Adverse Reaction? Please help ..!!

[biscotaki]

Hi everyone,
Three days ago, I started dosing with liquid Lorezapam in preparation for tapering.
I dose 5 times a day, for a total of 2.25 mgs.
I understand that my system would need to adapt to this change, and that I may have symptoms
because of this change, and I have.
The issue that is unnerving and confusing is that I become symptomatic during 2 doses.
The 8 pm dose, and the 1 am dose.
About a half hour before taking the medicine, I start having symptoms such as being unable to breathe, my heart beats feel heavy and scarry, head pressure, blurry eyes, dizziness, unsteadiness,
and overall restlessness. These symptoms last past 2 hours after dosing.
The rest of the times symptoms are there, but they are more lenient.
I wonder if anyone has gone through this, or has an understanding of what is happening.
I will be grateful for any thoughts ..
Thank you, biscotaki

[Luc]

Hey, Bisco! Well, potentially it could be a difference in the dose between the tablets and the liquid. Theoretically, it should be the exact same amount, but there might be different factories, different procedures used. Could also be the switch itself, or the change in the number of doses. Please, remember me, you are now taking it 5 times a day, and how many times prior to it? I was also wondering if it could be some sort of a nocebo effect, but the symptoms your are describing are pretty intense it seems.

Let us wait for more ideas from others.

I'll move this thread to Coping with Symptoms. :) More people will see it this way. Hang in there!

[biscotaki]

Thank you Luc,
Well, in mid -June I tweaked the doses to cover the night, because I never dosed at night.
Also one of the doses was a small one at .25 mgs, where the others were at 0.5 mgs. So I tweaked to dose 5 times,
in 4.5-5 intervals.
With this change, I became somewhat stable, after about 18 days or so.
I then moved to step 2, where I used a Compounding Pharmacy to prepare the liquid Lorezapam.

I dose the liquid 5 times, at .45 mgs each dose, bringing up the short dose of .25 to .45 mgs.
this way all are the same, and the total for the day stayed the same ..I did not updose.

So yes, each dose went down a bit..from 0.5 mgs, to .45 mgs. The total for the day is 2.25 mgs.
So perhaps you are right in that the change in dosage may be creating a problem ..

But why certain doses, and why the severity of symptoms?
It is completely confusing.

I wish that someone will come along with some much needed peace of mind, and explanation of what is happening.
Thank you Luc, I hope all that makes sense.
Take good care of you, biscotaki

[Joy]

Hi Biscotaki,
So sorry you are having symptoms like this. I don't have much to offer you ..just one thought with nothing to back it up. During the evening we are generally quieter and might pay more than the usual attention to changes. I don't mean this to diminish what is going on. Another thought...our hormones, cortisol, malatonin and such, surge and wane throughout the day and night in relation to sunshine, and such...and as you have made some recent changes to timing it maybe coincides with a time like this?? If it looks like you are reacting to this change anyway, maybe a good time to make it productive and remove one of the night meds? It might cause you distress but you are already feeling the impact. This might not be good advice. Just thinking aloud.
I am thinking about you and sending you peaceful thoughts to quiet your mind and body.
We will get through this!
Joy

[Sheila]

I don’t know if this is a clue, but, before, you were having trouble with the 10 am and 2 pm doses, right? Now it’s the 8 pm and 1 am dose.

So, didn’t you originally have four doses? Then, you had four plus a small one to cover the night? Was this an updose?

Then, you evened them out to five even ones? Is that right?

Then, you switched to liquid.

So, I’m confused. But, if you changed your doses in mid-June, you could still be having a reaction to that.

[biscotaki]

Sheila, I wonder and would like to know, what your thinking is about this being a clue?
You are right, I was having trouble with the 10am and the 2 pm doses.
At this time, I was dosing 5 times : 6 am 10 am 2 pm 6 pm taking 0.5 mgs each dose, and .25 mgs at 9:30 pm. Equal 2.25 mgs
I was not covered from 9:30 pm to 6 am.
This is when I tweaked the doses to cover the night, and to have consistant medication
in my blood stream.
Dosing was at 6 am, 10:30 am, 3 pm, 8 pm, ( .25) 1 am. Except for the 8 pm dose at .25, each of the others were at 0.5 mgs ..total 2.25 mgs.
Then the liquid : All 5 doses at .45 mgs equal 2.25 mgs.

So no updosing.
I hope this makes sense Sheila ..xx biscotaki

[biscotaki]

You are so very kind and sweet Joy ..Here you are, going through your issues, and you are rushing to my rescue.
I am very grateful ..I am confused Joy, I think that the problem may be tolerance withdrawal, or a paradoxical reaction
to the Ativan ..But am not certain..All I am consumed with, are these darn symptoms ..
There may be something to what you are thinking ..I just need to think... I switched from taking tablets to liquid, because it is easier to taper from ..But these symptoms are very distressing ..
Thank you again for your kindness, and care.
I wish you a blessed, peaceful night.
Many hugs, biscotaki

[shel]

Hi Bisotaki,

I am so sorry you are experiencing such a difficult time. Are these symptoms different from the symptoms you were experiencing from AD withdrawal? I am just wondering if maybe what you are experiencing is not from the Ativan but the AD withdrawal. I wonder how one tells the difference between the two? I suppose it would be clear i these symptoms are completely different from what you were going through before. I really wish I had an answer for you. I am just really sorry you are going through this. I hope you get some relief very soon.

[hermi]

I don't know a lot about this but I do know that when I worked in ICU at the hospital that sometimes when a patient was changed from a tablet to a liquid form of the same dose the pharmacist would change the amount of liquid. For example 10mg of some thing the dose in liquid form might be 5mg per 2 mls, so then you would take 4mls to get the same dose in theory. The pharmacist would change the amount of liquid to be given to get the same dose in liquid form. It never really make sense to me...if something is 5mg/2mls it should be 5mg/2mls!
I think it has something to do with how the body absorbs the liquid differently to a tablet and maybe an adjusted amount was needed to get the same levels of the medication into the system in liquid form.
Maybe your body just needs time to adjust to the change? I don't know if this makes any sense?

[Luc]

Bisco, whatever it will turn out to be - everyone has come up with great ideas here, there's every reason to believe it will even out. Please, keep us updated - how are you feeling today?