Ativan usage?

Question

I've been taking ativan as needed for anxiety for about a year and a half. A bottle of 30 .5 mg pills usually lasts me for about 3 months. I know it's addictive and I've recently - within the last week or so - found myself taking more than usual. I'm not sure if i'm just having a bit of super anxiety or if i am becoming addicted. i'm very antsy right now, having trouble concentrating here at work, but I don't want to take one in case it's the latter. does anyone here have any expertise in this field?

Jessie - yeah, I guess I should have mentioned that my dr's office is closed! But otherwise you would be 100% right.

Answer 1

If 30 pills are lasting your 3 months then you are taking about two to three a week (approx) so now how many are you taking?

I have used ativan off and on for about 10 years. Some doctors will not even prescribe it and have put me on other medication. The alternatives have not worked for me. I have typically taken them only about 3 times a month in the past. But this year the month of January and February were bad months for me. I was taking one a day. By about the end of February I started to be able to cope better and was able to start reducing the amount I was taking. By the end of March I was off them and have not had one since. The fact that you are being cautious shows that you are not an abuser of them. You may be going through a tough time right now. Maybe you are not sleeping well as that is the main reason I have anxiety attacks. Keep a journal and write down what has happened to make you feel anxious and how you are feeling at the moment. Talk to your doctor about your concerns when you go next time. Good luck.

Answer 2

Sounds to me like you are becoming psychologically addicted. If this drug is not keeping you from having anxiety attacks then sorry to say, IT IS NOT WORKING. After all, Ativan is an antianxientant. Call your doctor and tell him what you are experiencing. He may change your medicine or increase your dose.
What you haven't mentioned is why you were put on the Ativan in the first place. If the reason for being put on the drug is null and void now, then you need to get off of it. On the other hand, if it's something you will need to take for the rest of your life then it needs to be re-evaluated. Hope you feel better.

Answer 3

Yes. When you are on a medication like that, after a while your body becomes used to the regular dosage and then it no longer works. You find that you start taking more-then you get used to that. And so on and so on. Please talk to your doctor about this. They know this happens and they need to find another medication that will work better for you so that you can get off the Ativan. The doctor can take you off of it slowly so that you don't withdraw. It would be very dangerous to stop Ativan suddenly, so if you find your prescription is going to run out---you have to tell the doctor. You could have a seizure if you don't.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Maybe try trazadone in small doses during the day, it can be quite sedating taking in large doses and it is an antidepressant, but it works so well with anxiety, that it makes me sleep like a baby. It is not addicting like ativan or any of those other anti-anxiety drugs. I would never recommend those long term, there are other things you can take.

Answer 5

I been on lorzapeam generic of Ativan on 2001 for 1 year i pick this medicine better then xanax. Ativan is an addictive drug as well as xanax but i'd kick the habit and get my body off xanax and go back on ativan because ativan helped me

Answer 6

Yes, I became addicted to xanax which is of the same family of Ativan, the more you take the more you need and the harder it is to get off, My doctor is trying to ween me off with taking Lexapro as a helper. It has helped. BUT the withdrawl is awful and I mean awful. Please read the "Ashton Manual" on the net. Good information and insight. Please don't get addicted, sometimes impossible to get off. Still am struggling with it.

Answer 7

50 to 60 mg of ativan is an extremely intense dose. Combining it with vodka would have very undesirable effects. in case you or somebody you recognize is thinking this, please confer with a expert first, for example, your psychotherapist (in case you have one) or your scientific expert. from time to time, in basic terms conversing issues over with a chum enables. I even have had substantial melancholy for some years. i understand how no longer common existence would be. besides the undeniable fact that, you do no longer p.c. to land up like Michael Jackson.