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Tapering off Ativan Support Thread


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Cross posting a section of a post I made on my thread to over here since this is Ativan specific. Basically I'm on a now 9 day wave after that big cut and looking for strategies about getting back some stability. Here is the snippet from the other post:

 

"Yeah my initial thought was upping to just a bit to see if I can stabilize....somewhere between current .5mg and last level of .75mg. I know Ashton is seriously against this but I have seen a decent amount of small updosing in buddies' signature and they were still successful. Nothing really has changed that I can think of. Sleep is alright at the moment, no new stressful events, eating has been slightly less volume because of the wave. The only thing I can think of right now is that for my first two cuts of the last three, my morning dose and/or evening dose was a bit heavier than the afternoon dose. So it looks like this:

 

First cut = 1 pill morning, 3/4 pill afternoon, 3/4 pill evening

Second  = 3/4 pill morning, 1/2 pill afternoon, 3/4 pill evening

Third    = 1/2 pill morning, 1/2 pill afternoon, 1/2 pill evening

Fourth  = 1/3 pill morning, 1/3 pill afternoon, 1/3 pill evening (this is current status)

 

So by this history my morning and night dosage went from 3/4's of a pill down to 1/3 of a pill over 2 weeks. Maybe a possible solution to not going to a full updose would be to get back to front loading in the morning a bit to get my day going. Get the day going well in hopes that that positive energy/feelings can carry me through my slightly smaller afternoon and evening dose."

 

So my question is, has any one learned if changing the intra-day dosing led to positive affects? So still taking multiple doses per day but maybe front loading it or whatever.

 

Thoughts?

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Powerball, Thanks for checking in!  Good news about the tapering- you are almost to 0 Ativan!  So sorry to hear about the hypomania, I hope your medis start helping soon.

 

April, I have successfully done what you describe- taken more of my total daily dose in the morning when I didn't feel good. It seems to help and I  still do it occasionally.  I have also felt sick after too big or fast of a cut back in the beginning of my taper. I followed the standard advice- holding until the wave passed and then slowing down considerably. It did take a while before I finally stabilized after going too quickly. I used the time while I was holding to learn about and prepare to start DLMT, daily liquid micro tapering.  Hang in there!  Slow down and the wave will pass.

 

Wishing you Sunshine and Peace (of mind and body) Everyone,

 

Luey

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Good day all! I cannot recall the last time I did a day post First., Beauty, how do you get the liquid Xanax? I am on 1 mg and I will have to do a micro taper. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT I AM AT 0.05mg of my poison. It has take me from 4mg to my current dose in 13 1/2 months. I have been 95% symptom free for a long time. Rarely do I still have a very short bit of nausea, I AM NOT JUMPIMNG! I am going to start taking photographs of my cuts so I jump at approximately 0.01mg or something like that. My sleep consolidation has been at 100%. But I attribute that to upping my dose slightly of my divalproex which has been a godsend, but divalproex, at least that is not a benzo.  I now take it right before bed. Is my dose a placebo effect? Who knows? Practically every one here has found the Ashton Method too aggressive. I could never have done it. Come on Luey, mate (can I call you mate). We began together here . You can do it! To all my Ativan friends here, it was not easy. Be kind to yourself. I up-dosed many times over this journey, but except for one time, they were only micro doses. My last piece of advice is MEDIATE the stress. Often when I got too stressed, that is when ZAM! Have a good day all. No silly stuff outside. Powerball
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Hey Powerball, I’m so proud of your .05!! I don’t take liquid Xanax, so I can’t speak to that. I’m on the  Lorazepam and working on making my own water suspension of that. I’ve seen resources here and on YouTube about making your own, and you can also check with a local compounding pharmacy about making a liquid for you. You’ll need a special prescription from your doc and, from what I hear, it can be more expensive.

 

How’s everyone today? I’m doing mostly well, but I feel a little bit air hungry yesterday and today. It’s a symptom I had right in the beginning, when I had interdose withdrawal but didn’t know it. It brings with it a fresh anxiety, so I’m trying to distract myself from it. I haven’t made a new cut...just dealing with plain ol’ taper withdrawal symptoms I guess.

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Powerball,  Good job mate!  We've been here together since you joined back in March of 2019.  I think the person who has been here longer than us is Lisa.  I'm looking forward to your report of .01mg- almost there.  Might you stay with us as you taper the Xanax?

 

Beauty, It sounds like you are doing a good job distracting yourself and finding some acceptance. It takes a while but is nice when you're able to put the taper in the background.

 

I have good news about my taper.  I reached .75mg today (down from 6mg at the beginning of 2019). 

 

By some miracle I continue to be mainly symptom free.  I am disciplined about regular outdoor exercise, low inflammation diet, minimizing stress, regular bedtime etc. I have no doubt these things make me feel better.

 

Thanks to everyone for the mutual support.  I hope you're having a peaceful Sunday,

 

Luey

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Powerball,  Good job mate!  We've been here together since you joined back in March of 2019.  I think the person who has been here longer than us is Lisa.  I'm looking forward to your report of .01mg- almost there.  Might you stay with us as you taper the Xanax?

 

Beauty, It sounds like you are doing a good job distracting yourself and finding some acceptance. It takes a while but is nice when you're able to put the taper in the background.

 

I have good news about my taper.  I reached .75mg today (down from 6mg at the beginning of 2019). 

 

By some miracle I continue to be mainly symptom free.  I am disciplined about regular outdoor exercise, low inflammation diet, minimizing stress, regular bedtime etc. I have no doubt these things make me feel better.

 

Thanks to everyone for the mutual support.  I hope you're having a peaceful Sunday,

 

Luey

 

If you want, I can send a 1, 3 and 5 year old to your house to spice it up since it seems like its too calm for you ;)

 

Today has been AWESOME. Woke up feeling really well and have been that way all day. Much needed after a rough patch. Very very thankful for these good days when they come.

 

 

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Luey, what outdoor exercise is part of your daily routine? I'm having a bit of trouble trying to find the sweet spot of not too much but not too little exercise.
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Hi April,

 

My main activity is hiking that I do at least a couple times a week.  Recently I've been gardening on a couple of the other days.  I had to build up my strength and stamina over a long period of time in order not to make myself feel worse from exercise fatigue.  At first I'd walk for an hour or so on flat trails which I did for about four months. 

 

I remember a year ago having fears about going uphill.  I feel so much stronger now and can go for longer hikes, mainly uphill to get more of an aerobic workout.  If I'm feeling even slightly off- as soon as I start hiking I feel better. The beauty of nature never fails me.  Having weekly dates with hiking buddies helps with the motivation. I do also take rest days.

 

I hope you (and everyone!) find the right balance and activities that help you feel better. 

 

Good night,

 

Luey

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Hi April,

 

My main activity is hiking that I do at least a couple times a week.  Recently I've been gardening on a couple of the other days.  I had to build up my strength and stamina over a long period of time in order not to make myself feel worse from exercise fatigue.  At first I'd walk for an hour or so on flat trails which I did for about four months. 

 

I remember a year ago having fears about going uphill.  I feel so much stronger now and can go for longer hikes, mainly uphill to get more of an aerobic workout.  If I'm feeling even slightly off- as soon as I start hiking I feel better. The beauty of nature never fails me.  Having weekly dates with hiking buddies helps with the motivation. I do also take rest days.

 

I hope you (and everyone!) find the right balance and activities that help you feel better. 

 

Good night,

 

Luey

 

Thank you for the insight Luey! I've been meaning to get out to the local state parks to do some hiking...now I just need to make it happen. 

 

Funny story on this subject, so I'm having a really good day today and we had some neighbors and their younger kids stop over which was pleasant. I had just bought a new bike (at the recommendation from this particular family) and told the 9 year old son that I could beat him in a race around the park in front of our house (he had his bike with). He took me up on the challenge. Never in my life have I hit fatigue/out of breath so quickly..it was embarrassing lol. I went full speed off the starting line and hit complete fatigue in under 1 minute. I literally crossed the finish line sitting on the bike and trying to get my legs to work.

 

So just in case anyone is wondering what "too much" is if you are completely out of shape, that is it. Ha!

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Everyone has been so good to me here.  Right before I came here I had very bad functional diarrhea. Look it up. There is actually an ICD code for it but little is known about it. It took them 7 months to diagnose me. Zilch. I was very distraught. It actually took an allergist who did his residency at the Mayo Clinic. He said "GI is not my area but you might have  X." It changed life in 2 days. I then had 4mg of Ativan to get off.  Nobody could help me but here. I am crying too much right now. Tomorrow is day #1 at 0.03 mg. I discovered my scale can go that far with some patience. It looks that it cannot go any further. GN PB.
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Powerball

You are so close ! Congratulations for beating this .

So very 😊 happy  for you .

I am at 0.15 and have some symptoms but just going to continue . I don’t take any other medications so this will be it for me .

Wish everyone happy days ahead .

Thinking of everyone

Best Lisa

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Powerball!  .03 must be a tiny speck of dust.  You are there mate- let us know when it's officially zero so we can celebrate!

 

Tech, You have remarkable patience and perseverance.  I admire you!

 

Committed, How are you doing? Please check in with an update about you. I hope you're doing well.

 

April, Beauty and All,  I hope you are having many good moments and days!

 

Keep on taking good care and doing your best Everybody,

 

Luey

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To all:

I just did my first night at 0.02mg. My scale has great difficulty getting down there but I have already cut my dose for tonight. It is CRAZY GOOD that my Gemini-20 scale can go that low, but that is it. There is no 0.01mg. I have camera shots about what the rest looks like: 0.02mg for 2 more nights, then three nights at 0.010mg as best I can judge it and then... I will come back if I get one night on the other side. I take nothing for granted and thus my micro taper down 0.01mg on the 4Th night.

 

Tech you are almost there too! I suggest the micro taper going down to preserve sleep.

 

Beauty, thanks for the YouTube advice on this taper. Why didn't I think about this? I think I will start in about 2 weeks . Good afternoon all to this weekend holiday. It is rainy in Brooklyn. I do like a light rainy day every once in a while. Two cats, Mandy and Patrick, love sitting in the window. Powerball.   

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Hello,

 

I'm on lorazepam at 0.50 three times a day; 10, 4, and 9 p.m.  I want to start tapering off but I'm lost in all the instructions throughout this forum. Overwhelmed. How and where do I even start?  I have ordered a mg scale so hoping to use the cut method.  Any help would be appreciated!

 

 

tbnatural

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Powerball!!!! Look at you go! Thrilled for you, brother.

 

Welcome, Natural! Read thru our thread and you’ll see lots of great taper strategies and advice. Just a few months ago, April10th and I were exactly where you are...realizing we needed off after short term use and needing help. I’ve done a dry taper using the Gemini scale to this point...I keep flirting with switching to liquid bc the abrupt cuts (even tiny ones) aren’t very gentle on my system. Others tolerate them fine as long as the taper speed and amount is slow enough and low enough. Everyone is different, and you’re about to become a pro at listening to your body.

 

Let us know how we can help you! It’s all going to be okay!

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Hi friends, I’m doing mostly well, but I have a new symptom this week. Nausea. It came on a few days after cutting below .4. I see many of you have struggled with this in your past posts - I’ll take any advice. I eat a fairly clean diet, no alcohol, no real supplements except occasional 1mg melatonin, hydrating well throughout the day. 🤢
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Hi Beauty, 

 

So sorry to hear about your nausea; that was my #1 worst symptom for the first few months of tapering and I didn't find any cures on the forum.  The only thing that really helped get rid of it was slowing down.  Meanwhile, eating a bland but healthy diet, resting, walking/fresh air, sipping warm lemon water and mint tea helped at least a little bit.  Hang in there as your body adjusts to the new amount.

 

Luey

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I'm on lorazepam at 0.50 three times a day; 10, 4, and 9 p.m.  I want to start tapering off but I'm lost in all the instructions throughout this forum. Overwhelmed. How and where do I even start?  I have ordered a mg scale so hoping to use the cut method.  Any help would be appreciated!

tbnatural

 

Hi tbnatural,

 

I know how overwhelming the instructions for tapering can be when first starting.  It took me a long time to study and figure it out.  Here is a computer app. by Jim Hawk, a BB member.  I found his "Readme first" sections particularly helpful in getting an overview.  I'm doing liquid tapering, but others here are doing dry cutting w/ a scale and they might be able to help. 

 

http://benzo.alwaysdata.net 

 

Once I practiced and got into a daily rhythm it has become routine.  I learned to do my own calculations but now rarely think about percentages.

 

Congratulations for coming here and taking the first steps. You're in good company.

 

Luey

 

 

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Happy Memorial Day everyone. I've been a bit quiet for a week because, well, this last cut seemed to go pretty smoothly. Mental state has been pretty good. I'm getting a bit sick of the relentless tinnitus but at the same time would much prefer that sx over some of the other nasty ones so it could be a lot worse. Probably going to step into next cut from current .425>.361 tomorrow. These 15-18% cuts each week seem to be the sweet spot. Crossing my fingers that stays the same all the way to the end.

 

tbnatural - I responded to your PM a few days ago but haven't heard back. Hoping you are OK. Please post up to let us know how you are doing.

 

Hope everyone has a great day with their famiiles!

 

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Powerball, Beauty, Luey, Tech & April

 

You are all an inspiration!  I seem so far behind all of you.

I switched to a liquid from a compound pharmacy on Saturday. It has made a difference.  On the pill I was getting very sick right after each dose for an hour or two. Pharmacist thinks it was possibly a bi-product in the generic pill I had switched to.

 

The pharmacist was so knowledgeable about Benzo withdrawal and Ativan. Very familiar with Ashton Manual. She spent 45 min with my husband and I. She looked at my dosing schedule, asked about my sleep and said "I want you to go home and start on the liquid immediately at  .3, .3 and .2. and try to get these doses evened out and up the night. You need to sleep. (The times are 6-2-10 and the doses were .325, .325 and .18  I could not take more at night as I would get very sick.)

 

She offered her card and said to call her with any questions or suggestions.

 

I was able to not only even out but go down a bit.  So far I am not getting the sickness after dosing. Yesterday was a good day!

This morning was a bit rough but not unbearable. Mornings are always my rough time. I do seem to be getting better sleep.

 

I am going to hold here again and hope that things get a bit smoother from here.

 

 

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Welcome, JuJuBi! How lucky to have such a knowledgeable, wonderful pharmacist! I hope the liquid brings the comfort and stability you need to proceed with your taper. I’m so glad you’ve joined our happy little Lorazepam group...there aren’t many of us on this drug (I’m assuming bc many crossover), but everyone has been so kind and helpful. It feels like exactly 5 seconds ago that I was on your dosage, so rest assured, you’ll be where I am, and then where Powerball (that rockstar!!) is, in no time at all.

 

How are you feeling on the liquid so far? Better? I had a weird reaction to a generic I was put on too - it made me sick and gave me the strangest chemical depression. As soon as I got back on my old brand, it lifted right up.

 

Look around, and please let us all know how you’re doing!

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This is only day 3 but so far I seem to be handling it much better.  And losing the stress of pill cutting is a blessing.

I think I am getting better about accepting this process.

 

Since I work full time I suspect I will have to take this very slow and steady.  I will be able to work from home I am sure at least through July.  I haven't talked to too many folks on here that worked through their whole taper.  A few.  Any of this group work full time?

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JujuBi

 

So glad you have found a taper that works , that is half the battle .

I would go slow at first for sure .

I am very sensitive to even the smallest drop . I have been here over a year and I am almost done,

It has not been easy but you can do it .

My sleep was severely affected . I did work part time.

Best lisa

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Hi JujuBi,

 

That's so good you were able to get liquid Ativan and have such a helpful pharmacist.  We all have such different histories and tapers- good you are finding your own best way and listening to your body.

 

I have great respect for people who work and/or have young kids and other responsibilities while tapering.  I hope your work isn't too stressful.  Some of our group members have very demanding jobs.

 

I am very close to the same amount as you right now, but I have a much longer history of use and starting amount.  I began tapering from the high dose of 6mg 17 months ago!  I can hardly believe I am finally below 1mg. and have doing well for the last 8 months. I'm still taking it very slow and steady as I don't want to have problems like I did in the beginning.  I'm also doing DLMT, daily liquid micro tapering, but making my own solution. I try to put the tapering in the background as much as possible.  As Builder, a member who helped many BBs with DLMT said, "hopefully it will become a habit like brushing your teeth."  Gratefully it has become like that for me.

 

Sending greetings and good thoughts to all,

 

Luey

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Luey,

 

You have come such a long way and are getting so close! Acceptance was hard for me at first but I am settling in.  I have the support of my hubby, my daughter, a doctor agreeing to let me take my time and now a good pharmacist.  I need to count the blessings. Finding the group in this thread is great.  I like to keep things more on the positive. Working from home has been very manageable, even through some brutal times early on. I can stay remote for at least another month.  So I am not thinking past that just going with today. 

 

Now that I don't get sick every time I take a pill it is getting like just part of my routine. My support system wants me to hold here until mid June. I have since convinced them that I will be taking another drop June 5th.

 

Do most do daily taper of low doses or drops every week- 2 weeks?

 

For now I am trying week to 2 weeks and see how it goes.  Letting my body steer. I took some pretty big cuts in the beginning but this last smaller one was not bad at all.

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