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Ativan question...

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Posted 8/29/2015 11:51 PM (GMT 0)
So last night after a rough day with anxiety, I could not sleep. Since Im so scared of more than my Lexapro meds I took Trazadone 25mg (I cut the 50 mg tablet in half) and I only slept like 3 hours. But my anxiety was pretty high.

Anyway my anxiety is directly related to my quality of sleep. When I have a really bad night I usually wake up with terrible anxiety. So today after much deliberation and prayer, I finally took 0.50mg of Ativan. I literally sat by the bottle with my wife and mother in law and prayed ha ha...we really do funny stuff when we are anxious.

Needless to say it lowered my anxiety and helped me get through the day. I have been on Lexapro 20 mg for 16 days total...I was feeling good for a few days and had this setback uggghhh. How much Ativan is the right amount of Ativan to take. I took 0.50 mg earlier but my doctor prescribed one 2 mg pill daily as needed. Im wondering if I take two 0.50 mg at different times during the day, if thats ok?

Also Im wondering if I could do that daily until my Lexapro kicks in...but I dont want to get addicted. I dont know.

I have been doing meditation but my anxiety was so high yesterday I couldnt even concentrate enough to do that.

I hate these setbacks...Im wondering if im even making progress. Thanks for your support as always.
Posted 8/30/2015 1:26 AM (GMT 0)
You have to be very careful with Ativan. It works wonders, at first, but you can become physically dependent on it in as little as a couple of weeks. I also think that 2mg is a pretty large initial dose. Most people start on .5mg.

Also, because it's one of the shorter half life benzos, many people need to take multiple doses throughout the day to not go through interdose withdrawal.

If I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't touch the stuff. It's been said that getting off of benzodiazapines is harder that getting off heroin.
Posted 8/30/2015 1:38 AM (GMT 0)
Yeah, Im worried about taking too much Ativan also. So far I only took 0.5 mg ONCE and that was today. Should I take it once a day only? Or should I try to keep it as needed. My doctor prescribed a 2 mg pill but told me to cut it in half and take 1 mg as needed. However, I decided to take 0.5 mg. Im on Lexapro 20 mg but I have only been on that dose for 16 days...and Im still having bad days of anxiety. So today I finally took the Ativan to take the edge off. But yeah I dont want to become physically dependent.
Posted 8/30/2015 2:03 AM (GMT 0)
i also agree 2 meg is way too strong a dose -esp for a for a begining user. i would use it only as really needed as its highly addicting as also stated above. it does work winders but should be used sparingly.
Posted 8/30/2015 2:06 AM (GMT 0)
here is a tip. your trazadone can also be used to fight anxiety. just bite off a small peice and it will calm you down.
Posted 8/30/2015 2:44 AM (GMT 0)
Benzodiazepines can be very helpful to people with anxiety, if used correctly. Xanax helped me get my anxiety under control. I was on .5 mg 3x daily for four months and had no problem getting off.

in the end, we have to do what we think is best for us (along with what our doctor says too, of course). One persons treatment plan isn't always going to work for the next.

But the good news is, this situation is temporary!! It looks like you are well on your way to recovery, and I suspect you will be feeling better very soon;)
Posted 8/30/2015 5:32 AM (GMT 0)
I also take .5 ativan twice a day for months. It helps tremendously with anxiety along with zolift, therapy and cbt.
Posted 8/30/2015 7:13 AM (GMT 0)
I've been on it for more than 15+ years. I take as needed but I usually take it before bed. During stressful times, I would take 0.25 during the day and another 0.25 or 0.5 before bed.

As long as it's a small dose, and you use it correctly, you will be fine.
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