Benzos Ativan sucks - tapering advice needed

[billybob4200]

I have done and been threw a lot in my life. I always use drugs off and on mostly drinking, I used to take oxy's morphine and loritabs a lot. But mostly recreational use but have had withdrawl's a few times off of them and it wasn't pleasant at all. I stayed away for awhile and just stuck to drinking occasionally and rarely taking anything.

Well this year I started getting panic attacks out of know where and if you ever had them on a daily basis they are horrible. So went to the hospital wouldn't do crap for me. I started to take Xanax every now and then and I notice the attacks would go away instantly but I also new there would be withdraws eventually so I stopped. well I went to a doctor and he prescribed me lorazepam and they worked well to, he prescribed 1mg 3 times daily so that's what I did, I had know idea or new anything about lorazepam also the doctor never informed me on withdraws or anything.

Did some research on the internet and found out more about Ativan. So everyone's like don't go cold turkey witch I was like yeah okay I've been threw withdraws from a lot of crap, so I figured a month of use wouldn't be so bad so I went two days without them and I won't to that again! I had horrible terrorizing syptom's.

So I ended up having to move my fiancé left me to go up north to visit her family and never came back. I cut tapered my dosage down to 1mg daily and I have been stuck here. I got a new N/P where I live now and she's threating to cut me off the Ativan if I don't start the paxil, So I am in the process of trying to get another doctor. Man this benzo crap isn't anything to play with it's horrible. I've been on them since Febuary and now I am down to 0.5mg twice a day dose anyone know how I can taper this low of a dose I can't seem to get any lower!

 

[PurpleKush1]

What kind of a dumbass doctor is that? Paxil wont do shit for panic attacks, so if its thats the reason she wants ot give it to you i wouldnt suggest taking it for anxiety.It will cause other problems. I would suggest like you said, getting another doctor. An understanding one that is. Sorry but she is a cunt if she wants to cut you off the ativan if your taking it daily, i guess logically the doctor should know its not a good idea to cut off someone benzos cold turker. As for tappering, try to taper of with diazepam, it has a longer half life so it will ease the wds. But man i really wish you to find another doctor, reading about doctors like that make me sick. THey love giving out antidepressants like candy dont they

 

[billybob4200]

Yeah man the first appointment I had with her she's like we don't like benzos here. And wrote me a script of paxil and Ativan then cut me a whole 0.5 off my Ativan witch I with threw hell for like to weeks to get my brain readjusted to the new dose. The second appointment she wouldn't even let me get a word in she kept saying you better start the paxil or I'll cut you off Ativan. And then I try to explain that I am still going to go threw benzo withdraw and shes like no you won't. She is dumber then hell and I really hope I can find another doctor. I got a appointment with her again on the 20th so I am just going to act like I am taking the AD so she will right me the Ativan to. that gives me another month to find a doctor!

 

[orgone]

It's common practice for someone to be prescribed a SSRI along with a benzo for anxiety. I don't really understand why you're so upset about combing the two. You're going to be hard pressed to find a modern psychiatrist that will just write you a benzos for GAD/panic disorder without some type of SSRI augmenting it. A lot of them even want you to be seeing someone actively for CBT as well. You should be careful with benzos, you already lost a loved one due to your condition in benzo WD and now risking it again.

Paroxetine (Paxil) is primarily used to treat the symptoms of major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD),[20] social phobia/social anxiety disorder,[21] and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).[22]
Paroxetine was the first antidepressant formally approved in the United States for the treatment of panic attacks.[23]

 

[billybob4200]

yeah I know that most doctors will refer you to trying AD with your benzo but when you force some one to try something they don't want and then threated to cut the off there benzo C/T. That's just plain evil and black mailing someone. I would of been happy if she could at least went threw a list of different Meds and asked me what I think about it and put her advice and imput of each one that would work best for me and go from there. Not just saying your going on paxil right away! I mean it's my health and brain and when thing's go wrong she won't be the person going threw it or yet to help. I mean the ladie said I won't withdraw at all coming off the benzo, why am I suppose to trust some one that doesn't even know the facts or weaning process. It's just plain out not right

 

[Znegative]

I agree, it's horrible to be threatened or forced to stop taking benzodiazepines, especially if the doctor does it at a rate that you're not comfortable with. I've experienced this twice and it really sucked as my doctor wanted me to decrease my dose by 1/4th every three days (I was taking clonazepam). The taper rate was way too fast for me and as soon as I started experiencing withdrawals I just began to supplement my dose decrease with extra Clonazepam or Alprazolam that I would buy off the street. The only way to come off Benzo's is to do a slow, gradual reduction with a long lasting benzodiazepine with Diazepam- the only success stories I've heard from people who have suffered long term Benzodiazepine dependency have done it that way. I too have experienced both opiate and benzodiazepine WD and while I can't honestly say that I think the benzo's are worse, there is something truly grueling about that kick that makes me hate it just as much as quitting heroin or methadone.

 

[Tommyboy]

The only way to come off Benzo's is to do a slow, gradual reduction with a long lasting benzodiazepine with Diazepam- the only success stories I've heard from people who have suffered long term Benzodiazepine dependency have done it that way. I too have experienced both opiate and benzodiazepine WD and while I can't honestly say that I think the benzo's are worse, there is something truly grueling about that kick that makes me hate it just as much as quitting heroin or methadone.

This. See if they will switch you to valium [diazepam] to taper off of the ativan. I was on 3mg of xanax for 4 or 5 years before I switched to diazepam to taper, and I got all the way down to 0.3mg (I was taking the 2mg pills and breaking it in half and then taking 1/3 of the half) every other day before I ran into some personal problems that made me need the diazepam again, making me go up to 5mg daily which is where I am at now. I was very proud of being able to have dropped down to as low of a dose as I was at, and I hope to get there again some day.

 

[billybob4200]

yeah I would like to see if I could switch to valium or maybe clonazepam. Ativan is just to hard to cut and short acting! So how would I go about switching over would I have to ease in the longer acting benzo with Ativan togeather or....?

 

[orgone]

When switching you should just make sure the dose is equivalent to the amount of ativan you're taking. I'd suggesting switching to a longer acting benzo, they're a lot easier to taper and work better for GAD as opposed to panic disorder.

 

[crazycatman]

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

This is really the bible for this kind of thing.

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

Nuff said. That link has basically all the information you'll need, but do this under doctor supervision!

 

[bunge]

While i can understand your doctor wanting you on an AD alongside the benzo as its common practice nowdays to only prescribe the benzo for as long as it takes to stabalize the patient on an SSRI that is giving them relief.
However, holding hostage a medication that you are dependant on in order to get you to take a medication against your wishes is plain wrong. Doctors sometimes forget that they are employed by the patient and are meant to work with the patient.
The current trend also seems to be that benzo users are all drug seekers and that ssri's are the panacea of mental illness...both of which are false.
Maybe you could do a bit of research into alternative medications for anxiety that you could suggest to your doctor?
On the ssri front theres sertaline and citalopram/escitalopram which seem to be as efficent as paroxetine for anxiety with less incidence of adverse side effects and a (possibly) better withdrawal syndrome.
If you decide that ssri's arent for you (for me they caused hallucinations and mania, although sertraline did stop my anxiety/panic dead in its tracks) but your doc is stuck on an AD med then how about mirtazapine? its more efficient as an anxiety treatment then its given credit for and in my case stopped my the majority of panic attacks. Mirtazapine is a fantastic aid for benzo and opiate withdrawals as well because of its sleep inducing effects and calming effects on the digestive tract (helps my IBS no end), the bad side is that in the beginning it will give a very noticable daytime fatigue and can cause drastic weightgain( in my case not a bad thing.lol).
If your not keen on the idea of AD's at all then pregabalin might help. Pregabalin works in the same area of the brain as benzos (although not on the same receptors) and although ive found it doesnt help alot for a full on panic attack because it doesnt act quick enough, it does work well for general anxiety and sleep.
Theres also a new-ish med called buspirone but ive heard its very hit or miss.
Your best course of action i believe, would be to do your research, write down any pertinent info regarding YOUR treatment choice, along with info backing up your dislike of paroxetine and present this in a clear, concise and very importantly, calm manner.
If your doctor still refuses to entertain your suggestions and engage you as a n intelligent adult then best advice would be to gain another opinion from another doctor. Having faith in your doctor is the only way that you will be able move forward in your treatment but she has to treat you in amanner that deserves that faith.
Ive been where you are now and trust me things do get better and i wish you luck at your next appointment.

 

[CaveBear]

What kind of a dumbass doctor is that? Paxil wont do shit for panic attacks, so if its thats the reason she wants ot give it to you i wouldnt suggest taking it for anxiety.It will cause other problems. I would suggest like you said, getting another doctor. An understanding one that is. Sorry but she is a cunt if she wants to cut you off the ativan if your taking it daily, i guess logically the doctor should know its not a good idea to cut off someone benzos cold turker. As for tappering, try to taper of with diazepam, it has a longer half life so it will ease the wds. But man i really wish you to find another doctor, reading about doctors like that make me sick. THey love giving out antidepressants like candy dont they

I didnt need to know anymore than your statement that Paxil doesnt help with anxiety. It sure as hell does dude. Do some research.

 

[bunge]

Maybe theres a little bit of a misunderstanding here as PurpleKush1 stated it wont help with panic attacks. Paroxetine IS useful in treating anxiety and will over time lessen the amount of panic attacks and their severity. paroxetine WONT help with acute treatment of anxiety or panic attacks and in the beginning may make them worse (hence the benzo 'script with the ssri) until the patient has stabilized).
Sorry CaveBear, im not meaning to butt in. Just thought i might be able to smooth-over the arguement before it starts.

 

[billybob4200]

yeah when I get another doctor I am going to see if he will switch me to clonazepam, doesn't Ativan 1.mg =0.5mg of clonazepam. Yeah and maybe see what kind of AD's there are I know everyone's different when it come's to certain AD'S. but everyone is saying the tricycle anti depressant rameron works good for panic disorder and gad, Also helps with sleep for benzo tapering and withdraw.

 

[bunge]

Clonazepam is very effective for GAD but not as good as short acting benzos for panic attacks and since your used to lorazepam for panic, you might have some issues with the switch over ( like panic attacks). With this in mind i would make sure that i'd saved some lorazepam for the first few weeks of switchover, just to take as needed for panic attacks.
When you say rameron i think your alluding to remeron, which is a tetracyclic antidepressant. Its a fairly common error to get mixed up between tetracyclics and tricyclics.
In basic terms their both closely related classes of drugs but tetracyclics like mirtazapine (remeron) tend to be better tolerated by new patients, are alot more effective with anxiety and have no real seffects on the heart.
Unlike the tricyclics (like amitriptyline) which are fairly crap by themselves at treating depression and anxiety, have worse side effects (although still better then the ssri's) and are more dangerous in overdose due to cardiotoxicity.
On a personal view i find mirtazapine to be the safest and gentlest anti-depressant of all the ones ive tried and thats ALOT.lol
Mirtazapine is great for sleep which is why alot of people use it to aid withdrawal, however this needs to be under a doctors supervision as it might not be appropiate to use it if you coming off a high dose benzo habit because mirtazapine can lower the seizure threshold but if you taper first then that shouldnt be an issue.
Mirtazapine is also helpful for those of us who suffer with an overactive bowel and has helped me no end with my issues in this area.
I think you can see that my vote goes to mirtazapine everytime and last year my drpression and anxiety put me in a real bad place,mirtazapine was a big part of me coming out of that bad place.
You might find pregabalin (lyrica) useful for your benzo withdrawal. it helped me end a three year addiction to zopiclone (a benzo-like sleeping medication) with almost zero withdrawal symptoms and its also beneficial for sleep.
I hope some of this info is helpful to f you have any futher questions ill do muy best to answer them.

 

[PurpleKush1]

I didnt need to know anymore than your statement that Paxil doesnt help with anxiety. It sure as hell does dude. Do some research.

HAHAHA youre teeling me to do some research ? how about the one i did 3 months ago on myself? or my numerous friends who suffer panic attacks ? we all agree on one thing, its the most unuseful load of bullshit. It didnt help me at all i went from having 7-8 panic attacks a day to around 20. I took it for a month and it was unberable. THanks to it i would have a panic attack everytime my stomach was full, i was having a cigarette,etc. And its still that way but more manageable. SSRI like that could be used as a weapon for fucks sake. My friends reported the same range of effects. And interstingly, i had pretty bad mania on it too. Im not condoning use of benzos, but to some people like me, they are absoltly vital. I cant go out of my house if i dont eat a kpin. Actually i dont know why the fuck am i wasting my time explaining this to some arrogant fucking dick like you. You have the right to disagree, yet it doesnt mean you have to act like a bitch about it, ``dude``. Its good that you didnt read the rest of my statement, youre probably too idiotic to undwerstand it. HAve a good day

 

[bingey]

^
So all of your friends have panic attacks? Did you guys meet at the the anxiety therapy group? I have been a life-long sufferer from from anxiety and I can tell you I'm happy about all the hardass docs that helped keeping the gorilla that is lifelong benzo addiction off my back.

And I do agree AD's suck for anxiety , therapy and actually facing your fears don't. You do realize suffering from anxiety/panic attacks means you are afraid right? Cause you are acting like such a tough-ass here it almost seems you might have forgotten.

 

[PurpleKush1]

^
So all of your friends have panic attacks? Did you guys meet at the the anxiety therapy group? I have been a life-long sufferer from from anxiety and I can tell you I'm happy about all the hardass docs that helped keeping the gorilla that is lifelong benzo addiction off my back.

And I do agree AD's suck for anxiety , therapy and actually facing your fears don't. You do realize suffering from anxiety/panic attacks means you are afraid right? Cause you are acting like such a tough-ass here it almost seems you might have forgotten.

What are you all on youre periods today or what? im not going to let myself be attacked and not respond,sorry. Some of My friends have abused alot of stims and psychedelics, and are now experiecing panic attacks. And their docs made them take paxil, and in most cases only benzos helped, and either paxil didnt help or made it worse. ANd no, BingeBoy, suffering from panic attacks does not necessarily mean you are afraid. For example social anxiety definitly, but the random panic atttack i get when i just ate is not tied to fear, it just happens. What im afraid of spaghetti maybe ? And thanks for the laugh, i like the expression tough-ass. Am i saying imma fuck his punk ass up ? no i am not. And that is actuaklly what acting like a though ass represents. I am not trying to sound though, i am defending myself. What you know about facing fears, your not me, your dont know me of my life, so keep that kind of shit to yourself.

 

[billybob4200]

Yeah I never ask for the panic attacks they just came. And after you have panic attacks every day, your not afraid anymore you become use to it. And at least for me it was hell!!! might as well be withdrawing when your having panic attacks. Yea Im going to be getting a new doctor soon. Benzo isn't something I want to be on for life and I will taper off soon. But they do help if you can use them the right way once in a while. My problem was my old doctor had me on 3mg daily of Ativan, I didn't even know what the fuck Ativan was and people wonder why people are on benzo's. And more people have died off of ads just look at all the suicides and shootings and it's really suppose to be a safe alternative!