Lorezapam

[weplant]

Hi..Didn't know where to post this as I am not taking diazapam, but lorazapan (ativan)..I have taken .5mg once in a while for bad panic attack. A bottle of 30 would last me years and years..
Anyway, things have gotten bad and I am now on citalopram,, very low dose and my doc has me taking ativan twice a day to try and keep things calm. I am still only taking .5 (even though she said to go up to 1mg)..I take one in morning and one in the evening. It helps a bit, I am having so many side effects from the citalopram it hards to tell what's what..
So, I am now freaking out about dependency and withdrawl..My doc said I should continue to take them and when the cit is working we will taper off.
I just keep hearing horror stories about getting off this stuff..
I have only been on it for 3 weeks...Should I start trying to taper now , or if I stay on a couple months to I feel better from the cit, will it be really hard to get off.. I read in a post where if you go off too fast you can have cardiac arrest...I suffer from such sever anxiety/panic/fear, this is the last thing I needed to hear..
Any input, please...thanks, debbie

[SarahH]

Many people take Valium to ease the start up SE's of SSRI's. I do! And I have a prescription for it as I use it when my anxiety gets really bad. I was tools I could take uo to 3mgs a day!!! But I did not need that. 0.5 mgs is a minor dose. lorazepam stays in you system longer than diazepam. You could try just taking the morning dose only to see if that's all you need. Or just the evening dose instead.

Don't worry... you are on a tiny dose and you will be fine.

sarah

[weplant]

Thank you so much Sarah...I am up to 3mg of cit today....Getting there very slowly...debbie

[SarahH]

Well done :winks:

[yenool]

Many people take Valium to ease the start up SE's of SSRI's.
Absolutely. Benzodiazepine + SSRI is very common because the SSRIs often make anxiety WORSE at the start. :wacko:

Lorazepam is shorter acting than Diazepam. Doctors will often switch patients from Lorazepam to Diazepam to help taper off because the Diazepam clears out the body more slowly and therefore causes less withdrawal issues.

Addiction and dependency can occur in about 4/10 people who are on it continuously for longer than 6 weeks. (http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/treatmentswellbeing/benzodiazepines.aspx)
Having said that .5mg is a tiny dose and doctors are so cautious about prescribing this type of medication - you would NOT have been given it unless the doctor felt the benefits were greater than the risks.

I don't think anyone should panic about addiction if they are using the medications as prescribed. The time to be concerned and seek medical advice is when your usage is spiraling out of control.

Also if you do get dependent you can always taper off slowly, it is not the end of the world and you are not going to morph into a stereotypical homeless junkie overnight.

[Linda01818]

Actually it's harder to come down off of SSRI's than it is benzos. I weaned myself off of citalopram a few years ago and it was a nightmare. However, I still have my ativan that I use for occasional anxious moments. I save it for those moments only, I don't take it on a regular basis. Some days I'll need more than one and other times I can go several days without needing any at all.

The citalopram served its purpose when it was needed. I stayed on it for 3 years, then weaned myself off. I sometimes feel I should be back on it, but I'm trying to survive without the use of regular medication. However, like you, when I first started the citalopram, I was taking ativan a lot more often just to curb my anxiety and panic attacks, but once the citalopram kicked in and started doing what it was intended to do, I didn't need the ativan quite as much, only for what I like to call those "oh crap" moments. And I had no withdrawal at all.

Like others said, you're on a small dose. I too am prescribed .05 mg. That one tiny little pill is enough to pull me out of bad moments. I don't think I could make it without the stuff. Of any medication given to me over the years for my GAD, the ativan is my white gold.