[bayareaguy]

Hello all, I have been taking 2 mg per day of Atavan for six months for anxiety due to a relationship issue. I want to stop but my first cool down attempt is tough. How gradual is this going to have to be? I tried to go to just 1/2 of a 1mg pill but after two days, I am very anxious, headachy (light) and feel like I've drank a whole pot of strong coffee! I wnet back up to 1.5 mg yesterday to get through a rough patch but I'm going to try to go on half a previous dose for a week and see where that leaves me. At some point, the side affects of the withdrawal seem worse than the consequences of staying on the drug. Thanks for any advice

[pharmstud(ent)]

There is no SET regimen that works for ALL people, but there are general guidelines. First, I would speak to your doctor about it above all. But essentially you want to lower your dose in the smallest increments possible so 2 down to 1.5 down to 1...etc. You do not want to lower your dose faster than about every 5 days. If you find yourself symptomatic than alternate one day of the lower dose you are trying to get to and one day of the previous/higher dose. Go with how you feel, but don't try to rush it and go too fast or you will find yourself not feeling well as you explained. Best of luck to you!!

[Robert_325]

Detoxes from all benzos work best using those benzos with the longest half life ... valium or klonopin. Xanax is the shortest, then ativan. So if we are addicted to one of them with the shortest half life we go into w/d before it's time to dose again.

It's easier to control if you did this using valium or klonopin and most drs will go along with a short term plan if you explain that you're quitting and the reasoning for switching drugs. Using daily for six months is long enough to develop a dependency and making this switch will help. I can make more suggestions if the dr will go along with this method. Let me know. God bless.

[learning_to_be_free]

I printed off a taper method from a website, www.benzo.org.uk that Melinda told me about and showed it to my dr she was actually thankful She said it was very hard for her to get people off benzo's safely and comfortably. At my next visit she said she learned alot from it...imagine that a dr admiting they learned something from info a patient gave! She said she was still not ready for me to begin a taper but that the info would help when she felt I was ready. I am on a higher dose than you and have been on some type of benzo for more than a decade but I am very hopeful that I will be rid of this drug next. My dr & therapist want me to have more therapy before the taper begins but im excited. One less chemical in my body....Yah I am so happy you are ready to be off of them before years passed, they really seem to become a part of you after so long. Its very hard to leave parts of you behind lol. Good Luck to you. I hope it goes as smoothly as possible. I know how hard it is to cut doses. Robert and the community will be a great help.