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Insomnia during Ativan taper

I have been on a slow gradual detox from 3 mg. of Ativan for the last 3 months.  Now I am at .25 mg.  My problem is that I cannot sleep at all and have severe heart palpitations.  It feels like my heart is coming through my chest.  Along with the insomnia is severe muscle spasms in my back.  
Is there anything natural that I can use for the insomnia in particular since I absolutely need sleep and also the back spasms, is there anything that I can take for them that is natural?

Thanks.
Karen
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Avatar universal
A magnesium supplement might help the spasms, but Ally is right, if you're getting heart palps you're tapering off too quickly.  Keep in mind the original purpose of benzos was as anti-seizure medication.  For insomnia, you can try homepathic remedies such as Calm's Forte, since they don't have any interactions with GABA, which is targeted by the benzo, or melatonin, or both.  You might also look into meditation for some peace.  Some say fish oil helps with withdrawal, it's worth a try.  Good luck.
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757137 tn?1347196453
You need sleep. I would temporarily up the dosage to .50 and stay on that for a while until I was sleeping well. Then I would start reducing again. You may have been tapering too fast.
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