![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Bob12 on August 28, 2014, at 9:45:42
Hi,
I have been taking 0.5 mg of Ativan, once per day, for the past 9 years.
I still have anxiety and OCD.
Does anyone think I should move up to 1 mg of Ativan once per day?
I take 1 mg of Ativan on rare occasion for very stressful days, and it really reduces anxiety.
However, I do not want dependency or tolerance.
Any advice would be appreciated.
thanks
Bob12
Posted by Phillipa on August 28, 2014, at 12:25:31
In reply to 0.5 mg of Ativan or 1 mg?, posted by Bob12 on August 28, 2014, at 9:45:42
Do you take any other meds? If not I'd up the dose a bit. .5mg is a small dose. I'd try 1mg at bedtime first and if too strong lower it a bit. Trial and experiment. Phillipa
Posted by Christ_empowered on August 28, 2014, at 18:57:37
In reply to Re: 0.5 mg of Ativan or 1 mg? » Bob12, posted by Phillipa on August 28, 2014, at 12:25:31
talk to you doc. what else are you taking?
Posted by rjlockhart37 on August 28, 2014, at 22:19:46
In reply to 0.5 mg of Ativan or 1 mg?, posted by Bob12 on August 28, 2014, at 9:45:42
i was on 2mg x 3 daily.....but that was 10 years ago....had horrible panic attacks, i've read...that mianly .5mg just takes the edge off....it doesnt really work like tranquilze, it just takes the edge off a bit....kinda like having a small beer.....
1mg maybe.....that's usally the standard dose they give for anxiety.....2mg is for more severe
maybe try 1mg in afternoon and at night....
Posted by SLS on August 29, 2014, at 16:57:12
In reply to 0.5 mg of Ativan or 1 mg?, posted by Bob12 on August 28, 2014, at 9:45:42
I would consider going up as high as 2 mg twice a day if necessary.
I grew somewhat tolerant to Ativan within the first two weeks. Thereafter, my response to it remained stable and effective. It is my impression that most people experience a similar response.
- Scott
Posted by Beckett on August 29, 2014, at 22:34:16
In reply to Re: 0.5 mg of Ativan or 1 mg? » Bob12, posted by SLS on August 29, 2014, at 16:57:12
Maybe a longer acting benzodiazepine? Short acting agents could create rebound (or more refractory) anxiety--just my own experience.
Are you able to skip days w/o Ativan? Even If there is a physical dependency, would that keep you from increasing the dose?
Posted by Hugh on August 30, 2014, at 10:36:14
In reply to 0.5 mg of Ativan or 1 mg?, posted by Bob12 on August 28, 2014, at 9:45:42
Beckett raises a good point. Have you ever gone for a few days without taking Ativan? Did you have any withdrawal symptoms? If not, it would probably be okay to raise your dosage -- though as Beckett says, a longer-acting benzo might be better for you.
But if you do suffer withdrawal symptoms when you don't take Ativan for a few days, beware of increasing the dosage. I took Ativan for insomnia for three years. I decided to stop taking it cold turkey after it started to cause terrible GI problems (I'd increased my dosage twice because of tolerance). Forty-eight hours after quitting, I was climbing the walls. I had to go back on Ativan and do a four-month taper. (I did a crossover to Valium halfway through the taper.)
Posted by phidippus on September 5, 2014, at 0:55:42
In reply to 0.5 mg of Ativan or 1 mg?, posted by Bob12 on August 28, 2014, at 9:45:42
Benzodiazapines don't do much for the treatment of OCD other than reduce the anxiety over bad thoughts. The only benzodiazapine that has been shown to effectively treat OCD is clonazepam. I would recommend a switch to 1 mg of clonazepam.
I don't think you'll have that great a risk of dependency and tolerance with a 1 mg dose of Ativan.
Eric
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.