ANXIETY

     Dr , I have been getting bad tention headaches.4 months now.  My gi dr. put me on ativan 2mg twice a day. He says that a lot of his liver patients suffer from this. My headaches are gone and it does help me with my anxiety. and  isomina. So you have a lot of patients like this?They tried me on all the different prozacs , But they made me get real highper.and didnt take away my headaches. All that it did was up set my stomach and i couldnt stay on them for only couple of months and no change with my tention heachaches.. I couldnt sit down.that how highper they made me. hahaha. bad experince.
           But the Ativan seems to settle me down.
Also i wanted to ask you about the drug klonipin (klonopin). Do you have any of your patients on this for headaches and anxiety. They said that if this ativan started not to work as good. that they would consider putting me on that. Do you have any info on this.
I never suffered from anxiety before. Im at last stage 4 cirrohiss. I have ascites. and I do get very tired time to time. I think,thatswhat make me get highper. I cant get enough energy any more like i use to. I have to take it easy all the time. Im not use to that., I always been on the run. kind of person. My dr, says that I'veys were. highper. but with the problem with the liver. I cant keep my busy life style and it makes me get anxiety. Do you see a lot of your patients going threw this change. thanks for any info!
HAve a nice day dr.
from carmen

[tonycast]

my dad has been taking lorazepam for over 15 years.  He's 78 years old and is experiencing every side effect imaginable.  One side effect is ruining his relationship with my mother.  He has very vivid nightmares and hallucinations of my mother being with or carrying on with another man. When he wakes up, he lashes out , believing that the nightmares are reality. His former wife cheated on him over 50 years ago. My mother has been loyal to him for over 50 years.  He needs to find a primary doctor that can help him. He does want to ween off of the ativan but he takes up to 6 mg a day now. his cardiologist put him on lexapro 10 mg a day. will this help him? He cannot handle the nausea and the fatigue.  Is that normal at first?   They also gave him restoril to take with the lexapro. He cannot stop taking the ativan all at once. since then. his cardiologist has stepped back, and wants him to find a primary dr.  He lives in West covina, Ca. Can anyone help me.....tony c.

[Rockerforlife]

Wow...i didnt realize how severe these side effects from the benzo drugs were until i read your post.There are ways to ween of these drugs i have been hearing.Have you tried taking smaller doses and gradually stopping ?

[merryBe]

it's sounds like you may have some mild encephalopathy. Have you been screened for this?
You need to watch for these symptoms in latter stage disease as increased brain pressure can lead to many issues, including what you described as well as what Tony'y father is going through.

Since lorezepam actually makes encephalopathy worse, as do dieuretcics, and since many doctors don't know this and prescribe them, it would be wise to have your hepatologist not your GP take over a supervisory role of all your meds...especially if you aren't well. However my experience has shown me that NONE of the docs are that well versed in the chemistry of these drugs.

I'm getting off all these things now. I suggest biofeedback, bedtime quiet, melatonin, remove all caffiene and chocolate or other stimulants, make sure your cholesterol does not get too low, as this effects mood and sick livers do get low. Replace low cholesterol only with HDL lipids. (don't go to pizza heaven, not good for liver.

[merryBe]

some of what your dad is going through may be from overdose or from liver failure.

doses need to be adjusted down as people age, because their liver can't process as well, nor can kidneys clear as well.  If he has diseases that can be 10x the issue.

If you wish to wean him do it very slowly. I was on 1 mg a day...and it took me 6 months to get off it. You need to lower the dose very slowly.
Some docs will switch ativan users to valium and then let them come off that..
it is easier since the valium has a longer half life, slower to clear...and therefore the drug does not leave the system between doses each day so radically.
Good luck trying to get a doc to go along though...I took 60 pages of research to mine, and they still said forget it. So I had to tough it out.
I cut back from 1 mg per day to 1/2 mg per day...and ended up in Emergency....so you have to go really slow cutting back. I broke my pills into quarters to do it.

mb