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Ativan (Lorazepam) Withdrawl

Answered by

Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness

Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.

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MedHelp Member's Question

Ativan (Lorazepam) Withdrawl

by stevenb1, Apr 11, 2001 12:00AM

Tags: ativan, lorazepam, Anxiety, mental, Health, Mental Health, dependent, insomnia, microgram, psychiatrist, sleep, zoloft

I was started on Zoloft 8 weeks ago for anxiety. Initially the Zoloft made more anxious and gave me pretty bad insomnia. My doc gave me Ativan to calm me down and also to help me sleep. Over the past two months, I have taken 0.5 to 1.5mg per day, most of that time taking 1.0mg at bedtime. It has really made me sedated in the daytime. I am ready to get off of this (as suggested by my psychiatrist), and was wondering how dependent I would probably be, and how slow to taper. I have gone 24 hours without any twice in the last week, and got a little edgy but that may have been anticipatory withdrawl rather than the real thing. I have about 16 0.5mg tablets left. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Doctor's Answer

by Roger Gould, M.D.

, Apr 13, 2001 12:00AM

At this dosage, for this length of time, you shouldn't have any problem withdrawing from Ativan, but to be on the safe side, taper off by taking one half pill for a few days, then one half pill every other day for three doses, then stop.

Member Comments (1)

by spook, Apr 17, 2001 12:00AM

To: stevenB1

Did you get over the Anxiety and Insomnia before taking the Ativan?,if not maybe a slight problem,otherwise it is as the Doctor says,going to be very easy if done on this taper method.

Do not forget the last 0.5mg will be MUCH harder than the first 1.0mg.

Can you get 125 microgram tablets?

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