometimes be rough.  You've found your way to the right place to help navigate your journey.  It will help people to know where you are on your journey if you will add a signature to your profile so you don't have to keep explaining your situation in terms of type of med and taper position on any post you might make. 

Stick around!  Do some reading.  Information is power.

Libs