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Asking For Self, Male 28, karachi
assalam o alaikum, respected doctors. I'm an addict of lorazepam for long time I had tried to get rid off this addiction but all went wrong. sometimes I abruptly discontinued the medicines sometimes I switched to another benzodizipines like xanax or Valium but I experience horrible withdrawal symptoms including anxiety, hallucinations, sensitivity to light and sound. cut the story in short I don't want to take at all so I planned to tapper the dose like ( I'm taking ativan 4mg OD). 1st step 3 mg for 10days 2nd step 2mg but till withdrawal symptoms minimize however it'll take long so I should wait may be it'll take a month or two! 3rd step 1mg for 10 days and then I'll reduce my dosage with time till 0
now my question is that can I do this all by my own?
One has to be weaned off very slowly from benzodiazepines First step
Change to a long acting benzodiazepines like valium
Then gradually proceed
Please contact me I will do the needful
Usually benzo tapering can be done on out patient basis. But. There is a proper protocol for this and can be tailored according to ur dependence. U can take my online appointment for detailed assessment and treatment
You need to get admitted under my care for few days.
Regards Dr Rakesh Kumar psychiatrist at Hamdard University Taj Medical complex
When there s a will there s a way,if you have made up your mind to quit ,u can surely do it on ur own but the only limitation here is that we treat symptomaticaly which means not everyone gets the same withdrawal symptoms and treatment varies from person to person.If you regularly see one psychiatrist then the doctor can monitor you and treat you according to your withdrawal symptoms.If you are taking Xanax then switch to Valium first .Withdrawing Xanax gives the most withdrawal symptoms.
Patient
Post Owner
thank you doc for detailed answer . I understand alprazolam is short acting while diazepam is long acting drug. I've decreased the dosage to 3mg till now I'm totally fine Alhumdulillah and i won't prefer to switch on another med. if any help will needed in this regard so surely I would consult you.
4 years ago
Welcome, i think you have got sufficient answers to understand it that professional help is very important for proper treatment, it may not only depends upon the tapering it off, but proper psychiatrist assessment may assesses the reasons to start it, any underlying psychological issues, our thinking process, personality type our motivation, and our life style and stressors in our life. better to seek professional help. Thank you
Patient
Post Owner
thanks doc.i will surely consult with psychiatrist if I got any trouble. but I want to do this by my own because it'll give me some confidence and self-control.
4 years ago
Tapering off is one of the option to reduce withdrawal symptoms. But guidelines recommend to switch to long acting benzo like diazepam with equivalent dose and then taper off slowly. And I think u need proper assessment and evaluation by psychiatrist to reach upon conclusion. U can visit to my clinic for that.
Thank you
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