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Breaking Free from Lorazepam

Squeaky

Squeaky

Bluelighter
Joined
Feb 1, 2016
Messages
2,025
Location
USA
A MODERATOR AT BLUELIGHT KINDLY MOVED ALL OF MY BENZO POSTINGS INTO ITS OWN THREAD. The first 1 1/2 pages of this thread are a bit scattered because many are responding to anothers comment elsewhere.
......................

I got put on Ativan 2mg 3x daily along with 60mg daily oxy for major back surgery about 5 months ago. I credit the Ativan for saving my life because I actually asked a nurse and later a Dr in the hosp about a day after the surgery 'please kill me'.... And I was completely serious. I'm in WD's for the oxy right now and this pretty much sucks.
You all are scaring the F out of me. If the benzo wd's will be worse then i guess my trip to hell has just started!
P.S. BL has become my version of AA. It helps to talk it out.
 
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A bottle of wine might make you want to drive up the coast or walk on the beach. A few shots of Jack and everyone wants to fight.
Just because they tell us they are the same doesn't mean they can't be WRONG, and everyone's body chemistry is different. That's why there's so many different kinds of deodorants on the market.
I go to the Dr knowing what I want beforehand and ask for it, or i try his sugesstion with pills the same as I try my Dad's sugg for wax on my car. When it doesn't work for me I do my homework and try something else.
 
Finished WDing from Oxy cold turkey (18 days now). My plan was to go cold turkey from the Lorazepam too. BIG MISTAKE.
Headaches, major insomnia, impossible to concentrate, slurred vision.... The works. I may have been headed for seizures. Who knows.
That was after 5 months of 4-6 mg/day and I was only off the stuff for 36 hours. I searched the internet and got a taper plan, I'm starting at 3 mg total /day. I felt better withing 10 min of my first 1 mg dose, and then I got the Fing FLU. Maybe lucky, it's an awesome excuse to avoid people while adjusting to the benzo schedule but I feel like crap right now. This thread got me started, the internet got me a ton of info. I haven't told my doc yet. What for? He never mentioned any of this crap!
 
I drank booze every day for years, a lot too. I could go for days with no alcohol, and have no problems. I know a couple of guys who drink 1/2 what I did and have the shakes every morning at work.
 
Cont...... It seems that most people have SOMETHING they can get away with and never really pay later. I think what's important is to understand what is likely to happen to you before you decide to take anything.
I failed myself when I did not research Ativan in advance. My WD's were real, and in line with what others have reported. Thankfully others have posted their experiences and helped me to make a plan to get out of this.
 
My point exactly. I took 30 mg baclofen/day for 9 months and quit cold turkey with zero WD's. Qiut oxy 60 mg/day and withdrew for about 10 days (not fun!). Cold turkey off 5 months Ativan felt like I might die. I have read others saying WD's from benzo's were not too bad - lucky bastards.
The real trouble we all face is the arrogance of some medical professionals who think they know everything. Even over the counter stuff can cause unintended side effects and withdrawls.
 
I had been off the Lorazepam for a couple if months, then I had another back surgery and I went back on it for my panic attacks. I was up to 8 mg / day for about 3 months. I cut my dose by 1/2 and just took the whole dose at night to make sure I wouldn't have insomnia. I would stay at that dose for a week, then cut by half again. I was down to 0.5 mg/day several times, but every time I got bad news from my Dr I would take more and that would reset my tolerance back up to 4 or 6 mg and I would just start back at that level.
When I was at 8 mg/day and I had a panic attack the pills had minimal effect. I tapered quickly to a small dose and then the pills would work great when I needed them. Tapered again and the pills would work well again I could have used the Ashton method and been tapering for more than a year each time. Instead I was much more aggressive and suffered through SOME wd's, but I had the benefit of returning quickly to where the pills work when I need them.
(I tried cold turkey from 3 mg/day and I had a small seizure. Cutting down by 1/2 isn't perfect but it's fast and I decided I could handle the wd symptoms. Insomnia is the worst!)
 
Ativan is supposably a "fast acting" benzo. It's good for panic attacks and helping you to fall asleep, but it leaves your system relatively fast compared to valium or xanax. Taking too much makes me pass out without ever getting sleepy, so it's a great way to get through a couple hours opiate withdrawl.
If you're not taking Ativan regularly, then 2mg sholud be enough to get you to sleep. On an empty stomach it takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours to really put me to sleep, but if you're really tired it will work faster. Then if I wake up in the middle of the night and I really want to sleep a few more hours, 1-2 mg does the trick.
If you can get gabapentin or Lyrica........ I mix 2 mg Ativan with 150 mg Lyrica and I turn into a zombie(takes about 1hour to start working and lasts around 4 hours). Very much like being completely drunk, without the hangover. I usually redose 6 hours later. It's great for opiate wd because you stop staring at the clock and you fall asleep whenever you stop moving.
 
This is a good thread. I’d like to keep it alive.
I’m currently tapering off oxy. Up to 5 mg Lorazepam per day so I can sleep. I’ll have a little benzo habit to deal with later, but I don’t get anything other than sleep from them usually so tapering off benzos are easy for me.
Just headaches.
 
Im down to 1 mg/day of Lorazepam. My Oxy use is up again, but I have decided to get off the Benzos first.
 
Another reason they like Lorazepam in hospitals is the injectability(is that even a word??)
I was first given Ativan at a hospital because of a severe panic attact just before a scheduled surgery. I couldnt have pills at that moment and there was already an IV in my arm, and there was going to be no anastesia at that moment with me hyperventilating and freaking out. I had never had a Benzo in my life. They said Ativan was the only one they could inject and it works fast. My guess is that they keep it handy for that reason and hospitals are very familiar with its effects and combinations with other drugs.
Why learn how to use Valium and Ativan when Ativan works for everything they need.
 
Dropped from 1 mg to 1/2 mg Ativan yesterday. So far no problem. I think Ill stay at 1/2 mg/day for 4 days. Then go to 1/4 mg for two and then off completely. My guess is that I could quit right now, but if I cant sleep I will likely take 2 mg and set myself back by a week.
It feels pretty awesome to be so close to being off one of my prescriptions. My hope is that it will give me momentum to quit the others too.
 
I was off Lorazepam completely for a week. I didnt miss it at all. Zero wds. I did take it last night because I had reason to fear I would not sleep(should not have napped after lunch!!).
SO..... one week off the Benzos. Took 1mg Lorazepam. I felt absolutely nothing, but I did sleep good/normal. I will start my countdown from zero today. But I dont feel like an addict who cheated.

Meanwhile, I am supposed to be quitting oxy but I am cutting into my tiny emergency stash instead.
Crap
 
One of the mods moved these posts of mine into its own thread.
Thank you Sir.
 
I have used Lorazepam for sleep a couple of times in the last week. Thankfully I am feeling no wds or cravings.
 
Congrats on getting off Ativan, I see people saying that benzo withdrawal is horrific and I agree ( I came off 6mg Clonazepam over 2 years) but its not the withdrawal is causing you pain like a Heroin rattle does its not that acute, I found the withdrawal just lasts so long and takes up your whole life, Its all I could think of morning noon and night for years.
 
Thanks for posting all this. I am using Ativan to taper off of rc benzos once again and feel like my seizure threshold was lowered by a few grand mals during my last kick. Reading this makes for some positive reinforcement.
 
I am back using benzos for sleep. Usually taking Ativan 2mg at night only.
Once I got to using it only at night, tapering became much easier.

Sucks for any pill that makes life better though. All you can think about is your next pill, or how many you have left, etc. Human nature I guess.
 
Been at 2mg for about 2weeks. Dropped to 1mg last night. Slept fine. Ill stay there for a week, then drop to 1/2mg for a week. I look forward to not needing those pills every day.
 
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