Ativan/Librium Taper

Hi all,

Hoping that those of you with Ativan and Librium Expertise can chime in and offer some guidance I could pass on. I am trying to help someone who while attempting to taper off of Ativan had a part of their dose crossed over the afternoon dose to Librium. That Librium crossover didn't go as expected and now they are trying to figure out their next step and it has been over a month since they made any momentum, I believe they are holding in a hope to stabilize. The person who kicked off the crossover to Librium didn't offer any solid guidance on what to do next.

Should this person:

- Hold and hope they will feel normal eventually? (not sure what that definition of normal would be and when they'd make that move.)

- Carry on with some action to progress towards withdrawal.

Once they make the above decision, what would be the best method to taper those two benzos? Should this person:

- Proceed to taper off of the lower librium dose they were crossed over to, then tackle the Ativan dose?

- Cross the Librium dose back to Ativan and then proceed with a taper?

- Some other strategies not mentioned above.

Any feedback would be much appreciated, thanks!

Hi TSAR

1) What was the total daily dose (over 24hrs) of Ativan before crossing the afternoon dose, and what was the total afternoon dose of Ativan that was crossed to Librium?

2) Was the afternoon dose crossover from Ativan to Librium a gradual crossover, or was it a direct switch (all in one go)?

Winters sun has asked two excellent questions!

It would also be helpful to know:

(1) How long had this person been taking the Ativan before the attempted crossover to Librium? 

(2) Was this person showing any signs of tolerance to or physiological dependence on the Ativan?

(3) Did person have a history of taking/discontinuing benzodiazepines or other psychotropic drugs (e.g. z-drugs, antidepressants, stimulants, anti-psychotics)?