In this article, I’m going to teach you how to use lorazepam for opiate withdrawal. Opiate withdrawal wouldn’t be all that bad if you only experienced the physical symptoms. Unfortunately, the anxiety, psychological terror, and insomnia can make withdrawal a living hell.
Several years ago I was addicted to opiates.
Every few weeks or months I would not be able to get any more opiates.
Sometimes my dealer was out, but usually, it was because I was out of money.
Whenever this happened, I knew that I had about twelve hours after my last dose before the opiate withdrawal symptoms would start coming on.
During this time, I would text everyone I knew to see if I could score some Xanax for opiate withdrawal symptoms. Actually, I didn’t even care if it was Xanax. Other pills such as lorazepam, Klonopin, or Valium would work extremely well too.
These medications are in a class of drugs called benzodiazepines.
Commonly referred to as “benzos”, these pills are very effective at reducing anxiety and easing nervous tension. They also relax muscles and help you fall and stay asleep, thus lorazepam can help with opiate withdrawal.
Lorazepam For Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms – Overview
Lorazepam (sold under the trade name Ativan) is an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) drug. Lorazepam is commonly prescribed for anxiety and panic disorder, though many opioid-dependent individuals have used lorazepam for opiate withdrawal.
Using lorazepam for opiate withdrawal has become popular due to its remarkable ability at treating the following symptoms:
- Anxiety
- Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)
- Muscle tension and soreness
- Psychological terror
- Insomnia
- Poor appetite
When determining whether or not you should use lorazepam for opiate withdrawal, please consider the following key points:
- Everyone is biochemically unique; so while lorazepam worked well for me and countless others, it won’t help everyone ease their symptoms.
- For some individuals, lorazepam will work well, though Valium, Xanax, or Klonopin might work better.
- Many individuals say lorazepam helps them calm anxiety and fall asleep, though a small minority complain that it makes them too much like a zombie.
- Lorazepam and other benzos can be habit-forming.
- Taking too much lorazepam can lead to an overdose.
How To Use lorazepam For Opiate Withdrawal
Taking lorazepam for opiate withdrawal can be a lifesaver if done properly.
The following key points illustrate a very safe way to use lorazepam for opiate withdrawal symptoms relief:
- Always take lorazepam under the supervision of a physician.
- Lorazepam comes in tablets that have the following strengths (0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, 2.0 mg).
- Due to differences in severity of addiction and biochemical uniqueness, there is no set lorazepam for opiate withdrawal dosage.
- Take the least amount of lorazepam necessary to achieve opiate withdrawal symptoms relief.
- Discontinue lorazepam after 3-4 days; the worst of the withdrawals should be over by day 5, and this way you won’t develop a physical dependence on lorazepam.
- Most individuals will benefit from as little as 1 mg per dose, though some will need up to 4 mg, especially at night before bed.
What if you can’t get lorazepam for Opiate Withdrawal?
If you’re going through opiate withdrawal right now and can’t get lorazepam from a doctor or drug dealer, I feel your pain. Fortunately, there are two herbs that work in very similar ways to lorazepam.
Lorazepam benefits for opiate withdrawal are due to it binding to GABAA receptors in the brain.
GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that acts as a mental relaxant.
GABA is basically our natural lorazepam, though our bodies produce it in the precise amounts we were designed to handle.
Valerian root and passion flower are herbs that activate your GABA receptors like Valium does.
They both have been shown to naturally reduce anxiety and insomnia.
In one study, 75 participants with nonorganic insomnia were put into two different groups. One group received 600 mg of standardized valerian extract, while the other group received 10 mg of oxazepam (a benzodiazepine medication) for 28 days.
Assessment tools used to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerance of the interventions included validated sleep, mood scale, and anxiety questionnaires as well as sleep rating by a physician.
Results: Both groups had the same improvement in sleep quality but the valerian group reported fewer side effects than did the oxazepam group.
I used valerian root and passion flower many times for opiate withdrawal anxiety and insomnia.
Passion flower is also very beneficial for relieving gastrointestinal upset due to narcotic drug withdrawal.
These two herbs are not as strong as lorazepam for opiate withdrawal, but they still work very well, especially when combined with other herbs, vitamins, minerals and amino acids used in the treatment of withdrawal.
If you can’t get lorazepam for opiate withdrawal, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND taking passion flower and valerian root as a natural and safe alternative. These will help with anxiety, insomnia, and muscle relaxation, but they will not treat other symptoms. They do nothing for fatigue, hot and cold flashes, diarrhea or sweating. Furthermore, they don’t help replenish your brain with dopamine. I always encourage people going through opiate withdrawal to take a concentrated supplement specifically designed to treat all of these symptoms in a holistic and synergistic way.
*This Opiate Withdrawal Supplement is an extremely potent opiate withdrawal formula that can work well on its own without lorazepam. However, if you can manage to get lorazepam or another benzo, the Opiate Withdrawal Supplement and Imodium AD, and take all of these together…you’re sure to have the easiest withdrawal ever. If you can afford it, I also highly recommend taking this awesome supplement, because the benefits are just too good to pass up.
Click here now to view my best home detox program. If you have any questions on how to use lorazepam for opiate withdrawal symptoms, please feel free to post them in the comment box below.
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