I am tapering my lorazepam posting for accountability

[Anonymous]

I have been prescribed lorazepam since 2003 by a medication management psychiatrist. 0.5 mg pills. I took 2 a day 2003-2017, tapered at my request off per his directions in a couple of months. Did not take until late 2018 when DH nearly died in hospital of surgical complications.

I wanted to get off because I realize most of my "anxiety" is missing a dose and my body needing it. I am there again. My doctor says it's a low dose why worry but I don't like being physically dependent and thus in a jam if he dies. He is quite elderly now.

Since 2019 I have been taking 3 a day. 1 in am, 2 before dinnertime. I told him I wanted to taper. He said oh if you want.

So I started 8/19 going from 1,2 to 1,1-1/2. It has been a week and I was able to sleep ok last night, no crawly legs. I will continue on that for a few more days and plan to reduce next weekend.

[Anonymous]

OP, Kaiser has published a benzodiazepine tapering schedule and you may want to refer to it. It's on page 10: https://wa.kaiserpermanente.org/static/pdf/public/guidelines/benzo-zdrug.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have been prescribed lorazepam since 2003 by a medication management psychiatrist. 0.5 mg pills. I took 2 a day 2003-2017, tapered at my request off per his directions in a couple of months. Did not take until late 2018 when DH nearly died in hospital of surgical complications.

I wanted to get off because I realize most of my "anxiety" is missing a dose and my body needing it. I am there again. My doctor says it's a low dose why worry but I don't like being physically dependent and thus in a jam if he dies. He is quite elderly now.

Since 2019 I have been taking 3 a day. 1 in am, 2 before dinnertime. I told him I wanted to taper. He said oh if you want.

So I started 8/19 going from 1,2 to 1,1-1/2. It has been a week and I was able to sleep ok last night, no crawly legs. I will continue on that for a few more days and plan to reduce next weekend.

Good for you! The rebound anxiety is out of this world, but you can ween yourself safely. My mil has been on xanax for over 30 years. She will never give them up. She has popped a few at a time and showed up to her dhs funeral high as a kite and behaving inappropriately. It is so wrong for doctors to allow anyone to take these long term.I'm rooting for you. You can do this.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to both. I don't feel high or much of anything on them. Maybe if I am jangled due to situations and I take the pm dose early, I feel calmer.
I can't take SSRIs. A free sample of Lexapro from my PCP when I was anxious and depressed in 2003 due to toxic work environment turned me totally manic and led to my psych and lithium/lorazepam. Stopped lithium years and years ago, too toxic. Hair loss, trembling tongue no way.

[Anonymous]

Are you a woman? Have you thought about HRT? Helped my anxiety, irritability AND sleep so much, as well as a bunch of minor symptoms (skin crawling, joint and muscle stiffness, etc.).

[Anonymous]

It takes a lot of courage to quit benzos, and I'm sorry your doctor isn't more supportive. You might want to find forums and talk to others who have used benzos and then quit. You may find some decent comments here, but drug threads have been troll magnets lately...

Best of luck to you, OP. You can do it! One day at a time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, Kaiser has published a benzodiazepine tapering schedule and you may want to refer to it. It's on page 10: https://wa.kaiserpermanente.org/static/pdf/public/guidelines/benzo-zdrug.pdf

That was nice of you to post that for OP PP. Very nice of you!

OP You got this! The rebound anxiety is terrible but won't last remind yourself you're getting healthier by coming off of this. Worst case scenario you could try a low dose beta blocker on an add needed basis for the next few weeks, like metoprolol xl but do not increase the benzo's again.

We are all rooting for you.

[Anonymous]

Sending you lots of courage, OP! You can do this!!! Please post updates.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you. I printed the taper pages. I am going to be 75 and can't use systemic HRT since I have had cancer. I use topical Estrace. The crawly feeling is the benzo dose change I think.

I see my planned pill splitting is in 20% increments in first steps. Those things are tiny, splitting is feasible though. Sharp knife!

I will update. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

You've got this OP. I'm so proud of the steps you are taking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you. I printed the taper pages. I am going to be 75 and can't use systemic HRT since I have had cancer. I use topical Estrace. The crawly feeling is the benzo dose change I think.

I see my planned pill splitting is in 20% increments in first steps. Those things are tiny, splitting is feasible though. Sharp knife!

I will update. Thank you.

It is also available as a liquid and you can use a 1-ml syringe to titrate. A family member had to come off of Paxil that way. If your doc is otherwise cooperative, I'd think he would consider prescribing this.

[Anonymous]

You can go to detox and get comfort meds to help you and they’ll put you on a taper schedule. Just a thought!

You can do this!

[Anonymous]

Benzos are harder to quit than alcohol IMO. My PCP helped me taper off alprazolam and over to a low dose non-addictive anxiety medicine (Buspar). The taper schedule was a bit complicated and it worked.

You can do it!

[Anonymous]

You’ve got this, OP!!!!!! Cheering you on from this random corner of the internet—