muscle twitches and ativan

[Alisonj]

I have been having muscle twitches for a few weeks and I just recently started wondering if me dropping my ativan from 2.5 mg a day to 1mg a day right away could be causing the twitches. My doctor never told me how to properly wean off them and I am wondering if I maybe dropped too quickly??? I have been on them for over 3 years now. I dont really want to google. All I know is the twitches started right around the same time. Thanks for any info you can help me with.

[Danath]

I reckon it could be, ativans like diazepam i think, a strong muscle relaxant, so weaning of could cause the symptoms to start again. Well done for resisting the urge to see doctor Google too! But ask your real doctor for the score on weaning off ativan, he should have planned this out with you its his damned job!.

DAn

[Alisonj]

I know he is horrible though. He said just stop it but I cant imagine going from 2.5 mg to nothing would be wise.

[nomorepanic]

the drop is too quick

if you have been them on that long it can take months and months to come off them and needs to be really really slowly.

you should go from 2.5 to 2 for a few weeks/months then reduce again.

You are reducing too quickly in my opinion

[Alisonj]

Thank you so much for your input Nicola, it means alot. I started thinking about the timeline that these horrible twitches started and it adds up to when I dropped my dosage. So I took another tab 1mg and the twitches have not been anywhere near as bad today.

[Typer]

1mg of ativan is equal to 10mg of Valium. This means your drop is too big.

I spent 11 years working for an agency getting people off of prescribed drugs. and part of my work involved drawing up a withdrawal plan. This depends on how long you have taken Ativan.

I suggest you do this.

Switch over to valium...using 2mg tablets. Switch 1mg of ativan at a time, with a 2mg valium drop in it.

So you switch 1mg of ativan to 8mg valium (diazepam) for 1 week or even two weeks

Do the same with the evening dose after 1 or 2 weeks.

So now you have dropped but not to a noticeable level.

Spread valium doses out over the day and drop 2mg every week and if need be, every two weeks. This can take months but is the best way to do it. GP's used to ask me to draw up these plans and were happy to prescribe accordingly. When you get down to say 6mg a day - cut the tablet in half and start dropping img every two weeks. At the very end you can get a liquid form of valium which may help to drop really slowly

For people who were on it for 10 years, I expected the withdrawal to take the same in months + 2 in months.

[Danath]

sometimes you have to stand your ground with doctors, and perhaps discuss whats best for your health. some of them can get a bit of a god complex.

[Alisonj]

Thank you so much for the info typer. Also thank you Danath, he does have that complex as well as the I am retiring in mere months so I just dont care anymore attitude. I added .5mg back in and have noticed a reduction in the twitches!!