Also do some people stay on benzo’s life long and if so what are the negatives of doing so?

I have been taking ativan regularly for over 2 years now and i dont know what to do with it at this point. I understand the concerns of tolerance and dependence but at this point i feel like i already am dependent on it so I dont know where to go from here with it.

Why is your Dr prescribing this need to you?

Ativan is in a class of meds called benzodiazepines and they are certainly not meant to be lifelong or long-term prescribed drugs. They are meant to help with severe anxiety in the immediate term, or, on an as-needed occasional (infrequent) basis, usually around situational circumstances. They have brought the most value in the psychiatric world as a means to give patients some relief while they work in a longer-term plan with their Dr, which is usually therapy, antidepressants, or a combination of both. Not to fret though, 2 years at 1.5 mg is not some addiction sentence by any means. A good psychiatrist can help you taper off of it gradually. I would definitely listen to your psychiatrist over your PCP as he/she truly understands the long-term downsides of these drugs. Work with your psychiatrist to find the right SSRI/SNRI for you as the eventual replacement for the Ativan, and a good therapist as a possible eventual for all of it (however, there is nothing wrong at all with being a lifer on antidepressants - just want to avoid being a lifer on benzos).