# what is the normal dose for lorazepam



## ultraphobe

my doc prescribed .5mg to start with. it helped a little bit.
then increased to 1 mg. 

I saw on the internet that the normal dose for lorazepam is 2 - 3 mg.
is that correct?


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## X33

I don't know the exact range but try to stay as low as possible. If 0.5mg works, then take 0.5mg. I took 0.5mg for 6 months+ and it worked well throughout.


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## scotthallkevinnash

I dont know the chemical name but I believe your speaking of Ativan. 

In this case, the dose should be started at 1mg per day. This is under the assumption that no prior tolerance to benzos exists. This is effective for treating anxiety for most people for around one to two months. 

After one month, the dose should be increased to 2-3mg per day depending on how the patient is responding. 

This dose should be maintained until the patient develops tolerance. 

After this happens, the patient should receive a dose of no less than 4mg per day of Ativan. 

Because I am a scientist now (officially), I recommend an 8mg/day dose once the patient is tolerant to the 4mg dose. It seems that for many people, a fairly large dose of benzodiazepines once tolerance has occurred seems to maintain the anxiolytic effects of the drug without the prominent sedative effects as well. 

Thank you Winston Churchill.


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## Noca

use benzos prn and you wont run into any trouble


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## Labyssum

I take 2mg.
Once I took 4mg by mistake and was going all slurry and fell over. ops


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## X33

scotthallkevinnash said:


> I dont know the chemical name but I believe your speaking of Ativan.
> 
> In this case, the dose should be started at 1mg per day. This is under the assumption that no prior tolerance to benzos exists. This is effective for treating anxiety for most people for around one to two months.
> 
> After one month, the dose should be increased to 2-3mg per day depending on how the patient is responding.
> 
> This dose should be maintained until the patient develops tolerance.
> 
> After this happens, the patient should receive a dose of no less than 4mg per day of Ativan.
> 
> Because I am a scientist now (officially), I recommend an 8mg/day dose once the patient is tolerant to the 4mg dose. It seems that for many people, a fairly large dose of benzodiazepines once tolerance has occurred seems to maintain the anxiolytic effects of the drug without the prominent sedative effects as well.
> 
> Thank you Winston Churchill.


NO NO NO NO
This advice is horrible. You better be joking.

You want to titrate* till you reach an optimal dose. If it means 0.25mg then you take 0.25mg.

Try to take the benzo. prn and you will have reduced chance of developing tolerance. You might even be able to continue taking the same dose (for months/years/ however long you need it) you started at.

The upper end for lorazepam is 6mg and this is for severe situations such as surgery (according to a nurse I talked to awhile back).

* titrate = start small and build up till you find a dose that works for you.


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## Noca

AdrianG said:


> scotthallkevinnash said:
> 
> 
> 
> I dont know the chemical name but I believe your speaking of Ativan.
> 
> In this case, the dose should be started at 1mg per day. This is under the assumption that no prior tolerance to benzos exists. This is effective for treating anxiety for most people for around one to two months.
> 
> After one month, the dose should be increased to 2-3mg per day depending on how the patient is responding.
> 
> This dose should be maintained until the patient develops tolerance.
> 
> After this happens, the patient should receive a dose of no less than 4mg per day of Ativan.
> 
> Because I am a scientist now (officially), I recommend an 8mg/day dose once the patient is tolerant to the 4mg dose. It seems that for many people, a fairly large dose of benzodiazepines once tolerance has occurred seems to maintain the anxiolytic effects of the drug without the prominent sedative effects as well.
> 
> Thank you Winston Churchill.
> 
> 
> 
> NO NO NO NO
> This advice is horrible. You better be joking.
> 
> You want to titrate* till you reach an optimal dose. If it means 0.25mg then you take 0.25mg.
> 
> Try to take the benzo. prn and you will have reduced chance of developing tolerance. You might even be able to continue taking the same dose (for months/years/ however long you need it) you started at.
> 
> The upper end for lorazepam is 6mg and this is for severe situations such as surgery (according to a nurse I talked to awhile back).
> 
> * titrate = start small and build up till you find a dose that works for you.
Click to expand...

i agree his advice was pretty ****ty


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## scotthallkevinnash

Noca said:


> AdrianG said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> scotthallkevinnash said:
> 
> 
> 
> I dont know the chemical name but I believe your speaking of Ativan.
> 
> In this case, the dose should be started at 1mg per day. This is under the assumption that no prior tolerance to benzos exists. This is effective for treating anxiety for most people for around one to two months.
> 
> After one month, the dose should be increased to 2-3mg per day depending on how the patient is responding.
> 
> This dose should be maintained until the patient develops tolerance.
> 
> After this happens, the patient should receive a dose of no less than 4mg per day of Ativan.
> 
> Because I am a scientist now (officially), I recommend an 8mg/day dose once the patient is tolerant to the 4mg dose. It seems that for many people, a fairly large dose of benzodiazepines once tolerance has occurred seems to maintain the anxiolytic effects of the drug without the prominent sedative effects as well.
> 
> Thank you Winston Churchill.
> 
> 
> 
> NO NO NO NO
> This advice is horrible. You better be joking.
> 
> You want to titrate* till you reach an optimal dose. If it means 0.25mg then you take 0.25mg.
> 
> Try to take the benzo. prn and you will have reduced chance of developing tolerance. You might even be able to continue taking the same dose (for months/years/ however long you need it) you started at.
> 
> The upper end for lorazepam is 6mg and this is for severe situations such as surgery (according to a nurse I talked to awhile back).
> 
> * titrate = start small and build up till you find a dose that works for you.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> i agree his advice was pretty @#%$
Click to expand...

I am a scientist. I have a degree. I am smart and know many things and know how to properly use big words.

This makes my opinions more valuable because I have established credibility. If I think 8mg/day is good eventually then this is how it will be.

The whole argument that you must only take as much as necessary is bunk. This is because if _some_ of the medication works good then _alot_ of the medication will work GREAT. Also you invariably develop tolerance to benzos with daily use.

There are no logical inconsistencies within my argument. It cannot be refuted.

6mg Ativan is a wussy dose. It equals 2.41mg Klonopin. My dad was on 4mg/day Ativan and he was only messed up for part of the day on that. If any doc said I was getting 6mg of Ativan for surgery I would take a **** on his shoe and piss on his leg.

For any surgery I get, I demand high doses of Fentanyl and Versed. This is standard for "real" surgeries that actually are painful.


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## free thinker

scotthallkevinnash said:


> I am a scientist. I have a degree. I am smart and know many things and know how to properly use big words.
> 
> This makes my opinions more valuable because I have established credibility. If I think 8mg/day is good eventually then this is how it will be.


But diploma mill degrees don't count, scott (just kidding). It might be wise to use some emoticons so people know you are joking.

Personally, I've been using .5mg off and on for several years now. I've seen too many people develop a tolerance to the drug and then they have to keep uping the dosage. It is not a good situation to get into. The drug also affects one's memory. I know I need a break from the drug when I start forgetting everything.


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## Arisa1536

8mg sounds far too much for a person with social anxiety
for severe mental illnesses or extreme cases as one off then yeah but maybe if you were on an I.V drip in hospital. All the doctors and psychiatrists i have seen do not prescribe anyone 8MG for generalized or social anxiety disorder.

Its different for everyone when it comes to tolerance 
Most people will start with any benzo on either 0.25 or 0.5 bare in mind diazepam is 10 times less potent than Clonazepam and alprazolam and 5 times less potent than lorazepam (Ativan) so all i can advise is what i was prescribed to begin with
i started on 0.5MG three times a day followed by 0.5MG four times a day (i do not know why they did not give me the pill in 2MG form instead of four little pills) and i found that between 2-4MG of lorazepam is more than enough, much more and it does help social anxiety and it calms me right down and i am able to look at things logically
heck, on 1MG i am able to see things more realistically and do not feel as anxious

There is no real normal dose as everyone has different forms of anxiety, some are higher than others so they will need a stronger med or a higher dose.
For someone who is physically ill aswell as socially anxious may be on higher doses of benzos for the pain. My dads first wife had heart problems and was put on diazepam to calm her body down and her heart rate stabilized 

Going by what u have said, i think you are doing well on the dose you are on


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## Rbk

8mg must be a joke, there is no doubt about this. When I started taking lorazepam 1mg was enough for most of social situations. 2mg was literaly killing my SA. Now I need 3mg so some tolerance is building up. 

Lorazepam is very effective for my SA but there are problems with addiction, tolerance and impairment of cognitive functions.


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## wxolue

I built up a tolerance wicked quick. By my 5th dose I was up to 3 mg. Then I ran out of the stuff and never refilled my prescription.


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## anotherdumbname

i have been on benzos for 8 years now. just about all of them to find the right combo to control my severe SA, and panic w/agoraphobia. i am now on ativan 2mg qid and prn for a total of 8mg a day, 10mg if i need it (10mg/day is the MAX dose and IS considered a therapeutic dose. of course you have to be tolerant and have horrible anx to need that much. it does not sedate me at all). i am also on tranxene 15mg twice daily. (plus lexapro, dexedrine, and clonidine)... so yes, it is prescribed in doses that high. but it is not often AT ALL! i've seen 0.5mg make someone act like they're drunk and not remember it. guess it just depends.


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## d829

Some seriously bad advice given here. 

1 mg of Ativan = 5-10 mg of Valium

Please read for yourself about half lives and duration of action

I would not get dependent on this drug
I made that mistake and paid for it. 

I am glad to be off of that poison.


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## metamorphosis

http://www.benzo.org.uk/bzequiv.htm


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## Akane

.5-2mg would be the _average_ for anxiety while dosages around 2-4mg are more often used for insomnia. Getting above 2mg is difficult and above 4 usually near impossible. Also pointless. If you've surpassed 4mg the tolerance has probably reached a level that lorazepam at minimum but possibly all benzos are no longer useful enough and you should be looking at something that can be taken more regularly long term.


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## forever 247

d829 said:


> Some seriously bad advice given here.
> 
> 1 mg of Ativan = 5-10 mg of Valium
> 
> Please read for yourself about half lives and duration of action
> 
> I would not get dependent on this drug
> I made that mistake and paid for it.
> 
> I am glad to be off of that poison.


how were you able to get off


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## forever 247

can somebody tell me how can i get off ativan


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## d829

Ativan suspends excellent in water 
I did a water titration. 

It was long and slow but I am free now of drugs and feeling great.


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## d829

forever 247 said:


> can somebody tell me how can i get off ativan


How much are you on and for how long ?

There were websites to helP guide people off benzos.


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## Akane

Just start cutting the pills. I don't think any form of lorazepam comes in capsules. Depending how high of dose and how sensitive you are take 1/2 to 3/4ths of one of your pills along with any others for 4-5days or when you stop noticing withdrawal symptoms and drop it by 1/4-1/2 each time. It's not particularly difficult to get off of. I've had other meds I had to cut the pills down to 1/8th or so which starts to become a somewhat inaccurate chip in the pill cutter because it was so hard to get off.

It also helps if you are taking a very high dose pill to ask your doctor for a bottle of lower dose pills but with instructions to take 2 or whatever so you still get the same mg every refill until you have lowered the dose enough.


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## d829

More bad advice. 

Don't ever cut your pills in Half
If someone tells you to do that
Run. 

A safe taper is 10-20% reduction a month

Do the math.


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## Akane

Even experienced doctors and psychiatrists will tell you to cut them. Heck my psychiatrist just told me to crush something and then measure it because it doesn't come in a low enough dose for me to taper slow enough. They frequently crush or cut pills in psychiatric wards, prisons, and for patients who have major mental problems like dementia and alzheimer's to make it easier to get it down them and to avoid them being able to save the pill and get rid of/sell it later. No bad effects have come from those 1000s of cases done daily a year.

It's quite standard to cut a pill down to the dose you need. I have to do it with nearly every pill I start because while my brain adjusts quick up to a high dose it's sensitive to new stuff and I have to start at half or less the normal starting dose of anything. Many including some forms of lorazepam are even scored so you can cut them even easier or just break them. My mirtazapine and doral(benzo) are in scored long oval pills that I break all the time for a partial dose.



> A safe taper is 10-20% reduction a month


People are very individual on tapering down dose. Some could cut 50% and not notice. Some couldn't go down 2% without noticing. I tend to fall in the latter. There is no math you can do to find the perfect amount for you. You have no idea what the best amount is until you've tried it often enough with enough meds to know yourself and how you react.


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## d829

That's why I said a safe taper, cutting 50% off could be a recipe for disaster. 

I have only come across a couple doctors who knew how to get people off these drugs safely, the only safety they are concerned about is a seizure because they have more pills for all the symptoms one can get coming off this poison. 

Thank god thank GOD I am free from that drug.


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## metamorphosis

Here you go:

http://www.psychresidentonline.com/Benzodiazepine Comparison.htm


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## metamorphosis

I just glanced at some of the posts and it sounds like another benzo. reduction issue. Ideally you should have a skilled pdoc that is familiar with benzo. titration. This includes the basic "chip away at the pill until you have grandchildren" method. Which is probably the most common and is effective. I like d829's mentioning about there really shouldn't be a real hurry in the reduction.

As long as your reducing at least 2-3 weeks at a time. Even if it's a fourth of a pill. The main issue of any benzo reduction is there are major issues with your brain. Being it trying to restore homeostasis with some NT's (glutamate-GABA) and the brain's now overcompensating by producing and releasing more glutamate (the excitatory) NT after it has been suppressed for so long by the saturation of GABA effects from a benzo. Basically your brains cells and their neurons will start to "freak out" and start firing off glutamate like its fourth of july. That = bad. So slower the titration should be the more comfortable and safe way to go for your own physiological and mental sate of holding a slow change in your brain which makes your brain alot less stressed=good. The brain is trying to solve this problem. We need a sufficient amount of glutamate not only to think but for other cognitive skills like memory. Although to much glutamate can be neurotoxic.

One rule I have always believed in is once you have decided to reduce to not up the dose unless it's an emergency. Because it easy for us SAD'ers to want to climb into that comfort zone even when we feel a little anxious. Usually its psychosomatic symptoms that actualtually slight uncomfortable feeling turn into an avalanche of internal panic. Which is a normal response for those of us with anxiety. Also as the dose does decrease, it always seems the last 1mg down is the hardest. Thats where you can even reduce the amount be even smaller amounts by the water titration method.

Here's a site that talks of the wter method and also of the third way. Which is called the Ashton Method

http://www.benzosupport.org/which_tapering_method_is_best.htm

And here is the link to the Ashton method which can go either way. It depends on the person. This way does incorporate one of the longer lasting benzodiazepine. That being diazepam (valium). For some, especially those tapering of a pretty low dose. Probably not necessary because it basically introduces valium for it's long half life to come down easier on the benzo you were originally on. Therefore it is a more painless way to titrate down. In the end you will than have to titrate of the valium for completion. Which theoretically should not be necessarily as difficult with it's extremely long half life. It can be 100hrs compared to xanax which quickly starts to leave your system with within 2-6 hrs.

Here's a link to the Ashton manual. Which has helped many stuck deep in the benzo wasteland:

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/

and here is a handy benzo equivalency chart

Finally before partaking on one of these ways, you should really be under the guidance of a competent and trusted pdoc. Also learn as much as you can. I forgot that there are adjunct meds like pregabalin, gabapentin, and hopefully some others coming out soon. The big pharmaceutical companies first have to take unbelievable amounts of time vying and lying for the wink wink, you've satisfied me of the mighty FDA. Than they have to spend months to yrs using "scientific testing" which are all preformed by the companies hired "professionals".Eventually it passes after a very useless, skewed process that only makes the people afflicted with these conditions suffer longer. As we hang on waiting and being scripted with med. options that have a poor rate of success for anxiety. The ones being the most effective being the most physiologically addictive. And all having differing levels of side effects. Many of these issues become unbearable and render the drug useless to the patient. There are some drugs combined with ACT and CBT that actually do help some. But since we're on the Med. Forum, this is how it works in the U.S. In the end, it's a distorted,broken machine An underhanded poker game with the big pharmaceutical companies trying to rush out a new drug to patent.And after the laughable preqs. set by the FDA. Finally it is released to the public and the cash flow keeps coming in at least until that patent starts to run out. It's a pretty ****ed up system!!!

http://www.benzo.org.uk/bzequiv.htm


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