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Your input. 1 mg Xanax and 40 mg Valium. Want to taper x then v.


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:)Hello. Here is my current usage:

Taking 1 mg xanax (in two doses) and 40 mg Valium (4 doses of 10).

 

Goal one: get OFF XANAX as quickly as safe. GOAL 2: taper off valium safely. Your ideas as to quantities and duration.

 

I was going to start with cutting Xanax to one .25 dose in a.m. and one .5 dose at bedtime.  Holding 40 mg Valium spaced out 4x a day.

 

Then in one week go to two doses .25 Xanax (morning and before bed) and hold 40 mg Valium. Sound like a good start? Then finally one .25 dose xanax at bedtime and 40 mg Valium. Then just 40 mg. Valium. Always the Valium in smaller spaced out doses to equal 40 before I taper in 5 mg increments until I jump.

 

This is what psychiatrist recommends. What say the Buddies?

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There are lots of taper plans here on the forum, and just for general reference, The Ashton Method recommends that you taper 5-10% of the dose every 1 to 2 weeks. Everybody responds differently to withdrawal from benzos, so I think it'd be wise to try tapering-off a little bit and see how you feel, then draw-up a schedule.

 

This video features two of the world's leading authorities on benzos, including the venerable Dr. Ashton. Although it's long and there's a lot to take in, it's always good to educate yourself:

 

Coincidentally, I'm also taking Xanax and Valium, and although I'm taking a bit less, I'm also a long-time patient, so we're more or less in the same boat. I take 0.5mg of Xanax and 15mg of Valium daily. At one point, I took 20mg of Valium. I've been on this regimen for ten years, and I really want off! The only things holding me back are those damned withdrawal symptoms. I'm now experiencing some moderate tolerance withdrawals—simply from being on the same dose for so long—so yeah, for lack of better words, I'm kinda freaking out.

 

If you haven't already been there, definitely go to Dr. Ashton's website, benzo.org.uk. There you'll find a wealth of information that can be extremely helpful. There are taper plans there. Instead of tapering from Xanax, she recommends a substitution taper—substituting Xanax with Valium, because the latter is easier to taper from, especially when you reach a very low dosage. There are substitution taper plans and equivalency charts on that website, as well as right here (they're identical). Although it's different for everyone, Xanax withdrawal can be notoriously difficult because of the way it works; it hits the body and mind hard and fast, making cuts in dosage easily felt. Valium is the preferred drug to withdraw from because it works so slowly, and therefore dosage cuts aren't as immediately noticeable.

 

With that said, if you have no way of getting more Valium to substitute for your Xanax, it's absolutely possible to taper—I'm sure many people have. Furthermore, because you're also on 40mg daily dosage of Valium, you may do much better than someone trying to get off of just 2mg of Xanax.

 

I wish you all the best of luck and good health!  :thumbsup:

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Looks like a lot of recent changes for you. (Zoloft did not agree with me either btw!) How do you feel with the xanax and valium combination? If it were me I would wait another week or two before making any more adjustments. Just to make sure everything has settled in and you are in a steady place to taper.

 

You are at an approximate total valium equivalent of 60 mg. Reducing to 0.75 mg X would bring you down to 55mg valium equivalent which is about 8% reduction and in line with initial recommendations that Red mentioned. It sounds like you have a knowledgeable doctor, which is very helpful. I found it better to make a general plan but be ready to adapt as needed. You could see how you respond to the xanax taper before deciding what to do about the valium. You may need to reduce by less than 0.25 mg X as you get lower, depending on how you feel.

 

Good luck!

JKS

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