I too developed hives but after stopping ativan. I took It for about 5 years then moved to a different state & the new Dr refuses to give me ANY benzos & stopped me cold turkey! Within a few weeks i started breaking out in hives especially on my breasts & have been to the emergency room twice. Both times the ER drs said It was from anxiety but my new primary care Dr still refuses to give me anything except buspar which i had a bad reaction to! I'm so afraid that I'm going to go thru seizures if someone didn't give me a Benzo presc. In the meantime i just keep taking Benadryl & clariton & going to the ER for small prescs of benzos! Good luck to us both!
I certainly can relate to you. I too suffer from bad anxiety. I still have panic attacks, but I have learned to talk myself out of them, most of the time anyway.
I was on xanax, klonopin, almost every antidepressant that was made! My problem with the depression was, I was depressed because of my anxiety! The pills made my anxiety worse. I was on xanax for about 4 years, then decided, enough is enough. I tried to wean myself off of them, but could not. I ended up admitting myself into a hospital for withdraws. I totally agree with nateTHEgreat. It is a terrible thing to go through the withdraws. I have not taken xanax, on a regular basis since then. You do have to wean yourself very slowly. I was absolutely miserable, thinking all the time, and my doctor put me on this very addictive medicine! The longer you are on it, the more you have to increase the dose. The dosage that use to work will eventually not work, and you will have to keep increasing. Be very careful with these meds! I think short term is ok, but not long term. Take it from someone who knows.
Good luck to you, and God bless. I will be praying for you.
Rosebud
What you are going through is completely normal, I was blindly placed on Klonopin like I already mentioned about 6 years ago for OCD... These doc's should not be prescribing these pills... I was also placed on Ativan for four months, with the Klonopin.... And I have been withdrawing off of it for 5 months, and it is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life..... Not trying to scare you, but be prepared it is not FUN!!! But u can do it, just stay strong... Just wean off very SLOWLY!!!!!!!!!!! If you wean off slow enough, you will have limited withdrawals....