Thanks for the info!
Baths not possible at the moment as have broken ankle - which is where the pills and this whole mess began!
Would never have touched them if I had known.
Yeah, I'm with you on the Ativan. Even with short-term use, the body can suffer withdrawals when cutting back on the drug. And yes, you are over the worst of it. Anytime you cut Ativan in an effort to lower dose or get off it, takes about a week to get completely past that awful experience, and then if you cut again, same thing.
There are plenty of good sleep medicines that can be prescribed to you that will knock you out cold, your doc will know what to give you that is strictly for sleep and not a tranquilizer. If you're looking for over-the-counter stuff, I will use Tylenol PM to go to sleep, or I'll get a bottle of pills from the health food store called Melatonin. It is natural, and mimics the nightime cycle in the body, and is quite reliable in knocking you out for sleep. And to fight any further nighttime withdrawals and make it easier to fall asleep, a hot soakie bath before bed will relax those tightened muscles that happens from withdrawal, as will good stretching out in the daytime, and drinking extra water will help flush toxins out of the body a little faster...just don't drink lots of water before bedtime, of course!