Benzo help

[outside_upside]

So I have a 50/50 chance of cancer recurrence and I have an MRI coming up. I have severe claustrophobia so I was given a single Ativan tablet to take (1mg). Im super familiar with opiates but Benzos are new to me. Will this be enough to keep me from ripping out my IV and running? I have a high tolerance to most things and I?m already anxious ?

 

[opamorph]

If you have not used benzodiazepines before you need not to worry about being tolerant. There is no cross tolerance between benzos and opiates given that they act in completely different ways.

1mg is more then enough, in fact half the tablet (0.5mg) could suffice, with the dose being equivalent to 10mg diazepam. Lorazepam/Ativan is quite the potent benzo, unlike diazepam which is quite lipid soluble meaning it absorbs more quickly and can somewhat act faster (15minutes vs 15-30minutes for ativan) it's widely distributed in the body so its peak effect is shorter and you might need a repeated dose to sustain it despite its long half life. Unlike Ativan which is due to its poor lipid solubility is mainly confined to the blood vascular system which mean its peak effect will generally last longer.

Take the tablet on the morning of your visit and/or as your doctor/pharmacist prescribed, and its anxiolytic sedative effect should help with your claustrophobia. Of course if your phobia is as severe as you describe you could experience a degree of anxiety albeit to a less severe extent with the help of the drug

 

[fairnymph]

^^^Good info, all correct, though I think 1mg should be perfect. I'm also hard headed & 1mg Ativan is my go-to for my fortunately very rare panic attacks & job interviews. It completely negates all my anxiety without any other effects. I hope you respond similarly & the experience isn't too bad. 0.5mg for me just doesn't work; 1mg is the minimal threshold, & I don't need higher than usual doses of benzos as I do many other drugs, such as opiates.

I'm guessing you've had MRIs before, but if not, I have a bit of claustrophobia, particularly re tight tunnels (like crawling/squeezing through a rolled up rug as a kid), & I find MRIs are quite tolerable, I think bc I'm not completely enclosed or restrained. Hopefully that might help you too.

 

[outside_upside]

I have had sooo many imaging tests but it wasnt until after chemo that I became claustrophobic. I dunno why. Something just kinda changed in my brain and now I cant do it anymore. I have taken Benzos before (Xanax and Valium) but it has been so long I don?t even remember what they feel like lol. Ugh wish me luck. The stress of the unknown is getting me down hard and the pain where the mass is hurts a lot and is being under managed by my pain doc so Im struggling. Thanks so much for the info!

 

[Freedome]

Keep ya mind off it leading up to it mate.

The ativan will help tremendously.

I was shitting myself before shoulder surgery, started sweating, the anethetist saw me worried and said ?looks like it?s time for gin and tonic? with a smile. ?Here you go, I?m going to put an injection in, ever heard of midazolam??

I grinned before he?d even stuck it in, I knew I?d be in a more accepting place mindfully after that, I think my arm could have been cut off and I?d just be looking at it like ?huh, there?s me atm, oh well, what?s on tomorrow...??

midazolam and ativan are both benzos

 

[Keif' Richards]

I'm not going to bullshit. I'm on knife's edge here, as I don't want to cause you unnecessary anxiety, but I also don't want you to, as you said, "rip out your IV". 1mg Lorazepam (Ativan) is simply not a very large dose for anyone. If you do have an innately high tolerance, then it will likely not be enough to actually allow you to tolerate the procedure. You need to ask them to double the dosage and prepare yourself with meditation/breathing exercises or whatever else works for you.

In short, I don't think that this amount of Benzodiazepine will be large enough to prevent a negative event a result of your anxiety. I just don't think it will work and that's my honest opinion. So long as you're not rude or visibly addicted to drugs, I believe it's a relatively reasonable request. This help?