netsavy006 Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Hi. I'm new to the benzo area as I've been very hesitant to take a benzo because of the risk of tolerance and dependence. I went to see my doctor today because of the return of panic attacks. I asked her about increasing my Lexapro back to 20mg like before and she said no because it would make me manicy. So, instead she gave me Ativan .5mg three times a day. I took my first Ativan around 1 or 1:15. Now I'm feeling very upset, and I'm not sure if it's the ativan messing with my head (Klonopin did), or "leftovers" from the event of the day. I really don't like the idea of taking benzos in the first place. Thanks, Andy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nalgas Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Those are valid reasons to be concerned about it, but they're frequently blown out of proportion. Yes, they do have potential for tolerance/dependency, but that doesn't necessarily end up being a big deal for a lot of people. Plenty of people reach a stable dose that they can stay on for extended periods of time (a year or longer), and the majority of people seem to not have too bad of a time coming off them, as long as they do it gradually (with some notable exceptions here and there, particularly with people who abuse them). There are plenty of people here who have been on various ones for quite some time with no serious issues. I've had a hard time finding one I can take because I don't seem to develop tolerance. I was on Klonopin for a couple months to try it out, and at the end of it, I was still getting put to sleep during the day just as much as at the beginning. More recently, I've been on Xanax XR and Ativan for a month or so each in the past year, never adjusted to those, either (which is a shame, because Xanax is the only thing that's ever done anything for my anxiety, but I'm already sleepy enough without it), and stopped them with no issues. Really it's just the usual "different people react different ways" thing. As long as you take them as directed and don't stop them suddenly if you've been on them for a while, they're not really any scarier than other meds, based on my experience with them and what other people on here have had to say about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celestia Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Pretty much what Nalgas said. I am in the small percentage of "overusers". But that's not a surprise to my addictive tendancies. Anyhoo, lorazapam is pretty much a shorter acting version of klonopin. When I was on ativan I took them like M&Ms. Waaaaaaaaay more than what you are taking. 1.5 mgs per day is a very conservative dose (I think). I used benzos for a long time before I became dependent and needed more and more. It was longer than 7 years. If you're aware, you'll be okay and it sounds like you are. S9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberly19426 Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 I used Ativan or Xanax for about 15 years. I loved them and tolerated them well. Experienced no bad stuff with. When I first started, that was the only thing that would help me sleep. I built a tolerance to the drug and had to increase the doseage to receive the same results. And I would use it during the day prn for anxiety. I wish you the best with your experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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