Aa
Help needed please
Have been on Ativan for 5 weeks,starting at 4 mg a day for 3 weeks,now down to 2,but I`m kinda shakey,
and display minor withdrwal symptoms.Changing over to Valium today,10mg a day,and starting Zoloft,25mg.
Question....once the Zoloft kicks in,I believe as early as a week or so,will it help ease the Ativan,Valuim withdrwal.
Also,I don`t reallly have much in the way of info as to managing these drugs.Should I stay at 10mg Valuim for a few days,then try to continue tapering down....take them together...cut the dosage of Valium and spread it out during the day...I just don;t know.
I am not very funcional now,and will need to get back to work soon.
Any suggestions would be great,as sitting here in the great white north under heaps of snow is letting me fret over my immediate future,rendering me a nervous wreck!
Activity level is low(it`s -29f today)and little motivation or energy,Just me and the dog here(she hates me for lack of walkies),and the TV can be kinda annoying at times.Reading is really only possible evenings and nights...why are the mornigs and afternoons so hard!
I have an old history of alcohol abuse,not a drop for 16 years,but I know the feelings that come with withdrawl and I got èm.Am sorta yo-yoig on ativan,and the valium doesn`t seem to do much for me to relieve the anxiety-tension.
Today has been a very bad day...couldn;t get out...used a little more benzo than I have been the past couple of weeks,feeling a tad guilty about that.Could the Zoloft be making the ativan or valium less effectiveÉ.
I know these dosages may seem small to some,but I feel incredibly horrible,and can`t get calmed at all.
Thanx all.
and display minor withdrwal symptoms.Changing over to Valium today,10mg a day,and starting Zoloft,25mg.
Question....once the Zoloft kicks in,I believe as early as a week or so,will it help ease the Ativan,Valuim withdrwal.
Also,I don`t reallly have much in the way of info as to managing these drugs.Should I stay at 10mg Valuim for a few days,then try to continue tapering down....take them together...cut the dosage of Valium and spread it out during the day...I just don;t know.
I am not very funcional now,and will need to get back to work soon.
Any suggestions would be great,as sitting here in the great white north under heaps of snow is letting me fret over my immediate future,rendering me a nervous wreck!
Activity level is low(it`s -29f today)and little motivation or energy,Just me and the dog here(she hates me for lack of walkies),and the TV can be kinda annoying at times.Reading is really only possible evenings and nights...why are the mornigs and afternoons so hard!
I have an old history of alcohol abuse,not a drop for 16 years,but I know the feelings that come with withdrawl and I got èm.Am sorta yo-yoig on ativan,and the valium doesn`t seem to do much for me to relieve the anxiety-tension.
Today has been a very bad day...couldn;t get out...used a little more benzo than I have been the past couple of weeks,feeling a tad guilty about that.Could the Zoloft be making the ativan or valium less effectiveÉ.
I know these dosages may seem small to some,but I feel incredibly horrible,and can`t get calmed at all.
Thanx all.
Never heard of the stuff....I'm not very drug savy(which I suppose has contributed to my current position).Will investigate further,but Ii think that now I am on the respected taper method I will perservere with it.Maybe Buspar willl be in my future,but I have always been able to deal with my minor anxieties in the past.But who know where that condition will be at after all this.
Thanx heaps.
Thanx heaps.
I have been taking Buspar for several weeks for anxiety, and it helps a LOT and is not a narcotic. I take Ativan less than once a week for panic attacks. I highly recommend Buspar. It makes me a little dizzy sometimes, but my anxiety has decreased 99%. I am taking 10mg three times a day and am going up to four times a day next week, which is my recommended dosage. Just wanted to let you guys know!
Fergot....can I give me an idea from your experience how long/far into this program can I expect to be basically funcional?
I have not been mentally or physically able to do much more than a few walks and grocery runs.....need to get back to work soon!
Thanx
I have not been mentally or physically able to do much more than a few walks and grocery runs.....need to get back to work soon!
Thanx
Great success yesterday...found a doctor to sign on to the taper program.Seems this method may be well accepted elsewhere,but here in Canada,not al all.They seem to have a different take on addiction,and all I talked to,from GPs,psychiactric units etc..all wanted me to detox cold turkey.
I could not tollerate the Zoloft....vomiting a bit,shaking alot,and almost no relief from the benzos.Doctor recommended starting me off at the beginning of the schedule,even tho I was a bit below that dosage(he felt my addiction started at 4mg,so should my recovery.)
Am I right in U saying that after a little time the valium will maybe mellow out and have a longer effective time?...I hope to not feel the temptation to cheat as the Valium wears off between doses.We are using the schedule found on a UK site,which is basically the same as the Ashton one
http://www.non-benzodiazepines.org.uk/lorazepam.html
We felt that because of where my addiction started,the fact I was far from comfortable at 2.5mg ativan,and past history of alcohol abuse(16 years ago) that starting at the beginning,4mg,would make it just that much easier,and I would have less temptation to cheat,and of course fail.
I feel that it I have developed anxiety issue that may be longer term,that dealling with that can come later,and I should seach out some non-drug alternatives in the mean time,and maybe never need to get on this drug rollercoaster.
As it sits now,afternoons are still hardest...maybe after a week or so the valium will be abe to last thru this hard time.
My startig dosage,for 2-4 weeks is 2mg Ativan,20mg Valium daily total, over 4 dosages.
Afterthat we drop the Ativan,and go to 40mg valium/day,again over 4 doses.
I am wanting to be drug-free asap,but this program,if followed at 4 weeks for each stabilization will take over a year.Am I playing with fire by trying to shorten it?
I guess that's impossible to answer at this point...I am determined to succeed,but want it as painless as possible and therefore provide no opportunities to cheat/fail.
Thanx again for you help....any suggestions greatly appreciated.
I could not tollerate the Zoloft....vomiting a bit,shaking alot,and almost no relief from the benzos.Doctor recommended starting me off at the beginning of the schedule,even tho I was a bit below that dosage(he felt my addiction started at 4mg,so should my recovery.)
Am I right in U saying that after a little time the valium will maybe mellow out and have a longer effective time?...I hope to not feel the temptation to cheat as the Valium wears off between doses.We are using the schedule found on a UK site,which is basically the same as the Ashton one
http://www.non-benzodiazepines.org.uk/lorazepam.html
We felt that because of where my addiction started,the fact I was far from comfortable at 2.5mg ativan,and past history of alcohol abuse(16 years ago) that starting at the beginning,4mg,would make it just that much easier,and I would have less temptation to cheat,and of course fail.
I feel that it I have developed anxiety issue that may be longer term,that dealling with that can come later,and I should seach out some non-drug alternatives in the mean time,and maybe never need to get on this drug rollercoaster.
As it sits now,afternoons are still hardest...maybe after a week or so the valium will be abe to last thru this hard time.
My startig dosage,for 2-4 weeks is 2mg Ativan,20mg Valium daily total, over 4 dosages.
Afterthat we drop the Ativan,and go to 40mg valium/day,again over 4 doses.
I am wanting to be drug-free asap,but this program,if followed at 4 weeks for each stabilization will take over a year.Am I playing with fire by trying to shorten it?
I guess that's impossible to answer at this point...I am determined to succeed,but want it as painless as possible and therefore provide no opportunities to cheat/fail.
Thanx again for you help....any suggestions greatly appreciated.
Thanx for the reply.
Is there any advantage to overlapping the Ativan and Valium,,,I have seen this on the TRAP site schedule for ativan withdrawl.I only get a couple hours of relief from the valium,and then withdrawl sets in...I find myself running to the ativan and taking a ,25 dose just to get chilled a bit(but it doesn`t last either,and I am gonna run out of it in a few days....my doctor won;t give me any more.I have not been able to convince him of my adiction to the ativan,says I haven`t been on it long enough.
Should I discontinue the zoloft until I have gotten down on the Valium..it`s only been 3 days (of hell) since I started it.I know it takes weeks to become effective,but the side effects,and it`s stimulant properties, started from day one.
My activity level is low,mainly due to the depth of winter here,and finding things to keep me busy is near impossible.I live in a rural northern area,and finding a doc to go along with everything I am learning is a problem...the 2 I have seen seem to think I am a `seeker`.They don`t seem to understand I want off,not on.
Getting kinda desperate....no sleep,apetite,energy,motivation....I be a mess!
Thanx
Is there any advantage to overlapping the Ativan and Valium,,,I have seen this on the TRAP site schedule for ativan withdrawl.I only get a couple hours of relief from the valium,and then withdrawl sets in...I find myself running to the ativan and taking a ,25 dose just to get chilled a bit(but it doesn`t last either,and I am gonna run out of it in a few days....my doctor won;t give me any more.I have not been able to convince him of my adiction to the ativan,says I haven`t been on it long enough.
Should I discontinue the zoloft until I have gotten down on the Valium..it`s only been 3 days (of hell) since I started it.I know it takes weeks to become effective,but the side effects,and it`s stimulant properties, started from day one.
My activity level is low,mainly due to the depth of winter here,and finding things to keep me busy is near impossible.I live in a rural northern area,and finding a doc to go along with everything I am learning is a problem...the 2 I have seen seem to think I am a `seeker`.They don`t seem to understand I want off,not on.
Getting kinda desperate....no sleep,apetite,energy,motivation....I be a mess!
Thanx
If you had only been taking Ativan for five weeks, you should've withdrawn directly from the Ativan. The Valium dosage is not equivalent, which will give rise to withdrawal phenomena.
4 mg of Ativan = 20 mg of Valium
Valium is an extremely weak, sluggish drug which must first accumulate in your system before it will replace Ativan (which works immediately). Uncongugated Lorazepam (Ativan) carries a 12-hour half-life, while Valium carries a bi-phasic half-life of 24 hours for Diazepam, and 30-200 hours for Nordiazepam. Nordiazepam is the chief actrive metabolite of Valium. For Valium to replace Ativan entirely, the Nordiazepam metabolite must accumulate to steady-state. The Valium should be dosed at least twice daily in addition (10 mg, every twelve hours), or, more ideally, 5 mg every six hours. This multi-dosing allows the Nordiazepam component to accumulate - a process that takes upwards of one month. This explains why you've not responded to it adequately.
Zoloft is ineffective in pure anxiety states, and it will not prevent or minimize the withdrawal phenomena associated with Benzodiazepines (it will typically make them worse, as Zoloft is stimulating in the majority).
If you did manage to reduce the Ativan dosage down to 2 milligrams sucessfully and without experiencing withdrawal symptoms, the ideal Valium dosage would be 2.5 mg, four times daily (every six hours). Allow for a period of one month to stabilize on the Valium, as it must accumulate before you will notice any appreciable benefit. If you are taking the entire 10 mg tablet once a day, it will not be effective. Valium should be dosed three-to-four times daily.
Given the short duration of Ativan use, it would've been more advantageous to taper directly from the Ativan under medical supervision. The Valium wasn't necessary, and may prolong the process as a result. The Zoloft (once it reaches a therapeutic level) may also prolong the discontinuation phase by accenting the symptoms of sympathetic hyperactivity.
4 mg of Ativan = 20 mg of Valium
Valium is an extremely weak, sluggish drug which must first accumulate in your system before it will replace Ativan (which works immediately). Uncongugated Lorazepam (Ativan) carries a 12-hour half-life, while Valium carries a bi-phasic half-life of 24 hours for Diazepam, and 30-200 hours for Nordiazepam. Nordiazepam is the chief actrive metabolite of Valium. For Valium to replace Ativan entirely, the Nordiazepam metabolite must accumulate to steady-state. The Valium should be dosed at least twice daily in addition (10 mg, every twelve hours), or, more ideally, 5 mg every six hours. This multi-dosing allows the Nordiazepam component to accumulate - a process that takes upwards of one month. This explains why you've not responded to it adequately.
Zoloft is ineffective in pure anxiety states, and it will not prevent or minimize the withdrawal phenomena associated with Benzodiazepines (it will typically make them worse, as Zoloft is stimulating in the majority).
If you did manage to reduce the Ativan dosage down to 2 milligrams sucessfully and without experiencing withdrawal symptoms, the ideal Valium dosage would be 2.5 mg, four times daily (every six hours). Allow for a period of one month to stabilize on the Valium, as it must accumulate before you will notice any appreciable benefit. If you are taking the entire 10 mg tablet once a day, it will not be effective. Valium should be dosed three-to-four times daily.
Given the short duration of Ativan use, it would've been more advantageous to taper directly from the Ativan under medical supervision. The Valium wasn't necessary, and may prolong the process as a result. The Zoloft (once it reaches a therapeutic level) may also prolong the discontinuation phase by accenting the symptoms of sympathetic hyperactivity.
I can only talk about the W/D feelings keep yourself busy. ()make work if you have to) meaning keep your mind busy, also did your Doctor not explain your meds to you ??
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