Ativan xanax half life
Common Questions and Answers about Ativan xanax half life
avinza
All of them have different half lives (how long they last in the body) and the potential for a person to build up a tolerance to it depends on the half life. The half life of Ativan is short but much longer than that of Xanax which is really meant for occasional use for panic attacks. Ativan can more safely be taken everyday on a regular basis. I would assume unless one wasn't working that's why your psychiatrist changed you over but you should ask them as well to clarify.
ll go through withdrawals. Lorazapam (Ativan) is actually more potent than Xanax and has a longer half-life. Ativan is actually 1.5-2 times as strong as Xanax and has double the half-life. I've run through a lot of the benzos and Ativan has always been the strongest one in the mix. It doesn't hit as quickly as Xanax but it packs a wallop when it does kick in.
Why is your doc kicking you over? Has the Xanax stopped working for you?
Hello!
Did you doctor say WHY he wants to make the change? Sometimes, to tackle tolerance issues (needing a higher and higher dose to maintain the same level of effectiveness) doctors will recommend switching to another med in the same class. Are you having issues with tolerance? Is the Xanax just not working like it once did?
Your doctor is planning on gradually weaning you off the Xanax, while at the same time, gradually stepping you up in doses with the Ativan.
True, you went from 4 mgs of xanax to your current 2.5 mgs daily but inbetween you were on ativan to ease off of xanax, no real progress except ativan a little longer half life. You sound like you don't want to get off right now so I assume you and doc have a plan of your own.
The short half life can make withdrawing from the medication difficult and many are switched over to Valium or Klonopin prior to stepping off of Xanax or Ativan completely. A long half life also has another benefit, the medicine stays in your system longer. When someone has a panic attack, the short half life allows them to get quick relief from the attack but not remain under the influence of the medication for a long time after the attack has been tranquilized.
Both Xanax and Ativan are benzos with a fairly short half life. Any benzo can cause one to have a tolerance and can be habit forming. Both of these medications are usually prescribed short term, while you start your talk therapy and possilby other longer term medications like SSRIs (Zoloft, Prozac, etc.). Anxiety can be a hard challenge to confront, but with knowledge and understanding you will not only get through it, you will thrive with it....
25 mg is a fairly small dose, so that might be one reason. Xanax and Ativan have a short half-life (around 1.5 hours just like you wrote) so it should be no surprise that the symptoms might return after that length of time. You really shouldn't be afraid of taking Xanax or Ativan as needed. I used to take Xanax on occasion when I was younger and now take Ativan as needed. Both are very commonly prescribed and usually very well-tolerated.
yes! mammo said it perfectly. take it if needed! xanax is one of the hardest benzos to come off of b/c of its' short half life.
And what I mean by "come off of" is if you use it daily for more than 2-4 weeks. A lot of people start having physical dependency withdrawal after 4 weeks constant daily use, and don't know it.
This happened to me with Ativan.
I'm luckily weaning just fine though, so far... KNOCK ON WOOD.
WOW that is unusual reaction to xanax, it saved my life! or should I say gave me my life back, allot of people with tell you about the addictiveness of xanax, which is true, but It is a GOOD drug for short term or as needed so one can work on reasons for Panic. hope you have better luck with the ativan. keep us posted.
Klonopin has a 20-80 hour half life. Xanax has a much shorter half-life, and is faster acting than Klonopin. Klonopin sort of builds up in your system for the first 2-3 days.
Xanax will stop a panic attack, and Klonopin will ease your anxiety (and prevent most panic attacks too if the dose is sufficient).
They are all benzodiazepines, and they all do essentially the same thing, but they have different half-lives.
Ativan should not be a long term medication, it should be taken on an as-needed basis as it has a shorter half-life and can be more addictive than, say, klonopin (this is not to say that klonopin is not addictive). Ideally you'd want to look at an SSRI, or SNRI (or therapy!) before you commit yourself to a benzodiazepine on a long-term basis as they have addictive properties and will be a real pain to come off of.
It never hurts to ask your dr. anything.
The general opinion is that Valium has a longer half life and stays in the system longer. I've never heard about the valium being stored in the fat tissue more than other benzodiazepines. So at this point, I don't know about that one way or the other. I would prefer to use a weaker, milder benzo because my little brain receptors are pretty beat up at this point.
But for someone just getting started out in the benzo scene, I would recommed "don't".
I wish I'd seen this sooner. First, if you're checking back on this, how are you?
I recommend being honest. They might not do a drug screening if you are honest with a PCP, but I'm not sure on a rehab facility. Regardless, it's too dangerous to wean off Ativan after that length of time on your own. It's especially not good to do it quickly. It could kill you (though that's rare, it's a very real possibility).
anyone with the same problems should try asking your doctor for ativan or medicnes like ativan. I know that it is similar to xanax..and these types of medicinces have a bad rep with the doctors, but why? is it because they ACTUALLY work? yes they can be addicting, but when taken in moderation, ativan has helped me so much. I am done living my life the way my heart tells me i should.
See if dr. will prescribe you either Xanax, Ativan, or Klonopin. They are life savers for some people. I know it was for me. I started out with Ativan, then when I became immune to the Ativan, I tried Xanax, which is great for a quick fix. Now, I'm on Klonopin and have been for a month and a half. Once Klonopin builds up into your system, you won't feel the "wearing off" effect like you do with Ativan and Xanax. Good Luck and God Bless.
Xanax has a really short half life. It leaves your system so fast. The thing about Xanax in my experience is that it can cause a reflex panic attack because you have it leaving your system so soon. Ativan did nothing for me. I mean like taking a sugar pill. They gave me klonopin which works well for anxiety disorders like mine. I just have straight up anxiety; no mixed depression with it.
Pain pills (Vicodin?) work best? You mean to fix your mood?
But it seems like a weird swap of medication. Most people would go the other way. As the Ativan is a short life form of medication. Much like xanax. You may need more of it further down the line to maintain the amount you start out on. But I won't question your doctor's choice. That's what he is there for. Good luck with the switch. Oh and I also assume the klonopin was twice a day? Morning and night? With this you have the third shot. Might lessen any withdrawls.
t share the same tolerance issues that the short-term benzos (Ativan, Xanax) do, not to mention that Meds like Xanax are really better utlitized as "rescue" meds...meaning in the event of a panic attack, or severe anxiety, the Xanax is fast acting and allows for relief....but however, it also doesn't last long, therefore to obtain a more steady state of calm, a long-term benzo like Klonopin would be the way to go.
It is similar to xaxax, another bad benzo (not that there are any good ones). Ativan has a short half-life and the taper does need to be slow.. Many folks can taper more quickly, but there are plenty of sites that recommend several months up to a year or more to taper off of certain benzos.
Everyone is different, 10% off of each subsequent dose would probably be good. Better if you could get some valium to help the taper, since it has a very long half-life.
Also, observe the half-life variations of the two drugs. The glucuronide metabolite of Ativan carries a half-life of 18 hours, while Valium has a half-life ranging from 24-100 hours. Therefore, it would be wise to gradually step the Ativan out while simultaneously stepping in the Valium. An example would look like this:
Days 1-5: Morning (Ativan 0.25 mg, Valium 2.5 mg)
Day 5: Valium, 5 mg, qd.
By gradually introducing the Valium, the potential for withdrawal is greatly reduced.
Recommended
