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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by krisdance83 on November 27, 2004, at 0:56:36
Hi there everyone,
I posted a while back because I had been taking Ativan for a while and was worried about how long it would take to develop tolernace.
I was hoping that I would be one of the "lucky ones" and continue to have the same dose work for me for a long while.
Well, it's true what they say on that Ashton website, a person really can become tolerant extremely QUICKLY.
I was taking 0.5mg of Ativan daily for two months. I felt great for a while but very quickly I began feeling dizzy and uncomfortable if I missed a day (I was taking it as needed, so I did skip days here and there). Then it got to the point where I would take the pill and I would barely feel any better and even on one pill a day I was so unbelievably uncomfortable from the physical symptoms. Since it would be relieved for about an hour when I did take it, I painfully waited for the next dose and sometimes didn't make it a full 24 hours. My doctor said that I had developed tolerance withdrawl and that I would have to increase the dose to feel better. I decided that if I increased the dose it would only be more horrible when I became tolerant on the higher dose so I decided to taper off. Right now I'm on 1/4 of a 0.5mg tab per day. I went down slow but the first 6 days or so were nearly UNBEARABLE!!
I really don't understand how some people can take the same dose for YEARS and be fine with it and that I could be on the LOWEST POSSIBLE DOSE once/day and have such HORRIBLE symptoms.
Now, not that I want to start taking it again but in the instance that I have a horrible panic attack once I'm off the med, is it safe to take one pill if I do need it without jumping right back into the horrible withdrawal symptoms from one pill. Is that possible? Or would I have to take it for weeks to build up the tolerance again? I'm just worried that if I ever feel like taking one pill again like to fly on a plane or something, that I will jump right back into that horrible state.
One I'm completely off of the med, will the 0.5mg dose go back to being as effective as it was when I first started or am I doomed for life?
Sorry, these are probably very weird questions but I'm very curious. This med was great for me for two months and then a MONSTER for about two weeks. I want to avoid that situation completely in the future. Honestly I doubt I'll ever take it again because I hate it for what happened, but I'm just curious. And I know that everyone is different.
Thanks for any responses. Everyone be well.
Posted by alexandra_k on November 27, 2004, at 1:34:53
In reply to Some questions about benzos..., posted by krisdance83 on November 27, 2004, at 0:56:36
I am weary of benzo's for anxiety: for exactly the reasons that they are worrying you.
IMPO I have decided to stay away from benzo's forever. The withdrawal just makes them not worth it. Not worth it (for me) at all.
Don't know whether you will find this post, and maybe the above thread helpful...
Posted by Glydin on November 27, 2004, at 7:30:23
In reply to Some questions about benzos..., posted by krisdance83 on November 27, 2004, at 0:56:36
> I really don't understand how some people can take the same dose for YEARS and be fine with it and that I could be on the LOWEST POSSIBLE DOSE once/day and have such HORRIBLE symptoms.
>~~~I wish I knew why that was true, too, but it is. The fact we are all different, with different physiology seems lame, but the best I can come up with. I am one of the lucky ones, in that I have used my benzo for a number of years at a very low dose with great success. I am sorry that wasn't the case for you.
> One I'm completely off of the med, will the 0.5mg dose go back to being as effective as it was when I first started or am I doomed for life?~~~Only you and your doctor can really answer that question for you. But, I think the majority of opinion is once you have had a "problem" taking benzo's, it is best to steer clear of using them in the future.
The above being said, I don't like generalizations, I have been the victim of too many blanket statements about benzo's and benzo users to be comfortable REALLY making any statement that covers all situtions and all persons.
Anxiety is very life impacting and only those experiencing it can know the true sum of what it's doing negatively in our lives. I hope you work out a solution that's good for you.
Posted by Fred23 on November 27, 2004, at 8:43:25
In reply to Some questions about benzos..., posted by krisdance83 on November 27, 2004, at 0:56:36
> I was taking 0.5mg of Ativan daily for two months.
Just in the last few days the points were made elsewhere on here that Ativan is not as strong as the doctors think it is, and tends to be underprescribed.
The "normal" range for the starting dose of Ativan is 2 to 3 mg/day. Then is it regarded as normal to work up to 6 mg/day. So you are still in a "sub-therapeutic" rage with just 0.5 mg/day, well below any danger zone.
If you were to slowly increase your dose, you might find that somewhere before the 3 mg/day you find an amount that works without needing to be increased anymore.
And even if it takes 3 mg/day, you would still be in the "beginner" stage.
This is the end of the thread.
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