Ativan? Anyone tried this drug?

Doc wants me to try Ativan. I asked her for something to relax me during times when I feel very anxious because I know a migraine is coming. Like times when on vacation, not in the comfort of your own home and own surroundings.

Has anyone tried this med? How is it? Am I going to feel like a drugie on this. Spaced out.

i take ativan, only at night for sleep. it's a wonderful drug, but it has a huge downside. i have side effects to EVERYTHING, but not this drug. for me it's a miracle.

but the downside is............my body needs it so much (because i haven't slept properly for over 25 years) that i build 'tolerance' to it almost immediately.

IF you are going to take it for anxiety, that sounds fine. it's going to be once-in-a-while. i've had zero spacey effects, and i've taken it for over 5 years.

do some research on it. as long as you know it's addictive/aka builds tolerance in some people, you won't be tempted to over-use it. you are welcome to pm me if you need more info from someone who's had experience. hopefully, others will also write. dianne

I've had it on my shelf for years. I don't notice anything unless I stop myself and check into my emotions. Only then do I notice that I'm more relaxed and balanced. That is how subtle it is. It has taken me from being completely stressed out to being rational again. I take 1mg and only when I need it which when I've had a really stressful day and I take it at the end of the day. Lately that is every second day but I'm dealing with daily migraines and material shortages because of the earthquake in Japan so my job has been really challenging. I haven't found it to be addictive.

I've been taking Ativan on and off since November of last year. I sometimes get anxiety before a migraine and the 1mg tablet usually does the trick to calm it down. I sometimes half the tablet and take .5 before bed to relax as sleep is a big issue for me. I saw a psychologist last month for some other issues and she said that if I'm only taking 1mg at the most daily, there should be no dependancy issues as I'm always fearful of that. She has clients that take up to 8mg daily so my 1mg is nothing she said. That made me feel better. I dont use it daily and haven't noticed any major "craving's for it. It definitely makes me more relaxed and calm.

Thanks for all the info guys. What can be said about prozac? Same questions for this drug also. Anyone tried this one? Thanks

yes, that's right about the dosage. i should have mentioned that. i take 1.5 mg. per day, and never ever take more than 2.0 mg. i can't get along with just 1/2 mg. per day or i would do that, as i know a smaller dose is less likely to cause dependence.

even at my smallish dose i do find it works less and less well, the more often i take it. but i've tried multitudes of other sleep aids and so-called natural things, and none does diddly except this one. also, i've NEVER craved it. i just crave sleep. sleep is important and i never get any really good sleep. drugged sleep just isn't the same..... dianne

chrissygirl wrote:Doc wants me to try Ativan. I asked her for something to relax me during times when I feel very anxious because I know a migraine is coming. Like times when on vacation, not in the comfort of your own home and own surroundings.

Has anyone tried this med? How is it? Am I going to feel like a drugie on this. Spaced out.

I have taken .5 or 1mg of Ativan (lorazepam) for over eight years without any dependency issues. I also haven’t had to increase the dose. I took Ativan before I had severe daily migraines about three times a week at bed. Mostly to quiet my mind so I could sleep. It doesn’t make me tired, just relaxed. I also took it during the day when I got too high strung and needed to calm down. Now I take it during the day when I get too stressed out from the high pain levels. I have found, for me, that increased anxiety makes the pain sharper and harder to break. So the ativan can really help when I’m getting hysterical.
However, my Dr. has me taking some bizarre medications (Namenda and others) as preventatives and I have been having a hang over (groggy, hard to get up) the following morning when I take it at bed. I have switched to Xanax instead and actually have zero hang over feelings but it is way more of a sedative and not quite as calming.
Quick side bar, with most medications, I am incredibly sensitive to side effects and have a very difficult time with feeling “high”. I always feel worse when I don’t have a clear head. Ativan has NEVER made me feel spacey or drugged.