Question: Hi I was taking 2mg of lorazepam for months and I start to taper off in July this year, so far the withdrawal was insomnia. now I am down to 0.5mg for 1 and a half month. Tonight I am unable to fall asleep at 0.5mg of lorazepam I do not know why ( I do not know if it is still withdrawal since I have been stable for 1 month or I am addicted to it and I need more to sleep?) )I need to wash off lorazepam since I have to return to work in Feb2015. Please advise thanks amy

Dr. Stuart Shipko Says...:

My short eBook entitled Xanax Withdrawal http://xanaxwithdrawalbook.com/  has information which is equally appropriate for stopping Ativan, which will be of some help to you as your taper progresses.  There is not a single correct strategy for stopping.  At this dose, some patients are able to stop without further tapering.  Most people will cut down to 0.25 mg before stopping completely.  My approach in tapering is quite flexible, and it is patient driven.  If a dosage cut is too difficult, I support taking small extra dosages or reinstating the last comfortable dose and then trying the taper again later.  If you only have a month before returning to work, then it is likely that you will still be having withdrawal symptoms of some sort at that time.  Over the years I have found that it is not typically necessary to be off of work to stop taking drugs like Ativan.

Good luck to you.

Question: I used Xanax .5 mg for sleep and anxiety..I am now out and scared to dearth of withdraw. What am I in store for that way with the withdraw.? I work full time and can't take time off work. Thank you

Dr. Stuart Shipko Says...:

The withdrawal is not going to be the same for everyone.  A dosage of 0.5 mg once nightly is fairly low.  There may be little or no withdrawal, particularly if the drug has been taken for only a few weeks or months.  Sometimes withdrawal can be more uncomfortable, but this is a dosage not usually associated with serious complications such as seizures.  I know that there are a lot of scary stories about Xanax withdrawal on the Internet, but the people who had little difficulty are not going to be motivated to post on a message board.  Because expectation and placebo play a large part in the Xanax withdrawal experience, you want to hope for the best and have a positive attitude.

Question: I am a crack addict I guess because I can't stop using. I thought that because I only binged on weekends I had it under control but after enough Monday mornings feeling like death and promising myself and my girlfriend who also indulges that I'd never do it again I made a serious try at actually not smoking this last weekend and by Friday midnight I was calling my dealer every five minutes demanding a meet up and then it was at home all weekend with the curtains drawn, as usual. I can't afford rehab and I can't stop so what do I do? Should I try to cut down by buying less or by limiting my access to money on weekends in advance? Does this ever work?

Dr. Stuart Shipko Says...:

Given your circumstances, it would seem like your best option is to contact Cocaine Anonymous to find out where the local meetings are.  You need to work the program - attend meetings daily and get a sponsor.  From what you describe, it is unlikely that you will be able to just cut down without some assistance.