Ativan questions

[HOLLYWOOD]

I'm testing out my Ativan dosage for my upcoming flight and so far, I still feel anxious. I took .5mg and it did nothing. I waited an hour and took another .5mg and still nothing. I waited another hour and took 1mg to see how I would feel and at this point, I'm not sure I would get on a plane at this point.

I know none of you can give any medical advice here, but if anyone can share your experiences with Ativan, I'd greatly appreciate it! I guess I thought I'd feel more drugged than this...to be honest, I was hoping I'd feel like a zombie when I got on the plane. As it is, I'm way too alert and don't feel calm enough to get on a plane. Any thoughts? comments?
Thanks for any thoughts you can share!

Still scared in Hollywood!

[Chelle]

Hi Hollywood!

I also did a 'trial run' of my Ativan before I took my solo flight from Toronto to San Francisco (5 hrs), and I had a .5mg dosage. I was also disappointed because it felt like it was doing nothing for me, and had serious reservations about relying on it to fly.

It's hard to explain, but the anxiety you feel sitting in your livingroom *thinking* about the flight is different than what you're feeling sitting ON the plane waiting to take off. That Ativan is made to work on real-time anxiety, and it does... and that's the true judge of how it's doing its job.

I got to San Franciso and home just fine with my Ativan. In fact, I questioned my doctor's judgment in prescribing me only .5mg and took a double dose (1mg) before I boarded. I'm not a big person, so it pretty much knocked me out, lol. I was still cognizant of where I was and what was going on, but I had NO trouble sleeping :D

I took the same dosage on the way back, and slept most of the flight. When I was awake, I was happy and not freaked out at all. Ideally, I'd like to do my next flight with only .5mg, and then eventually none, but that flight was a big step for me, whether I slept through most of it or not, LOL.

So anyway, don't worry too much about the effects you felt (or didn't feel) on your trial run. Doing the trial is still a good idea because, like with any drug, you can have an adverse reaction to it, and that's something you want to find out about BEFORE you're 35,000 feet in the air :p

My whole account of that flight is on the Trip Report board, if you're so inclined.

Hope that helps!

[beaugest]

Ativan is not meant to zombie you out. More to take the edge off. So, as Chelle said when the anxiety starts a benzo(such as ativan) will kick in to take the edge off.
However, there might be one of two things happening here as well. One is that you might need a dosage adjustment. Or you might benefit from a different type of drug. Either another benzo such as xanax or valium. Or your Dr. might prefer to give you something that aids in sleep instead(ie---ambien).If you have a more generalized anxiety and some time you can also ask for a longer acting anti-anxiety/depressant such as an SSRI drug(Zoloft,etc.) At any rate,it is worth a phone call and a candid discussion with your Dr. Just keep in mind their goal is not to knock you out. This is supposed to help reduce the anxiety. It usually works well if you combine it with behavioral techniques at the same time.
And(Sorry Jeff,it just has to be said) don't drink while on these meds.

[firsttimeposting]

Hi Hollywood,
I take ativan alot. (See my trip report) About a year and a half ago I started taking Ambien for flying. My trial test at home didn't feel like much either. So then I would not wait to feel the anxiety, I would just automatically take .5 about 30min before boarding. It would make me tired and I could sleep. But I could also not sleep if I really wanted to. So I echo the fact that it isn't intended to make you feel like a zombie and really you shouldn't be feeling the medication at all. I also echo the fact that the anxiety you feel thinking about the trip is different from the anxiety you get on the plane. I also was not fully confident of the ativan even though I had been taking it and been panic attack free on domestic flights. (I'm a very doubtful person and I guess I thought taking it before anxiety really began would be different from taking it once anxiety started? Who knows.) But one time I was somewhere, non flight related, and started having an anxiety attack. I took an ativan and quite quickly my anxiety went away and I was able to enjoy the rest of my time. That really showed me that ativan works to suppress the anxiety and will work when I really need it. So don't worry about your trial run, be glad you didn't feel any bad side effects instead. Of course, talk to your doc and see if other things might be a better combo for you, but don't think ativan won't work just because of how it made you feel during your trial test. I also take an SSRI which helps with just every day general anxiety.

[HOLLYWOOD]

Thank you Chelle, Beaugest, and Firsttime! It really helped to hear about your experiences with Ativan. The last thing I want is to freak out and not get on the plane. Or get on the plane and then freak out.

After I posted my first message last night, my Ativan kicked in and I fell asleep while watching TV (which is something I never do). So, if I can stay calm enough to get on the plane and then sleep thru most of the flight, I'll be grateful for that.

My first flight in twenty years will be this Friday...New Year's Eve...what a way to ring in the new year! I'm heading to North Carolina where all the winter storms are hitting. I'll keep reminding myself that the skies will be safer than the snow and ice-covered roads...Your support is so appreciated!

[Chelle]

Good luck Hollywood, and keep us posted!

[beaugest]

I think it is a perfect way to start a New Year. You will be starting the year by expanding your world. If you're worried about getting anxious on the plane you may want to (in addition to Ray's book) get a book on coping with anxiety and panic. They usually have exercises to do to help with the anxiety before it becomes a panic attack.