Ativan Advice

What dose are you on? Ativan is a benzodiazepine(benzo for short) and with all drugs in this class the do have a sedating property. Best bet is to take one while you know you have nothing to do, just so you can feel how it reacts with you. If you don't want to take a whole one you can break it in half and try that. I'm currently on Xanax ( another benzo) and I can still function and drive if I have to take one, but I'm taking the lowest dose I can. I believe Ativan binds with Gabba transmitters in the brain that cause it to have a sedating feeling. If you are sensitive to pills, did you let you MD know this? If so then the dose he prescribed should be fine. Just use with extreme cases of panic attack. Try and talk yourself out if the small ones, in the long run that will make you stronger.

Post Edited (MurseChris) : 9/10/2013 1:25:41 PM (GMT-6)

Hey Herm, new member here as well, I developed some hopefully short term, but very aggressive anxiety symptoms from stopping alcohol after 7 years of hardcore binge drinking. Ativan was the first thing I was given to take to calm down. I'am also very sensitive to taking meds because at 33 year's of age I've never taken a pill for anything in my life. Ativan is about the fastest working pill you can use, you start to feel the effects in 15 min. I was told to use 1mg tablet at a time but if the anxiety is REAL bad 2 won't hurt you either I reacted fine to both doses. It's probably the most effective BENZO but also can become the most addictive and have a laundry list of its own withdrawal effects similar to going off the booze. So my advice would be only to use it when you need to, and try avoid long term steady use of it. I used it for my real rough stage 2 weeks after quitting, and haven't used it since with no side effects when stopping use. I'm finding after 5 ECG's, a million blood tests, urines tests, etc etc. that anxiety can really mess with you, at the end of the day I'm understanding what it is, I've been fighting it with no meds for 30 days now and keep telling myself I'm 110%! Wish you the best HERM! Chin up!

Shabba said...
Hey Herm, new member here as well, I developed some hopefully short term, but very aggressive anxiety symptoms from stopping alcohol after 7 years of hardcore binge drinking. Ativan was the first thing I was given to take to calm down. I'am also very sensitive to taking meds because at 33 year's of age I've never taken a pill for anything in my life. Ativan is about the fastest working pill you can use, you start to feel the effects in 15 min. I was told to use 1mg tablet at a time but if the anxiety is REAL bad 2 won't hurt you either I reacted fine to both doses. It's probably the most effective BENZO but also can become the most addictive and have a laundry list of its own withdrawal effects similar to going off the booze. So my advice would be only to use it when you need to, and try avoid long term steady use of it. I used it for my real rough stage 2 weeks after quitting, and haven't used it since with no side effects when stopping use. I'm finding after 5 ECG's, a million blood tests, urines tests, etc etc. that anxiety can really mess with you, at the end of the day I'm understanding what it is, I've been fighting it with no meds for 30 days now and keep telling myself I'm 110%! Wish you the best HERM! Chin up!

Thanks for the tips. I have also been cutting back from drinking pretty heavily since some tragic personal losses a few years ago. Maybe that is help cause the anxiety because I am working hard at it/always thinking about it?

But on the other hand, I also find if I do drink too much, I have bad anxiety symptoms the next day (which just started happening a few months ago. Didn't really have "hangovers" before then. I'm getting older, I guess).

So I'm quitting alcohol to lessen my anxiety, but quitting is causing more hahahaha

Post Edited (HermTex) : 9/10/2013 2:40:06 PM (GMT-6)