HELP READY TO TRY AGAIN GETTING OFF AMBIAN/LORAZEPAM

[mbaez1953]

I HAVE BEEN ON BOTH THESE MEDS FOR AROUND 2YRS AND NEED TO GET OFF, lATELT i HAVE HAD PANIC ATTACKS AND HAVE FELT VERY DIZZY.
I WANT TO GET OFF OFF AMBIAN FIRST, ALSO LATELY I FEEL VERY NERVOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY,FEEL LIKE IM IN ANOTHER WORLD
NOT MY SELF, SOMEONE TOLD ME LORAZEPAM HAS A SHORT HALF LIFE
AND I MAY BE NEEDING MORE, I TAKE 1MG AT NIGHT SHOULD I BREAK IT IN HALF HALF AT NIGHT HALF DURING THE DAY? PLASE SOMEONE ADVICE ME A THINK I AM  GOING NUTS,I WANT MY OLD SELF BACK. THANKS YOU.

[paula154]

Have you looked into having a reputable source check your hormone levels and also an in depth check on you metals level (I think they can even test your hair for this).  Doctors often are just trying this or that.  Explore holistic medicine also.  It isn't waving chicken feathers like some people think.

[macgirl90]

thank you so much for your insight, and thank you everyone else for your insight on this matter!

My DR prescribed me prozac and ativan(lorazepam) for extreme anxiety (ativan to help until prozac kicked in) she started me at .5 and I could take it up to 4 times a day, which is what i was doing for most days. now, I am taking a 1mg tablet twice a day. I have been taking both prozac and ativan for maybe 3 weeks- 3.5 weeks now. I saw a psychiatrist 2 days ago, and he said because ativan is so addictive, it would best be to stop it, and I was perfectly fine with that....he told me, that the moment I left his office, i was not to take (ativan) lorazepam anymore. I was to stop cold turkey..... I deeply regret following his instructions as I was unaware of what was to follow next.

Can I just tell you, I have been in hell the past 2 days, and even more so today,I've been crying all morning, thinking that I'm dying, I'm been having fits of extreme dry heaving (much like a hangover) (i would be throwing up, but I'm so sick I can't eat so there's nothing to throw up) After reading online about ativan withdrawal every place says DON'T QUIT COLD TURKEY. So now on top of why I was taking the lorazepam in the first place, I feel like I'm dying... I'm so sick and I feel like I'm going crazy, and it scares me so much, more so than the original reason why i was started on it in the first place. I have so many withdrawal symptoms and surprise surprise, I called the psychiatrist, and he won't return my message. and it's been 3 hours since I called him.

SO i did the next best thing and I spoke with my aunt, who knows a lot of medicine and she advised me to take 1mg ativan immediately and take maybe .75 tonight and then slowly within the next 4-6 weeks, start cutting everything down. WHY DIDN'T MY PSYCHIATRIST TELL ME THIS? I took 1 mg about an hour ago, I'm feeling a little better, and like I can breath again....... but can I just say.... as much anxiety and panic attacks I thought I was having before taking lorazepam, I have been experiencing severe symptoms, and WAY more anxiety and more panick attacks since being on it. UGH it's just not good and I think I've become depressed over this whole situation, which I'm hoping the prozac will help! along with me starting a new routine of walking and eating better.

I hope everyone on this forum is doing well currently, and even though I'm not one to pray super often, I'm praying for all of you, and I hope things go well in the future. stay strong! Practice getting more control of your negative thoughts and fill your head with positive thoughts. we are alive! the sun is shining today, and I'll be damned if I stand back and watch myself crumble to pieces. We can empower ourselves with knowledge (which is what we're doing by this thread) This is just an obstacle in life, and like every obstacle you can either hide from it, or face it full on, and battle it! I'm proud of all of you for your stories and I thank you for sharing them, bc now I feel a little more at ease.

Best wishes,
Samantha

[Nkit84]

Hey everyone! I had to come on here to share my story about taking lorazepam.  First of all there have been some really increadible stories and I have to say that NO ONE IS CRAZY. This drug is the DEVIL. I have to share what has worked for me. EXERCISE. I've been on Lorazepam for about 6 months and I started to taper off which is extremely helpful. DO NOT CUT IT OFF COLD TURKEY. The higher the dose and the longer you've been taking it the worse the withdrawals will be. If it takes a year to feel ok tapering then do it, but don't rush anything I don't feel that "getting it over with" is a good thing to do on this particular drug. I find it awful that everywhere I've looked the only help that was offered was getting on another drug to get off of a drug......to HELL WITH THAT. Go outside and go for a walk 30-45 mins as much as you can. What I've noticed is that my body and my brain do two seperate things. My body says run and my mind asks why and then it becomes a vicious cycle. Well, I discovered that my body was more demanding then my mind so in order to slow the thoughts down I had to walk, and walk and I just keep walking.  Also, the second that I feel anxious I go to a mirror and I speak outloud to myself. I tell myself that everything is fine, I talk about what I think might be upsetting me and tell myself that I'M IN CONTROL. You have to get outside of your head to take control. You have to hear your voice outside your head, otherwise I feel bottled up and it seems to let the anxiety take charge.  Catch it early...DO NOT WAIT TO GET ANXIOUS. Tell yourself over and over again and eventually your brain will have to believe it. Because really it's very true...you are ok. The medication actually makes anxiety worse, so with drawals can feel overwhelming. I've found that if I move it helps everything. Also, eating healthy is HUGE. No more processed ****, no fast food, no boxed ****....eat lots of protein like fish, eggs, nuts. Lots of veggies, preferably dark greens.  Eat whole brown rice instead of pasta, watch your caffiene intake and your added sugar intake. Added sugar is just as bad as lorazepam especially when it comes to anxiety. I've completely changed my diet the past 6months to a year and I truly believe that this may be why I doing fairly well coming off this drug. I think much more clealy, I am able to control my thoughts and my body way more than I ever was able to just a year ago. DON'T GIVE UP. If you feel overwhelmed listen to your body and go for a walk. If it comes right back after the walk...GO WALK AGAIN. People can get through this...you can take control and you will. It's the nature of the world and your body, what goes down must come up, but what goes up must come down and if you keep letting yourself know that your body is having a physical reaction you will better understand your issue and you will fix it! Best of luck! DON'T GIVE UP!

[bjk4308]

I believe  Ambien is a killer. And the Drs know how bad it is. I lost my husband last year because of Ambien.. It shouldn't Have been given to him while he was taking any thing else. SOMA  Loratab. He never took a lot. He did not die from an over dose. He died from the two pills. Loratab and Ambien.  Although he waited to take the Loratab the combination took him away from me. I can't believe that no one will stand up to these company's that push this ****. I hate how they advertise meds on TV. Yes just ask your Dr for the what we're pushing this year. What, do they really think that's saving people's lives? I know meds are needed I take them. I took Ambien one time and was about to drive my truck thinking I was going to work. My husband heard me and got to me before I could leave the drive way. I was still in my pj's. I don't remember a thing.
I didn't know that this pill was given to my husband. He picked it up on his birthday took it that night and the next morning he was gone. Doc said he should have been find. he was a bigger man and shouldn't have hurt him... no it didn't hurt him it killed.

And hey same Dr wanted to up the mg of my anxiety pills and down the count... he said i could brake them into and no one would know the difference. Well I would... what if i messed up and took the hole thing. need less to say he didn't change the script.
yes i'm still mad

[FitOverForty]

I happy to read through this forum but if you have symptoms like chest tightening, right arm numbing, jaw tightening that can and will lead you to anxiety attacks, you need your sedatives...no question about it.  I just posted that I went through hell before getting my doc. of 11 years to prescribe Ativan(mildest sedative) after I ended up in ER and a Gastro doc. putting a tube down my esophagus just to find out that the anxiety (stress) was doing this to me.  Overall, you need to judge your body and know whether you need the medication or not.  You can try natural sedatives and see if they work but most won't do it.  I tried Valerian and my throat and esophagus were still tightening up.  Therefore, everybody's body hormones/chemistry is going to be different.  I don't take my ativan until I feel my throat or chest tightening..period.  There are times I need to 2 pills a day and times I can go with half a pill.  I don't take a pill in the morning as just in case.  I take it when I NEED IT.  I think any drug is going to be addictive if IT'S NOT TREATING SOMETHING.  That's why docs are so reluctant to prescribe it because there are too much drug addicts that want the high off it.  When you truly need it, you will not become addicted to it.

[claudia55]

I was in the same place you are. My doctor prescribed ativan for me for way too long. I did not understand what was happening to me and why I felt panicy and suicidal. The drugs make you crazy. Please go to www.benzo.org and read the information by Doctor Heather Ashton (it is written in terms a non medical person can understand). If you are experiencing these symptoms, you need to understand what your body is going through. Ativan is a benzo. It should noly be used very short term. I wish I had read Doctor Ashtons information and understood what was happening to me when I went through benzo hell this past summer.

[sstip]

I have been on Lorazepam for about 3 years. I began using it as needed which seemed fine, although I felt anxious in between at times.
Then as time went on, I felt like I "needed" it more often. I started having morning anxiety.(I am also on 100 mg Zoloft and 200 mg Wellbutrin-to hopefully spice up labido which it is not really working, but the combo seems to have helped greatly with my depression.
Anyhow...I have gone up to taking 1 mg lorazepam at night and 1 mg in the morning. I have been on this regimen for a few months(psychiatrist said it was fine, which from my reading IS NOT FINE) Well...one day I didn't pick up my prescription(not knowing better and not being told to be cautious of withdrawl) and I felt AWFUL. I cried all day, felt suicidal, was irritated by bright lights, felt anxoius and like I was losing my mind. I thought oh, God I have slipped back into a bad place. Anyhow...I realized it was the lorazepam after I felt better when I finally got my prescription. I told my psychiatrist how upset I was and she nonchalantly gave me a taper plan.
It sounds reasonable(1/4 cut back  alternating night dose and morning dose each week) but I am feeling really icky.
Clonazepam makes me very tired but I am wondering if this would be better than what I am going through, or should I just grin and bear it?? I don't want to have to come off of clonazepam. I am asking on here because I don't think my psyciatrist is taking my withdrawl seriously. help!!

[396SS]

I got off ambien and lorazepam by tapering very very slowly - took weeks, but I made it.  However, I was feeling no anxiety at the time and was in a good place in my life.  8 months I was drug free, then things happened and I am back on.  At least I had 8 months.  I pretty much let my body tell me how to taper.  If I slept I would taper more the next night and vice versa.  Until one day, I just slept like a baby and boom, no more ambien necessary or lorazepam.  Again, it took weeks and I just remained patient.  I also bought a pill cutter so I could shave off very small amounts of my pills.  Take care:)

[mbaez1953]

ryan here is my email ***@**** thanks

[mbaez1953]

Thank you again ryan, yes I thought the same thing my goal was to get him to tapper me off this med as you have said I should not attempt this on my own.
this new doctor feels lorazapam was just not working anymore hence he think I was being under medicated becourse other meds were not strong anymore
so he said to take this cloazapam 0.5 mg twice a day and to continue taken other meds. after blood test come back he said we can work on tappering off these meds. He just thought it would be a risk  to start this now as I was feeling very nervouse and I don't know where that was coming from pulse was 136 ekg normal blood presure borderline. Do you think if I take this new meds
I can get off lorazapam and not get any withdrawal symtems, last night I did cut off about a quarter of my ambian. My goal is to get off ambian then off all the other stuff, I hope you are wrong and I do not have an under lying anxiety problem, I never did prior to all this. thanks morgan

[mbaez1953]

Thank you ryan, again you have given me great advice. Do you think I might need or would it be better for me to find a drug rehab that might help me go through this without any mistakes. I feel like I am always in a worry mood
latelt I do not feel normal or relaxed could my body be telling me it needs more
of these meds?  I want to clear my head but it scares me to stop meds and feel anxiety/panic.  will rehab do better and will insurance pay for this kind of service. thank you again.

[mbaez1953]

thanks Ryan you'll love this one, Well I went to a doctor today,trying to find an answer to why I feel so hyper and panicky
I took all my meds to show the doctor. He said this would not be a good time to try and get off these meds, That I am having panic attacks and anxiety,He had an ekg done. His conclusion was that I am being under medicated and I should continue the meds as I have been and he added CLONAZEPAM 0.5MG HE WANTS ME TO HAVE BLOOD WORK DONE.
wow this is new. then he says we will try and find a way to get off these meds gradually. right now he wants to get  me feeling better. does any of this sound good to you at all, or am I missing something could it be lorazapam just was not getting the job done anymore I take it with ambiam at night right now I just do not feel right..thanks morgan

[debaser23]

A doctor should supervise your tapering regimen.  Nobody else.