Crossover Experiences

Tomorrow I will be seeing my doctor to start a taper.  Ashton Schedule 3 Ativan to Valium.

I am currently taking 2mg Ativan at bedtime; however, as of a week ago I was taking a total of 6mg a day for several years.  It has not been a good week, but the only really unbearable symptom has been insomnia.

Given that Insomnia is really the only BIG issue, my question is this:

I am tempted to transition to Valium immediately.  5mg 2x a day and 20mg as a bedtime doze and then take my taper from there.

Am I being naive and failing to understand what is coming, or has anyone else here been successful with an immediate transition to an alternate benzo?

I successfully transitioned from Ativan to Valium. I crossed over fairly quick - in about 10 days - but it was not immediate. You may be able to cross to a lower amount of Valium than 30mg - that seems like more than you need coming from 2mg Ativan. If I were you I'd try 20. You can take your entire dose at bedtime since it has a long half-life and you won't get interdose withdrawal. Valium is more sedating, it should relieve your insomnia for a while. Expect the insomnia to come back as you taper to lower doses. There's no way to completely eliminate the symptoms of tapering, but tapering slowly should keep it to a minimum.

Best wishes,

CP