Re: Help, I am feeling really desperate!

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much!

Alison

Re: Re: Help, I am feeling really desperate!

Dear Alison,You said:<<I have thought about buying the Ativan from the internet, but don't know how to do this and ensure that I am getting Ativan and not some chemical garbage labeled that. Do you or anyone else know of any web sites where I can safely do this?>> ** Most sites located in the U.S. or Canada are safe. Here's one that I always recommend:www.1stmeds.com Prescriptions originating from here are filled at a pharmacy in Florida.Regards,

[Guest guest]

,

Another option that I have been considering.

Thanks,

Alison

Re: Re: Help, I am feeling really desperate!

Dear Alison, You said:<<I am not in a rush to get off of the Ativan, I am just having a very hard time with it because I am becoming more and more tolerant to it and refuse to increase my dose.The reason I need a new shrink is because my current one told me there is nothing more she could do for me if I won't go back on an antidepressant. I had to beg her to give me some more Ativan the other day, which she reluctantly did. I just don't know if I can get anymore from her. I only want a shrink to get the Ativan I need.How do you get your Ativan? My regular dr. won't help me here. When I told her yesterday that my shrink essentiallly won't help me anymore, she told me to get a new shrink.>> ** Okay, here's the problem. You need to stop telling the shrink there IS a problem. Give it a few weeks and then call. Say you are feeling much better and the Ativan is working fine fro you. Sound like you mean it. From that point on, never complain to the psychiatrist. Take your Ativan scripts and get out of there witha smile on your face.Regards,

[Guest guest]

, my story is a bit complicated, but here is the small

version. I was put in a hospital for alcoholism 14 months ago. When

I checked in I gave them my Ativan. They said I couldn't take it. I

had been taking it for 8 years at around 3-4 mg a day and they cold

turkeyed me(bastards). I was in the rehab for a month and it truly

was hell on Earth and I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy. These

geniuses thought it would be good to switch me to the aforementioned

cocktail of Celexa(later switched to Lexapro), Depakote, and

Zyprexa. After all, in their words they are benign and nonaddictive.

This is where I usually insert some sort of insult tattered with

curse words.

Anyways, that only made things worse. I tried all sorts of crap to

come off them. I was seeing a well-meaning, but painfully ignorant

shrink, who has since been fired. I went off all three too fast and

found myself in a horrible state. Saw a friend of mine who is a doc.

He put me back on Ativan. Now I am addicted to it again. 4 mg a day.

Nonetheless, somewhere in this process I found three important

things. First and foremost, the Lord. I wouldn't make it through

without Him. Second, this group and . The wealth of

knowledge and experience here has been a lifesaver for me and a

great awakening. I have so much love and respect for and

others here who take their own time to help others. That is what

life is about. I now do the same with people afflicted with this or

alcoholism or the children in my classroom who have fallen prey to

that ghoulish profession as I put it. Lastly, through the first two

I have learned patience to a degree. Have a ways to go there, but I

know it rules the day or I will be doomed.

To answer your question specifically, my friend(he is actually an

oncologist, but sees me for free whenever I need to) fills my

Ativan whenever I need it. I have made it quite clear that I am in

no rush, that I have a pecking order, and that the taper will be a

very long one. He is cool with that. First, I am gonna go down and

hopefully eventually off all the blood pressure meds I am on. I

suspect they may play a small part in my feelings of dizziness.

Second, I am gonna quit smoking. Lastly and most importantly, during

this I will start going down VERY, VERY slowly ont the Ativan. My

therapist thinks I have PTSD from all this crap these men of healing

have put me through. Hence, going too fast would only create more

trauma and physical problems to boot. However, I am not gonna start

my taper of the Ativan until I fully stabilize from the cocktail.

Like I said, it has been six months and all is not well. My poor

brain has been through the ringer. YOu have only been off the Celexa

for a month. That is a very short time.

Gosh, I always say it is gonna be short and it never is. Oh well.

Anyways, as I stated I do have experience with Ativan. You are doing

the smart thing by going slowly. gave you great advice as

to how to get the meds. I know that can be a source of anxiety

alone. You are on a very small dose compared to me. I have every

confidence that you will make it through this fine. The trick will

be trying to minimizing the pain, although there will be some. STay

here and follow the wealth of experience and wisdom and you will be

fine. As always, God bless,

Casey

> Hi Casey,

> I am not in a rush to get off of the Ativan, I am just having a

very hard time with it because I am becoming more and more tolerant

to it and refuse to increase my dose.

>

> The reason I need a new shrink is because my current one told me

there is nothing more she could do for me if I won't go back on an

antidepressant. I had to beg her to give me some more Ativan the

other day, which she reluctantly did. I just don't know if I can

get anymore from her. I only want a shrink to get the Ativan I

need.

>

> How do you get your Ativan? My regular dr. won't help me here.

When I told her yesterday that my shrink essentiallly won't help me

anymore, she told me to get a new shrink.

>

> How much Ativan are you on? Are you planning on switching over to

Valium or do a direct taper from the Ativan?

> Alison

>

>

> Re: Help, I am feeling really

desperate!

>

>

>

>

> Alison, it has been six months since I went off Lexapro,

Zyprexa,

> and Depakote. I KNOW that they are a big part of the problems I

> experience. It isn't until then that I will begin my taper of

the

> Ativan. I have learned the tough way that patience is prudence.

You

> seem to be in a rush. Whether you are off Ativan in a month or

a

> year in not important in the larger sense. I would bet money

that

> you are still experiencing problems from the Celexa and I

personally

> don't understand why you need to find a new shrink. The last

thing I

> would ever do is take part in that ghoulish profession again.

Just

> my opinion. All the best,

>

>

> Casey

[Guest guest]

Casey,

Thanks for sharing your story. Oh my, what a nightmare you went through. I cannot even begin to imagine how awful it must have been. You are very strong to have even survived the cold turkey Ativan withdrawal. I cannot fathom that they thought it would be good for you to do this after how long you had been on it and the considerable dose you were taking.

Also, thanks for your advice. Yes, I realize that I still need to heal after my Celexa withdrawal. My biggest problem of late has been I have been having a hard time stabilizing on the Ativan. I haven't been taking it regularly for long, only a few months. Prior to that I had been taking it sporadically for a few months. I got used to being able to take as much or as little as I needed as often as I needed. I always tried to take the smallest possible dose and not take it regularly so I won't get addicted. I was lucky and managed to not become addicted for awhile doing this. But when I started my Celexa withdrawal this fall, I started to take the Ativan more regularly and somewhere along the line became addicted. That was when my interdose withdrawal started. I didn't realize until this week that I was taking 2 doses 6 hours apart and then not taking the morning dose until 12 hours after my nighttime dose. Ativan doesn't last that long. It never mattered when I took it sporatically, but now I was having terrible anxiety attacks very early in the morning due to interdose withdrawal, that would sometimes take me hours to recover from. I have been such a mess from the Celexa withdrawal so not really thinking well. Thanks to my husband, we figured out that in order to prevent the interdose withdrawal anxiety attacks, I had to spread my 3 doses evenly over the course of 24 hours or add a fourth dose. I didn't want to add an extra dose, so I decided to see if I could make it 8 hours, instead of 6 hours, between the daytime doses. I started it yesterday, and found that 8 hours is managable, and for the first time in a many weeks I didn't have an early morning anxiety attack this morning. And all in all it was the best day I have had in a long time.

So, now I plan on stabilizing then very slowly getting off the Ativan.

Alison

Re: Help, I am feeling really desperate!

, my story is a bit complicated, but here is the small version. I was put in a hospital for alcoholism 14 months ago. When I checked in I gave them my Ativan. They said I couldn't take it. I had been taking it for 8 years at around 3-4 mg a day and they cold turkeyed me(bastards). I was in the rehab for a month and it truly was hell on Earth and I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy. These geniuses thought it would be good to switch me to the aforementioned cocktail of Celexa(later switched to Lexapro), Depakote, and Zyprexa. After all, in their words they are benign and nonaddictive. This is where I usually insert some sort of insult tattered with curse words.Anyways, that only made things worse. I tried all sorts of crap to come off them. I was seeing a well-meaning, but painfully ignorant shrink, who has since been fired. I went off all three too fast and found myself in a horrible state. Saw a friend of mine who is a doc. He put me back on Ativan. Now I am addicted to it again. 4 mg a day. Nonetheless, somewhere in this process I found three important things. First and foremost, the Lord. I wouldn't make it through without Him. Second, this group and . The wealth of knowledge and experience here has been a lifesaver for me and a great awakening. I have so much love and respect for and others here who take their own time to help others. That is what life is about. I now do the same with people afflicted with this or alcoholism or the children in my classroom who have fallen prey to that ghoulish profession as I put it. Lastly, through the first two I have learned patience to a degree. Have a ways to go there, but I know it rules the day or I will be doomed.To answer your question specifically, my friend(he is actually an oncologist, but sees me for free whenever I need to) fills my Ativan whenever I need it. I have made it quite clear that I am in no rush, that I have a pecking order, and that the taper will be a very long one. He is cool with that. First, I am gonna go down and hopefully eventually off all the blood pressure meds I am on. I suspect they may play a small part in my feelings of dizziness. Second, I am gonna quit smoking. Lastly and most importantly, during this I will start going down VERY, VERY slowly ont the Ativan. My therapist thinks I have PTSD from all this crap these men of healing have put me through. Hence, going too fast would only create more trauma and physical problems to boot. However, I am not gonna start my taper of the Ativan until I fully stabilize from the cocktail. Like I said, it has been six months and all is not well. My poor brain has been through the ringer. YOu have only been off the Celexa for a month. That is a very short time.Gosh, I always say it is gonna be short and it never is. Oh well. Anyways, as I stated I do have experience with Ativan. You are doing the smart thing by going slowly. gave you great advice as to how to get the meds. I know that can be a source of anxiety alone. You are on a very small dose compared to me. I have every confidence that you will make it through this fine. The trick will be trying to minimizing the pain, although there will be some. STay here and follow the wealth of experience and wisdom and you will be fine. As always, God bless,Casey

[Guest guest]

Good for you. Glad to hear it. I did forget to mention that I had a

friend who switched to Librium off of Xanax and that worked for him

when he quit. I know you had difficulty with the Valium. Anyways,

just a thought. Take care,

Casey

> Casey,

> Thanks for sharing your story. Oh my, what a nightmare you went

through. I cannot even begin to imagine how awful it must have

been. You are very strong to have even survived the cold turkey

Ativan withdrawal. I cannot fathom that they thought it would be

good for you to do this after how long you had been on it and the

considerable dose you were taking.

>

> Also, thanks for your advice. Yes, I realize that I still need to

heal after my Celexa withdrawal. My biggest problem of late has

been I have been having a hard time stabilizing on the Ativan. I

haven't been taking it regularly for long, only a few months. Prior

to that I had been taking it sporadically for a few months. I got

used to being able to take as much or as little as I needed as often

as I needed. I always tried to take the smallest possible dose and

not take it regularly so I won't get addicted. I was lucky and

managed to not become addicted for awhile doing this. But when I

started my Celexa withdrawal this fall, I started to take the Ativan

more regularly and somewhere along the line became addicted. That

was when my interdose withdrawal started. I didn't realize until

this week that I was taking 2 doses 6 hours apart and then not

taking the morning dose until 12 hours after my nighttime dose.

Ativan doesn't last that long. It never mattered when I took it

sporatically, but now I was having terrible anxiety attacks very

early in the morning due to interdose withdrawal, that would

sometimes take me hours to recover from. I have been such a mess

from the Celexa withdrawal so not really thinking well. Thanks to

my husband, we figured out that in order to prevent the interdose

withdrawal anxiety attacks, I had to spread my 3 doses evenly over

the course of 24 hours or add a fourth dose. I didn't want to add

an extra dose, so I decided to see if I could make it 8 hours,

instead of 6 hours, between the daytime doses. I started it

yesterday, and found that 8 hours is managable, and for the first

time in a many weeks I didn't have an early morning anxiety attack

this morning. And all in all it was the best day I have had in a

long time.

>

> So, now I plan on stabilizing then very slowly getting off the

Ativan.

>

> Alison

> Re: Help, I am feeling really

desperate!

>

>

>

>

> , my story is a bit complicated, but here is the small

> version. I was put in a hospital for alcoholism 14 months ago.

When

> I checked in I gave them my Ativan. They said I couldn't take

it. I

> had been taking it for 8 years at around 3-4 mg a day and they

cold

> turkeyed me(bastards). I was in the rehab for a month and it

truly

> was hell on Earth and I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.

These

> geniuses thought it would be good to switch me to the

aforementioned

> cocktail of Celexa(later switched to Lexapro), Depakote, and

> Zyprexa. After all, in their words they are benign and

nonaddictive.

> This is where I usually insert some sort of insult tattered with

> curse words.

>

> Anyways, that only made things worse. I tried all sorts of crap

to

> come off them. I was seeing a well-meaning, but painfully

ignorant

> shrink, who has since been fired. I went off all three too fast

and

> found myself in a horrible state. Saw a friend of mine who is a

doc.

> He put me back on Ativan. Now I am addicted to it again. 4 mg a

day.

> Nonetheless, somewhere in this process I found three important

> things. First and foremost, the Lord. I wouldn't make it through

> without Him. Second, this group and . The wealth of

> knowledge and experience here has been a lifesaver for me and a

> great awakening. I have so much love and respect for

and

> others here who take their own time to help others. That is what

> life is about. I now do the same with people afflicted with this

or

> alcoholism or the children in my classroom who have fallen prey

to

> that ghoulish profession as I put it. Lastly, through the first

two

> I have learned patience to a degree. Have a ways to go there,

but I

> know it rules the day or I will be doomed.

>

> To answer your question specifically, my friend(he is actually

an

> oncologist, but sees me for free whenever I need to) fills my

> Ativan whenever I need it. I have made it quite clear that I am

in

> no rush, that I have a pecking order, and that the taper will be

a

> very long one. He is cool with that. First, I am gonna go down

and

> hopefully eventually off all the blood pressure meds I am on. I

> suspect they may play a small part in my feelings of dizziness.

> Second, I am gonna quit smoking. Lastly and most importantly,

during

> this I will start going down VERY, VERY slowly ont the Ativan.

My

> therapist thinks I have PTSD from all this crap these men of

healing

> have put me through. Hence, going too fast would only create

more

> trauma and physical problems to boot. However, I am not gonna

start

> my taper of the Ativan until I fully stabilize from the

cocktail.

> Like I said, it has been six months and all is not well. My poor

> brain has been through the ringer. YOu have only been off the

Celexa

> for a month. That is a very short time.

>

> Gosh, I always say it is gonna be short and it never is. Oh

well.

> Anyways, as I stated I do have experience with Ativan. You are

doing

> the smart thing by going slowly. gave you great advice

as

> to how to get the meds. I know that can be a source of anxiety

> alone. You are on a very small dose compared to me. I have every

> confidence that you will make it through this fine. The trick

will

> be trying to minimizing the pain, although there will be some.

STay

> here and follow the wealth of experience and wisdom and you will

be

> fine. As always, God bless,

>

> Casey

[Guest guest]

Casey,

I had my second full night of sleep after readjusting the times I take Ativan and am starting to stabilize. I haven't sleep through the night in a long time. I think since I am taking such a small amount of Ativan - .25mg , 3X a day, that I will stick with the Ativan when I am ready to withdraw. Thanks for the tip about the Librium anyway.

Alison

Re: Help, I am feeling really desperate!

Good for you. Glad to hear it. I did forget to mention that I had a friend who switched to Librium off of Xanax and that worked for him when he quit. I know you had difficulty with the Valium. Anyways, just a thought. Take care,Casey