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Ativan to Valium help.


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I’m thinking of asking my dr to switch me to Valium.  I am currently taking 1.125 of Ativan (dry cut) divided into 4 doses daily. I can’t sleep and have tons of anxiety and am hoping Valium will help with this.  My doc is clueless but will do whatever I want. Can someone please help me with this?
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Switching to Valium is probably a good idea.

According to Ashton, you could replace about 0.5mg Ativan with 5mg Valium every week or so.

If I knew exactly how you divide your dose (e.g. .25/.25/.25/.375), I could provide you with a crossover schedule.

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Thank you for responding Outis..... I take .25 6am,11am.25, 5pm .375, .25 11 pm. Also do you know the name of a good scale to purchase?  Getting hard to be precise with the dry cutting. 
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[90...]

I've never used a scale; the long half-life of Valium renders micro-tapering unnecessary for many.

Ashton recommends substituting about 0.5mg Ativan with 5mg Valium every week or so.

However, substituting one dose per week should be more acceptable,

but that would take twice as long and so it would be sensible to switch to a lower dose.

After all, the equivalence used by Ashton is just the high end of the range and many manage with less.

Below is a schedule showing how I'd do the crossover.

        6AM  11AM  5PM  11PM

Week 0  .25A  .25A  .375A  .25A

Week 1  .25A  .25A  .25A  3.5V

Week 2  .25A  2V    .25A  3.5V

Week 3  .25A  2V    2V    4V

Week 4  2V    2V    2V    4V

From here you could cut about 1mg every 2 weeks starting with the day-time doses.

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  • 3 weeks later...
So I tried to make the switch to Valium. It didn’t work out well. I was very sick numb hands, feet,inner tremors,nonstop nausea. I substituted my last dose of the day with 3.5 Valium. Did this for 3 days. Dr told me to take more Valium with the Ativan. Told him no way was I gonna up dose like that.  So now I'm back on Ativan. I even had to updose by .125.  Now taking a total of 1.25 daily. Just wondering if I should spilt the doses according to Ashton or just give up on the Valium?  Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
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Ativan is a difficult med to substitute with valium . It has more hypnotic properties. It can also cause gastritis . I found this crossover very difficult too. In the past the transition to valium from Xanax was done in a few days . But not with Ativan. It takes weeks . So I suggest to lower your dose of Ativan very slowly . Take the largest dose at night if you split doses.
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Elektra,  I am also trying everything to sleep.  Have been using trazadone 100 past couple of nites. Not reallly helping. Ready to toss that in the trash!  Still taking 4 or more hours to fall asleep.  It’s torture.  Valium seems to due nothing.  But I’m gonna try again as you suggest.
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  • 2 weeks later...
It takes a couple of weeks for Valium to build up in your system.  Once it does it is well worth it! I had an easy tAper once I crossed over and stabilized on Valium.  The interpose withdrawals on Ativan were awful!  You can do this!
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  • 2 weeks later...
Professor Ashton, the Ashton method helped me.  I was on 1 and a half Adivan.  Was put on 30mg of Valium to get me off, which it did.  Was an easy withdrawal till I hit Stage 12, then it became difficult.  So I began searching ways to help me get the edge off.  I went on the Ketogenic Diet Plan along with Intermittent Fasting.  It's really helped me HEAL!!  That's what it does, more than anything, it heals the brain, heals the body, etc.  Calms the mind and lowered my BP.  I also drink a lot of Calming Herbal teas, such as Lemon Balm, even take Lemon Balm Capsules as well.  I take Holy Basil tea and Chamomile.  I drink a lot of it.  I use Stevia.  The best thing you can do is get off all Sugar......ALL SUGAR......read labels.  All Starches, all FLOUR, no bread, no milk.  We drink Unsweetened Almond Milk & Coconut Milk.  We cook Organic meats with Coconut Oil & Grass Fed Butter.  The GOOD FAT heals the brain.  Do the research.  Niacin will help you sleep but again, start very, very low like 50 mg or less to start.  Also CALM Magnesium powder will relax you.  Just look up all this, do the research and you do have to walk, walk when you can.  If not outside, then do Treadmill.  If no TM, then walk at the malls, they're empty now, not much shoppers.
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I did this and it has worked well for me. I went from 1 mg Ativan every other day (I had no clue about interdose withdrawals) to 5 mg V liquid, and have tapered down over 2 years to 1.5. It actually made me feel better: many of my WD symptoms just disappeared at 5 mg V and I tapered quickly to 2.5. It has been rougher going since then, and I just made a 10%+ cut that has wrecked me - hopefully temporarily - but I think the crossover was good for me.
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When I first tried to get off adivan 1 and 1/2 mgs, I shook like crazy, cramping in stomach, insomnia and weight loss of 32 lbs in less than a week.  So, when Valium came along, I welcomed it!  It did help, but now that I'm down to 12 mgs, it's getting difficult.  What you do when that happens is you stay on that dose for 2 to 4 weeks till your brain & the rest of your body heals.  We all heal at different stages and rates.  It MAY take longer for me being that I'm 70 this year, but I'm trusting the Lord.  So far, I've only been on two weeks at the most, but again, the closer I get to the end, who knows.  Takes a great deal of Faith and courage to get off these poisons, but we must be determined and trust that God is helping you.  He really is, just bcuz you don't have instant relief does not mean God is not healing you.  Healing takes time.  We all know this.  Get your diet right, Check out the Ketogenic Diet and Intermittent fasting (you can do this while you sleep) and supplements.  Get off ALL SUGAR, Sugar makes it millions of times worse.  Buy Stevia for whatever you drink or eat.  Drink a lot of good water and drink Lemon Balm Tea.  I even take Lemon Balm Capsules.  Takes the edge off.  Also, DISTRACT yourselves, do something that takes your mind off how you feel.  With ASHTON Method, at least it's a plan that has you going forward, and getting better and knowing this brings peace of mind.  Saffron with Almond milk helps you relax if you can afford it.  Best wishes to all.  Keep your mind on the LORD WHO Created You and loves you more than you know.  Just thank Him even when you don't feel like it......He is working for you to heal.  Every time you get off of this stuff, even a little, YOU ARE HEALING, You are in RECOVERY.  Call it Recovery, speak good words to yourselves and in your minds and thoughts.  Watch It's SUPERNATURAL or something to encourage you.  Avoid negative talking, thinking and speaking and movies, etc.  Speak Words of Faith and encouragement to yourselves.  This too shall pass!  Believe.  While I'm typing this I've suffered with severe headache for over a week, day and night and I can't take headache meds for it, I have to use an icebag.  Also, I have been nauseated as well.  But I am speaking words of Faith, By His Stripes I am Healed and Made WHOLE.  Speak out Healing Scriptures because we are recovering! 
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When I first tried to get off adivan 1 and 1/2 mgs, I shook like crazy, cramping in stomach, insomnia and weight loss of 32 lbs in less than a week.  So, when Valium came along, I welcomed it!  It did help, but now that I'm down to 12 mgs, it's getting difficult.  What you do when that happens is you stay on that dose for 2 to 4 weeks till your brain & the rest of your body heals.  We all heal at different stages and rates.  It MAY take longer for me being that I'm 70 this year, but I'm trusting the Lord.  So far, I've only been on two weeks at the most, but again, the closer I get to the end, who knows.  Takes a great deal of Faith and courage to get off these poisons, but we must be determined and trust that God is helping you.  He really is, just bcuz you don't have instant relief does not mean God is not healing you.  Healing takes time.  We all know this.  Get your diet right, Check out the Ketogenic Diet and Intermittent fasting (you can do this while you sleep) and supplements.  Get off ALL SUGAR, Sugar makes it millions of times worse.  Buy Stevia for whatever you drink or eat.  Drink a lot of good water and drink Lemon Balm Tea.  I even take Lemon Balm Capsules.  Takes the edge off.  Also, DISTRACT yourselves, do something that takes your mind off how you feel.  With ASHTON Method, at least it's a plan that has you going forward, and getting better and knowing this brings peace of mind.  Saffron with Almond milk helps you relax if you can afford it.  Best wishes to all.  Keep your mind on the LORD WHO Created You and loves you more than you know.  Just thank Him even when you don't feel like it......He is working for you to heal.  Every time you get off of this stuff, even a little, YOU ARE HEALING, You are in RECOVERY.  Call it Recovery, speak good words to yourselves and in your minds and thoughts.  Watch It's SUPERNATURAL or something to encourage you.  Avoid negative talking, thinking and speaking and movies, etc.  Speak Words of Faith and encouragement to yourselves.  This too shall pass!  Believe.  While I'm typing this I've suffered with severe headache for over a week, day and night and I can't take headache meds for it, I have to use an icebag.  Also, I have been nauseated as well.  But I am speaking words of Faith, By His Stripes I am Healed and Made WHOLE.  Speak out Healing Scriptures because we are recovering!

thank you for your encouraging words .
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