Posted by yxibow on July 11, 2008, at 2:25:01
In reply to Anyone taking Ativan??, posted by MattSanz on July 10, 2008, at 1:50:53
> I'm currently taking 0.5mg of Ativan once per day as prescribed by my doctor. I told him that I feel very anxious all the time so this is what he gave me. He refuses to give me a higher dose than this because he says its addictive and is actually planning on taking me off it soon. I really hope he doesn't because I feel like its helped me, even on this low dose, although I still feel anxious. Right now I haven't taken it for a few days and I'm pretty sure I feel more anxious than when I take it daily. For people who are taking Ativan, what is the dosage that your taking and has it been effective for you? Should I try to convince my doctor to raise my dosage?? Thanks.
> -Matt
I've taken it before in small doses for PRN usage (PRN being as you need it). The trouble with short acting benzodiazepines like Ativan and Xanax for long term use is that there may be diminishing returns from habituation for an unknown period of time, at least in some people.
This is not addiction (e.g. forging prescriptions, genetic predisposition to addiction and other subtle nuances in semantics).Habituation is more tolerance to a medication. There may still be some use years down the line, but one won't feel the "oomph" that cuts the anxiety away.
I wish people wouldn't immediately refer to benzodiazepines as "addictive". Yes, addiction can occur at the same time as habituation -- that's even more complicated, if one has done other street drugs for years and also has large doses of benzodiazepines, e.g.That's why some doctors are reluctant to prescribe it long term because other agents like Neurontin, Lyrica, SSRIs like Paxil, may prolong your treatment for anxiety. Ultimately any medication can give out eventually. Its finding the right regime to maximize the time that a moving target like a biochemical imbalance is, is the puzzle. (and I'm not against benzodiazepines at all, they have their place).
-- tidingsJay
poster:yxibow
thread:839083
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080706/msgs/839225.html