# Is 4mg of Ativan a large dose?



## itsallanact (Dec 30, 2010)

My doctor doulbled my dose from 2 to 4 mg. I read somewhere that this is an unusually high dosage. Is this true? Also what is the best way to get off of this crap? Taking more only seems to increase my tolerance with little effect.


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## Kennnie (Oct 21, 2010)

you should ask your doctor


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## itsallanact (Dec 30, 2010)

I will, unfortunately I only get to see him about once every four months.


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## Kennnie (Oct 21, 2010)

you dont have his phone number?


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## itsallanact (Dec 30, 2010)

I going out to get some Chinese food


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## Kennnie (Oct 21, 2010)

lol ok


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## lionheart (Jun 16, 2010)

im on 1 mg and will never go higher, heard its a ***** to come off them benzo's.


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## DistinctlyAmbiguous (Aug 23, 2009)

I'm currently taking up to 6mg of Klonopin a day. I'm not sure how much Ativan that equates to. (7-8mg?) I must be GABA resistant because it doesn't do much but curb panic when I feel it building up. It's considered an unusually high dose, but unfortunately I have a unusually high tolerance.


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## wxolue (Nov 26, 2008)

I worked my way through a bottle once over a month. By the end I was at 4mg because of the tolerance I developed. I never renewed after that. 6 months later I decided to start again. Should have realized the tolerance wouldn't have carried over...4mg was too much...


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## d829 (Jul 29, 2010)

yes it's a huge amount it's equal to 40mg of Valium and has a very short half life....I was on 1mg and tapered down half and it was pure hell...I am still tapering I want off this ride !


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## itsallanact (Dec 30, 2010)

d829 said:


> yes it's a huge amount it's equal to 40mg of Valium and has a very short half life....I was on 1mg and tapered down half and it was pure hell...I am still tapering I want off this ride ![/QUOT
> 
> Wow 40mg of valium would put me out. So far taking none is hell, one is not much better two I can deal with, I think.
> 
> How long is reasonable to get down to one half and then quit?


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

d829 said:


> yes it's a huge amount it's equal to 40mg of Valium and has a very short half life....I was on 1mg and tapered down half and it was pure hell...I am still tapering I want off this ride !


According to most benzo equivalency charts 4 mg of Ativan would equal 20 mg of Valium. Charts do vary, but I'm not personally aware of any chart that provides the numbers you provided above; please post a link if you know of such a chart.

My personal experience would suggest 4 mg Ativan & 20 mg Valium seems about right in terms of equivalency.

As for "is 4 mg Ativan a large dose," that's a matter of opinion and what your basis for comparison happens to be. Compared to my huge prescription for 10 mg of Xanax (equal to 20 mg Ativan) it doesn't look like much.

By typical standards 4 mg Ativan certainly isn't tiny, though it's also not stunningly huge either. Some docs would never dream of handing out 4 mg of Ativan, wanting to not handle it much like not wanting to juggle live grenades. Other doctors (a minority) wouldn't think it's any big deal at all.


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## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin (Nov 28, 2009)

There a lapse in communication here, talk to your docor again and voice your concerns. If you want to stop taking them, which is desirable (they're seriously habit forming, and shouldn't really be taken long term)

Hope it goes okay for you!


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

interesting you were able to get an increased dose since lorazepam is like gold over here, well benzos in general are 

4mg is around 30-40mg so my doc says but yeah equivalency charts vary and it does work fast but as good as ativan is, the high is only temporary and u find yourself needing more each day and often more than once a day as well

Klonopin or valium are good long term benzos though


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Arisa1536 said:


> ...the high is only temporary and u find yourself needing more each day and *often more than once a day as well*...


Ativan when used continuously would typically be dosed three times a day.



Arisa1536 said:


> ...Klonopin or valium are good long term benzos though


Is there any evidence that they are any less likely to cause tolerance than Ativan or Xanax?


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## d829 (Jul 29, 2010)

ashton's chart says 1mg Ativan = 10mg Valium - I think she is a little high but she is the expert not me.


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## d829 (Jul 29, 2010)

itsallanact said:


> How long is reasonable to get down to one half and then quit?


IMO 10% reduction each month is a safe taper - I see people hurry off these drugs after being on them for a long time and suffer for it. These pills are exactly like signing a contract with the devil you feel good now then the reaper comes to collect.

If I had to do it over again I would have taken a low dose of Valium and did my best to learn skills to deal with anxiety/panic and tapered off the low dose of Valium but I was uneducated about these pills.

For those who love Benzos you are in denial


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## Takerofsouls (Oct 20, 2010)

4mgs with no tolerance messed me up, it was fun though. I was on alot of benzos for a while and tapering was horrible. I dont think their suitable for long term use, but thats just my opinion.


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## itsallanact (Dec 30, 2010)

Funny thing about all this is I still feel like crap but in new ways. The Doc says I should keep taking this garbage forever but I know I have to stop. Should I get him to switch me to valium and then work my way down?


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

UltraShy said:


> Ativan when used continuously would typically be dosed three times a day.
> 
> Is there any evidence that they are any less likely to cause tolerance than Ativan or Xanax?


True and true
Although doctors push klonopin and diazepam if one has to take a benzo, as the "Safer" option in terms of length of efficacy in the body, it has had the same if not a worse addictive tendency, well it did for me anyway. Klonopin is in the body longer than Xanax or Ativan BUT is probably worse to withdraw from because of the fact it is in your bloodstream so much longer than Xanax and Lorazepam.

If you are able to remain on 4mg of klonopin per day and are not being told to taper off or stop taking them then u should be fine but i know for me, the increase in dose was more frequent than that of lorazepam which is rather strange and i was able to withdraw from my daily dose of ativan provided i had zopiclone on hand and had little to no side effects but when i stopped the klonopin and tapered it, i was in hell

so maybe just ignore what i posted about klonopin or diazepam :um:um:um


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## d829 (Jul 29, 2010)

itsallanact said:


> Funny thing about all this is I still feel like crap but in new ways. The Doc says I should keep taking this garbage forever but I know I have to stop. Should I get him to switch me to valium and then work my way down?


you can work your way down from these for awhile then if and when you hit a wall switch to the longer acting benzo.

the chemical imbalance is a bumper sticker mentality - the pills cause the chemical imbalance you don't need benzos for life.
no one does.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Funny thing, I walked into a walk in clinic to see what benzos i could get for fun. The sign said they prohibit the prescribing of Lorazepam. So I go in asking for Alprazolam and doctor moron tries to tell me that no one uses Alprazolam anymore and instead gives me a script for Lorazepam, the drug which his own sign said he doesnt prescribe, what an idiot! (the stuff which I just threw in the garbage after I left).


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

itsallanact said:


> Funny thing about all this is I still feel like crap but in new ways. The Doc says I should keep taking this garbage forever but I know I have to stop. Should I get him to switch me to valium and then work my way down?


Garbage???? Really? 
Not being on something that it is sedating and socially stimulating with no annoying or bad side effects such as weight gain and depression is *much worse* than being on a pill that works but thats my opinion

to me, a benzo is better than an antidepressant due to the lack of horrible side effects. Withdrawal is bad, but try withdrawing or tapering off of Paxil or effexor that is hell!!!!! worse than lorazepam withdrawal


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## d829 (Jul 29, 2010)

arisa do you really think it's harder to taper a AD than a Benzo ? I never heard that before I always heard the opposite.

I wish that new drug in Germany would make it's way on the scene supposedly it's non addicting and works in the same way as benzos. I forgot the name of it, it's a number or letter name right now.

Maybe it could help people off this garbage yes I said garbage !


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## itsallanact (Dec 30, 2010)

Arisa, it is garbage when you use it to the point that the only effects are tolerance and dependance. I was on Paxil a long time ago. I didnt taper I just went for a wild ride for a few months! No one bothered to tell me about the withdrawls.


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## ankoo (Jan 18, 2012)

*Its not large unless you feel dizzy*

Your doc knows better than you,so go by what he says.


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