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Switching to Valium from 2mg Lorazepam


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Do any members have any opinions or experiences switching from Lorazepam to Valium? Currently on 2mg Lorazepam at night for sleep and dropped 0.25mg this last week. I've had twitching muscles and benzo belly and now lots of anxious jitters. It's hard to deal with. I figured I would try to drop to 1mg Lorazepam before switching to a Valium taper. Does it make a difference from the outset? Ashton recommends 0.5 Valium substituon per week. So in my case that would take 4 weeks. Then I'd have x4 5mg tablets to have to gulp down everyday. Seems a lot. Is there any difference to symptom severity switching earlier or at a later stage if I can get down to 1mg Lorazepam? Or is it to be expected that there will be symptoms either way?
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It would help us to know what medications you're currently taking and what your history is by adding it to your signature.  This way members can see at a glance where you're at without going back and reading through your previous posts.  Here are the instructions.  Add your history/signature 

 

I read your introduction and see you're currently taking Klonopin at night, what about substituting the Ativan for the Klonopin instead of introducing a new benzo?  It has a decent half life, better than Ativan and if it already agrees with you then that would be my suggestion. 

 

To answer your question, Valium has a long half life so members on short acting drugs like Ativan and Xanax find it helps prevent interdose withdrawal but its still a benzo and benzo withdrawal hurts.  Crossing to Valium is a lifesaver for many members but it doesn't agree with others because it can cause depression and sedation.  I'm told that will usually ease once your body acclimates but some have to go back to their original benzo.  When you attempt the crossover is up to you, if you're suffering from interdose withdrawal then sooner rather than later might make you more comfortable. 

 

I just want you to be sure you want to cross to Valium because it takes commitment to make it work.

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Thanks. I've updated the signature. I always resisted going to higher dose of Klonopin in years past because more would leave me feeling heavy and groggy the next day. That was why the doctor eventually suggested a sleeping tablet in 2020. But I became me tolerant to them so that didn't work out. Nor did I enjoy the next day side effects. Like you mention I worry about the next day sedation effects of Valium hence my thinking to be on it less and bring my Ativan dosage down first if I could.
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To answer your question, I switched from 1.5 mgs of Ativan to 15 mgs of valium. I used Ashton's tables to help me with the switch. You seem to know about them so I won't give you the link. You don't need to taper down your Ativan  before you start on the crossover. I had such rotten s/x from the Ativan . . . I was so happy to follow the Ashton schedule and get on a drug that didn't make me feel so panicky. Valium has its own challenges -- I, and many others, felt a bit "dopey" and tired after I was on all valium , but that passed within a week or so.

 

Oh, and taking several pills a day was not a problem for me. You get used to it and just . . . do it.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Katz

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Thanks for the input. Since I dropped from 2mg to 1.75mg Ativan a week and a half ago I have been feeling generally unstable and don't know if this is just what's to be expected as part of withdrawal? I've had twitches on a daily basis at random times, very irritating after a while. Is this normal? Or was my cut too strong? Thankfully the benzo belly calmed after the first 4 days. But it could rear again with further cuts. Some days I think of just going  back up to 2mg if that would stabilise me, but that's just kicking the can down the road. It's like a no win :-(
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The way we define stable around here is able to perform your daily tasks, or a time when your symptoms quit changing drastically, things have settled a bit, it doesn't mean feeling good.  So if your benzo belly calmed down and you're dealing with twitches that allow you to be functional then I'd say you're stable.

 

I'm not advocating you reduce again or reduce by that much, just letting you know what you're feeling is normal.

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So I tapered my 2mg of Ativan down to 175mg but found the w/d symptoms on sleep 2 weeks in to be intolerable so I decided to continue the taper using the Ashton-Valium option and substituted the next 0.25mg with 2.5mg Valium. I can see how Valium could become quite sedating at higher levels when reaching a full swop. I was therefore wondering whether it's possible to substitute Valium for only the one tablet and then taper it to a low amount and thereafter begin substituting the second 1mg tablet with Valium and then taper that from there? Advantage would be that you would be keeping Valium levels lower i.e. at the level of one tablet, and not having the accumulated Valium equivalency of 2 tablets. I see others on here have done things like keep their morning Xanax dose while tapering down an evening dose using Valium. Maybe this would take longer but I'm trying to stay functional for work and family. Any thoughts on doing one tablet at a time instead of changing them all out for Valium before beginning to taper? Thanks in advance.
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I think your plan is brilliant and if it suits your needs and works for you then it's absolutely the right way to approach it.  I like that you're paying attention and willing to think outside the box so you can find what works for you.  :thumbsup:
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Just checking ….

 

Is your doctor/NP wiling to prescribe two benzodiazepines simultaneously?  Some are leery of doing this.

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Yes. He formerly prescribed the Ativan then I requested The Valium to taper with when I showed him the Ashton protocol.
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Thank you for sharing this good news, nicknox.  Your prescriber sounds both open-minded and patient-centered. 
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