Aa
please help
how do I stop taking ativan with out having panic attacks I take 1mg a day for a long time every time I stop taking it I have a panic attack I read somewhere to take meltoin for sleep how about when I am awake
Best Answer
Ativan tolerance withdrawal is REAL. I've experienced it for 4 years without knowing. Always was written off as "anxiety" and call to action was MORE ativan. Ativan ***** coming off of too. Don't quit it cold turkey!!! Go slow!
I had to see a specialist to help me properly ween. I was on Ativan for 4 years. The specialist gave me Remeron (Mirtazapine) to take while weening off the Ativan. It helped so much for a SOFT LANDING. :) I weened off in about 2 months.
Then I weened off the Remeron. :)
I still suffer from anxiety, but I choose to go the non-med route. Even if my anxiety is deliberating. And trust me, my anxiety can be just as bad as ativan withdrawal... it really can, but im learning new coping techniques that get me through a spell of anxiety.
Sometimes the coping techniques work sometimes they don't. But all in all, I just keep remembering "THIS TOO SHALL PASS", and eventually my anxiety spells do leave. ALWAYS. :) They never last forever.
Hang in there.
I have 2 friends coming off their benzos right now (I've almost become the poster child for benzo withdrawal in my hometown lol.), and I referred them to this same Dr. and they are doing GREAT with the method of using Remeron to help them ween off.
Good luck on whatever you decide to do. Just keep in contact with your Doctor!!! Dont' ever go off meds without notifying your Doctor. :)
I had to see a specialist to help me properly ween. I was on Ativan for 4 years. The specialist gave me Remeron (Mirtazapine) to take while weening off the Ativan. It helped so much for a SOFT LANDING. :) I weened off in about 2 months.
Then I weened off the Remeron. :)
I still suffer from anxiety, but I choose to go the non-med route. Even if my anxiety is deliberating. And trust me, my anxiety can be just as bad as ativan withdrawal... it really can, but im learning new coping techniques that get me through a spell of anxiety.
Sometimes the coping techniques work sometimes they don't. But all in all, I just keep remembering "THIS TOO SHALL PASS", and eventually my anxiety spells do leave. ALWAYS. :) They never last forever.
Hang in there.
I have 2 friends coming off their benzos right now (I've almost become the poster child for benzo withdrawal in my hometown lol.), and I referred them to this same Dr. and they are doing GREAT with the method of using Remeron to help them ween off.
Good luck on whatever you decide to do. Just keep in contact with your Doctor!!! Dont' ever go off meds without notifying your Doctor. :)
I do not share the knowledge that Paxiled and nursegirl have about anxiety medications, but I have just experienced stopping Klonopin. I think like nursegirl said, it actually started making some of my anxiety symptoms worse. I don't know what I would have done without it in the beginning. I've been taking Klonopin for about 2 yrs. I was so determined to stop depending on this medication. I talked to my doctor and slowly cut back on it. I haven't had any for 2 weeks today. My head feels so much better. I was having awful pressure headaches. However, I still have some problems with my head first thing in the morning and late in the afternoon. I don't really know what is causing this. I hope it will get better in time. I have no idea if it is related to anxiety. Good luck with getting off Ativan.
I think what nursegirl is referring to is tolerance withdrawals. It can definately happen. I would recommend speaking to your pdoc about it
I agree Paxiled, but I think the vast majority of people taking these meds regularly do. I think it depends on the medication too. Klonopin doesn't share the same tolerance issues as Xanax and Ativan, I believe because of its longer half life and the way it has to build in the blood plasma for ideal effectiveness.
Of course everyone is different, but the risks are the same. I just hate to see people depend on a med that ends up causing them MORE grief in the long run.
Of course everyone is different, but the risks are the same. I just hate to see people depend on a med that ends up causing them MORE grief in the long run.
I don't believe everyone reaches tolerance -- some do, some don't. I never have, though that could be because the klonopin never has worked much. Drugs that work are obviously more difficult that ones that don't.
Why do you feel the need to come off of ativan? Its a commonly used substance for chronic anxiety. If you still have an anxiety condition it would make sense that you would have anxiety when you stop taking ativan which is being used to treat your anxiety. Do you have an antidepressant to supplement?
You have to taper slowly slowly off of it so your brain has time to adjust to working again without it and so your body can go through the withdrawals. Melatonin might help with sleep, but you're right, it isn't an anti-anxiety hormone, it's a body clock hormone. I also think you might be having some anxiety about being without the drug, so most of it is real from the difficulty of stopping this medication but some of it is that you probably haven't changed the way you think that is the root of the problem -- you don't take it and expect an anxiety attack and get one. So you have two problems -- you still need to deal with the underlying problem, which is hard to do but is the only cure, and you have to properly withdraw from the Ativan, which will take time and patience.
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Can you provide a little bit more history? How long have you been taking the Ativan, and how do you take it (ie, once a day, twice a day, or "as needed")? What other methods have you tried for addressing your anxiety?
Anxiolytics like Ativan and Xanax sometimes have a place in an anxiety treatment plan, but there are many considerations. For starters, like Paxiled said, when discontinuing these drugs, one must be slowly and gradually tapered off, preferably under the supervision of a doctor.
Also, if you're taking a short acting benzo like Ativan with any regularity, unfortunately, eventually it will actually exacerbate your symptoms of anxiety instead of improving them. That's because with regular dosing, a person will build up a tolerance, where the body needs a higher and higher dose to maintain the same level of effectiveness. If the dose isn't increased when tolerance occurs, you will have symptoms of w/d, one of which is rebound anxiety, which is often worse than the initial anxiety you were treating, so as you can see, it can be a double edged sword for sure. There is also dependency, where the body basically NEEDS the medication, or withdrawals will occur. Benzo withdrawals can be not only uncomfortable, but also they can be dangerous, as too rapid a decline, one can have seizures.
The most OPTIMAL way to use a short acting benzo for the treatment of anxiety is to limit your use to "as needed", or as a rescue medication, meaning you only take it when you need it, here and there. When taken occasionally like that, there is little to no issue with tolerance or dependency, plus the medication remains at its same level of effectiveness for a lot longer.
So, if you could elaborate a bit on your history, we could better advise you on how to proceed. Just be sure that you're properly tapering off the Ativan, with the help of your doctor. While rebound anxiety and panic are kind of unavoidable when discontinuing an anti-anxiety medication, those symptoms can be minimized some if the taper is done properly.
Hang in there!