ativan withdrawl/atarax (greenlydia

[chrisc111]

by chrisc111, Nov 16, 2009 08:05AM
To: greenlydia
Hi thanks for the reply.

1.I have been off ativan for 9 weeks as i was allergic to it. my question really is if i take valerian will it ease the withdrawal symptoms or aggravate them.

2. If i ease of the atarax are my withdrawal symptoms off the ativan likely to worsen

I have been to 2 psychiatrist and 3 doctors and a homeopath who don't know, their answers have been mixed.
Two said i should go on antidepressants ( which i do not want to do) the others wanted to put me on a different benzo despite me telling them i was allergic. ( i definitely am as 2 years ago i was put on xanor ( also a benzo and had a allergic reaction)

Please see what you can find out as i cannot get an answer here.

Thanks

Chris

[chrisc111]

Hi
We do have neuropaths etc here, I went to see one who was also a qualified homeopath
he prescribed st johns wort,passion flower and ashwaganda, however when I asked him about the possibility of the above aggravating my withdrawal he avoided my question and proceeded to tell me that that he had also suffered a nervous breakdown (burn out) 2 years ago and took a pharmaceutical antidepressant for 6 months then his own meds after that.  As you can imagine my faith in his prescription of his meds to me declined.
kava is illegal here however we have something called scelectium which is supposed to be similar, but there is not much info on it.

I have copy of Natural Highs and as you know she uses herbs when weening people of benso's but she doesn't have any recommendations for people who have stopped taking them but are still in withdrawal and need something for anxiety.

I was also taking vitamins ie b complex,magnesium zinc,omega3 and milk thistle one of them seemed to make me more anxious,unless as you say because milk thistle cleanses the liver it was affecting the atarax absorption,
Which of these vitamins do you think i can safely take over and above the omega3 which might  help.
I will start taking the omega3 again given what you have said.

When you say passion flower works on GABA in a similar way to benzo's but Valerians actions are more like benzo's do you think it worth me trying Passion flower ?

Thank you for the time you have spent and the amount of knowledge you have imparted, you have obviously done some extensive studying in this area.
Any further help or suggestions regarding me trying herbs and how I should go about it will help.

Chris

        

[Paxiled]

Valerian also works on GABA, but herbs are too complicated for humans to understand at this point in time.  They just have too many active ingredients.  So they don't just work on GABA.  Passionflower works on GABA as a benzo does, but valerian is much more like a benzo in action, though milder.  Passionflower tends to help the whole system relax, and is also a muscle relaxant, though I don't know anyone who knows exactly why.  Green oats in another herb that tends to work on the whole system.  But I would be reluctant to recommend a whole package of herbs to you because it is trial and error.  And my guess is, you can probably find kava on the internet even in South Africa, or from an herbalist.  I would assume there's still an herbal tradition there, ayurvedic from all the people from India who moved there, European from the older European communities, and African.  Every culture has an herbal tradition, so find someone who practices.  I'm sure they must have naturopaths and holistic nutritionists in the larger cities.  A book you can read is Natural Highs by Hyla Cass, a psychiatrist from UCLA, and also google protracted withdrawal, which is what you're suffering, and that will direct you to a site that offers natural options for treatment of benzo withdrawal.  I will tell you the basic formula for withdrawal would involve liver cleansing, but since you're still on a medication you can't do that -- it might interfere with absorption.  Some people find large doses of fish oil helpful with withdrawal, and one thing you can try is wheat grass or barley grass juice to try and clean out whatever toxins are in your system from the benzo without washing out the med you're still taking.  Also, adaptogens like ashwagandha and eleuthero might help strengthen your adrenals so your system can better stand the stress of your withdrawal.  Supplementing with magnesium citrate can also help.  Good luck to you.  

[chrisc111]

Thanks for the reply.

I will look into the holy basil. What herbs would you recommend i take with it ( we cannot buy kava in this country)

My concern is that the passion flower will slowdown my recovery from ativan, almost like
alcohol by being a gaba antagonist, or make me more anxious.

I don't mind taking a natural substance like passion flower or kava long term if it will help, because as you say you can always stop taking it.

I don't know anyone who has tried it, after withdrawing from bensodizapines

Thanks

Chris  

[chrisc111]

Thanks for the reply

I was on ativan for 8 weeks 1mg p/day, i last took it 9 weeks ago, tapered over 2 weeks to 0

I had sever facial skin rash ( very red and sore/sensitive) and " very" sever headache felt like the lining of my grain was on fire, i was prescribed synape ( a very strong pain killer) for the headache which hardly helped and atarax for the skin rash which did help.

I am currently taking atarax 2 x 2.5mg x3 x p/day.

Thanks again

Chris

[Paxiled]

Nobody can tell you what you will experience in advance with either medication or natural remedies.  They affect different people differently.  Valerian can also cause drowsiness; it is most often used as a sleep remedy because of this, and your atarax is also a sedative.  But in theory, a relaxant should help with the benzo withdrawal by taking the edge off the anxiety.  If it were me I'd probably go with passionflower and hops, or kava, which are less likely to cause drowsiness (avoid kava if you have any liver problems).  But keep in mind that withdrawal is weird, and things that might normally act a certain way can act the opposite, called a paradoxical reaction.  Because the herbs aren't addictive you can quit them easily, however.  So the unfortunate answer is, nobody knows what anything will do to you; it's trial and error.  That's why you're not getting good answers.  Nobody will commit to a definite answer because there isn't one.  The only way you're going to find out is to try.  Another possibility to consider is holy basil, which regulates cortisol emissions.  This wouldn't be a substitute for a relaxant, but an addition; herbs are usually used in combination, not singly, and are generally not nearly as strong as medication.

[nursegirl6572]

Hi chris.

Few questions to get a clearer picture.  How long were you on the Ativan, and what was your dose?  Were you taking it regularly, or on an "as needed" basis?  When was the last time you took an Ativan?

Lastly...could you explain how you are "allergic" to it?  What types of reaction did you have to the medication?  Severe drowsiness?  Rash?  

If you can provide some more info, we may be able to better help you.  Thanks!