Posted by AnxiousAndy on September 12, 2004, at 19:23:42
Hi There,
My question is regarding ativan. I have been taking it for 3 days. The first day I took 3 pills (0.5 mg), the second day 2, and today I took only one. I have been fighting anxiety for quite a long time now, and in the past have been on several ad's...all but one SSRIs and I can tell you, my anxiety and SSRIs just do not mix.
4 days ago, my anxiety got so bad I went to the hospital - and I have been admitted to an out-patient (I thank God) counseling center...as well as taking some of the steps I originally took to deal with anxiety in the past...and, mircaculously, I feel about 75% better than I did. Some of it obviously has to do with the ativan, but the counseling has been helping too.
I think I can get through this without an a/d. At least, I want to. If I do end up needing one, I think it's going to be Remeron, I've had the least side effects with it. But the thought occured to me that if I can get through this with counseling and no ad's, and deal with the anxiety until I can learn new ways to deal with my guilt/resentments (which I have learned are directly related to my anxiety), that maybe I can just continue using ativan.
For the last 4 years, I have always had at least a couple of pills (again, 0.5mg) in the cupboard, but used them very sparingly - going months and months between using 1 or 2 pills. So, I don't think I've ever come close to developing any noticeable tolerance.
I've read as much as I could stand to search through on the internet about tolerance, and from what I can see, it looks like ativan should not be used for more than 4 months in a row. I've read on another site that addiction can begin as early as 3-4 weeks, depending on the amount used.
I realize this might be a tough question to ask, but I'm going to put it out there: How much and for how long does it take to get addicted? I'm addicted to nicotine, have tried to quit, and I know it's no fun. The last thing I want is to develop another physical dependance. I'm not really concerned about the psychological dependance because, truth be told, I don't want to be on any meds. (Who does, right?)
Does anyone have any experience with ativan? or other benzos? I would just like to get an idea - if I take 2 pills a day, everyday, how long can I safely do that before developing a habit that I can't quit? It seems some people are very concerned about benzo addiction and other places I read about it not being a big deal. I know withdrawal IS a big deal, but it seems like people take the benzo addiction lightly - as if it doesn't happen very often.
I'm sorry for being so long-winded...just trying to get my point across, albeit a little disorganized. Thanks in advance for any advice!
-AnxiousAndy
poster:AnxiousAndy
thread:390082
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040909/msgs/390082.html