Need help to taper off Lorazepam

I don't know for sure what my stable dose of lorazepam is, but I usually take 3 1/2 to 4 mg per day of the 0.5 tablet.  With the approval of my doctor, I have taken as much a 5 mg per day but not too often.  So where do I go from here?  I appreciate any help you can give me.

 

Paul

Are you on one dose more then the other? What dose makes you feel ok? I'm not an expert so I cant really give you advice on this but if you feel ok on 3.5mg why dont you try to stay on that for 1-2 weeks and then start a taper? Or if you want to start at 4mg and start at that that's fine too. Whatever you think is best for you.

Paul,

 

To taper off, you should first stabilize at a particular dose. Once you are doing this consistently, and without too many ill-effects, you should aim to makes cuts of no more than about 10% of your total daily dose. If, for example, you are taking 5 mg per day your first reduction would be .50mg. Stay at this dose for AT LEAST a week or maybe two. When you feel reasonably recovered from this cut. You will continue to make similar cuts.

 

If dry cutting becomes or is too uncomfortable, you can use titration which involves removing a minute amount from a liquid mixture every day. Another way is to cross over to valium which is a longer acting benzo and minimizes the w/d symptoms during tapering. Someone with more expertise should be along to help you further and feel free to ask more questions.

 

Hang in there!

 

T2

 

Hi Paul,

 

I answered you on your other thread!  I think 4mg if that is what you feel best on but ck out the other thread.  Whatever you decide will be fine.  As long as you are comfortable, that is what's important!

Hi, Paul

 

I'm so sorry you've been affected by these terrible drugs, but delighted you've found your way to this site, with a view of freeing yourself from their grasp.

 

Paul, are you familiar with The Ashton Manual? The author, Professor Heather Ashton has worked tirelessly with people just like you and me to find the safest and easiest way to taper from these drugs. Her work is awe inspiring. Maybe you can check it out, absorb some of what she says and then come back and discuss a taper schedule with Colin, who is the administrator of this site. Also, it would help to discuss with your doctor the possibility of making a crossover from Ativan to Valium/Diazepam. This (as you will see from the Ashton protocol) is the tried and tested method of withdrawing from this poison.

 

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzsched.htm

I'm sure that you are finding this very frightening and bewildering at the moment, but please don't be dissheartened, there IS a way out and I promise that it is worth it to rid your body of these dreadful drugs.

 

My best to you

 

Marnie 

Here's a question I have on stabilizing my dose.  I have tolerance withdrawal symptoms on 3 mg.  If I increase to a higher dose of 3 1/2 to 4 mg, it will help the withdrawal symptoms somewhat, but then the higher dose will make me feel sleepy and fatigue.  So would the higher dose be considered the "stabilized" dose even though you have the side effects of sleepiness and fatigue?  I am just trying to figure out what dose to stabilize on before I start the taper.

 

Thanks,

Paul

Hi Paul,

 

Which does do you feel better on right now?  That is the one you should stabilize on.  It's important that you pick one and stay with it, once you start your taper you should stick with the taper schedule and not vary on the doses.  It will make the symptoms worse.

 

Good luck!

tropicalsoul

If you feel good on 3.5mg go on that and stabilize. There's no need to go higher then you need to. But it;s up to you. Just make sure whatever dose you go on to not yo yo. Stay on the dose consistently for atleast 7 days before starting you taper.

Amanda

Hi Paul,

 

All I mean by 'stabilising your dose' is that you do not change your dose from day-to-day. Additionally, you should take your pills at set times. Once you are in a stable routine, then start a sensible taper.

 

If you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms because you have become tolerant of your dose, there is absolutely no sense in upping your dose if you are looking to quit benzos. Yes, increasing your dose may give you relief from the withdrawal symptoms due to tolerance, but you are tolerant of the lower dose, so you will have to taper down through this dose anyway (you will experience similar symptoms again). By increasing your dose, you are highly likely to become tolerant of the new dose, and again experience withdrawal-type effects, but you are now dependent on a higher dose. Stabilise at a sensible dose, then taper off! There is no magic solution to 'tolerance withdrawal', or withdrawal symptoms in general.

 

If you are instead experiencing withdrawal effects because of some recent overzealous cuts to your dose, then a reversal or partial reversal of your recent cuts might be called for. This, however, does not appear to be the situation you describe. Do not confuse short-term relief for a solution.

I'm starting to understand now when the doctor gave me the lorazepam the prescription said to take 1 to 2, 0.5 tablets, 3 to 4 x daily as needed, which was what I was doing.  It turns out to be what Amanda described as yo-yoing.  When I think about how I've been taking it, it seems like each day I was taking a different dosage.  Thanks, that helps a lot.  Has anyone else taken it like this when the doctor says "as needed"?

 

Paul

 

Paul, that's how my dr. prescribed it to me, too.  Not the best advice, is it?  But I think it's very common for the drs. to do it that way....

ALL presciptions read that way, your not the lone ranger when it comes to this directive.

Bobers

Hi paul

 

i did the samething you did.  i have 1 mg. and i was taking anwhere from 1/2  to 4  aday.  Last week i started taking my orignal dosage 2 mg aday. and i feel so much better , i think that stabeling the dosage is important.  I start tapering tomorrow where i  will be taking 1 1/2 aday.

 

best of luck to you

huggs

carol

Hello!

      I have tapered down from .5 mg. lorazepam every ten hours, to .35 mg. every ten hours. I have not been able to get past this dose after several tries without destabilizing into extremely unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. I want to proceed with my taper. It's on hold at this .35 mg. dose, where I am somewhat stable. I am ready to start my titration now. Obviously the Titration is the way for me to go now. Right now more than anything in this world is to get off this horrible drug. I need to know how best to do this. Thank you so much for this site and for your help.

Seven1 

Hi Seven,

 

Why not start a thread on the titration board, and we will try to help you. Please be a little more specific about you dose - are you taking it twice a day; how much do you take with each dose; how long have you been at 0.5mg and 0.35mg?

Hello!

    I am taking .35 mg. every 10 hours. Sometimes it's twice day, sometimes three times a day. It's like this: I take a .35 mg. dose at 11 am then again at 9 pm followed by the next dose at 7 am. It keeps repeating to 5 pm, 3 am, 1 pm, 11 pm, 9 am, etc. I originally started at a 1. mg. dose one time a day, but only took it occasionally, sometimes only twice a week. after taking it for a few months I decided to stop taking it. I was unaware I couldn't just stop taking it. After 10 days I began to experience severe withdrawal symptoms. My idiot doctor prescribed lorazepam to me for insomnia, which I only had occasionally and it wasn't because I couldn't sleep, but because I had pain in my legs, I know now that were caused by high acidity. I began  Dec. 5, 2007 taking .5 mg every 12 hours, but it didn't stabilize me. So I began taking it every 10 hours and that worked. I have tapered it down to .35 mg. and have been at .35 mg since Feb. 20, 2008. I haven't been able to get past this dose without experiencing some harsh symptoms. How should I proceed?

Seven1

Hi Seven1,

 

I am sorry I don't quite understand what you are currently taking. Are you currently taking .35 once or twice a day? What size pills do you have? How are you managing to cut your dose to .35?

 

 

T2

As I calculate it, that comes to 1.19 mg per day.

Hello!

      I take a .35 mg. dose of lorazepam every 10 hours. I am using .5 mg. pills of lorazepam. I have been cutting them using a large razor blade. I have this really cool magnifying desk lamp that lets me get really close. From my calculations at the amount I am cutting from each pill results in approximately .35 mg. This is where I currently am in my taper.

Hi Seven1,

 

Sounds like you are really good at shaving pills. You might want to just shave off a little more off one of your doses (leave the other two .35), then wait a week or two, shave a little more off one of the two other doses, wait a week or two, the shave off a little on the third dose, wait a week or two and start all over again. Does this makes sense to you? It would have been better if you were taking it just 3 times a day at every 8 hours and start from there if that is possible. You would take .35 at waking, .35 8 hours later and then .35 at bedtime and then start the slow shaving on only one dose at a time and wait at least a week or two if needed. 

 

 

T2

Hello!

    I tried doing that several times in different ways and different lengths of time. This didn't work for me. I immediately began to have unpleasant to severe withdrawals. Titration seems to be the way to go now, so I can make minute cuts that won't cause me too much difficulty. Thank You, Seven1

Seven1,

 

If you haven't already, go to the titration tapers and make the request there. You need to be specific of what you are currently taking, what size tablets you have, what percentage a week you want to reduce by (usually recommend 10% over 7-14 days) and acquire a 100ml cylinder.

 

 

T2