Benzos Ativan for the first time

[wormraper]

someone I know got prescribed Ativan for the very first time (0.5 mg pills) for a panic attack series after a death in the family. Well, this person is PARANOID about the addictability of benzos, so he took two of the pills (once per day) and then decided to NOT go with something as hardcore as benzos (last dose today). Will he have any withdrawals or rebound symptoms off those small doses? He knows that benzos are pretty common, but has heard so many horror stories about how ridiculously addicting stuff like Ativan is (short acting benzo at that) and gets a little paranoid even on just a day or so. Sorry if this seems stupid to some people, this guy just doesn't want to get hooked on benzos as they scare the piss out of him

 

[ovo1024]

Imo the whole thing with benzos is overrated. Yes some people do become physically addicted. But 0.5mg twice a day of Lorazepam isn't much. Relax dude.

 

[wormraper]

thanks. he just spent a while researching and kept seeing horror story after horror story of them being "insanely addictive" and didn't want to go down that road. Worrying about IF the Ativan could make things worse when coming off made the anxiety even WORSE lol. right now a little green herb (hint hint) seems to be doing the trick

 

[Hodor]

Benzo addiction is a significant problem if they are used in high doses for extended amounts of time.

When doctors are carelessly starting people off on 2mg of xanax or klonopin per day, then that is problematic, yes.

However, 1 mg of ativan per day is a modest, perfectly therapeutic dose, being approximately equivalent to .5 mg of xanax.

That said, should your anxiety persist, it would be a good idea to look into non-recreational meds (ex.: antidepressants, quetiapine, pregabalin...) instead of simply asking for a dose increase of ativan... and of course you might want to consider psychotherapy.

But as I said, if you stick to a low dose and try to take it only on an as-needed basis, 1 mg of ativan is nothing to be worried about.
I see some psychiatrists nowadays are trying to completely avoid benzos whenever possible, starting acutely anxious people off on antidepressants and atypical antipsychotics straight away, without a benzo to smooth things out in the ~2 weeks it takes for the antidepressant to take effect.

People like to compare benzos to a crutch, and I'd say that is an apt metaphor - you should obviously try to avoid leaning on a crutch for the rest of your life, but if you were recently involved in a traffic accident, you might need that crutch to even be able to get your ass to physical therapy... same with benzos and an acute psychological crisis.

 

[Rafayte]

Ativan is lorazepam, a short duration benzo which is used for anxiety as well as for insomnia. To develop a dependence you must take active doses daily during three weeks and so the adicction is soft. I was on lorazepam in the past and I toke 5mg lorazepam tablets three times daily, so I toke 15mg daily and even so it was too soft for me. 0'5mg of Ativan is a very low potent benzo intake. Your friend mustn't be worried because even developing adicction the doctor will withdraw it slowly and he won't have troubles. He must take the Ativan because he needs it for panic attacks and pay attention to the doctor and not to he is told.

 

[Sertürner]

They have 5mg lorazepam tabs? I've never heard of them in my country, just the .5, 1, and 2mgs. 15mgs of Ativan is definitely quite a high dose though.

 

[Jekyl Anhydride]

They have 5mg lorazepam tabs? I've never heard of them in my country, just the .5, 1, and 2mgs. 15mgs of Ativan is definitely quite a high dose though.

I think he was mistaken as 2mg is the largest size in the states.

 

[Sertürner]

I did a little research and found that there are 4mg/ml ampoules but no 5mg pills. Yeah must've been a typo. I take 1mg alprazolam 3x daily. It took quite a few months at this dose to begin to feel withdrawal symptoms at all. I wouldn't worry about it too much OP. With the doses you are taking and the frequencey of which you take them make your chances of developing physical dependence very very low. You should be in the clear. One thing I do know is that if I overthink the drugs I take then they don't do their job correctly, i.e. if I worry about how much my vyvanse might raise my anxiety, then it will increase it. So in the same sense, if you are getting anxious about your anxiety meds, they probably won't work as well and possibly cause some paradoxical effects. Where your mind is at plays a big part in the effects of drugs.

 

[Lorne???]

Lorazepam is an intermediate acting benzodiazepine with a delayed peak, and medium duration, no active metabolites

And you can say it is you, not a "friend"
or friend of one...

Unless it is a friend!

1mg Ativan is like 0.25-.5 chronic Clonazepam, or 5-10mg Valium; don't worry too much; Sorry for personal problems