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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Alii on January 2, 2003, at 16:47:28
lorazepam (Ativan in the USA) in mg that are listed for adults?
Just having a very anxious day and don't want to take my nighttime sleeping benzo along with the daytime bezno for anxiety.
So question is: what are the higher levels of Ativan in mg that people take daily for serious anxiety?
Thanks.
~Alii
Posted by IsoM on January 3, 2003, at 2:10:11
In reply to For serious anxiety what are the higher levels of, posted by Alii on January 2, 2003, at 16:47:28
Alii, I'm falling back on my CPS (Compendium of Pharmaceuticals & Specialities - it's a thick Canadian medication text). Dosage will vary according to the degree of anxiety & whether you've taken it before. If you haven't, initial dosage could leave you quite sleepy.
Initial dose is 2.0 mg in divided doses. Daily dosage can reach 2-4 mg per day, divided doses. It says that usually a daily dosage of 6 mg shouldn't be exceeded, but I doubt that you could take that much without falling asleep. Hope it will help you feel less anxious.
Posted by gabbix2 on January 3, 2003, at 3:18:17
In reply to Re: For serious anxiety what are the higher levels of » Alii, posted by IsoM on January 3, 2003, at 2:10:11
I took 6 mgs a day, for a month - 6 weeks maybe when I was suffering from mind bending anxiety.
And though its hard for me to believe now, I didn't fall asleep, i didn't even get drowsy. It simply made me 'normal' . I reduced it without problem when my other A.D medication began to work.I don't think it would have been prescribed by my
p.doc for any longer than that though.
For years after that I took 2 mgs, but during a depression relapse it was upped to 4 mgs, for at least 3 years without a problem.
I bought into benzo phobia and decided that it was causing all my problems, was even going to sue my Dr. (well in my head) I withdrew from it.
And waited for my old self to just bounce back.. it didn't. I felt just as dreadful but had nothing to alleviate it. Damn. It was not the Ativan after all.I'm now back on it at 2-3 mgs per day.
Good luck Alii, I know anxiety hell, I think having to choose I'd much rather be depressed actually.
Posted by viridis on January 3, 2003, at 3:38:37
In reply to Re: For serious anxiety what are the higher levels of, posted by gabbix2 on January 3, 2003, at 3:18:17
Hi GabbiX2,
Have you tried Klonopin (clonazepam)? Or are you OK now?
Posted by Alii on January 3, 2003, at 11:16:27
In reply to Re: For serious anxiety what are the higher levels of » Alii, posted by IsoM on January 3, 2003, at 2:10:11
> Alii, I'm falling back on my CPS (Compendium of Pharmaceuticals & Specialities - it's a thick Canadian medication text). Dosage will vary according to the degree of anxiety & whether you've taken it before. If you haven't, initial dosage could leave you quite sleepy.
>
> Initial dose is 2.0 mg in divided doses. Daily dosage can reach 2-4 mg per day, divided doses. It says that usually a daily dosage of 6 mg shouldn't be exceeded, but I doubt that you could take that much without falling asleep. Hope it will help you feel less anxious.Thanks IsoM,
My prescription bottle reads that I can take up to 4 pills/day (which at my .5 mg dosage = 2 mg/day) but then lower on the bottle it says a maximum of 4 mg/day.
I took 4 mg yesterday (eight little .5 mg) and still had anxiety coming out of my ears! I did take another 2 mg by the time I was out of my group last night and still took my sleeping medication.
I awoke early and am flipping out about work today for just a day gig that doesn't even matter in the career scheme of things but I am cash poor this month and easy office monkey work is doable even when I'm like this.
But if I can't get this anxiety down slightly I'm beginning to think I might not make it to this job today.
Like gabbix2 said depression in many ways can be preferable to anxiety. I've got to agree there.
ARGH!!!!
~Alii
Posted by gabbix2 on January 3, 2003, at 11:38:00
In reply to Re: For serious anxiety what are the higher levels » gabbix2, posted by viridis on January 3, 2003, at 3:38:37
Thanks for asking, yes I was given Clonazepam,
it seems pretty logical, I tried it 3 seperate
times and each time it exacerbated my depression
so much it made me suicidal. It took me a while to clue in! I don't know why that would be. I know it doesn't happen to everyone, it just seemed to weigh me down too much, the ativan simply the anxiety vanish, and left the rest of me feeling fairly normal.
Posted by Alara on January 3, 2003, at 19:33:09
In reply to Re: For serious anxiety what are the higher levels of » IsoM, posted by Alii on January 3, 2003, at 11:16:27
> > >
> My prescription bottle reads that I can take up to 4 pills/day (which at my .5 mg dosage = 2 mg/day) but then lower on the bottle it says a maximum of 4 mg/day.
>
> I took 4 mg yesterday (eight little .5 mg) and still had anxiety coming out of my ears! I did take another 2 mg by the time I was out of my group last night and still took my sleeping medication.
>
> I awoke early and am flipping out about work today for just a day gig that doesn't even matter in the career scheme of things but I am cash poor this month and easy office monkey work is doable even when I'm like this.
>
> But if I can't get this anxiety down slightly I'm beginning to think I might not make it to this job today.
>
> Like gabbix2 said depression in many ways can be preferable to anxiety. I've got to agree there.
>
> ARGH!!!!
>
> ~Alii
>
>
Alii,I was experiencing a similar problem on Xanax after starting a new job a few weeks ago. I was taking 0.25mg twice a day to get through the day at work and another 0.5mg, sometimes 0.75mg, to sleep at night. All these benzos in my system were making me feel groggy and sedated but weren't doing nearly enough to alleviate my anxiety! I was leaving the office every day with a head that felt as though it was about to burst!
My doc and I added 10mg a day of Celexa to my regime and a miracle occurred: Most of the anxiety disappeared! I became more social and much more relaxed about handling the day at work. Since then I have naturally decreased the Xanax dosage to 0.25mg during the day, with a maximum of 0.5mg to sleep. On the weekends, I don't need to take any Xanax during the day at all.
What I have discovered is that the Xanax and the Celexa compliment one another. If I take the Celexa without any Xanax, I suffer from very restless legs and get a little edgy. Yet the Xanax without the Celexa doesn't work either.
You may benefit from introducing an SSRI like Celexa in order to augment the Lorazepam. I have also found Effexor (an SNRI) to be a very effective anxiolytic on its own. Hope this helps.
Alara
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