Getting off ativan cold turkey?

I took lorazepam .5 anxiety three xs a day four years maybe five years doctor wants me s to stop cold turkey. I stop the lorazepam
and O.M.G it's being hell he switch me to another meds and are as follow requip 0.5 three times a day oleptro 150mg one at bed tile
and zolpidem 10mg for insomia I would like to know if I was better with the first recipe or this last one that I don't feel good
at all

What is the lowest dose of Ativan that they can prescribe? I've been on .5 MGs of Ativan for about a week and half now and I plan to taper off in about 2 months with the least amount of withdrawal effects or try to have severely limited withdrawal effects as possible. If it is .25 then I can do that for a few weeks and then cut them in half to make .125, and do that level for a few weeks and then stop.

I've been on Temazepam (Restoril) 30 mg per night for 1 year. The reason the doctor put me on this medication is to help me with the side effects from being on chemo. This medication really helped me through bad time's. Also my primary care doctor has me on Lorazepam 1 mg twice a day for the last year. The doctor did not tell me that I was dealing with very addictive drugs. Agian this medication is to help me with the chemo. I really have no side effects from these medications and they really help, but I really do not like being addictited to any drug. I ask my doctor about getting off these drugs and he really got upset. I would like to tapper off, but i'm still on chemo and I'm not shure whats going to happen.

ok so I've been reading these forums and I'm thinking to myself if you didn't have a withdrawal side effects than you would never come looking for this website. why I cam here was before I tried to quit and I was really scared cold turkey, but here's my story:

I took Ativan anywhere from .5 to 2 mg daily for about a year and a half and I really tapered it down for only about 4 days, and I got off of it, basically cold turkey. I had very few withdrawals and am off of it for a few months now with really nothing major that I can feel. all I know is that my anxiety from before is back and I can deal with it because I dealt with it before ativan and I really don't want to be on the drugs forever. I want to add that I quit during a time of very little stress, so maybe if you just put a week or two aside with relaxing at home and no stress you can quit very quickly and see no side effects, this was my experience. I am sure everyone is different and some people react very differently, but i just wanted to give another perspective.

Tamera wrote:

I have been on ativan for 5 almost 6 years and now my doctor says i need to stop taing it, hes giving me a week left and says i have to taper off the pills by that time. But I have heard horrible thing about doing that and how bad the withdrawls can be????

Ativan is horrible. Take as least as possible. Before you take it have your blood checked for possible b-12 def. first. Lack of b-vitamins can cause anxiety and even damentia. I was given Ativan not knowing I was very low in b-12. I didn't know anything about Benzo's but felt great after I took it in the hospital. Little did I know how my life would change. I was up to 6mg a day before I found out about vit-b-12 deficiency and wasn't told how to taper off the Ativan. I lowered from 6mg to 3mg in a week. Call it a miracle, but believe me I almost died. I became anemic(pernicious anemia-from b-12 def). I was out of work for six months. It's been nine months later and I am now down to 1mg a day but still have withdrawal symptoms. I could barely walk for three months, but now can move just fine. I still have numbness in my fingertips and feet, and I am still recovering. I will tell you that the best way to taper off this drug is to pray. And pray. I do know you should take anywhere from six months to a year to quit totally, lowering .25mg each time you lower. While you are lowering, do not feel bad to increase if needed. Fighting it can only hurt you more. Trust me.

My heart breaks as I read these posts. I just want you all to know that I'm praying for you all right now. I understand. God bless each and every one of you he will be your strength.

So it is possible to go from 6mg of lorazepam to 2mg?
I've been taking 6mg of lorazepam for 3 years, sometimes I even took 8mg! My doctor just reduced my dosage to 2mg per day and I'm having severe withdrawals, everything in the book! I'm an emt soon to be a paramedic and have seen every kind of withdrawal imaginable! Lorazepam is not an everyday drug! The withdrawals are worse than heroin! I especially found the inability to speak clearly the most embarrassing thing in the world. Does anyone have any advice such as medications that can relieve the withdrawal symptoms? Maybe some kind of herb or something? I need to get this problem in the rear view mirror, If I'd known that lorazepam was so hard to get off of I would have never taken it in the first place....I too don't recommend this medication to be used for more than 2 weeks, after that you will suffer severe withdrawals!

I'm Kat.I have been on Ativan for 11yrs.!!!!! My dosage is 2mg. 5 X a days for severe anxiety and panic attacks.I am scared if I ever had to get off it I would die, our be in the state hospital for years.I hope and pray that my insurance company doesn't drop me.I have a child to raise.HELP! PLEASE!:(

Ativan is just a monster.. I had anxiety, and depression before I encountered Ativan.. I just tapered down for two days then didn't take it for three days. I had to take it twenty minutes ago because I haven't slept but 3 hours in two days.. And I have the worst thoughts. It's unreal. I'm gonna taper from this drug.. Am not happy about it. I've never had an addiction, but it's awesome how your doctor can get you hooked on a drug physically that isn't that beneficial but addictive. Thanks psy. D.... But it's okay.. They may not realize what it does.. I dont have the answers. I can just deal the cards I'm dealt.

I only take .5mg ativan a day, but for over 2 years now. I now have tinnitus and severe headaches,almost daily. The pain gets worse when I try to quit. It is unbearable at times, so I just take the ativan to avoid the horrible pounding pain that analgesics don't even help.I started taking the ativan for anxiety,and it helped, but wish I never started. I did suffer migraines already, but now I feel like I am trapped between pain and pills. I did not realize it takes so long to ween off of ativan until I checked out this forum.I will cut the pills in half and start from there. Good luck to us all.

There are eny person, who go fre ativan, with no side efects and how log take?
Please could you tell me?
I was taken ativan for 2 years 1mg day, after I try to left for 4 days , I fell i was dying, I came bac to 0.5mg and i fell so bad, nausea ,drouzy, not sleep , please I need help.

Hi, I just found this forum. I've been taking Ativan for 5-6yrs - my dr. prescribed it for anxiety. I took 1mg a day until last year when I slowly tapered to 1/2mg per day. I'm now down to 1/4mg per day @ bedtime for the past 2 1/2wks, but I'm scared to cut it in half again. I don't want to have bad withdrawal symptoms or freak out or something. I'm having some bad anxiety since I cut down to the 1/4mg, but not 24/7, just certain times of the day & I'm trying to just live with it. Is a 1/4 mg considered a 'low' dose? How many days/weeks should I taper before cutting Ativan out completely? My dr. is no help -he thinks someone should just 'stop taking it' & they'll be fine. I know everyone is different in the way they are affected by taking, tapering & stopping this horrible drug, but I need help, please...

I've been on Ativan for over 13 years, 1mg 3x aday. For the past year, I have had to take an extra one at night...there has been very high stress in my life. Today, the doctor said she was not comfortable writing a Rx for 4x daily and will not fill my prescription for a week. So I'm going to have to be off meds completely for 2 to 3 days. I am scared to death of what the side effects will be. What do I do?

I have been on Ativan since 1980 and have experienced all the symptoms you can imagine, and feel sorry for ALL of us, so maybe that's why were here to seek consul from each other.
I have successfully weaned myself off from 8mg a day to about 1mg per day...taking years to achieve.
Do it slowly and you must have a partner in your endeavor whether it be a wife/boyfriend/husband whatever
someone who can lessen the severity of life just a wee bit and bring out the best in you during this tribulation of your life...it can be done!

Oh Yea! get yourself a Dog or cat or something that that makes you HAPPY!

Hope things went well :)

It is necessary to consult your doctor before you start and before you stop taking any medication (e.g. Ativan, Lorazepam) including antidepressants. Know that antidepressants like Paxil causes numerous unpleasant side effects like suicide, psychosis, memory loss, hallucination, abnormal personality changes, and unusual mood shifts among others. The website http://www.paxilbirthdefectlaw.com/paxil-laws... contains various information about the harmful side effects of Paxil and even the details of the numerous Paxil lawsuit filed against its manufacturer.

Withdrawal from this drug is true hell. So is taking this drug.

I've been taking it for sleepaid by 2,5mg a day at night. After a few weeks I started to get really tense in the afternoon so my doc said it was the withdrawal and I should take it in the day also.

Now 6 months later I'm withdrawing on my own since my doc wants me to stay on it but after reading everything and feeling my emotions are comming back I'm proceeding.

The best tip to get it to really really taper down slowly. 2 weeks for .5 mg I'm taking. And take it when you start to panic but take less. The fight is harsh but I'm down to 1mg at night and sometimes .25 in the day.

If you have the choice, don't ever start this drug.

i just discovered that my mother has been taking ativan under the table. she has been confused, depressed, fainting, falling asleep, and all sorts of uncharacteristic behaviour. i'm so upset to discover she's been taking the drug -- and denying it -- and drinking alcohol.
how the heck do i get her off this drug? please advise, i don't know what to do.

I have been on ativan/lorazepam for almost two months....I hate it I want off but no one can seem to figure out how to help me other than go to a psych ward. I gives me weird head pains my muscles ache all the time and I find my muscle are out of control in must legs(always moving).how long does it take to ween off I am only on. 5mg and I cut that in half.