i was diagnosed with panic disorder 1 year ago,they put me on ativan ,i went for some herbal treatments as well it slowed down the panic attacks but didnt stop it during that time i kept ativan with me i use to get anxiety attacks every four weeks.about 3 months ago i started getting them once a week then became twice a week ,so as i got them i took the ativan ,im now trying to stop it completely the after effects or withdrawal is really unbearable,tightness in chest,blur vision,always dizzy,confusion,unbalanced and the list goes on.i need help or guidelines what should i do i am becomng a nerve rack ,,please help!!!!!!!!
eezo,
I totally sympathize with you. I am currently tapering off of Celexa and am having a horrible time with body shakes, heart palpitations, dizziness, etc.
The only advice I can offer is try to stay the course and fight through the withdrawal effects. Pamper yourself with a warm bath, a massage, etc. anything to help relieve the stress and anxiety as you work your way through this.
Can I ask why are you trying to stop the ativan? Was the ativan working for you? And does your doctor know you are trying to stop the ativan? I ask these things because withdrawl from any medication can be rough, certain medications have to be stopped by slowly lowering the dosage until you are eventually done with them. If the ativan was helping then why stop taking it? Also if it wasn't working, you should have told your doctor and they could have played with the dosage or given you something else instead. I have been off and on all kinds of these medications, including ativan, so I have a little experience with it. If you are worried about getting addicted, don't!!! If you take the medication as prescribed by the doctor and it works to help you then don't worry about it. If you are popping them like tic tacs or they do nothing for you then yes maybe you shouldn't be taking them but I told my doctor a long time ago with Xanax, what the hell do I care if I'm addicted to it or not, if I only take what you tell me to take and it actually does what its supposed to do then I'm okay with being addicted to it, whatever it is. I can tell you, still not addicted to any of the medications I was prescribed ever, took Xanax for over 10 years and been off of it for over 3, no problems at all. Anyway, enough of my ramblings, I would definitely talk to your doctor about your desire to stop ativan and how best to do it without all the horrible side effects you are experiencing. Good luck
my doctor knows im trying to cut down
it was prescribed for only when i have a panic attack
so if theres no panic attack i shoudnt take it
but one of the side effects of ativan is that it gives you attacks
doctor said i should try and reduce dosage
he doesnt reccomend substituting it for anything else because later that will also give me the same problem i will want wean of that as well