Ativan Withdrawal Does Present An Issue
Unfortunately, one of the downsides to taking Ativan is that it is a highly potent substance. Once the drug enters your bloodstream, the serotonin levels in your blood rise for the following 6 to 8 hours. However, this is not the only effect on the brain that the drug has. Without going into too much detail, neurotransmitters begin to get used to receiving a regular dose of Ativan after just seven days of taking it. This means, if you take the drug for longer than a week, you may run the risk of becoming addicted.
Thankfully, Ativan withdrawal symptoms are not all that bad. If you have been prescribed Ativan for longer than a week, take a look at the article below to see what you can expect when you eventually do come off the drug.
Ativan Withdrawal Symptoms
One of the best things about Ativan is that all of the symptoms, whether they be side-effects or withdrawal symptoms – are identifiable in the first instance, before they occur.
If you take Ativan for longer than seven days, you could expect to experience the following things:
- Rebound Depression
- Rebound Anxiety
- Rebound Insomnia
It is important to note that if these three things to occur, they can all be solved in a very simple way. Obviously, the idea of taking Ativan in the first place, is that it solves all of these issues permanently. Therefore, if you are one of the unlucky few who do experience withdrawal symptoms when finishing the drug, an alternative medication may be prescribed, or a “weaning” system may be employed, whereby the dose you were previously taking is started up again, and gradually reduced over time.
When Do Ativan Withdrawal Symptoms Kick In?
Ativan takes between 18 and 36 hours to leave your body. The rate of metabolism is dependent on the individual who is taking the drug, and therefore cannot be predicted before the drug is prescribed.
Keep in mind, not everybody does experience withdrawal symptoms when stopping Ativan. Therefore, the 36 hours pass, and you still feel as good as you did what you were taking the drug, you can consider this to be a success - and you shouldn't need to progress through a “weaning” stage at all.