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Alcohol withdrawal with Lorazepam timeline

Posted , 8 users are following.

greg858
greg858

Hi,

I've been drinking about 2 liters of beer(~4.5%) per day for 3 years. Only on evenings.

I've finally decided to stop, I saw my doc and he said the amount I drink shouldn't cause too much withdrawal symptoms...  He still prescribed me B vitamin and Temesta 1mg (Lorazepam) telling me to take 1mg before bed and otherwise, take half a pill during the day if I feel symptoms.

It's been 48hours since my last drink, no problems so far. I took 0,5mg today at 10am as I way feeling a bit nervous but no real symptoms.... 

I'm starting a new job thuesday morning, and at this point, it will be 80hours after last drink.

Do you think I could still experience withdrawal symptoms at this point considering my previous alcohol consumption and my treatment ?

Thanks for your help !

Greg

0 likes, 24 replies

24 Replies

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  • ADEfree
    ADEfree greg858

    Posted

    I'm not a doctor or healthcare professional of any type, but your intake would seem to have been less than a 6-pack per day. While you may not be at the top of your game when you start the new job, I would think the bulk of any withdrawal would have passed by then. 

    If you have a hard time "staying stopped", look into The Sinclair Method, but otherwise best wishes to you! Congrats on getting clean and your new job!!

  • PaulJTurner1964
    PaulJTurner1964 greg858

    Posted

    Your doctor is correct. The amount you are drinking shouldn't mean that you will suffer very severe withdrawal symptoms. However, you need to allow 72 hours for the risk of withdrawal symptoms to pass. That will be tomorrow at about this time.

  • greg858
    greg858

    Posted

    Thanks both of you for your answers. I understand my intake wasn't that big but still, for 3 years, I was a little nervous reading all kinds of articles on the internet..smile  I'm a little paranoied sometimes so I appriciate your answers smile

    Thanks for the support, have a good day :D

    ps: Hopefully, I'wont need to try the Sinclair method smile 

  • vickylou
    vickylou greg858

    Posted

    Hi greg

    Well done in realising that you felt you needed to cut out alcohol. 

    Withdrawal symptoms vary vary from person to person, but I would tend to agree with your doctor in that you shouldn't have much problem based on the amount of alcohol you've been having daily.

    Youve now gone 48 hours since your last drink. I'm no doctor nor am I medically trained, but based on my experience, I'd say that come Tuesday you will be ok.

    If you start to feel shakey, or experience cravings you have your medication for this. Stopping alcohol suddenly can be fatal due to the risk of seizures in some individuals who have been consuming large amounts of alcohol on a regular basis. 

    Good ode luck in your new job and well done for admitting you feel you're drinking too much.

    Keep posting on here. You'll get lots of advice and help. It's a great forum, no one is judgemental. We're all here for the same reason. Let us know you you're doing and how you got on on Tuesday.

    • vickylou
      vickylou

      Posted

      Sorry should be 'good luck in your new job'

    • greg858
      greg858 vickylou

      Posted

      Thanks for the reassurance and support smile

      I already like this place a lot wink

      I'll post an update.

  • JulieAnne101
    JulieAnne101 greg858

    Posted

    Hi Greg

    My Husband has AUD and has suffered for many years with dts and seizures which, are life threatening.

    We were always told by healthcare professionals that by the 3rd day if the dts had calmed down he was safe as long as he complied with the treatment.

    Usually by day 3 he feels safe; no flashing lights fewer sweats shakes etc. As he has been through 30 detoxes in 9 years, I believe that day 3 is the indicator on how the detox is going.

    Has your Doctor suggested anything for you after your detox? I think it's REALLY important you should be aware that you may get cravings, detox is the first step. Although this was my Husbands' journey, I have seen the battle he has gone through many times after detox. Cravings after detox, are a well known phenomenon.

    He is now following TSM and is doing very well, which is a miracle in my opinion, but that is what suits him. There are other options. Keep talking to us, this is a great site

    Good luck with your new job

    Kind regards

    JulieAnne

    • greg858
      greg858 JulieAnne101

      Posted

      Hello JulieAnne !

      Thank you for your answer.

      I'm now on Day 3 (60 hours after last drink). I took 1mg of lorazepam 12 hours ago, nothing since then and I feel very fine, no symptoms at all.

      Just a tiny bit nervous since I'm starting my new job tomorrow, but otherwise, I feel great.

      Only thing is, I don't have much appetite, which was already the case before I quit but I thought the hunger would come back instantly... I kinda had to force myself to eat enough yesterday and today.  I hope to be more hungry tomorrow.

      BTW, by "cravings" you meant alcohol cravings right ?

      Thanks again for the support.

       

    • JulieAnne101
      JulieAnne101 greg858

      Posted

      Hi greg

      So glad your detox is going well. With regards to your appetite, it always took a while for his appetite to return, usually starting with sweet sugary things. Other ppl have posted this scenario on this forum.

      Going on past experience, my husband usually takes a multivitamin and has small but regular meals. It can take 3 months to get back to 'normal' a detox nurse advised us.

      What you should also be taking is thiamine and a b1 complex for your brain, this is because the alcohol affects the nervous system. The B1 and thiamine will help your brain to recover. I am not a doctor, but I strongly advise you to see your gp to get these drugs especially as you are starting a new job. My Husband says they definitely make a difference. He works in IT so he needs his brain!

      Yes, when I speak of cravings, I mean alcohol cravings. They can be difficult to overcome. You are not weak if you get them, your brain has been affected. Again speak to your gp you may need support. In many ways believe it or not, the medical detox can be the easy part, its the staying dry after that is hard and that comes straight from AA (yes he has been to many AA meetings)

      Hoping this helps

      Regards

      JulieAnne

    • RHGB
      RHGB greg858

      Posted

      'by "cravings" you meant alcohol cravings right ?'

      That is one of them, alcohol doesn't always let people stop so easily.

      Sugar is another craving that can happen when people stop drinking. Because the body craves the easy carbohydrates that it got from alcohol.

      As for coming off alcohol, you are probably past the physical symptoms stage, but may still suffer some neurological symptoms. Alcohol acts as a sedative, some people feel either some anxiety or depression when they first come off alcohol.

       

    • vickylou
      vickylou greg858

      Posted

      Hi Greg

      Yep JulieAnne  would be referring to cravings for alcohol.

      In an ideal world, after completing a detox, IMO, the best way of staying sober is medication which should be started alongside a detox, or immediately after detox.

      However the reality is people can't get the medication from their gp. They get referred to an alcohol recovery centre (ANC) which can take quite a while. Often ARCs won't prescribe medication and tell you to get it from your GP. In other words you're sent backwards and forwards which wastes time. Time in which many people relapse, which is what Julie.Anne was referring to when she asked if your dr had suggested any medication after your detox.

      As regards your appetite, again perfectly normal to not really fancy food. Best to start with a little and often. Soup is great, and you'll find that your appetite will come back.

      Sleep patterns can sometimes be altered when you stop drinking alcohol , again that's normal, but may take some time to return to normal.

      I don't think you'd be normal if you didn't feel slightly apprehensive or nervous about starting a new job.

      Again good luck and tell us how you got on.

    • vickylou
      vickylou

      Posted

      I do wish there was an edit button! Should say ARC not ANC (just in case RHGB corrects me! Haha)
    • vickylou
      vickylou JulieAnne101

      Posted

      Sorry JulieAnne, I didn't mean to jump in and reply on your behalf! I got side tracked after starting my reply so my comments came after you and RHGB!

    • JulieAnne101
      JulieAnne101 vickylou

      Posted

      Hi Vicks

      It's so hard to hold back when we know of pitfalls isn't it? We just want to pour it all out asap don't we? I seriously hope greg won't have any problems. I do believe drs should stop absolving all responsibility and shoving people off to ARCS. May be greg is posting from the states and so his experience might be different (she says hopefully)

      JA

    • vickylou
      vickylou JulieAnne101

      Posted

      JulieAnne

      I don't think it's that different across the pond! ADE says there's a lot of drs in the states who've never heard of TSM.

      I was really lucky the other week. My gp is a family friend so knows from a friends angle and obviously from being my gp about my alcohol problems. I decided my drinking was creeping up, not secretively or binges, but I decided to tackle it and asked for campral again.

      He knows what I think about ARCs in the past and was quite surprised how bad they are. I told him I wouldn't go through that route again. He agreed with me that it would be pointless and would waste time when I could be taking campral. He was more than happy to prescribe and agreed I was doing the right thing.

      I asked him why so many gps can't prescribe campral. He said in theory they  all can, but that means they have to take responsibility for the patient, which obviously the majority don't want to do.

      Good to know your OH is doing well with TSM. You remind me of my OH with your support. He never gave up on me because, as he always said, the real me, the one he married, was still there somewhere.

      take care

    • greg858
      greg858 JulieAnne101

      Posted

      Thanks all.

      I actually live in Switzerland so no problem there. My doc (addiction specialist)  gave me B1 Vitamin 300mg for a 2 weeks cure.

      This morning I ate 2 apricots and 1 tiny cracker.

      I just bought a healthy Tuna sandwich (it's 2:30pm here) but I can barely eat it. I feel my stomach is tight, and when I take a bite, I almost want to vomit...  Anyway, I'll take my time, bite by bite smile

      If this last, I'll ask my doc about it.

      My only worry is not eating at lunch tomorrow for my first day at work(and the next days). It will look suspicious and since it's in a isolated area, I can't act like I'm going to eat outside... but anyway, that's not a big deal.

    • RHGB
      RHGB greg858

      Posted

      Soup and yoghurt are usually palatable. Do not rush into eating food, as it may give you a psychological problem with food, your body (stomach) will tell you when you are ready for food, naturally.
    • JulieAnne101
      JulieAnne101 greg858

      Posted

      Hi greg

      I doubt management or colleagues will be questioning your lack of a lunch. My manager is only interested in my work performance not my eating habits. I think you are overanxious because of

      A lack of alcohol

      B its a new job.

      Try and chill, Im sure you will be fine x

    • greg858
      greg858 JulieAnne101

      Posted

      Thanks RHGB and JulieAnne,

      Just what I needed to ear. I will take it easy :D

      ps: I've finished my sandwich btw, but It was tough to swallow. It feels like I needed it though smile

    • Robin2015
      Robin2015 greg858

      Posted

      all will go well tomorrow in your new job Greg. What an effort you have made and you deserve a pat on the shoulder or....WELL DONE!!! Robin
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