Lorazepam Addiction

How can i deal with comming off loraezpam..im on 3.5 mg per day for 5 years now. Im so addicted that it doesnt work and i feel like im going to die...someone out there can ya help?

[john_oakland]

3.5 mg/day isn't so bad. I've been on 4 mg/day Lorazepam for five years at least. PLUS two Temazepam for sleep. Anybody who knows benzos knows this is WAY too much. I'm tapering gently but firmly, even if it means losing an hour or so of sleep some nights. Not the end of the world. What works for me was half a Lorazepam (1 mg tablet) less other week. Once down to one Lorazepam and two Temazepam, I drop one of the Temazepam and go back to three Lorazepam. I'm now at 2 Loraz plus 1 Temaz -- half my previous dosage from 6 months ago, and my goal is to get down to 1 or 2 Lorazepams per night as a permanent sleep aid. I'm 58 and we geezers don't produce as much seratonin as we used to, so often need some help sleeping. (The prescription sleeping pills don't do a thing for me.)

Anyway, don't quit all at once. Work out a tapering schedule with your doc. If you know you're not going to get as much next month, you'll be mentally more ready to take less. Tapering benzos I find to be way less painful than tapering hydros. Good luck -- you can do it!

[cal3]

Dad is 87 and has been on 4- 1mg tablets for 30 years he has reached a point that 4 is now not enough. Is there any drug that is less additive but has the same effects so that I can try to taper him down.