Posted by PsychoSage on March 30, 2004, at 20:31:46
In reply to Re: using Klonipin and Ativan, posted by gheld on March 30, 2004, at 8:10:11
I only took Ativan before bed, and I took it for maybe half a year or so. Only once did I take it as needed it during the day, but I got off it because I just felt like I could not sleep without it because the withdrawal is a little uncomfortable.
Less is better because at leat you will have your wits more.
"As needed" can be complicated for those of us who take that to mean any sign of discomfort.
i would follow the advice above and take it regularly and not think about it, so you don't have this mental relationship with the drug and your ideas about what you think it does for you more than the actually effect. It can be like a reverse placebo effect I guess when you believe you need a drug, so you end up taking this drug a lot but you cause a lot more anxiety with this cycle of thinking about the drug and feeling better knowing it's in you. That's the mental component to unhealthy dependence, and it's not unusual.
I didn't like taking it anymore because I realized that it was not giving me the same effect, and i did not want to increase because it dulls me after I wake up. I already have my mood stabilizer for that job.
That's another idea. Mood stabilizers like Trileptal are used for anxiety.
I got spoiled of having a very nice way to fall asleep, so I did not like the idea of taking as needed because my body wouldn't like it if one night it got ativan and the next night it was looking forward to it, but it gets nothing.
Keep your benzos, but think about meditation and exercise. A nice hobby you can be repetitive with and successful {key word} can help you build some counteracting positive emotion.
Increasing my zoloft was a horrible idea for my anxiety. That just made me apathetic.
poster:PsychoSage
thread:329987
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040329/msgs/330531.html