Early stages of figuring things out

Hello everyone, today is my first day and this forum is the only lifeline I have right now to getting off my benzo.

Reasons for joining - starting my education into this world to try and help solve me dependency.

The type of benzo - lorazepam

How long - Originally started taking them sporadically roughly 3 years ago. Now the last 4 months have been full on consistent every day usage.

Present dose - .5 mg (2-3 times per day)

Taper - not started. Need to learn how to do this asap from BB.

I'm really humbled to be here. I've had no other previous drug issues so this is brand new territory for me. Today is the day I put it all together. I don't think the prozac that I just started taking a couple months ago is simply giving me startup side effect anxiety, I am now thinking it was my inconsistent and uneducated use of lorazepam. I'm here to learn and hope to get past this to make me a stronger person and a better husband and dad. My hope is that I can be part of the support system for others sooner than later. This is a serious problem and today is day 1 for me realizing it.

Thank you the creators of all of this.

Please keep me in your thoughts as I'm not in a good spot right now.

Hello April10th,

Welcome to Benzo Buddies! You've taken the first step towards being benzo free, learning and educating yourself about the best way to taper off lorazepam.  Your attitude is strong and this will help. Give yourself time and you'll be that husband and dad that you want to be.  We'll be here to advice and support you through the process.

There are many ramifications that can happen with long term benzo use. Dependency and tolerance being two of them.  If you are experiencing more anxiety now, it could be that you have reached tolerance where the dose is no longer effective.

The best plan involves tapering slowly so your body can adjust to the dose changes.  Generally, a reduction of no more than 5-10% every 10-14 days is suggested. I'll give you a link to the Planning Your Withdrawal Board for additional information.

It is best to arm yourself with a lot of knowledge so you can find the plan that works best for you.  I'll also include a link to the Ashton Manual. It has a lot of good information about benzos, tapering and withdrawal. The manual was written by Dr. Heather Ashton, a pioneer in helping people taper off benzos.

You're not alone in this process. Withdrawal can be challenging but in my opinion, it's well worth the effort.  I'm sorry things are rough now, knowing that others have walked this path before can really help.  Do some reading and let us know how we can help.

Planning Your Withdrawal (Taper Plans)

The Ashton Manual

pianogirl 

Hi April10th

Congratulations!  You’ve begun!  It’s a good day and a turning point.  None of us meant to become dependent.  We all need support.  We can all make it out of the benzo pit.  It does not have control.  You can make a plan and safely get to the other side.  You’re already a good dad and husband, because you’re motivated by wanting to be more present. 

First make a plan.  Write it down.  Allow for time, practice patience.  Slow and steady symptom based taper is good.

Explore the forum.  Ask questions. 

Glad you’re here!

Healing64

this site is great! you will find tons of support on here and lots of helpful advice.

Welcome!

Welcome April, you’ve made a wise choice to educate yourself.  I wish I would have found this site sooner, but no worries as I successfully got myself off the benzos and now the real healing can begin.

Best wishes to you on your journey!

Welcome April

I am quite new here and the support is fantastic. The information is extensive. keep asking questions and learn everything you can.

Wow, blown away already from the support. Thank you everyone. I'm making my way through the Repository section before I tackle the taper planning section. At the same time as being on this ativan I was also put on prozac and was at 20mg through most of this. I started tapering the prozac prior to finding BB. Does anyone know if I should try to get completely off prozac before starting my ativan taper?

Thank you all!

Hi April,

It can actually be beneficial to be established on an antidepressant before tapering from a benzodiazepine, there can be a considerable amount of depression when tapering so I'd hold on getting off of the Prozac, but of course, this is your choice. 

Pamster