ATIVAN ( lorazepam )
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Ativan has saved my life. I was panic stricken everyday since I was 19. I was finally diagnosed with Panic disorder with agoraphobia, after numerous ER visits, and countless tests(EKG, o2 sat, Labs, Echo, stress test), last year, when I was 20. I have been on Ativan for a year, and it has been a tremendous help. No anxiety, no worries, and i haven't had to up my dosage once. I am now 21, and I feel like ativan gave me my life back. If you are concerned with taking this medicine, please don't be. It has done nothing but assist me, and I am having no withdrawl symptoms. I may just have a non addictive personality, and what works for me may not work for everyone, but please give ativan a try.

I have a bad panic disorder according to my Dr. I take methadone treatment, for 15 months now..I just got switched from Xanax to Ativan. I am scared to take the Ativan. Will it be like the Xanax? Is it moreso, dangerous, to take with the methadone than the xanax? I cannot help but to question..can you help?

I JUST RECENTLY WAS PRESCRIBED SUBOXONE FOR WITHDRAWALS FROM A HORRENDOUS VICODIN ADDICTION. I WAS USING 20 TO 40/50 IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD AND IT WAS LITERALLY KICKING THE CRAP OUT OF ME PHYSICALLY, FINANCIALLY, EMOTIONALLY AND WAS TEARING ME APART FROM MY FAMILY. I HAVE BEEN PRESCRIBED ABOUT TEN ATIVANS FOR SLEEPING AT NIGHT.. WITH THE COMBINATION OF THE SUBOXONE AND THE ATIVAN I'M HOPING FOR AN EASIER COME DOWN WHEN IT COMES TIME TO GET OFF EVERYTHING...I STARTED TAKING THE PAIN PILLS FOR BACK PAIN...I'M A UPS DRIVER AND THE PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF MY JOB STARTED TO CATCH UP...DOESNT MATTER NOW, I'VE FINALLY WOKE UP YESTERDAY MORNING AND SWEAR TO GOD THE MENTAL OBSESSION ABOUT HOW AM I GONNA GET MORE PILLS, OR HOW AM I GONNA MAKE IT THROUGH THE MORNING AT WORK WITH NO MEDS HAS DISAPPEARED... I'M A RECOVERING ALCHOHOLIC AND BOOZE WAS EASIER TO QUIT PHYSICALLY...ANYWAYS THIS ATIVAN IS KICKIN IN , I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR A HIGHER POWER AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HELPING ANYONE AROUND ME WHO MIGHT BE IN THE SAME PREDICAMENT.

It's an amazing drug. I love the way it makes me feel. I feel drowsy yet can't sleep. Everything is so soft and fluffy. My walking abilities aren't so good. I can only seem to focus on one thing at a time and only for such a period of time. I enjoy this. My vision is alot different. If I move my head to fast to look at things it kinda knocks me back and I'm like what I've already done this before perhaps.

I have been on Lorazepam 0.5 mg. for about 7 years with no problems. But I worry about withdrawal if I ever decide to come off of it. I have heard that most of the bad withdrawal symptoms are from people who have taken large doses. I have never gone over the 0.5 mg once a day. Does anyone know if a withdrawal at this dose would be easy if attempted? Thanks, Linda

tried ativan on and off for years works great for insomnia, and anxiety. Only used as needed but sometimes high doses, 5mgs at a time. In my opinion best benzo and much cleaner than xanax.

I have recently been prescribed Ritalin (fairly low dose - 5 mg/2xday.) Also I am taking small doses of ativan for my anxiety (about a 1/2 - to 1 mg as needed.) It seems to be working okay, so far ( a slight edginess along with increased focus). Does this seem like a recipe for disaster?, or something that makes sense. Would love opinions -- I don't talk about this stuff with anyone, excepting my always-in-a-hurry-doc. Would be greatful for experiences and insights (actually the combo seems pretty good -- but find the balance between feeling focused and energized while managing my anxiety is tricky. In advance, bless you for helping me. Liz

-Originally Submitted September 7, 2008

Ativan has really helped me with agoraphobia. Before using this medication my anxiety was so severe that I couldn't focuse on my college studies or work, it has made such a positive difference in my life. It will not cure your condition but it's a wonderful tool in overcoming anxiety...

after 35yrs of heavy drinking,..the last 20 of which I've been drinking every day,..except maybe 4 or 5 days of the year,..I finally had to try a new approach to my insomnia. I work graves,..and the only way I can sleep during the day is to get stoned on vodka. Soo, I went to Tijuana to the Farmacia Americana where I know the guy who runs/owns the place and got a big bottle of Ativan, 2mg. Now, instead of drinking 7 days week, I drink only on my weekend,.. I do 2mgs of Ativan about an hour before bed and I feel like a brand new person now. Gads, I forgot what it's like not to have a constant hangover at work,..I thought feeling sick and dizzy was normal. I plan to stick with 2mg a day before sleep, 5 days a week. Heck, even if I do get addicted,..I can already see my liver enzymes have gone down precipitously AND I don't feel my swollen liver all stuck up into my diaphram anymore. Life, for now, couldn't be better. Luis.

sense i was about 16 i started dealing with anxiety. i would have an attack here and there some random some brought on by something (you know the hypervenalating, numbness..blahblah) Anyways about 2 months ago ( i am now 18 ) i started feeling sick. i felt like someone was sitting on my chest constantly. my heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest. it all came on one night. i went to the ER the next day and they told me i had an allergic reaction.. i've never been allerigic to anything in my life. so they gave me steroids and an inhaler. i felt a little better for a couple days, went to a follow up with my dr. he gave me antibiotics and sent me on my way. a couple days later i was back in the ER.. this time they told me i had bronchitis and sinusitis, although i didn't feel sick in that way, no coughing no wheezing. so they gave me another inhaler an antibiotic and another steriod. then it was back to the dr for a follow up, he gave me ANOTHER inhaler and ANOTHER antibiotic and sent me on my way. ... so then a litle time goes by im still not feeling good. then about 7 days ago (new years eve) i was in wal mart feeling fine and out of nowhere it felt like my heart tigtened up i could breath, tingly in my face and fingers, kinda liek an attack but not exactly.. i felt liek i was gonna pass out. my mom came and got me right away and went back to the er. they did a lung xray, everything was fine.... ekg...everything was fine. So he told me that this whole time it was anxiety, actually causing the physicall symptoms. I knew i had to deal with the attacks, but i didn't know it would lead to actuall all day everyday symptoms. So all these dr. visits, all the medicine, nothing. So he put me on 0.5 Lorazepam 2 times a day. i started feeling better but still not back to normal.. yesterday i visited my dr. for a follow up, i told him my concerns on how im still not feeling completely better, he just gave me a nother perscription of that. also suggested i get a ekg (altrasound of my heart to check the valves) just to ease my mind. So all in all, my mind is still not at ease, im not my normal self, any given moment i start feeling horrible again.. so i guess the point is, i realy hope this medicine helps, and soon..

Ativan is addictive after 2 weeks, suffering so bad hard to type this. DO NOt take this drug!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ativan should not be taken every day! Your body will get used to the effect and will require more and more. When you stop ativan, you must stop slowly, cut 1/8 less each week. Ativan can cause a panicky feeling when your body requires more. Getting off ativan is no picnic. Behavior modification is best, and looking at what's up with your life can avoid the prescription all together.

ive been on activan for 5 months now, i absolutly hate it keep getting withdrawel symtoms and a deep depression in which i have felt suicidal more than once. i take 4mg a day and desperatly want to come off i have got a programme off the internet to try with my doctor changing over to diazapam, but earlier this year i tried to come off and i have never been so ill in my life i had abreakdown and wanted to kill myself i am terrified of trying again please help.

I was given a script for lorazipam for anxiety. The whole time I was on it, I have little or no memories from that time. My son said I was very agitated and kind of mean to everyone. All I can say is No Thanks, I'll deal with it on my own

I had been taking inderal 60mg time release for about five years for anxiety/hypertension. I got pregnant and they switched me to methyldopa. After the pregnancy for some reason I needed double the inderal. My daughter is now four months old and I want to have energy for her so I tried to stop the inderal and do herbal blood pressure meds. I ended up in the ER, heart rate 132, BP 160/100. This could have been due to inderal withdrawal or an overdose of the herbal stuff. I don't know. The ER gave me 2 mg ativan and a few hours later my blood pressure was 117/76. They said we cured you and sent me home with a small scrip for ativan. It said on the bottle to take one every 6 hours so I did. When I was out, I substituted my moms xanax that she no longer needed. When I finally went to my doc, he gave me a scrip for lorazepam and said that the two were relatively interchangeable. I talked to his nurse and she said 4 mg is WAY TOO HIGH a dose and told me to take only 1 mg a day in divided doses. I am doing this but I have been having a huge headache and sore, weak feeling. Painful jaw. These benzo meds are crap. Very hard to get off of and control. I forgot about the nightmare my poor mom had when my sister forgot to pack her xanax and she came back to the states. She got home on a Friday night and we were absolutely unable to get her more as it is controlled. The pharmacist felt really bad but would not budge. My mom thought she was going to die. Said it felt like knives stabbing her in the head. The ambulance picked her up and in the ER it was confirmed xanax withdrawal. Ugly stuff. Now I don't know how to taper down, and get off of these meds. and i really don't want to take anything for blood pressure. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. I'm taking about 1 1/2 now, down pretty quickly from 4 (a few days) but I'm afraid to stay on a strong dose. It has been about 4 weeks since I took the first one. Thoughta?

i have safely used ativan for 10 years now at one mg. 3x a day. I have PTSD and panic disorder with agoraphobia. I can go for weeks and not leave home for fear of having a panic attack in publc. I also am majorly depressed.

What I would like to know is can I use it with about 20 mgs of methadone for pain each day? Some say its safe in smaller doses; others not so much.

I stopped taking Ativan about four days ago. Took for about 60 days. I stopped because it made me too sleepy and groggy and depressed. Anyway, withdrawal has been difficult, overbreathing, really bad depression (flashbacks to really bad experiences from my past). Things seems kind of hopeless for me now. I do not like to take anti-depressants because I get really bad side effects from them.

My physician has not been very helpful but my pharmacist has been more helpful. He said that he felt my depression was caused more than my lifestyle bad experiences that withdrawal from Ativan and that made sense to me.

Tonight I feel very tired.

I read some ideas that after stopping Ativan, no caffiene, no naps, to exercise a lot, take a hot shower, if you cannot sleep at night after 30 minutes get up and read, work a puzzle, anything to keep busy and keep doing that until you can fall asleep. Other idea was to drink Himalayan Guji Juice and lots of water and take Benadryl to fall asleep.

Ativan ruined my life. After 6 mo. of taking a small dose every 2-3 days I was addicted without knowing it. It caused strange behavior accompanied by complete memory loss. I had casual sex with strangers (I think) after 13 years of faithful marriage. I have no idea what I did while on it, but I do know I had outbursts of rage, episodes of confusion, and an increased need. My withdrawls were horrible and long lasting, and I will never touch the dirty stuff again. There are no studies on the saftey of Ativan use beyond 4 mo. I believe I began to experience a buildup in my system resulting in these overdose symptoms. For anxiety try herbs, meditation, yoga, acupuncture, NMT, anything but these dangerous psychotropic drugs.

i have anxiety attacks but i havent been diagnosed with them cause i cant afford to go to the doctor but my mom has ativan 1mg thats she dosent take so she gives them to me to try and help me since ive been taking them sometimes they help and sometimes they dont now i have always heard that the bigger u r the more dosage u need im just wondering if i take more at one time will it help me or hurt me

I am taking ativan for anxiety, i have been prescribed .5 MG, but i dont feel anything, should i take 1 more pill or just a half extra? Anyone wit any advice please let me know as soon as possible thanks.

I started taking larazepam after my fiace had a brain anurism and a stroke. He was on life support and i was panicking i was going to lose him. I had to go to E.R. They gave me 0.5 mg and it put me to sleep. I only take a fourth of the pill each day now. My fiance survived the brain anurism and i take care of him in my home now. Thank god. But when ever i get anxiety i just take what my dr. told me to take and i feel great. No more panicking. I've been taking it for a year and a half. I wish i would of had it when i was younger. I am not depressed. i just get anxiety. My fiance keeps getting better and life is good. I never take more than 0.5mg a day. It has saved my life. I feel normal.

I've been taking Ativan for 20 years, but the dosage is still low. I started at 1/2mg per day at bedtime; I'd been going through sleepless nights, up to four whole nights with zero sleep, and it was a relief and a blessing. However, I am still the same person, wired and anxious much of the time. Lately I am even more physically anxious with chest tightness and fears. I don't take much more, but I do take 1/2mg twice or three times daily. A couple of times I went out of town and ran out! That was my sign. I went into full and embarrassing fearful mode, rooting around among my friends for anything to help me sleep. I want out of this, but I am not sure how to do this. I want my freedom back. What are effects on nerves and the rest of the body/mind after 20 years?

It's important to note that different people will react differently to different drugs. Don't just blame it on the drug, it might work well for some people. That said, I can provide a second account of ativan amnesia. I have similarly have little to no memory from during the time that I took it. People will recall events to me and I have to spend a moment reflecting or be reminded of when/where they happened. Keep looking for something that works and good luck!

I am 18 years old and i have been taking Ativan for about 2 years. I started suffering from severe panic attacks multiple times a day. They would be so bad that my throat would close up and i would pass out from not being able to breath. After going to the doctor i was given .5mg xanax. I took these for about two weeks and got off. They stopped the panic attacks but just made me fall asleep. Then i was given Ativan .5 mg which i took 4 times per day. This med helped me tremendously. Although it still makes me a little tired, the benefits far outweigh. It keeps me calm and relaxed. I am also able to actually focus better because I am not so worried about things. Since then I have gone to 1 mg 4 times a day and it still is working great.

I need to get off Ativan but do not have insurance to go to MD to get off, I am on the medication due to bad panic attacks, and I have been on 2mg. prn (as needed)for 2-3years. I do not want to be depended on a medication..................Had no idea you could depend on this, per my doctor it was safe......................Please help

I've been on lorazepam for 3 years for performance anxiety (1 to 3 mg depending on the occasion). It has help me a lot. When I taped off, I have withdrawal, but it is a small price to pay compare to what all it allowed me to do.

took ativan for anxiety (following concussion which gave me PTSD) Taken .5mg every night for the past 30 days. Don't want to take the pill anymore...trying alternative route for my anxiety... doctor said i could half pill for 3 nights and then stop, as it is a small amount. will i have side effects I should know about?? can I supplement with anything holistic or homeopathic? Debbie M

I want to get off the .5mg of Ativan I take once a day, at night,consistently, for the last 3 months. Please tell me the best way to wean. My shrink wants me to substitute .5mg Klonopin for the Ativan. I disagree. You have any suggestions and quick?

I had a carodit body tumor. It was a serious procedure. As it got close to my operation. I started to wonder if I was going to make It, because of all the risk. So I kept going to the ER at least twice a week before my procedure was done. So the ER doctors gave me 1mg ativan. I knew it was addictive my famliy members also have been taking it for years. And did not want to start taking them. My anxiety got so bad that I had to take them. It's been almost two months taking 0.5mg twice a day.And my body is addictive to them . It's like I can feel when it's time for another dose. I start getting nervous and jittery. And that's not what I wanted. They do keep me calm. I Haven't had a panic attack , it's just a matter of going through with the withdrawal stages to get off of them.I wish I would have took herbal instead of chemicals. Could anyone help me to do the change from the ativan safely. thanks S.D.R.

I suffer serverly from Elbow and leg restless syndrom...does anyone know if Ativa increases these symtoms or it helps.....I take Mirapex for my RLS and Ativan for panic attacks and anxiety specialy when I get into a car. I dont have fear of driving but I always feel nervousness and fear of passing out in daytime drive...any ideas to help me understand my case..thanks

I started taking Ativan about a month ago. I was having severe anxiety and had trouble interacting with anyone. I was very short tempered, impatient, and nasty. I was grinding my teeth and clenching my jaws so much that my teeth were loosening and i would get horrible headaches. If it weren't for the Ativan, I would have been either drinking or worse. I take 1mg BID PRN.

BROWNMAC, First I am proud you have taken the firsts steps towards your recovery. Opiate detoxing alone is a painful process. The suboxone will block almost all withdrawal symptoms. The Ativan will help you sleep. I can only speak to experiences that I have been involved with, the night sweats, drug dreams, muscle pains. Will slowly dissapar. You have an opportunity to turn your life around. Drug addictions ruin relationships, famlies, finances, dreams, and in some cases the morals that are inside us that we lost along the way. The higher power always guides us one day at a time. God Bless

BROWNMAC, First I am proud you have taken the firsts steps towards your recovery. Opiate detoxing alone is a painful process. The suboxone will block almost all withdrawal symptoms. The Ativan will help you sleep. I can only speak to experiences that I have been involved with, the night sweats, drug dreams, muscle pains. Will slowly dissapar. You have an opportunity to turn your life around. Drug addictions ruin relationships, famlies, finances, dreams, and in some cases the morals that are inside us that we lost along the way. The higher power always guides us one day at a time. God Bless

I have been perscribed Ativan for about a year now. Last year I had a breakdown due to large amounts of stress. My doctor prescribed me 0.5 mgs of Ativan to take as needed and she warned me that is is addictive. That year I only took it on and off with no side effects, however, this year my anxiety has gone over board and I rely on the Ativan to get me through it. The doctor refills my perscription for 0.5 mgs but I found that I felt nothing after a while so I upped my dosage to 1 mg, then I find that I have upped it to 2 - 2.5 mgs at a time. The great news is that it does help with my anxiety and provides a very good calming effect. Bad side is that the body gets used to it rather quickly and I had to up my dosage to feel the effect. I sleep very well through the night but wake up rather groggy in the day and I tend to feel rather tired for most of the day, but it helps me function without feeling anxious. I am beginning to suffer from addiction to Ativan by noticing when I do not take it, I get sweaty and nervouse feeling. I get aggitaed and can be rather aggressive and have out burts of rage. I get very emotional and feelings of not being able to cope with things. I am trying to come off this stuff by downing my dosage but it is very hard and withdrawl is very powerful. Ativan can be very helpful with anxiety and is great, but I do not reccommend long term use as the withdrawl can be rather debilitating and can change personality quite a bit.

I have taken every kind of medicine there is for anxiety.. Panick attacks and anxiety attacks are quite different.. I have been med free with only a Xanax here and there for 17 years, until my father became ill.. I went on Lorazepam about 2 months ago, up until when my father passed.. I only take .5-1mg a day, and my anxieties are at an all time high.. I am going back to then library to again read how to keep yourself calm on your own. I am getting off this stuff- i should have went to Xanax, but that gave me a few scary heart episodes when i quit taking it for good.. Best advice- if you feel anxious on something- wean yourself off- avoid all and any caffeine and alcohol during this time. If I can do it- trust me anyone can.. Its called taking your own mind back in control. You can control this on your own without drugs!

Ativan has helped me a whole lot!! I went to the ER everyday for 6 weeks straight and the docs could not find out what was wrong with me..w day a nurse came in and gave me a dose of ativan thru my IV and it kept me calm.Before that I would get so nervous that I couldn't even eat anything. After taking ativan I was more relaxed and able to do day to day things...

I becan taking zoloft and ativan almost a month ago for severe anxiety and agoraphobia. I was tired of not being able to take my 2 year old daughter to the park because there might be people there. I wouldn't even go to the store for my husband because there might people there. Anyways, both medications seem to be helping. At first the Ativan made me so tired. Now It just relaxes me and it helps when needed.

I have been on Lorazepam for over a year now. I was put on Lorazepam when I was in the hospotal for anxiety, and trying to kill myself. I am on 1mg 3-4 times a day, and at night when needed. It works better than anything ive ever been on before. I was started on meds at a really young age, im 27 now. The only bad part is when I try to go a day withought it I get very bad anxiety & the painc attacks come back. Probably because when I do that im cutting back too quickly, but then if I can make it a day without, then it works better the next day when I take it again. Just not a good idea to do though if im gonna be in a stressfull situation that day, so I usually only do that if I know ill be staying home that day not doing anything, or if im sick in bed or something like that.

I have been prescribed ativan .5mg to take as needed...I suffer from sever panic attacks and constant anxiety. I am also on zoloft 50mgs.....at first I had to take an ativan everyday but now I only take when necessary...it helps a great deal and usually takes 15 to 20 min to kick in...I don't feel it is very addictive. If you abuse it and start taking more than prescribed than just like with any drug I'm sure you will get dependent on them. I do not suffer from any memory loss as people say or any other side effects. It simply just calms me down and stops me from breathing erratically.

I had an attack of vertigo several years ago, and was treated in the ER with a 1 mgm does of Ativan, then given a prescription for the same. I took 1 mgm at night, and, for the first time in years, and I mean YEARS I actually slept through the night! Prior to that, I woke up every 2-3 hours, felt tired, and always restless at night.

I take Ativan about 5 days out of 7. I used to use the PM over the counter medications, which altered my sleep with bad dreams, and I woke up feeling tired. But, with Ativan, I find my sleep is improved, and I'm much more alert during the day as a result.

Ativan is an anti-anxiety medication, and I believe I have an underlying anxiety which prevented me from feeling sleepy or drowsy, and had insomnia. Ativan has been beneficial for me.