Hi, I'm Lisa Taylor

July 28, 2026··

Hello, I suffer with chronic pelvic nerve pain and was prescribed 10mg amitriptyline to manage the pain 18 months ago. Shortly thereafter I began experiencing digestive problems, so I started tapering in October 2025. My prescriber dropped me 25% down to 7.5mg and this completely destabilized me. Severe stomach pain and insomnia and racing heart/anxiety were my biggest withdrawal symptoms. In March of this year I developed a terrible pain flare and wasn’t sleeping at all, so I took 0.5mg Ativan nightly for 17 nights. I tried stopping and went into withdrawal. I reinstated the end of March this year. Been holding to stabilize, and have developed arm weakness and back pain. I’ve also since dropped my amitriptyline dose over the past 8 weeks to 6.92mg and now I have heart palpitations that last all night long and I’m barely getting any sleep again. Holding my amitriptyline taper to focus on stabilizing and then slowly tapering off the 0.5mg Ativan. I really need help and guidance on how to do this safely.

Amitriptyline — 6.92 — 1 year 6 months — holding | Ativan — 0.5mg — 8 months — researching taper | without clinician

3 Replies

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Catina1mo ago

Community AnchorEffexor

Hi @Lisa Taylor....welcome! I'm truly sorry about your chronic pelvic nerve pain. Your doctor definitely tapered you down too quickly, I'm sorry. It's so hard when we're desperate to sleep and want something that will help. However, I'm sorry that the Ativan caused another dependency. When dealing with multiple drugs, it's best to taper just one at a time. I'm glad you see the wisdom in holding doses until you stabilize. You don't want to keep tapering through severe symptoms. There's no shame in holding. So you're going to hold the Amitriptyline until you taper off the Ativan? You can read about Hyperbolic tapering here: https://taper.community/education https://taper.community/drugs/ativan https://taper.community/drugs/amitriptyline https://taper.community/resources/blog/ativan-withdrawal-symptoms-and-timeline https://taper.community/thread/d41182b4-060b-4c2e-a1e8-da9e6777d7e5 https://taper.community/thread/3613d8b1-99e9-4991-8c0d-ec96ba7534ad https://taper.community/thread/fad854f7-f9a4-421d-b60f-bf11aa13a251 https://taper.community/thread/cbf196f2-7a92-460e-b78c-419887d02db2 https://taper.community/resources/blog/how-to-sleep-during-benzo-withdrawal https://taper.community/thread/3c6f1a16-3d21-4077-9ed5-8267209ffca3 We look forward to supporting you through your tapers so you can be free of your drugs. Hang in there, and please reach out anytime. Catina 🩷

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg

“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

Lisa Taylor1mo ago

WelcomerAmitriptyline · holding

Thank you for the encouragement Catina, I really appreciate that. This is such a long, lonely and uncomfortable journey. Yes, I plan to continue to hold my current 6.92mg amitriptyline dose until I feel more stable and then start tapering the 0.5mg Ativan. One drug at a time.

Amitriptyline — 6.92 — 1 year 6 months — holding | Ativan — 0.5mg — 8 months — researching taper | without clinician

⭐

Catina1mo ago

Community AnchorEffexor

You're very welcome Lisa. Many people feel the exact same way as you, but we have each other so remember you're never alone! I think holding your current dose is wise. Keep hanging in there, and reach out anytime you need support. Hugs, Catina 🩵

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