Jump to content

Slow Withdrawal Schedule


[15...]

Recommended Posts

[15...]

When planning my taper I found certain shortcomings in Ashton's schedules:

1. There is no schedule for low dose alprazolam.

2. The majority of her schedules which start at 30mg diazepam equivalent do not match up.

To address these issues I devised a schedule of my own based on her 10% rule.

 

 

Schedule. Withdrawal from alprazolam 2mg/day

 

            Morning    Midday    Afternoon    Night

Stage 00    0.5mg      0.5mg        0.5mg      0.5mg

Stage 01    0.5mg      0.5mg        0.5mg    (0.25+5)mg

Stage 02    0.5mg    (0.25+5)mg    0.5mg    (0.25+5)mg

Stage 03  (0.25+5)mg  (0.25+5)mg    0.5mg    (0.25+5)mg

Stage 04  (0.25+5)mg  (0.25+5)mg  (0.25+5)mg  (0.25+5)mg

Stage 05  (0.25+5)mg  (0.25+5)mg  (0.25+5)mg  10mg

Stage 06  (0.25+5)mg    10mg      (0.25+5)mg  10mg

Stage 07  (0.25+5)mg    10mg        10mg      10mg

Stage 08    10mg        10mg        10mg      10mg

Stage 09    10mg        6mg        10mg      10mg

Stage 10    10mg        3mg        10mg      10mg

Stage 11    10mg        -          10mg      10mg

Stage 12    10mg        -          8mg      10mg

Stage 13    10mg        -          6mg      10mg

Stage 14      8mg        -          6mg      10mg

Stage 15    10mg        -          2mg      10mg

Stage 16    10mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 17      8mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 18      6mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 19      5mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 20      4mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 21      3mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 22      2mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 23      1mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 24      -          -            -        10mg

 

Notes:

1. Substitution stages could be taken at weekly intervals.

2. Later stages could be taken in 2 week intervals.

3. After Stage 24 continue reducing diazepam by 1mg.

4. Disregard the Midday column if starting from 1.5mg/day.

5. Start at Stage 11 or 16 if withdrawing from diazepam 30mg/day or 20mg/day respectively.

6. This schedule can be applied to clonazepam as it is equivalently potent.

7. This schedule can also be applied to lorazepam if alprazolam is multiplied by 2.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

Hi Outis,

 

Firstly  I hope I have posted in the right place  :-\

 

I am seeking your opinion as I have read your posts and viewed your reduction schedules. I have also read Dr Ashton's manual and had been tearing my hair out trying to work out how to transpose her 6mg daily Xanax schedule down to my 1.5mg daily dose. Then I saw your schedules on BB which solved my dilemma.  I chose this table (copied and pasted below) as I am on the same dose and regime. I am seeing my doctor in about 2 weeks and want to go to her with a clear tapering plan hoping she will support me crossing over to Diazepam and finally get off benzos altogether (although she is of the school of thought that I have a chemical imbalance, of which I wholeheartedly now disagree). I am wondering since sleep isn't an issue for me (at present) that I should exchange the Night dose (at stage 4 on this table) to Morning? Your help would really be appreciated Outis! Thanks again  :smitten:, Harmonee

 

Schedule 5. Substitution tapering from alprazolam 1.5mg/day

 

            Morning      Afternoon      Night

Stage 00      0.5mg        0.5mg        0.5mg

Stage 01      0.5mg        0.5mg      (0.25+5)mg

Stage 02    (0.25+5)mg      0.5mg      (0.25+5)mg

Stage 03    (0.25+5)mg    (0.25+5)mg    (0.25+5)mg

Stage 04    (0.25+5)mg    (0.25+5)mg    10mg

Stage 05    (0.25+5)mg      10mg        10mg

Stage 06      10mg          10mg        10mg

Stage 07      10mg          8mg        10mg

Stage 08      10mg          6mg        10mg

Stage 09      8mg          6mg        10mg

Stage 10      10mg          2mg        10mg

Stage 11      10mg            -          10mg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[15...]

First of all, this schedule is just a suggestion and as such

you should adapt it to your needs in case you wish to follow it.

Having said that, I gave it much thought when devising it,

following Ashton's instructions and it has worked for me so far.

I didn't have any sleep issues either but there's a reason why

Ashton always starts the crossover from the night dose.

Diazepam tends to be more hypnotic and the dosage needed

to prevent withdrawal symptoms may make you sleepy.

Taking most of your dosage at night enables you

to sleep through the sedation until you adjust.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Outis! Now I have a concrete plan to go to my doctor with and to work with  :yippee:

 

Very much appreciate your efforts, I'm sure many people here will be too!

 

Harmonee

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

 

Stage 09    10mg        6mg        10mg      10mg

Stage 10    10mg        3mg        10mg      10mg

Stage 11    10mg        -          10mg      10mg

Stage 12    10mg        -          8mg      10mg

Stage 13    10mg        -          6mg      10mg

Stage 14      8mg        -          6mg      10mg

Stage 15    10mg        -          2mg      10mg

Stage 16    10mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 17      8mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 18      6mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 19      5mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 20      4mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 21      3mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 22      2mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 23      1mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 24      -          -            -        10mg[/font]

 

Notes:

 

Hi Ouis,

 

Can you explain why at Stage 14 you reduce the morning dose to 8mg then up it again to 10mg at Stage 15 and also drop the afternoon dose from 6mg at Stage 14 to 2mg at Stage 15? Just wondering what your reasoning is behind this pattern?

 

Thanks again! Harmonee

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[15...]

The goal is to go from 10/10/10 to 10/-/10

 

An obvious way to do this is by constantly reducing the middle dose,

but I felt that doing so would be a bit too much.

 

Another way could be something like:

10/8/10 -> 8/8/10 -> 8/8/8 -> 10/2/10

 

This would be smoother at first but somewhat abrupt in the end.

Therefore, I decided to go with a more balanced approach.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When planning my taper I found certain shortcomings in Ashton's schedules:

1. There is no schedule for low dose alprazolam.

2. The majority of her schedules which start at 30mg diazepam equivalent do not match up.

To address these issues I devised a schedule of my own based on her 10% rule.

 

 

Schedule. Withdrawal from alprazolam 2mg/day

 

            Morning    Midday    Afternoon    Night

Stage 00    0.5mg      0.5mg        0.5mg      0.5mg

Stage 01    0.5mg      0.5mg        0.5mg    (0.25+5)mg

Stage 02    0.5mg    (0.25+5)mg    0.5mg    (0.25+5)mg

Stage 03  (0.25+5)mg  (0.25+5)mg    0.5mg    (0.25+5)mg

Stage 04  (0.25+5)mg  (0.25+5)mg  (0.25+5)mg  (0.25+5)mg

Stage 05  (0.25+5)mg  (0.25+5)mg  (0.25+5)mg  10mg

Stage 06  (0.25+5)mg    10mg      (0.25+5)mg  10mg

Stage 07  (0.25+5)mg    10mg        10mg      10mg

Stage 08    10mg        10mg        10mg      10mg

Stage 09    10mg        6mg        10mg      10mg

Stage 10    10mg        3mg        10mg      10mg

Stage 11    10mg        -          10mg      10mg

Stage 12    10mg        -          8mg      10mg

Stage 13    10mg        -          6mg      10mg

Stage 14      8mg        -          6mg      10mg

Stage 15    10mg        -          2mg      10mg

Stage 16    10mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 17      8mg        -            -        10mg

Stage 18      6mg        -            -        10mg

Yes that makes perfect sense reducing the afternoon dose. But therefore shouldn't Stage 14 be 10-6-10  then Stage 15 be 10-4-10 so it flows down each stage? I was just wondering why the interruption in the flow of the schedule?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...