From clonazepam to diazepam

I apologize for double posting, but I suppose this belongs in the substitution taper plans section-

 

It's a messy situation indeed, my 'short' stint with lorazepam didn't help.

 

Back to clonazepam, 2 mg in the evening.

 

So, now I'm seriously considering diazepam since getting rid of that lorazepam isn't as easy as I had thought ... Tranxene ? Hard to get information.

I had trouble tapering clonazepam, anyway.

 

I checked the Ashton manual. In her manual, she suggests going from three daily doses of clonazepam/Klonopin to two doses of diazepam a day.

What's the logic of that ?

Concept 'duration of action' (long for clonazepam, short/intermediate for diazepam), 'half life' (long for diazepam, long for clonazepam).

 

One dose of clonazepam used to last all day. Now it's more difficult, I'm still trying to get rid of the daytime lorazepam dose.

Do I go for a single dose of diazepam, two doses, three doses ? Any suggestions, opinions ?

No opinions ?

 

i'm I right if I state that I realy don't have any options besides diazepam, Tranxene, Librium an a few valium-like drugs like prazepam ?

If I start with a diazepam taper, would it matter if I started with 5 or 10 mg tablets ?

 

 

Hi,

I'm not sure that I'll be much help bc I'm in a similar situation.  I just switched from .5 of klonopin to 10mg of diazepam - went straight from .5 klonpoin at night to 10mg diazepam at night just to get my body used to the switch before tapering.  BUT I am not feeling well at all with just the transition (severe fatigue and depression which I have not been having for several months).  And, I'm hesitant to go back to klonopin because I understand that might make it harder to try again? 

 

 

Well, I´ve read that Klonopin is more energizing and that diazepam is more sedating and often causes depression.

 

If I´m right you´ve been on the Klonopin for one week ? It takes at least two weeks for diazepam to ´build up´.

 

I don´t know about going back to Klonopin. Why would it make it harder ? Going back and forth is not recommended, and if you could not taper the klonopin directly going back might be ill advised.

On the other hand, it has only been one week. I think there is still time if you switch back quickly.

When I tried to taper off the klonpin several months ago, I went from .5 to .25 and was having a lot of anxiety, but that was WAY better than what I'm feeling now with the diazepam. 

Right now I'm just so discouraged that I even ended up on it in the first place.  I had no idea.

 

Okay, I have a new question: what if you cannot taper the current drug, pretty much any benzo is a poison but you just can´t do without it ?

 

Right now I´m withdrawing from two drugs.

 

I hate prolongued diazepam tapers.

When I first tried to taper off of klonopin I was also tapering off of brintelix (anti-depressant).  That was BAD, I had to do one at a time and saved this one for last.  The brintelix was a piece of cake compared to this!

Have you considered a liquid titration? I had an extremely difficult time doing a C&H taper. I too thought it was the K. It wasn't the benzo it was the method. Many have success titrating down with K. The half life is just about right, not too long so that a problem can't be corrected before it's too late, yet long enough to keep symptoms at bay. I don't buy the "binding tight to the receptor" theory, because that's all it is.

 

TH

Hi, I ended up switching back to .5 Klonopin three days ago.  The Valium was doing far more harm than good.  I am thinking when I re-stabilize,  I'll either try liquid or get a gram scale.  I'm a little gun shy at the moment bc I'm still feeling pretty bad compared to how I was 12 days ago. 

It seems I'm screwed. I have my doubts about continuing with the diazepam. An ugly drug ?

 

Clonazepan, on the other hand, has been harsh too. Not to mention my experience with the lorazepam ...

 

No other options ?

 

I think I have some neuropathy and autonomic dysfunction that has been interfering with the tapers.

Okay, any advice about tapering ?

 

I didn't get much in the support groups. I tried a direct switch to diazepam, with results that concerned me so I went back to clonazepam to reevaluate. It can take forever to get diazepam out of the body. Completely different drug, and far from harmless.

 

Since the original issue was my inability to taper the clonazepam directly.

I looked at Ashton's crossover schedules, and she assumed Klonopin/clonazepam taken three times a day ! and switching to diazepam gradually, claiming that it lasts longer.

If clonazepam is insufficient when taken three times a day, you are either an ultra rapid metabolizer or you are seriously messed up !

 

Clonazepam wasn't used much during Ashton's days, was it ?

Does her method even apply to this drug, really ?

 

Clonazepam makes me sick. It's hard to endure and impairs daily functoning. Long term decline in health, comorbid health conditions. Interaction. Minimal health 'care'.

Diazepam: taken during two days/nights. Aside from other issues, I slept fine the first night. The second night I could not sleep past 4 PM, so I decided to take one tablet of melatonin. I woke up the next morning as if I had been in a coma. Much less sedating the second day/night, probably because of the clonazepam leaving my body. Miserable drug.

 

I'm concerned about getting on diazepam, it being a problem drug (effects, tolerance, dependence). When I read about the issues people face ...

And how do I taper ? Not too fast, so I won't feel too much withdrawal ?

What the hell is withdrawal ? I'm feeling sick on diazepam anyway. The idea is to develop full dependence and tolerance, to get sick, and to get sicker after every cut, whine, complain, wondering if I'm cutting too fast or too slow ?

I'm not good with anxiolytic benzos in general. 'a benzo is not a benzo'

 

I posted a bit in the support groups, crossover to diazepam and the diazepam support group. if you are interested, there are some details. I didn't get that far in term of help ...

 

Apologies if this offends anyone.

 

I know that in theory one drug can be used to taper another ('bridge') I haven't really tried that because I suppose that has its own issues and it seems that these drugs have the potential to potentiate each other immensely.

 

Clonazepam and diazepam are as different as night and day. Clonazepam is more energizing, longer acting, 'serotonergic'. Diazepam is more sedating (in sufficiently high doses anyway), depressing, draining me of motivation and energy. Diazepam is worse for sleep, messy/chaotic, both what is taken as a dose and what is in the fat cells does something.

 

Advice ? I wish there was anyother way.