Cutting down on lorazepam?!
Question: hi all,
i really want to cut down on lorazepam now. i took 1 1/2 mg last night and tonight i hope just to take 1 mg and then tomorrow night .5mg and so on... i don't like how addictive it is and plus my doctor is going to give me something else to help me sleep but isn't addicting. he said i could come straight off of it but i feel i need a few nights to cut down on them as my body got dependant on them.
Answers: hi all,
i really want to cut down on lorazepam now. i took 1 1/2 mg last night and tonight i hope just to take 1 mg and then tomorrow night .5mg and so on... i don't like how addictive it is and plus my doctor is going to give me something else to help me sleep but isn't addicting. he said i could come straight off of it but i feel i need a few nights to cut down on them as my body got dependant on them.
Lorazepam is a narcotic in the benzodiazepene family of drugs, and is the generic of Ativan. I have been taking Ativan for many years for chronic anxiety and it is extremely addictive. Your doctor is misinformed if he told you to abruptly stop taking this medication because you could go into withdrawals depending on how long you have been on Lorazepam.
You are correct by weaning yourself off this medication little by little. I would suggest to you to find another doctor. The sudden withdrawal of Lorazepam is extremely painful and unpleasant.
It all depends on how long you have been taking Lorazepam and at what dose. YES, they are highly addictive and it's good that your doctor is going to give you something else to help with your sleep. I'd recommend Ambien, it works great for me. If you have been taking Lorazepam for years then you'd have to go about weaning yourself off of it more gradually, for instance you'd take a little less than your normal dose for about a week, and then taper off a little bit more the following week, so it is a slow process. If you haven't been taking it that long, say a month or two or even less, then you won't need to take as long to taper off and your plan will be fine.
I'll bet your getting Ambien from your doctor arent you, that stuff is addicting to me.
Don't go cold turkey on the Lorazepam, that would make you feel sick.