Need help starting 1 mg Ativan taper

Hello all , I currently take 2 tablets daily of 0.5 lorazepam. Once at noon and once before bed. It's about 5 months I'm on this . Whenever I try to cut my noon dose to .25 mg I start getting severe anxiety so have to cut back. I wanna start a slow 10 percent approach . What would be the best approach ? Buying a mg scale ? Please and thank you so much. All the best

Hi Blkhawks19,

 

I don't have any experience with tapering, but I ran across this post which discusses using a scale, and also a link in how to use it. http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=232536.0

 

I'm glad you're going to slow it down, it sounds like your body is telling you to. 

 

Pamster

Thank you Pam 😊😊

hello!!

 

Your taper and mine are pretty similar. im a newbie so I can just give you advice from my experience. i also was taking ativan 2x per day (0.5 mg/day). Yes cutting from 0.5 to 0.25 is too fast. I personally do a 5-10% reduction per 1-2 weeks. I use a gemini dry scale and I druy cut my pills. I think since you were on it for 5 months , dry cutting should be fine. If you decide to do this, make sure the scale is accurate. I never tried water titration. I think this one is lore accurate but you have to fond what works for you!

Perfect i might try that , Where is the best place to buy a scale?

Maybe Amazon on Cyber Monday?

And also if I take 0.5 in the day and 0.5 before I start tapering only on day dose until l get to 0 mg then I start tapering the night dose of 0.5 right? Not both at same time

Thanks so much

You reduce your total daily amount by a small percentage, you can reduce both doses or work at eliminating one of your doses, whatever feels the most comfortable.  Well, comfortable isn't the right word is it, nothing about this process is comfortable. 

Hello !

 

Was just browsing thru this wonderful forum and noticed ur tiny bio there at the end of ur post...sys u COLD TURKEYED from 10-6 mg of Klonopin ??..egads!!!...did my eyes deceive me?....then u would say ur feeling pretty "normal/chipper" now after one year?...maybe I misread ur bio incorrectly?....if I didn't how on earth did u deal with all the pretty stuff like WD'S,etc etc etc?...You must be superwoman..well, u are in my book at least.....I'm on Xanax (bout 4 mg/day)..and am thinking "Whoa, this gal is a real determined trooper"!!!...

 

U take any supplements like magnesium glycinate, L-Theanine or just, well, tuff it out??

 

:clap:

Lindy:)

Hello !

 

Was just browsing thru this wonderful forum and noticed ur tiny bio there at the end of ur post...sys u COLD TURKEYED from 10-6 mg of Klonopin ??..egads!!!...did my eyes deceive me?....then u would say ur feeling pretty "normal/chipper" now after one year?...maybe I misread ur bio incorrectly?....if I didn't how on earth did u deal with all the pretty stuff like WD'S,etc etc etc?...You must be superwoman..well, u are in my book at least.....I'm on Xanax (bout 4 mg/day)..and am thinking "Whoa, this gal is a real determined trooper"!!!...

 

U take any supplements like magnesium glycinate, L-Theanine or just, well, tuff it out??

 

:clap:

Lindy:)

 

Hello Lindy,

 

I healed from my cold turkey about 14 months later, so I've been healed since 2008, maybe I need to update my signature so it won't be confusing.    As for your question, I didn't take any supplements, just white knuckled through it, it was pretty ugly, but I healed and have been living happily ever after. 

 

Pamster

Hey fellow Ativan taperers!. I’m so grateful for all of the wonderful information and support here! I am seeking out research and support during my lorazepam taper. Two years ago I naively went through acute withdrawal from Klonopin. That is a place I do not wish to return to! I hope to get through this reduction much more easily thanks to finding the many resources available and which I did not know about two years ago.

A few of you here are doing similar tapers as me, and have same questions Thanks Blkhawks for asking what I was thinking and to Pamster for a wise response >>

And also if I take 0.5 in the day and 0.5 before I start tapering only on day dose until l get to 0 mg then I start tapering the night dose of 0.5 right? Not both at same time

Thanks so much

I was planning to start today but of course my anxiety was higher today. Figures. So I will wait a day or two to begin. I plan to cut taper and do so with the 0.5 mgs I take 3x a day. I have decided to taper .001-.003 across all three doses until they are getting too small to cut/shave  and then eliminate one and add any remaining amount to the AM or PM dose. And hold as needed, of course!!

But once I get down to small amounts I worry that I will run into trouble. So appreciative of any advice from those who have gone through similar tapers! 🙏🏻🤗 Nervous to be doing this without switching to a long acting med but I don’t want to wait to make that switch and go through any transitional issues. I just want to get moving forward already! Wishing you all peace and healing!

 

How’s it going with your taper?  As you’ll see I’m in similar boat except I got down to 0.25/mg in am and pm.

 

I don’t understand how people are using these Gemini scales.  Their precision is only 0.001g which is 1.0mg and there is no way I see to micro measure under 1mg even after reading more and watching the videos.

Here is another method I ran across recently.  Bob7 Benzo Dry Taper Method       

Pamster- you are so very helpful. Thanks very much! Interesting taper approach in the link you shared. Definitely going to think on this.