Please help. Stopped Ativan

Hey me again! I have been taking Ativan on and off for 6 weeks. I was taking the half of a .5 pill once a day. So I think that makes it .25mg. It’s been 2 days since I stopped and my anxiety is through the roof. My sleep is off but I cannot tell if it’s withdrawals or the side effects of starting Zoloft. Please help. I’m scared something bad will happen since I stopped cold turkey.

Anyone plz?

.25 mgs is an awful big dose to jump from, I believe what you're feeling is from stopping cold turkey not the Zoloft.  If you're feeling this bad, it might be a good idea to reinstate and taper to a lower dose before stopping.

I thought .25 was a very low dose? The half of .5? I was taking it only once a day, but not everyday.

Your body is telling you its not a low dose, and frankly I don't consider any amount of benzo's to be a low dose, its a powerful drug that has the capability to change the way your brain operates, scary stuff.

 

You have two choices, stick with this or reinstate and taper lower, both of these choices will hurt but since you've only been on the drug for 6 weeks your chance of recovery will most likely be in terms of weeks rather than months and years.

Yes you’re right. Benzos are no joke. I’m not sure what to do, if I should just stick with this or taper. I also have some tremors but that’s also a side effect of Zoloft so I’m unsure. I just started Zoloft 6 days ago. What would be the right way to taper off this dose?

I’m worried I’ll have a seizure.

I feel what you're dealing with is benzo withdrawal, I'd chalk up your symptoms to that so lets take the Zoloft off the table.

 

I honestly don't know what to advise because it depends on what you can withstand at this point, can you function, can you take care of your daily tasks?  If you can then I would suggest you continue with your cold turkey, if you're unable to manage your life then a taper would make sense.

 

Just saw your concern about a seizure, they're rare and Ativan is short acting so I feel you're going to be okay on that front, is there someone there with you?

Yes so I can function good. The anxiety was pretty intense today. But I handled it with no medication. Yes I have someone with me. I quit Ativan 1mg cold turkey 11 years ago after taking it for 1 year, stupid thing to do but I didn’t get hit hard with withdrawals thankfully.

Hearing how you're doing, I'd say your best option is to continue with your cold turkey from .25 mg of Ativan and I'm glad to know you're not alone even though I'm not concerned about a seizure.

 

Just so you know, we have anecdotal evidence from many members who say each reinstatement and withdrawal from benzodiazepines makes the next one more difficult, I believe your previous experience with the drug is playing a role in your current situation.  I'd think twice about taking the drug again after this.

My psychiatrist told me to stop the Ativan and I’d figure I’d do cold turkey now than keep taking it and risk getting dependent on it. Thank you so much for the help, I feel better about the seizure part. I’ll definitely try not to ever take it again in the future.

Let us know how you're feeling, we're here to help. 

Thank you. Day 3 and just feel anxious and shaky and it’s hard to fall asleep.  Do you know how many weeks withdrawals last?

We can't predict how long it will take to recover from this, from my time here I've seen most short time users recover faster than those taking it long term but its still too long.

 

If you can, keep track of your symptoms and their severity, this process makes us feel hopeless, like we'll never recover, our members talk about benzo lies and this is one of them.  If you closely track your symptoms you'll be able to see your improvement even if you can't feel it.  I wish I would have done this when I was recovering but the drug kept me thinking I wasn't.

Yes that’s exactly how I feel, like I’ll never see the light at the end of the tunnel. Especially because I’m also dealing with side effects from the Zoloft. I feel hopeless. I’ll definitely keep track.