anyone detox from Lorazapam? benzo

[dcargill]

I've been taking these for yrs.      changed docs and got a lecture on getting addicted/increasing dosage.      i was insulted but the reality check came when i got angry that the new doc wrote a script for only 15 pills (the old doc prescribed them 90 at a time!)        my reaction told me there is a problem.

new doc said to just stop taking them when i had a couple of days where i didn't need to do anything important...

My last 2 mg dose was Thursday night.    not getting any sleep, had the shakes and sweaty and feel kind of crappy.    am i going to start feeling better?    Or am I going to get worse before I get better?

and I haven't told anybody.    everysbody just thinks maybe it's a stomach virus.        does anyone have any suggestions/comments?

[dcargill]

sorry to be a pest.
I was thinking for the tapering plan, I should maybe step down .5 mg for 3 weeks.       then step down another .5 mg (to 1 mg) for 3 weeks.     then down another .5 mg (to .5 mg) for 3 weeks.      and then should I go to .25 mg for 3 wks   or should I leave it at .5 and start taking them every other day.       and then every 3rd day and on and on.    

you got my attention yesterday and I want to do this right.        Last night I slept and I feel like a million bucks this morning...a 180 from how I felt yesterday.      So I don't care how long it takes; I want to do it right and make things better for myself, not worse.

I very much value your opinion and guidance.

[dcargill]

I took small dosages yesterday till I got up to the normal amount at bedtime.       and I slept.   I feel like a new person.     and yesterday I was talking through a fog.
I think I will take this even more gradually.      maybe stretch each phase to 3 weeks, decrease by .5  and then when I'm down to .5 or .25, I could go to every other day, then every 3rd day.   I think.    
you are right.  I need to find a doc who knows about this stuff.     and i had not thought about the difference between addiction and dependency.    I am dependent on them.     I feel like I can't sleep without them.
someone on here talked about some magnesium stuff that helps you sleep so I ordered some.     and I do have some Delta wave sleep music that I can try.    
Thanks for telling me I am worth it.     Most of the time I don't think anybody even notices...

[lulu747]

Hey I hear you- I too am hard headed and stubborn and when I decide I am done with something I am DONE.  This was cool with the opiates as opiate detox is a special kind of H*&% but cannot kill you.  Benzos are a whole other beast.  I went from 60 mg of oxazepam to 30 mg over a 6 month period.  Then I switched to valium 10 mg and am decreasing by 2 mg every 8 weeks.  This was a taper program specifically designed for me by my doctor.  We cannot tell you how to taper on this forum as we are not doctors (though it seems some of us have A LOT more drug knowledge than most docs (:)  Just go to your doc ASAP and say "Look.  I want off of this.  How can I best do this safely?"  If you do not get the right kind of support, go see another doc.  A good taper plan will set you up for success and keep you moving towards your goal.  Just never go up.  If you feel this is an addiction thing and not just a dependency thing (and you should find out soon) I recommend finding some kind of support or aftercare.  Anxiety has many roots.  You need to discover what these are.  I'm glad you kept your pills (this is the opposite of what we usually say on here)  Better do this smart and safe and live than take the risk of doing some serious damage.  You are WORTH it.
Lu

[dcargill]

I can only imagine how much more difficult it would be to c/t  with 3 drugs.
I'm a couple of years older than you are so it will probably be hard for me too.     reading everyone's comments, I just have to accept that it will take some time to get where I want to be.      One step at a time.
I'm sorry to hear you lost so many loved ones, so close together.    That just increases the pain.    
i'll have to look through the site.   Today is my first day on here but I can tell I will learn a lot.   .

[dcargill]

567 days clean?    that's great!       I'm no spring chicken either (nearly 60)
and I need to be less hard headed.
I just wanted to be DONE.     But everybody says how dangerous going CT would be, so i'll taper.  
Did you CT from 3 meds at the same time?      I can only imagine how difficult that must have been.

[VICourageous]

Hi. I just wanted to add my 2 cents in here. I c/t from 3 meds and one being a Benzo. I just thought my w/ds where a bit different this time then when I was just w/ding off the other opiates..Just thought it was the darn Methadone this time..Well to come to find out that my w/ds where so bad and so long that it did have a lot to do with the Benzo I had already had 3 months in before I joined here back in 2012. I know NOW how Bad a w/d could be from these pills and how Dangerous too..Never had a sez think my God, but my Heart pumped so hard and so fast for so long. The Anxiety was way over the moon more then the other time. I was told months later from the pharmacy that the detox took longer because of the Benzo. I do not know for sure, but I am not going to ever find out again either. I am too darn old to go through it again and would surely not make it next time. I am glad you are Not going to c/t it. YES a taper is good on these Meds. I wish you the best!
Bless

[dcargill]

I'm really glad I found this site.    talking to someone who has been through it helps more than talking to a doc.

I didn't think about the seizure risk being greater when it's out of my system but tthat makes sense.     in fact everything you guys have said makes a lot of sense.    

this can be a very slow taper -- luckily there is no shortage of pills!     gosh I am lucky I did not pitch them.    I thought about it.   If they aren't here, I can't take them.   duh.  

slow taper sounds like a plan to me.     thanks  

[dcargill]

thanks for you support.  I really do appreciate it and Vicki's too.    
you are absolutely right!   I am being stubborn and DUMB.

I just put .5 under my tongue and add more this evening so I get back to what I was when I stopped taking them.  

and then i'll take baby steps and go see another doc.   Thank you so much!

[vicki595]

Okay, great!!   It does take patience but slow is the best and your plan should work just fine.  Use the forum for support and best of luck!

[dcargill]

well I got that loud and clear!   lol       thanks for the info.      I will start taking them again.      I am probably the most hard headed person I know.    

should I decrease by .5 each time and stay maybe 2 weeks at each level?         that would take me 6 weeks.  
  

[meegWpaw]

dc--I ct'd off benzos and came very, very close to having a seizure ... as Vicki said, this was after I was off the benzos for a little ... one word came to mind when I read your post ... "taper" ... is it possible to reinstate?  ask your doctor :)

[lulu747]

Hey there-

I would listen to Vicki she really knows her stuff.  I was told by two different docs to just stop taking the benzo I had been prescribed for 8 years.  I knew because of research and the good people on this site that this was VERY dangerous.  I found another doc, switched to a longer acting benzo, and am on a very slow taper.  Please, please be smart about this.  Your life is worth it.  And benzo withdrawal can go on for a long time- the seizure aspect being the worst but there is all kinds of nastiness that can be avoided by the proper taper.
Sending support,
Lu

[vicki595]

When it's totally out of your system is the time that's most dangerous. After that, the length of time it takes to be "safe" from seizures is really variable from person to person...please don't risk this. What if you're home alone and hit your head? Or driving the car?   A well planned taper takes some patience but it's very doable and eliminates most of the discomfort you're feeling so you wouldn't be "going through this" again.

[dcargill]

Initially I was taking them for panic attacks.   for years.    I don't even know how it morphed into "take at bedtime".  

with .5 mg as needed but then it increased  to 2 mg at night.     which doesn't seem that bad (I know, I am rationalizing).      I haven't taken them in the daytime for months.    

so here I sit, waiting for the seizure.         maybe I need to find another doc.

[dcargill]

thanks for your post.    

I looked for info on line after I went the first night without a pill and I saw the risk of seizures -- which scared the hell out of me, frankly.      

but I've made it this far and I don't want to have to do it this again...      do you know when I don't have to worry about seizures anymore?      

I'm white knuckling this and hoping for the best which is probably stupid.

I looked up the half-life of lorapam and it's around 30 hrs.     so I'm trying to calculate when it will be totally out of my system...    will I be safe then?

[essdipity]

You don't say how much you were taking per day, but every benzo must be tapered. Your doctor should know that, and if he doesn't, time to find a better doctor.

Meanwhile, be very careful. Benzo withdrawal can cause seizures. Lack of sleep is almost universal, and sometimes it just must be toughed out. An excellent site on this whole subject is benzo . org.

It's very possible to get through this, but if you can't find good medical help and your reaction is extreme, go to an ER.  Good luck.

[vicki595]

Hi there-  My comment is be careful here...It's never good to abruptly stop a benzo! You're going on three days without the Ativan and you could have a seizure...

Benzos MUST be tapered. Always. No matter if a person has "a problem" with them or not.  I would get right back on Ativan and look for a doctor who understands the process.  I'm sure others will chime in to offer their support so stick around!