Need to quit dexedrine, lorazepam and caffeine

[invisible7]

I am trying to quit taking dexedrine and lorazepam and want to do it with the current medication I have and not get any more refills. I have 21 more dexedrine left and I only take 10 mg and I have 62 lorazepam and take 3 pills at night to help me sleep.

I was thinking that I would take the dexedrine every other day for 10 days and then throw the rest out and the lorazepam taper down to 2 pills for 5 days then 1 pill for 5days and then throw the rest out.

As far as quitting caffeine, I am going to drink sprite and diet sprite and see what happens.

My doctor put me on a drug called lamactil and I don't want to take 3 different drugs that affect my moods.

Please let me know if anyone here quit dexedrine and/or lorazepam and if there were any side affects.

Thanks!

[Buzz Kilowatt]

Tapering from Lorazepam (Ativan) needs to be done under a doctor's supervision. Tapering from benzos is a gradual process, and too rapid a taper can be life threatening . . . convulsions are a risk.

No doubt getting off the the speed will make it easier to fall asleep. I know of no risks to tapering off of dexedrine but I am not a physician. It is very important that you consult with a qualified physician about all of this.

Buzz

[northbelle]

SOunds like your on a kinda mellow speedball!! You CAN get off of them but it should be a real slow taper from the benzos...I had to do a medical taper 3 times trying to get off them suckers...the slower the better...in my personal unqualified opinion....you are going to miss the zip of the dexedrine and probably be real tired for a bit...BUT YOU CAN DO IT!!!! Ask you doctor though PLEEZ..
love north

[northbelle]

Oh and YES QUITTING lorazepam will certainly have side effects...

[invisible7]

Originally Posted by Buzz Kilowatt

Tapering from Lorazepam (Ativan) needs to be done under a doctor's supervision. Tapering from benzos is a gradual process, and too rapid a taper can be life threatening . . . convulsions are a risk.

No doubt getting off the the speed will make it easier to fall asleep. I know of no risks to tapering off of dexedrine but I am not a physician. It is very important that you consult with a qualified physician about all of this.

Buzz

I will consult the doctor who prescribed lamactil about tapering off lorazepam. I didn't know it could be life threatening.

Thanks

[invisible7]

Originally Posted by northbelle

SOunds like your on a kinda mellow speedball!! You CAN get off of them but it should be a real slow taper from the benzos...I had to do a medical taper 3 times trying to get off them suckers...the slower the better...in my personal unqualified opinion....you are going to miss the zip of the dexedrine and probably be real tired for a bit...BUT YOU CAN DO IT!!!! Ask you doctor though PLEEZ..
love north

I don't think the dexedrine is doing anything for me...maybe psychologically, but not physically. Anyway, as I am typing this, I am having weird dizzy sensations and since I am starting a new drug, lamactil, I guess I should stay on the others to see what is causing the symptoms because I didn't take the dexedrine this morning.

Thanks for replying, it helps to get someone else's opinion before I do anything crazy. Ugh...I hate to be dependent on anything

[Christian]

drinking sodas, regular or diet is certainly going to be disastrous for your health.

regular is loaded with High Fructose Corn SYrup, and diet has tons of chemicals and artificial sweeteners that certainly should be avoided.

Try drinking water instead

[invisible7]

Under my doctor's advice, I am almost off dexedrine! I have had no side affects at all which I am not surprised because it wasn't doing anything anyway. I only have 4 more pills to take and should be done. I'm also down to 2 lorazepam's per night instead of 3 with no problem. My only problem now is that I am taking 1 lorazepam during the day which I wasn't doing before. It helps with my anxiety and "shakiness".

Also, I think the hardest drug to quit and most addictive is caffeine. I can't stop drinking mt. dew. I have about 4 a day. I am psycholigically addicted to it and probably physically.

I have a question....has anyone had a saliva hormone drug test? I have had one recently and my DHEAS, testosterone and cortisol were all very high and out of range. I am a 39 year old female. I wonder is dexedrine can cause this?

[ccgirl]

I have two points to make. Take the benzo w/d slowly. Withdrawals can be disastrous. check out ala's thread on that one.


Secondly for mood disorders, lamictal (i take it 300 mg per day for bipolar) has very few if any side effects and has been a godsend to me. That's my personal experience.

[2ala2]

Hey Invisible,
I wouldn't worry about the Caffeine at this point.
Yes, Benzo withdrawal can be tragic. It was hell for me! Tell your doctor about your daytime use.
Good luck!

[Barto]

Don’t get frightened. If you can quit the caffeine, your benzo withdrawal will be much, much smoother – at least that’s the way it works for me (and most others). You will probably still need to go slow and under a doctor's care, but caffeine and benzo recovery do not mix (for most).

It is likely you haven’t yet experienced insomnia because you have not cut down your benzo dose. You are just spreading them out over the day. Good luck.

[Barto]

I haven’t been able to stay off for more than 30 days in quite some time, and most cannot even do that, but I keep trying. Hey, what else can you do?

[emmer]

I'm not sure about your other meds but as others have mentioned don't whatever you do detox your self of any benzo. Too damn dangerous!
Let your doctor know you want off it ...... he/she will detox you off slowly.

[Barto]

It appears your meds are doctor prescribed. Do you mind me asking why you feel you need to quit them? Did your doctor say you should get off? I’m curious because it has been suggested to me that I may have to stay on mine for a while, possibly even the rest of my life. I’ll know more as I resume tapering. If your reasons are personal, I understand. Or, if you prefer, you can PM me.

BTW, my plan is to taper by about .125 mg every week or so once I am off caffeine for about two weeks. Getting off and staying off the caffeine, continuing to exercise, continuing to work the steps, etc. are the tools I believe will allow me to make an intelligent decision, along with my doctor’s guidance of course.

Again, the one bit of medical advice I can give you is to talk to your doctor before you implement any taper plan. Going too fast, even off of a prescribed and relatively low dose, can be ugly. Going off doesn’t have to be ugly, but it sure can be.

[invisible7]

Originally Posted by Barto

It appears your meds are doctor prescribed. Do you mind me asking why you feel you need to quit them? Did your doctor say you should get off? I’m curious because it has been suggested to me that I may have to stay on mine for a while, possibly even the rest of my life. I’ll know more as I resume tapering. If your reasons are personal, I understand. Or, if you prefer, you can PM me.

BTW, my plan is to taper by about .125 mg every week or so once I am off caffeine for about two weeks. Getting off and staying off the caffeine, continuing to exercise, continuing to work the steps, etc. are the tools I believe will allow me to make an intelligent decision, along with my doctor’s guidance of course.

Again, the one bit of medical advice I can give you is to talk to your doctor before you implement any taper plan. Going too fast, even off of a prescribed and relatively low dose, can be ugly. Going off doesn’t have to be ugly, but it sure can be.

Hi Barto,

My primary physician wasn't comfortable with the fact that on my own I upped the lorazepam to 3 pills a night instead of 1-2 and he made a comment like I was doing no different than somebody buying these drugs on the street.....upper in the morning and downer in the evening. So another doctor prescribed both. But the dexedrine did not even take the edge off of my fatigue so that's why I don't want to be on it and I don't think my doc will up the dexedrine dose, so it's worthless to take it.

I really don't like taking drugs and worry about the affect on my liver and I guess I am always thinking if I was diagnosed correctly that I wouldn't have to be taking drugs that affect my mood. I have a feeling though that I will probably stay on lorazepam for awhile because it helps me sleep and helps anxiety. But if I start to act different, more hyper or more depressed, my husband and kids will all comment that the "drugs" are affecting me. Or if I'm really happy and silly, my husband will say, let me have what you are taking. So it's like I can't just be "me" because I am on mood controlling drugs. I went through a spell for a few months of crying when someone would say just about anything about me that I didn't like, I saw a psychiatrist and guess what...he prescribed even more drugs. I took them for 10 days and then quit. I don't want to be dependent on a drug to control my moods, so this is the main reason I don't want to be on anything. If a drug was actually "curing" a disease rather than controlling symptoms, then I wouldn't feel uncomfortable taking it.

So what are you taking benzos for? Did a doctor tell you that you might have to stay on them for awhile? Are you taking anything else?

[Barto]

I was diagnosed with panic disorder. All I take is Klonopin. I am tapering down to see if I can manage without the medication because, like you, I don’t like being dependant on anything. However, if it doesn’t work, I’ll stay on a comfortable dose. I won’t try to brave panic attacks, raging tinnitus, and brain fog when the meds will help, but that’s just me. Additionally, the doctor did say there is chance that I might need to me on the meds for an extended period of time.

I was on Klonopin before, but went off way too fast, and AMA. It was not pretty. Last time I quite caffeine I was able to taper Xanax relatively easily though. But I started with the caffeine again, and, while going on and off caffeine and crossing over to Klonopin (which is supposed to be easier to taper from), I wound up on a slightly higher dose (3mg).

There is also this dilemma in the benzo world: is it withdrawal or the underlying condition(s) re-emerging that is causing the symptoms? It is confusing because the withdrawal symptoms mimic the symptoms of anxiety, panic, and depression.

If you do taper off, it is strongly recommended you do it under a doctor’s care. Although I’ve heard that some experience no symptoms, or relatively mild symptoms, others go through hell. I was hoping to be among one of the former categories, but no such luck, not last time anyway.

I am trying to chronicle my taper experience in my "caffeine and tapering" thread, but so far, I haven’t had much luck staying off the caffeine.

I think the upper downer scenario your doctor called you on is probably right. Like North said, it sounds like a little mild speed ball action.

I hope you keep posting because we are all here to learn from and support each other. Sometimes we disagree, but I think most of the time everyone means well.

[invisible7]

I am feeling like crap !!!!!! I tapered off of dexedrine and was just taking 5 mg every other day and took 1 yesterday just because i thought i needed it and now I know why I started taking it. I had energy and felt good even on 5 mg. Today I feel like I have the flu and I'm weak and ready to cry (I am crying) because this disease I have is not going away. When I tell my mom or husband or whoever will listen to me how I feel, they will say they have a headache too or they don't feel good either and totally dismissing my symptoms. I think they are just so tired of me complaining. I was taking dexedrine for energy and when 10 mg didn't do the job, I thought it would be better to not take it than to take 10 mg and not have it do any good. I don't think I am experiencing withdrawal symptoms, but I am experience symptoms from this authoimmune disease I have and they won't go away and I keep thinking why am I taking medicine and I still feel this way and I keep going in circles thinking that I should just quit taking everything and then thinking well I need to take more until I feel normal. This is a physical illness that consumes all of my energy and there is never a time that I have my energy back. Some of my family went on a hike today and I couldn't go because I'm suffering from flu symptoms today. I know this is a sober recovery forum, but I have to vent and talk to people who feel like I do, because my family doesn't understand.....

[Barto]

I can’t comment on the speed because I never really took it. As far as the caffeine goes, the body does not need it for any reason. In fact, it is actually a natural pesticide created by plants to make the insects that eat the pants too confused to avoid their own predators. This is the story I heard, and I can see it people who drink it, especially in me when I’m on it. I think fast, but in hindsight, I realize I’d missed much. It is way worse than my prescribed dose of Klonopin in me.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

And sorry you are feeling like crap, but you will likely have to endure some discomfort when quitting any substance that your body has become acclimated to. Have you talked to your doctor again and gotten any advice?

[invisible7]

Hi Barto,

Thanks for replying

I did call my doctor and told him I changed my mind about quitting both drugs! This was my choice and I just thought it wasn't a good idea to be on these addicting drugs, but if they help, then that's what matters. The doctor prescribing these has no problem with them, it was just my primary doctor who didn't like the idea of being on that combination.

So how are you doing? What is klonopin?

[Barto]

Hi Invisible,

I’m doing pretty good all things considered. Thanks for asking. I guess you are, too?

Klonopin is the brand name for Clonazepam (which is actually what I take). It is basically a longer acting and possibly a more potent version of Lorazepam (brand name, Ativan). They are both benzodiazepines. The drugs are controversial and can be addicting, but what I am mainly concerned with, “for me,” is whether I am better off on or the medication or off the medication.

I intend to find out by slowly tapering it down. The one thing I have found out for sure is that “I” cannot stop these drugs cold turkey without great discomfort, and not many others can either. I also know that quitting caffeine makes tapering much, much easier for me. I would suspect the stimulant drug would also be counterproductive to tapering benzos, but I have no experience or authority on that.

[invisible7]

Barto,

When I was going to taper both drugs, the doctor had me tapering off dexedrine first and then waiting at least a week before tapering off lorazepam. I think the only reason I need lorazepam is because I can't sleep when I'm taking dexedrine.

I also wanted to find out if I was better without these medications and found out shortly that I am not. The dexedrine takes the edge off of my fatigue and makes me more alert. The alternative would be to be fatigued daily and not able to function because of my fatigue. Like you, I have a disease too that these drugs are supposed to help. So, why would you want to quit something that is helping? I know I worry about the long-term affects on my liver, but I'm already sick and these drugs make my quality of life at least bearable.

I guess for a person with no medical problem, taking these drugs would only create a medical problem, but it is different if you have a chronic disease. I am learning what I have is chronic and not going away. It can come in flares, but it will always be with me. I'm going to a new primary physician to see if there is anything else I can take for my symptoms. I saw a psychiatrist and he was happy to prescribe more drugs.

I wonder why people like you and me keep thinking that we need to taper to see if we are better off without them. Don't you remember what got you to the point where you sought medical help? I don't want to be at that point again, and I've learned that tapering the dexedrine only made my symptoms worse.

[Barto]

Yeah, I remember what it was like before the meds. It was bad. Furthermore, I actually stopped my meds cold turkey after a well meaning AA friend suggested I try the steps again instead. The result was that even after six months off the meds I was far worse off than I had been while I was on the meds.

Things in my life are changing though, and I want to find out if these circumstances were the cause of my panic attacks. Also, I think caffeine had a great deal to do with my anxiety and the panic attacks. I have been reading a lot and I have read several credible studies that suggest that caffeine is very disruptive in those that are sensitive to it; and I believe people who suffer form anxiety and panic are among those sensitive to caffeine. So after being caffeine free for a while, I plan to resume my benzo taper. I will go slowly and I will not allow my symptoms to get that bad. If they do, I’ll just go back up to the last comfortable dose I was on; the dose that worked. I don’t feel there is a need for undue suffering.

Don’t misunderstand me. I expect a little discomfort in tapering, but I will not live in misery when I can take doctor prescribed pills that work. I don;t abuse them, and after all, I have to have some faith in my doctors, right? I mean I have gone so far as to get fourth and fifth opinions. I really doubt they are all wrong.

I do think speed type drugs (including caffeine) act against benzos, though; so I suspect that taking both simultaneously may be counterproductive “for me.” But I am no doctor. I’ll keep going and let everyone know what’s going on. Here are a few links regarding caffeine. They are but a few of many. Some are more credible, very credible from the likes of Johns Hopkins. And all seem to paint a picture, a picture that suggests that caffeine can very, very bad for you.

At least check out the first one. I find it very credible, fascinating, and very informative. I have more if you are interested.

http://www.caffeinedependence.org/ca...ependence.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in676309.shtml
http://www.welcometothedancecaffeineallergy.com/
http://www.doctoryourself.com/caffeine2.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?Caffeine-C...acks&id=122306