I have been taking Ativan for about 5 years. When I started taking it I was quite the sick individual. I don't recall my very first dose but early on I was taking anywhere from just 4mg at bedtime to 7-8mg over the course of a day. It's hard to know what was my anxiety disorder and what was a side effect of the medication. I was on other medication as well. I was having serious employment difficulties and needed the Ativan just to get through a day at work. I was terrified of my job and sometimes would be physically shaking so badly I could hardly do the job.

Fortunately now I am doing much better and have been stable on all my medications for about 3 years. I currently am taking 2mg of Ativan at bedtime. While I carry it with me during the day I don't remember the last time I needed any other than at night. If I happen to miss my bedtime dose I am either unable to fall asleep or wake up repeatedly. It's easy to tell I missed it, so then I just take it. I'm still on other meds too, so I'm not sure if this is definitely the Ativan or not but after I take all my bedtime meds I need to allow at least 8 hours of sleep or I will have difficulty waking up.