Benzos Switching from Klonopin to Ativan

[marienbad]

I've been tapering off Klonopin since March, got to .75mg from originally 1.5mg a day. But I had my first appt with my sub doctor on Monday and he was so vehement about Klonopin being bad news that he told me to stop taking it immediately and wrote a script for Ativan. The plan is to take the Ativan, and eventually taper off that, which will supposedly be much easier because of its shorter half-life. He's telling me to take about 1mg of the Lorazepam as rough equivalent to the .75mg clonazepam I was taking, but I dunno how accurate this is. I find the lorazepam hard to "feel" so far, not like being high but just a normal benzo anti-anxiety effect, it's not as prominent as I feel it should be. So I ended up taking 1.5mg Ativan last night, which must be more than .75mg Klonopin but I just wanted relief.

Is this safe to switch benzos? Today, Day 1 on 1mg Ativan I felt unusually nauseous and it wouldn't go away; I thought this was just my suboxone, but now after putting a quarter of a 0.5mg klonopin under my tounge I feel 90% better. Maybe it's a coincidence. But yeah, is there withdrawal when going CT on one benzo and starting right up on another? Surely they aren't identical in function, but my doc said there will be no W/D when switching.

 

[marienbad]

Nobody?

 

[marienbad]

PLEASE somebody put a few words in here.

I am on Day 2 of the switch and realized I'm going crazy with anxiety. Took 1.5mg lorazepam throughout the day today and I still nearly got a panic attack (used to happen before I took Klonopin, this was like literally the fifth time in 5 years its happened). And my dose with this stuff is supposed to be 1 to 1.5mg a day.

I just relented and took half a .5 kpin because I'm realizing from how I feel and researching that my doc must be crazy. All I can find on the subject is saying that THE EXACT OPPOSITE IS TRUE, you wanna taper off with a long acting benzo, not a short one, especially not when you started with a long-acting one like klonopin.

What the fuck...

I'm definitely going to tell my doctor I cannot do this. I hope he listens. I know he hates klonopin so theres no way I can go taper on that again, but maybe a better and longer acting benzo? Valium? Anything. This ativan is doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for my anxiety, even factoring in the fact that I'm trying to taper off benzos, I mean the kpin even at low tapering doses still takes the edge off. This? Hardly at all.

Help.

 

[juststoppingby]

I would ask for valium, its is supposedly the best benzo for a slow taper. IMO the slow taper feels just endless, with wd long after the last 0,5mg of valium. I had wd's after a 6 months and could cramp up long after. Now I just keep alive with as little benzo's as possible, its the worst wd, since it last forever... I currently use 2-6mg klonopin a day, or whatever other benzos or lyrica I can get. Only 1-3 pills a day, including my 7,5 imovane. I Love zopiclone, thats the only pill that makes me content from one pill still.

T

 

[versd]

lorazepam has a shorter half life elimination than clonazepam, and therefore should not be used as a taper (shorter elimination benzos are usually considered with a higher addictive action than longer halflife benzos).

Diazepam (18 to 200 hours half life) would make more sense for a decent taper medication.

 

[f33lg00d]

Yeah as been said here that was a bad switch going from longer halflife to shorter. 1mg lorazepam = .5mg kpin, so you also lowered the dose on that switch. Your doctors trippin'

 

[Ozekat]

Benzo's are such nasty drugs.

 

[benzoman12345]

If you are looking for Pure DETOX from Benzos, your doctor is wrong ! These guys are right, Valium or Librium is what you need, they both have the longest half-lives of benzos , exact same, I am on a detox (or supposed to be anyway) and in the drug centre I am on no matter what Benzo you abused you will be detoxing with valium, maybe in some cases of Librium.

No other benzo, ever !