Due to some cns damage done to me by taking Levaquin I've had to use ativan in order to relax my system enough to get to sleep. I'm nervous that I will get addicted so I try to take it only a few times a week but then the days I don't take it my sleep is pretty crappy. Should I just suck it up and take the ativan every night for a while so I can sleep? Thought?
Posted by laura j (Member # 14257) on :
I had a long stretch of time when I couldn't sleep. Ativan was the only thing that helped me. I took it for several months. I hated that I had to take it but you NEED to sleep to get better. I weaned myself off of it after awhile and so far I've been able to continue sleeping.
Your body needs sleep in order to heal itself and if Ativan is the only way you can sleep I say TAKE IT! Sweet dreams! ....and good luck!
Posted by mojo (Member # 9309) on :
My advice is to take the Ativan - you need your sleep. Early on in my Lyme Treatment I was on a super high dose of three different Benzos and was worried about addiction.
I weaned down very quickly when i did't need them anymore.
I still take an Ativan to sleep at night and haven't had to increase the dose and it's been a couple of years now.
Posted by merrygirl (Member # 12041) on :
I take this too.
How many mg do you guys take??
I can take up to 1.5mg
Melissa
Posted by feelfit (Member # 12770) on :
Scottie,
I have the same struggle, both with sleep and worry about taking benzos to help w/ sleep.
I finally decided that I am more peaceful and feel better after a good nights sleep. So I told myself that if I need my klono everyday, so be it.
Accepting that, and worrying less, has actually allowed me to sleep better! If I need klonopin, or in your case ativan, I say take it and deal with weaning issues on down the road.
Peace, Feelfit
Posted by breezywings (Member # 9222) on :
Hi~ I haven't posted in awhile as I was in remission and thinking stupidly I wasn't going to get sick again. DRATS! I have had it for 30 years, think I would get it by now that it really doesn't go away?
Anyway, I have been taking 2mg 4x/day for about 10 years. Pretty sure I am addicted. LOL
I started it when I first got really, really sick. Thyroid kicked out, nervous system was giving me panic and anxiety so bad on top of the thyroid doing the same. I was also suffering seizures that I could not take anything for that didn't bother my heart.
So voila, the drug works for it all including my muscle pain which is really bad at times. I don't know what I would do without for those purposes.
If your body is chemically addicted and physologically addicted, then you will be okay when you need to be weaned.
Hope that helps abit.
Kelly
Posted by mojo (Member # 9309) on :
I take 1 mg. at night to sleep with a timed released melatonin (3 mg). Usually this gets me through the night but I have Xanax as a back up - when I'm excited or nervous I take a Xanax if I wake up and can't get back to sleep.
Posted by CatWoman (Member # 10900) on :
I am using valium to taper off Restoril. This is my second week of the taper.
Posted by Tif (Member # 12701) on :
By all means take it; you have to rest to get better, and if you have to take something for it then do so.
I have been on anti-anxiety meds for 10 plus years off and on, and I can function on them or suffer if I don't take them; I finally decided when the TBI's really kicked in that ANYTHING that gave me relief was pretty well worth taking whether there was an addiction possibility or not.
If you need it, you need it; in my opinion it is no different than me needing to take my heart medication...... Posted by trish4 (Member # 14156) on :
Take it! Dont worry about getting addicted; sleeping and not having anxiety is definetely more important. I, myself take xanax and it helps tremendously.
Posted by onthemend (Member # 13454) on :
I used ativan for about 6 months. It was the only thing that gave me sleep. I didn't have any problems stopping use, and I was afraid I might. As much as I hated doing it, I don't think I could have accomplished any recovery without the sleep. It's a case of first things first.
otm
Posted by laura j (Member # 14257) on :
I also want to mention that after starting ativan and finally sleeping that A LOT of my symptoms decreased even though I hadn't been diagnosed yet and hadn't started treatment.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
My LLMD is of the attitude that I need the sleep to heal, when I get better and am sleeping again, then we will worry about how to get me off the Ambien (different med, same idea).
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....and good luck!
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