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Ativan and why it's working

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Ferrero32	Ativan and why it's working	Lead	[-]
Posts: 59 02/06/09 12:57 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Tags : None Every 3 or 4 days or so, when things get really bad, my brother gives me an Ativan that is prescribed to him. For some reason, when I take it, the volume of my T and even the characteristics of my T - a less pronounced buzz- occur. I'm open to the suggestion that because I'm less anxious, my limbic system isn't responding as it has been, but is there an alternative answer for this? Is it possible that these drugs "dampen" the excitatory effects of the auditory system - as rTMS would? Is my brain simply less focused on the T? It still exists in the background, but I can honestly say it is not intrusive. I've been feeling absolutely crushed these past months, and this is finally a ray of hope. I know long-term benzo use can impair cognitive function in IQ tests (for verbal and spacial skills) and withdrawal symptoms, but there's gotta be a way to habituate while on these. This is the first time I feel like I can get up. I hope I get more time to experience comfort until it wears off!
winterbridge		#1	[-]
Posts: 765 02/06/09 3:10 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I have been taking Klonopin at night at .05 mg for 10 months. My t used to sound like a 747 now it sounds like a Cessna. I have had no adverse effect. Can't do TRT with a therapist while on it because Jastreboff wants you to habituate without medication....phewie. I believe in medication to manage my chronic, intrusive, pulsatile, multi tone tinnitus and hyperacusis.
Ferrero32		#2	[-]
Posts: 59 02/06/09 3:25 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Can habituation take place with medication? Or one must go from disturbed to comfortable without the aid of medication?
painterdude		#3	[-]
Posts: 1418 02/06/09 3:28 PM TSMB Supporter Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Ferrero...do what you need to do to get by the initial hard times. My T knocked me for a small loop in the beginning and I realized I needed some help. I got a xanax xr(slow time release) script from my doctor and it certainly helped. I don't know or remember if it lowered the noise, but the coping was certainly better. I had no problem asking for it since I was in my mid 50's at the onset, but try to explain to whoever you see on a regular basis about your anxiety etc. Don't let the horror stories of weaning off deter your current need....if there is indeed a need, this is something you and your doctor must decide. Slow tapering has certainly worked for many of us. I had no problems at all. Here's hoping you're on your way to turning the corner. pd
marko	re	#4	[-]
Posts: 1229 02/06/09 5:14 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Ferrerro, Just be careful about taking Ativan every few days and not full time several times a day. For some, this can cause problems because Ativan has a rather short half-life (12-16 hours depending on how the liver metabolizes it) like Xanax. What can happen is some people will start having withdrawl syndrome between doses because after10-15 hours 1/2 of the benzo is out of your system. Unless your take a pill now and then for anxiety (maybe once a week or couple times a month) your probably better to be on it full time to keep a steady level in your blood stream. That's why many people take Xanax XR (extended relief). You can alway's wean off a high potency benzo later if needed with Valium which has a very long half-life and it makes it easier.
Ferrero32		#5	[-]
Posts: 59 02/06/09 5:43 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Yeah, I have been taking it once every 2 to 3 days and it does make me feel pretty uneasy on the off days. I am feeling it pretty bad now. Duly noted.
marko	re	#6	[-]
Posts: 1229 02/06/09 8:24 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Ferrero, It's nice to be appreciated! All kidding aside, hitting the GABA recepetors in your brain (what benzo med's act on) one day then not taking the med for a day or two then hitting them again week after week can create a down & up effect (simple terms) that is just not good for your overall nervous system and is prone to cause anxiety. Benzo's act on the same GABA (gabba amino buteric acid) receptors in the brain as alcohol. The difference being, depending on the benzo medication, they can bind extremely tight to the GABA receptors which creates a relaxing effect and anti-anxiety properties. The down side is as the half-life approaches and the benzo med is metabolized in the liver and leaves the blood stream the down regulation on the GABA system starts to kick in. Once a high potency benzo has been taken for several weeks or months in the fashion you demonstrated it can cause withdrawl syndrome to start to kick in for some. Symptoms of this can include Anxiety, GI distress, weight loss, greater tinnitus, hyperacusis, memory problems, disassociation, sweating, etc.
dandersen98		#7	[-]
Posts: 49 02/07/09 12:28 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Yeah, be careful with Ativan. My doc prescribed 1mg once a day. It worked great for sleep, BUT once a day is not the correct dosage. It caused me to have a panic attack during one of my graduate studies exams. Having never had a panic attack in my life I realized it was the Ativan and was able to pull myself together and finish the exam, but it was an unpleasant experience. I switched to 1/2mg twice a day after that. I also had some other bad experiences with Ativan and eventually saw a neurologist who switched me to Klonipin which I have had no problems with. The downside is that the Ativan was the more effective drug for tinnitus for me (slept much better with it compared to Klonipin). Also at one point I tapered off of Ativan over the course of a month with few side effects. For me the bad side effects kick in shortly after missing a pill (It was so bad I used to keep 2 pills in a container on my key chain just in case did forget). Also for me the quieting effects that Ativan had on my T only worked for the first month I was on it. After that I only continued to take it because it was great for sleeping. -dave
pears43		#8	[-]
Posts: 644 02/08/09 2:54 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Lorazepam helps me a lot, but as others have pointed out, Jastreboff and Hazell are dead set against it if you're doing TRT. I'm going to an audiologist tomorrow to discuss TRT. Hopefully I can wean off the lorazepam once I've started TRT. I did take lorazepam occasionally some years ago--it helped me sleep and had no ill effects--so hope I can get off it eventually.
jchinnis		#9	[-]
Posts: 17228 02/08/09 3:45 PM Registered Member Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	pears43 wrote: Hopefully I can wean off the lorazepam once I've started TRT. It might be a mistake to try weaning while on TRT. If the ativan is helping your tinnitus then weaning will draw your attention to the tinnitus during TRT, which would not help things. Even if it isn't helping, weaning might make the tinnitus louder, again drawing your attention to the tinnitus. The argument against benzodiazapines during TRT isn't supported by any real evidence, as far as I know. It is based more on general speculation about possible effects on plasticity. Some competent TRT clinicians don't think it matters. Jim Last Edited By: jchinnis 02/08/09 4:47 PM. Edited 1 times.
pears43		#10	[-]
Posts: 644 02/08/09 4:13 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks, Jim. I've just been reading Jastreboff and Hazell's Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, in which they come down pretty forcefully against benzos--but that was written in 2004. If competent TRT clinicians don't think it matters, that's reassuring--and thank you so much for weighing in on this.
jesseslash		#11	[-]
Posts: 269 02/08/09 5:07 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Even Stephen Nagler used Xanax for 14 months while doing TRT.
TammyAScuirus		#12	[-]
Posts: 1310 02/08/09 5:28 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	One problem I had with Ativan was that I had to keep increasing the dose for sleep over time. As long as you're aware that if you start needing to increase the dose, it's a warning sign of addiction. I went up in dosage pretty fast until it had no effect on my sleep anymore. I'm surprised my doc didn't send up the red flag. Actually I told him that it was time to get off it. Withdrawal wasn't bad. He took me off a bit on the fast side, but there were just a few symptoms that were annoying at best.

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Ativan and why it's working

Ativan and why it's working