Question re: taper schedule for evening Benzo Dosage

[kathryn55555]

Does anybody know where I can find a Benzo taper schedule that is not the 3x daily doasage, but from taking one dose (4mg Lorazepam) at night? I can't find one anywhere on the web. I'm wondering if I am supposed to switch all 4mg to an intermittant all day 3x before I even begin to taper?

[reachout]

Hello Kathryn

I can share with you a bit of my taper from Xanax and maybe it will help:

I did go on a strict 3X a day taper from it in that I began the taper by starting a regiment of taking the Xanax at 3 specified times a day. Up until then I had been taking it as the need seemed to hit whenever during the day or night. As I cut the doses slowly, I even more slowly began to strtch out the starting time of the first dose of the day. After a long time of doing this, I was able to meld the first two doses into one single dose and then was down to only two doses a day. Then the beginning dose (now at mid-afternoon) began to get stretched farther and farther towards evening until I was finally able to drop it all together. Now I was down to just one dose a day.. the bedtime dose. I began to move that dose back by a few minutes everynight as I cut the amount very, very slowly so that in the end I was taking the smallest amount before jumping off about one and a half to two hours before actually closing my eyes for the night.

My goal as I went along was to get to just one dose before I went off. If you are already there, I would suggest you stay there! Taper from where you are. Tiny, tiny cuts every ten to fourteen days. And I do mean tiny! Benzo cuts are only supposed to be 5-10% cuts each time. I had to shave the tabs, crush them and eyeball minute portions,... thr creative juices really got flowing to get those tiny portions! Persistence was key.

My biggest piece of advice coming off any benzo? Sloooooowwwww is the way to go. And keep it slow all the way.

I hope this was helpful. Give a shout if I can help with anything. I pop in and out a lot so if you have concerns as you make your way along, I am around.

With much hope
reach

[shay4bliss]

Originally Posted by kathryn55555

Does anybody know where I can find a Benzo taper schedule that is not the 3x daily doasage, but from taking one dose (4mg Lorazepam) at night? I can't find one anywhere on the web. I'm wondering if I am supposed to switch all 4mg to an intermittant all day 3x before I even begin to taper?

Hi Kathryn,

Glad to see you again! Wow, that's alot of Lorazapam! I take 1 1/2 mgs at night(occasionally) and boy I can really feel it when I go a couple of days without taking it! Have you started any taper at all yet? If so, what kind of probs are you having?

I think Reach has it going on in the benzo dept! She really has a plan! I've had friends try to w/d on benzos and it can be very rough and actually very dangerous! I think Reach's approach is an awsome plan. The best I've seen actually. I haven't had any luck with finding any other plans than 3x's a day either. I always look for other people here.

I'll tell ya my own experience....
I take my lorazapam very spiratically, simply because I'm addicted to opiates, and I know very well how addictive benzos are and don't need one more thing to battle. Alot of times I take the lorazapam in large doses because I w/d from the opiates and I have to have the lora to keep my body from going into shock and to keep from throwing up for days. So what happens is I will take 3-4 pills several times a day for 4-5 days and I can really hurt from doing that.
What I've found, is you can basically do what Reach is saying, but you'd only be doing it once a day. Have you ever tried to cut your dose to 3 1/2 mgs at night? Can you feel a substantial difference? Like w/d's? If so, do like Reach said and just cut smidgeons and smidgeons, a little later and later each week at night. Very slow like she said.

The research I've done on benzos, Lorazapam stays in the system longer than any other benzo so you might just be able to taper a tiny bit quicker than xanax like Reach took. It leaves the system very quickly causing really fast w/ds.

Hope I could help~!
Shay

[kathryn55555]

O.K. Guys thanks for the advice. My biggest prob. right now is that I can't even taper b/c I am in such tolerance withdrawal. This weekend I did the worst thing I could do because I HAD to work: I took the night time dose AND took 1 ativan every 4-5 hours when I started to shake, have heart palpitations etc. Now I'm a mess. I called Dr. but only got social worker. I'm thinking I can't do this at home. I've called 10-15 rehab centers and cannot find a Benzo Detox Fac. period, let known a sliding scale since insurance doesn't cover it. Everybody says go to a hospital-I can't afford it. I just don't get this stabilization thing when do you ever stabilize? The drug is not helping me sleep anymore. I'm sick of feeling sick. No Dr. should ever prescribe this stuff unless they know how to get you off of it! already signed the petition. any thoughts? I'm losing my mind and ready to walk into an emergency room and deal with the money later.

[reachout]

Kathryn

Yes, Sweetie, I understand exactly where you are right now. The Lorazepam is in a backfiring mode of operation now. It will no longer relieve your initial symptoms from when you first started taking it, but instead now actually creates and causes the symptoms.

Kathryn, the benzos cause distress on our respiratory system as well as a lot of other not so good things they do. Gently, gently I am telling you that in my opinion, you are in a very dangerous place. You do need medical intervention.
I'm losing my mind and ready to walk into an emergency room and deal with the money later.

Kathryn, I have been exactly, exactly in this spot and standing in your shoes. Please, please, do not let it escalate any further. GO to the ER... go. They can offer you some immediate help AND make arrangements for a detox center. The money does not balance into the equation right now. The rest of your life will be waiting for you to deal with that IF you can get some help now. It all works out, Kathryn, it truly does. The ONLY priority right now is your mind and your health.

With pray and hope
reach