Ativan

[jdon]

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone else was prescribed Ativan for sleeping and how long did you use it for? I used it every night for the first 19 days or so and now that I have stopped for the past few days I have found that I am waking up almost every hour at night... which seems to be a withdrawal symptom.

Did anyone else have the same thing happen to them? I am only reading now online that Ativan is highly addictive.

Thanks

[chicago29]

I think all of these types of drugs (sleep aids, anxiety, etc) are highly addictive. I used them myself during my 1st surgery and I likely will do so again for the 2nd because, let's face it, they work!

My only advice is talk to your prescribing doctor and see if he can come up with a way to taper off the drug. I know that "cold turkey" is the worst way to go and can often intensify withdrawal symptoms.

The good news is what you are experiencing is TOTALLY normal and should go away with time.

Best of luck.

-Chicago29

[bbsadmin]

Ativan definitely has an "addictive" quality to it. I am really surprised that you were told that you could use it every single night. Yes, you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms. You should talk to your doctor about it. Slowly tapering off the drug is usually the best way to go.

[brookalicious]

I am suprised you were prescribed ativan for sleeping as that one is for anxiety.....yes if you take it everyday and go off....you will have those symptoms. hmm...still confused.

[jdon]

Thanks for the responses all. Just a quick update: since it was the holiday weekend I decided to just try to get through it. After about a week I am now starting to be able to reach a deeper more regular sleep.