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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Scarlette on March 11, 2001, at 17:05:51
I am a 24/f..I was put on Ativan 6 months ago due to anxiety & panic attacks, bullimia, and social phobia. I recovered quite well, until the doctor decided to send me to a pshychyatrist who wanted to take me off. Once the dosage was lowered (I took 3-4 a day) I became ill, the shakes, throwing up, shaking, panic attacks, heart skipping and sweating. I had suicidal thoughts and went to get help. Now I am in a Mental Health program and they want to take me of also. Why? If it has done good for me? And is there any way to relieve the symptoms of withdrawl?? I am SO scared to go through this again. Sometimes i don't think the doctors know what they are doing...Help??
Posted by Shirley1 on March 11, 2001, at 19:45:28
In reply to Ativan and withdrawl, Why take me off when I need , posted by Scarlette on March 11, 2001, at 17:05:51
Scarlett,
I would feel the same way if I were in your situation. Did they explain their reasoning for wanting to take you off the ativan? Also, if you are being taken off Ativan, do these folks plan on starting you on another medication such as an SSRI that's good for both depression and anxiety?
I'm also wondering if maybe these people are concerned about you getting addicted to ativan. You might want to go to the tips section of psychobabble and plug in "addiction" for the search function. A couple of psychiatrists comment on this and perhaps printing out their comment and showing your doctors might change their mind.
Please keep in mind that I am not a doctor and am only speculating as to what is going on. But if you feel Ativan is the best course for you and these doctors aren't giving you a good reason for doing what they're doing , then shame on them.
Is that Mental Health Program your only option? If you're not satisfied with your current psychiatrist, what are the procedures for seeking a second opinion?
Can't help you too much with the withdrawal symptoms although I wonder if taking Prozac would be helpful as it has been used for people going through Effexor withdrawal. Perhaps Cam, the expert pharmacist or other knowledgeable people could help you.
Good luck and keep in touch.
Shirley
Posted by Shirley1 on March 11, 2001, at 20:46:29
In reply to Re: Ativan and withdrawl, Why take me off when I need , posted by Shirley1 on March 11, 2001, at 19:45:28
Sorry Scarlett, I made a mistake in telling you to insert addiction in the search function for the tips section. You want to insert anti anxiety drugs instead and then on the left hand side, look for the link that discusses using benzodiazapams (sp?) for long term use.
Again, good luck.
Shirley
Posted by swiss on March 11, 2001, at 22:32:28
In reply to Ativan and withdrawl, Why take me off when I need , posted by Scarlette on March 11, 2001, at 17:05:51
So basicly you went to the doctor for help, the doctor gave you a high dose of ativan and had you take it for a long enough time to get you addicted, then they take you off the drug, and now you must go through withdrawal. I think the doctor has made a mistake here, I think the doctor should have known that you would get addicted and he should have prescribed a lower dose for a shorter period of time, or should have prescribed a different medication. So now what do you do? What are your choices? I dont know? Do you want to take ativan for the rest of your life?
Posted by JohnX on March 11, 2001, at 22:43:00
In reply to Ativan and withdrawl, Why take me off when I need , posted by Scarlette on March 11, 2001, at 17:05:51
> I am a 24/f..I was put on Ativan 6 months ago due to anxiety & panic attacks, bullimia, and social phobia. I recovered quite well, until the doctor decided to send me to a pshychyatrist who wanted to take me off. Once the dosage was lowered (I took 3-4 a day) I became ill, the shakes, throwing up, shaking, panic attacks, heart skipping and sweating. I had suicidal thoughts and went to get help. Now I am in a Mental Health program and they want to take me of also. Why? If it has done good for me? And is there any way to relieve the symptoms of withdrawl?? I am SO scared to go through this again. Sometimes i don't think the doctors know what they are doing...Help??
Hi Scarlett,
I went through addiction withdrawl on another anti-anxiety med called Klonopin. I don't know if this would be appropriate for your situation, but I am taking an anti-convulsant called Neurontin that is non-addictive and has good anti-anxiety activity for many people. It has helped a lot with my withdrawal symptoms. SRI anti-depressants like Paxil or Serzone may also help and are non-addictive.
-John
Posted by Lorraine on March 12, 2001, at 10:56:15
In reply to Re: Ativan and withdrawl, Why take me off when I need » Scarlette, posted by JohnX on March 11, 2001, at 22:43:00
I was thinking about Konapin. How quick was the addiction?
Posted by Mr. Scott on March 12, 2001, at 22:35:23
In reply to Ativan and withdrawl, Why take me off when I need , posted by Scarlette on March 11, 2001, at 17:05:51
I really sympathize with you.. I took Xanax a drug pretty similar to Ativan for 2 straight years for GAD. And even though I never abused it or raised my dosage above 1.5mg daily (equal to about 3mg Ativan), the withdrawal was TERRIBLE. The question however remained was could/did I benefit from these drugs, I thought yes so a year later I began taking Klonopin for a year. This was a little easier to come off of but not at all pleasant.. Finally years later my doc again prescribed a benzodiazepine called Tranxene. I took it for nearly a year and when I came off it I felt a little uncomfortable but nothing compared to Xanax and much better than Klonopin to withdraw from. Eventually I read a book called "Benzo Blues" by Edward Drummond. While he may not be the authority on the issue and indeed it seems quite complex I made a decision to try and avoid this class of drugs except for occassional usage or situational usage (new job, Flying). Mostly because I began to worry about how legitimate my disease was in light of the controversy surrounding these drugs. I know how you feel right now, but try to hang in there.. The good thing about a short acting drug like Ativan is that while it is INTENSE to come off of it is over quickly in the grand scheme of things.. 3 weeks from the last dose you'll be free of withdrawal symptoms, and every 14 days as I remember was a major improvement. If it is too intense, ASk your doc if he/she is willing to switch you to a longer acting drug like valium or Tranxene and to go slower titrating downwards. I do however believe that an occassional person exists who really can benefit from long term usage. However before you convince yourself you are one of them I would come off it for a while, and aggressively look for alternatives with a doc you trust and respect. Also Ambien might help ease some of the discomfort because a lot of the problem is the compounding loss of sleep on top of the withdrawal.
You'll find your way..
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