Trying to not take Ativan nightly, would alternating work?

Hello everyone, ok so since June I haven’t been able to sleep unless I take some sort of drug to sleep. I’ll literally lay in bed and it’s like my sleep switch will not turn off.

So I have been having to take Ativan every night to sleep. 1mg if I’m not anxious, 2mg if I’m already anxious and want to sleep.

So I am always paranoid about becoming dependent on Ativan because it is a life saver when I really need it.

Now here is my question, I have been alternating Ativan and klonopin lately so I don’t take Ativan every night...would that actually lessen my chances of becoming dependant on Ativan or basically be the exact same thing as they both do the same thing in the brain?

I know I’ll be on meds for the rest of my life so should I just not worry Bout becoming hooked on Ativan and just take it? I’ve taken it for the past 10 years as needed and never had a problem...but this has been a long stretch.

I also tried antihistamines to sleep but I find I have a groggy depressed hangover for most of the next day when I take it.

My dr prescribed me tradazadone but I haven’t tried it yet...I should get on that.

Hi Joee,

Joee wrote:I have been alternating Ativan and klonopin lately so I don’t take Ativan every night...would that actually lessen my chances of becoming dependant on Ativan or basically be the exact same thing as they both do the same thing in the brain?

Aternating will make no difference and you'll become dependent on benzos. There is basically no difference as far as that goes. If you know what you are doing you can switch between them without experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Joee wrote:I know I’ll be on meds for the rest of my life so should I just not worry Bout becoming hooked on Ativan and just take it? I’ve taken it for the past 10 years as needed and never had a problem...but this has been a long stretch.

Maybe. It depends on if you can deal with the problems of being dependent on a med. (i.e. if you go somewhere overnight and leave it behind you will be very sorry when the withdrawal hits.) Also people's reactions to benzos vary. Its also worth noting the half life of Lorazepam is 12-18 hours versus 36-48 for Klonopin. This may matter if you only take Lorazepam at night. My GP doc prescribed me Lorazepam this way and I would start to slip into withdrawal in the evening making my anxiety worse. I was in college and had 1 evening class and I would completely panic during exams. I had never panicked in exams before and had no idea what was going on with me. Later on I saw a pdoc and he switched me off to Klonipin which solved the problem. Lorazepam also caused me memory problems which still happen with Klonipin but its nowhere near as bad. None of this may happen to you but its something to keep in mind if you are going to stick with Lorazepam.

One more thing Lorazepam is fast acting as opposed to Klonipin (2 hours), so if you are taking Klonipin for sleep you may want to take it early for best results.

Josee wrote:My dr prescribed me tradazadone but I haven’t tried it yet...I should get on that.

I have never tried Trazodone but I had a friend I shared an apartment with in college who had bipolar II and who was taking it mostly for sleep. It seemed to work well for her.

Wow thanks so much for the thorough response. I really appreciate all the advice!
What you are saying makes a lot of sense.
Have a great weekend;)

I had a dr. suggest this to me recently *mod edit* try slowly replacing it with something otc. I became very dependent on Ativan, and had to stop taking it cold, which was quite difficult, and while otc sleep aids don't work as well, it's something. Good luck

I would think the Ativan would be easier to taper off since it's short acting but I'd ask your doctor. If you have a serious anxiety problem, they are okay long term otherwise I'd try to taper off them if you can. I know it can be hard. I take Klonopin for sleep and it works but it doesn't seem like great sleep and it causes memory issues for school/work.

Yeah I’m torn on this. To stay on it because this summer has been the most stabile in years.....or go off it so I don’t get too hooked. I see some people are taking 2mg 3 times a day. I’m only at 2mg at night.
Decisions, decisions.

Maybe you are taking your other medications too late in the day.

I just moved the timing of my abilify to an earlier time, and it's helped greatly with my insomnia I was experiencing. I only woke up once at midnight last night, then fell back asleep. I was taking abilify at 9:30pm but now I'm taking it at 6pm. Maybe try to change your times on other things, unless doctor says otherwise.

morosenurse wrote:Maybe you are taking your other medications too late in the day.

I just moved the timing of my abilify to an earlier time, and it's helped greatly with my insomnia I was experiencing. I only woke up once at midnight last night, then fell back asleep. I was taking abilify at 9:30pm but now I'm taking it at 6pm. Maybe try to change your times on other things, unless doctor says otherwise.

Actually that is a very good point! I do take my lamictal at night around 8. That could be stimulating me and causing a bad sleep. I’ll be switching that up.

This is why I love these forums, bouncing ideas off people in similar situations.
Thanks for the suggestion

Joee wrote:

morosenurse wrote:Maybe you are taking your other medications too late in the day.

I just moved the timing of my abilify to an earlier time, and it's helped greatly with my insomnia I was experiencing. I only woke up once at midnight last night, then fell back asleep. I was taking abilify at 9:30pm but now I'm taking it at 6pm. Maybe try to change your times on other things, unless doctor says otherwise.

Actually that is a very good point! I do take my lamictal at night around 8. That could be stimulating me and causing a bad sleep. I’ll be switching that up.

This is why I love these forums, bouncing ideas off people in similar situations.
Thanks for the suggestion

You are welcome.
It is nice to not feel so alone in our experiences with mental illness.