Ativan to Diazepam substitution

20 months ago started my 3.0 mg taper off Ativan.  Am down to .37 mg currently.  Am only able to drop .003 mg per 2-3 weeks and at this rate it will be many years to get detoxed.  Reason for low drop is extreme anxiety, neck tension, stomach upset issues, histamine intolerance and many more minor symptoms after each drop.  Considering switching over to Diazepam.  First time it was tried my doctor just told me to stop one and start the other......... bad advice.  Have since found out that it needs to be done gradually. My question is: has anyone at a low dose of Ativan successfully switched to Diazepam and what were the resulting symptoms and was it better and allowed for a quicker detox?  All advice appreciated!

The only thing I’ve read from members is Valium helps get rid of interdose withdrawal, and the tablets come in 2 mg so it’s easier to cut them all the way to the end. 

 

I’m sure you learned from your experience that Valium needs to be tapered in while withdrawing your other benzo, you could probably make the switch in two weeks since you’re on such a low dose.

 

To tell you the truth, I don’t see a benefit for doing this, you could possibly experience the common Valium symptoms of depression and sedation after making the cross so you’d want to hold that dose until you stabilized so you’ll be adding time to your taper.  And as for tapering quicker with Valium, its still a benzo and you’ll most likely have to contend with the symptoms.

 

This tool can help you determine your dose if you choose to go that route. https://clincalc.com/Benzodiazepine/