Mental Health Is it tolerance, or "more-severe" panic attacks? Lorazepam not working at usual dose, suddenly

[DeadChristmas69]

Howdy,

I'm having either increasingly severe panic attacks, or worse, the dire issue of benzo tolerance, and on that note, it's happening way too fast. I've been rx'd in the past 1 mg daily of lorazepam for a long time. Bad sign is that I can't recall how long for, and what my usage was.

I can count on one hand the number of times I've taken more than two mg in one day. I can still feel the effects of just one mg, but if I'm having an attack, not even two can restore me like it used to, and that "used to" was just a couple days ago. That point, I'm still trying to not cry, and the physical symptoms are still present, but I'm functional. Three or 3.5 will usually stop an attack. Four will put me into a way-past drunk mode that feels awesome, but I so frequently cut it close on having any left or running out early even with 60 mg being given for a 30 day period.

I know a lot of this looks like low-level bartard, but the weird twist is that I *can* go days without taking any, provided I have a good amount left. Just seeing that big pile still being in my bottle provides a ton of relief.

Does having tolerance indicate that there will be withdrawal?

Any other perspective into this situation is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

 

[poisongirl]

For context: I've taken Klonopin (clonazepam) for a really long time for anxiety/insomnia. I personally didn't have a lot of issues stopping when I did, but I believe it was solely because I really didn't need it anymore from a psychological standpoint. Sometimes I'll still take benzos for insomnia and performance anxiety (work-related). I'm currently rx'd .5mg lorazepam.

Some questions so I can try to understand things better:
1. What triggered you to starting to take benzos? Was it a long time ago like 10 years? More or less than 5?
2. Is Lorazepam the only medicine you take?
3. Could there be any other factors that would make your anxiety and panic attacks worse?
4. Do you take it for rec value?

I've built up a tolerance over the years, but I personally didn't have withdrawal syndrome to the medication per se. What did happen, though, was that I took it to cope with the shitty daily life situations I couldn't escape from at the time. I also took it for sleep, and so when I ran out I'd have a lot of trouble sleeping and that made it very hard for me to keep daily life going smoothly. Once I moved out and had a more peaceful daily life, I felt like I needed it less and less.

I feel like from what you've written and what you may answer, it could be a few things:

1. Something happened in your life that is making you feel more anxious, and now you need a higher dose.
2. You have a benzo dependence that is not purely pharmacological.

It could be that you're building up a tolerance, in fact I'd find it hard for you not to be. In any case, I highly recommend talking to your psychiatrist about it as soon as possible.

I also highly recommend seeking a professional for psychotherapy if you aren't seeing someone yet.

 

[DeadChristmas69]

For context: I've taken Klonopin (clonazepam) for a really long time for anxiety/insomnia. I personally didn't have a lot of issues stopping when I did, but I believe it was solely because I really didn't need it anymore from a psychological standpoint. Sometimes I'll still take benzos for insomnia and performance anxiety (work-related). I'm currently rx'd .5mg lorazepam.

Some questions so I can try to understand things better:
1. What triggered you to starting to take benzos? Was it a long time ago like 10 years? More or less than 5?
2. Is Lorazepam the only medicine you take?
3. Could there be any other factors that would make your anxiety and panic attacks worse?
4. Do you take it for rec value?

I've built up a tolerance over the years, but I personally didn't have withdrawal syndrome to the medication per se. What did happen, though, was that I took it to cope with the shitty daily life situations I couldn't escape from at the time. I also took it for sleep, and so when I ran out I'd have a lot of trouble sleeping and that made it very hard for me to keep daily life going smoothly. Once I moved out and had a more peaceful daily life, I felt like I needed it less and less.

I feel like from what you've written and what you may answer, it could be a few things:

1. Something happened in your life that is making you feel more anxious, and now you need a higher dose.
2. You have a benzo dependence that is not purely pharmacological.

It could be that you're building up a tolerance, in fact I'd find it hard for you not to be. In any case, I highly recommend talking to your psychiatrist about it as soon as possible.

I also highly recommend seeking a professional for psychotherapy if you aren't seeing someone yet.

Howdy, and thanks for responding.

I've been suffering from intense panic attacks and severe, disabling anxiety that would last for weeks after the initial attack. This has been going on since I was five, and generally happened on an annual basis.

I'm now taking klonopin, 1 mg, instead of ativan as of today. It works a lot better. I also take lamotrigine.

I don't have a particularly stressful life. I have an occasionally abusive family member, but it's rare these days.

I take it for recreational value in the sense that if I'm having a bad day, I'll take one. I've tried to use it daily as a means of trying to pursue artistic endeavors like writing. The ativan only ever let that happen once in a blue moon, but I could've gave myself 101 different excuses to have one every day. I mostly take them out of boredom from work. I stand in front of a machine all day and watch it work.

I'm scheduled to start seeing a therapist for...a lot of things that could use a lot of help.

 

[poisongirl]

Heck yeah, I'm happy it's working out for you.

I recently did the switch the opposite way that you did. I took Klonopin, doc started me on Ativan.

Klonopin was always great for me, and now Ativan is sucking for me... I took Clonazepam for a really long time. I know you're not supposed to, but it helped me a lot, and I never felt any withdrawal.

And yeah, in my experience, going to a therapist helped me find better ways to cope with anxiety, identify the panic attacks before they happened, and then eventually why I was having them. Sadly, I started having them again in adult life because of work...

Anyways, I hope you feel more safe now with Klonopin. When I took Lamotrigine it messed up my cognitive skills and memory a lot, so I eventually stopped. Hope it works out for you!

 

[DeadChristmas69]

Why would your doctor switch you to ativan when the kpins worked so well?

My tolerance is clear, as I can take it for mild-severe anxiety, but I fear even two mg won't stop a panic attack. I have yet to try that though, and fortunately, true panic attacks are rare.

Lamotrigine 400 mg is definitely screwing up my memory, too. Sorry to hear you're having the same issue. I have to write down everything on post-its lest I forget.

 

[poisongirl]

I had my follow up with him today. He told me it was because Klonopin has a really long half-life, so I'd stay under the effects for the entire day. Lorazepam has a shorter duration and is easier to get off, apparently, so he preferred that, although I did tell him I never had any WD.

I didn't get any chest pain or anything today, but I did sleep for 9 hours with the Trazodone...

When I took Lamotrigine it was only a very small amount (100 -> 50mg) but it still messed up my brain a lot... It might have been a combination of things, though, since I took Prozac and Zoloft as well.

I told him that ideally I want my body.to be naturally healthy, without any medicine, so I'd like to avoid medicine that alters my mood. Even for my work anxiety, I think therapy will help more, and hopefully in the future I can get to sleep and have no anxiety without any medication. I think that's the dream, at least for me.

Therapy is amazing, if you've never done it. I've been going for over 6 years and it really helped me a lot in my recovery and pharmaceutical independence. I'm sure I'll be able to get there with time.

Hope you find your safety soon, friend.