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Want to cross over to valium


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I am in the shortest half life benzo of 3.5 hours and I dose 3x a day. During taper I'm getting interdose withdrawal so planning to co to valium.

How do I make the transition? Shall I stop etizolam immediately after switching to valium? I heard not all go well with valium, how long to wait to see effect?

Or shall I dose 8x a day?

Please be detailed in your explanation.

 

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Hi SC,

I don't have an answer, but I would also like to know what it would be to cross over from .22mg of Xanax to Valium.

The interdose WDs are so bad. But I afraid of Valium too because I heard it makes one gain weight and the depression is worse.

I already have such anxiety and depression from this small dose of Xanax.. so I would fear getting worse.

But since Valium is longer acting.. it might be better. 

Hope someone can answer your question. Blessings.  :)

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I am in the shortest half life benzo of 3.5 hours and I dose 3x a day. During taper I'm getting interdose withdrawal so planning to co to valium.

How do I make the transition? Shall I stop etizolam immediately after switching to valium? I heard not all go well with valium, how long to wait to see effect?

Or shall I dose 8x a day?

Please be detailed in your explanation.

 

Good morning ScaredCat,

How to make the transition? Well my suggestion is to first find a doctor willing to write an ongoing prescription for diazepam. I suggest considering the Ashton equivalent of 0.28 etizolam, which is 2.8mg of diazepam, and asking for a prescription for 3mg diazepam per day. Ideally your doctor would be willing to prescribe your etizolam script concurrent with your diazepam crossover, so that you can take your time transitioning. If this support isn't available, I suggest stockpiling etizolam pills to make the cross before asking for the diazepam.

 

My first suggestion is a 3-step crossover, because this is simple and will require less etizolam pills. It is perhaps more difficult than a 6-step crossover, but it's less lengthy and I personally think it still has a good chance of being successful, especially at lower doses.

 

A 3-step crossover from 3 doses per day of etizolam to 3mg diazepam is fairly simple. I'm just suggesting substituting one of your doses per step with 1mg of diazepam. Considering Ashton's methods, I'd start by replacing the night-time dose, then either the morning or mid-day dose. It could look something like this...

 

Step 1: 0.9mg E, 0.9mg E, 1mg V

Step 2: 0.9mg E, 1mg V, 1mg V

Step 3: 1mg V, 1mg V, 1mg V

 

Each step is a trial of the diazepam. I suggest holding for 1-2 weeks at each step and monitoring your symptoms patiently but carefully. The diazepam will take this long to build up potency, therefore I think you are likely to experience a spike in withdrawal symptoms at the beginning of each step, and a noticeably improvement in overall stability at the end of each step which will indicate readiness to take the next. According to Ashton's slow taper schedules, a 3-step crossover takes at a minimum 3 weeks to complete.

 

If you do not stabilize after 2 weeks at a step, I suggest that you may either need more time, smaller steps or you are intolerant to the diazepam. But if you're unstable at the start of a step, or especially if you continue taking steps without waiting to stabilize, this is not necessarily caused by diazepam but instead the decrease in GABAa agonist blood serum levels caused by a short-to-long benzo cross. Going from etizolam to diazepam is a HUGE change in pharmacokenetics, and this can be symptomatically challenging.

 

Also, if you can either stockpile enough pills or get a concurrent etizolam script, I think a 6-step crossover to diazepam would be better tolerated. 6-steps can take anywhere from 1.5 months to over 3 months to complete.

 

Or shall I dose 8x a day?

 

If you can get a longer acting benzo, even clonazepam, I think this would be more promising than dosing 8x per day. But I think all good crossover options hinge on getting access to an Ashton-equivalent dose of a longer-acting benzo, and doing a step-wise transition.

 

I hope this is useful for you too jordanjack. Diazepam has it's challenges, and is not universally tolerated, but I think a slow step-wise crossover is the best chance to find out with minimal consequences. And to some degree, I think the more crossover steps the better.  :thumbsup:

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  • 1 month later...

SlowandSteady,

 

 

What would you suggest for a 3 step crossover for me from Klonopin to Valium?

 

Fyi, I was on Valium each day for 8 years and a dumb doctor switched me to Klonopin a month ago, but I want to move back to Valium.

 

Currently I take .5mg Klonopin in the morning and .5mg Klonopin at night.

 

 

 

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SlowandSteady,

 

 

What would you suggest for a 3 step crossover for me from Klonopin to Valium?

 

Fyi, I was on Valium each day for 8 years and a dumb doctor switched me to Klonopin a month ago, but I want to move back to Valium.

 

Currently I take .5mg Klonopin in the morning and .5mg Klonopin at night.

 

Hi mrcybershow,

I replied to your thread yesterday about your sudden crossover. If something has changed and you want help planning a step-wise crossover, I'd be happy to help. Please start a new tapering thread in the Substitution Board; just click 'New Topic' and ask for the help you need. Also, let us know what happened to the sudden cross you were starting yesterday.  :thumbsup:

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I crossed K to V about 3 months ago. I have a few blog posts about it if you look under my name.

It was bumpy for a week or so while the V was building up.

 

I’m stable (ish) on 3mg V now, hesitant to start going down.

Definitely notice more depression kind of symptoms on V,

but I the problem I had with K interdose WD is so much better.

 

I made the mistake of trying to get off my last bit of Zoloft after stabilizing on V.

Failed miserably. Was down to about 2mg Zoloft and had to updose to 5 and stabilize for about 5 weeks to level out.

 

 

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I was taking K twice a day.

I switched 1/2 of my night dose to V for a week or 2, then the second half of night dose.

 

Then went half of morning dose to V then all. It got easier to do after that initial 1/4th.

Things were crazy for about a week. Tingling, wild emotions, etc.

 

I would consider starting V for a few days then taking away half of pm dose. There was definitely

a lag with V getting up to speed.

 

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I was taking K twice a day.

I switched 1/2 of my night dose to V for a week or 2, then the second half of night dose.

 

Then went half of morning dose to V then all. It got easier to do after that initial 1/4th.

Things were crazy for about a week. Tingling, wild emotions, etc.

 

I would consider starting V for a few days then taking away half of pm dose. There was definitely

a lag with V getting up to speed.

 

Thank you Treelover for sharing your personal crossover experience from K to V! I think this is really valuable for other members to know about.  :thumbsup:

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I have completed my 1st step today, going is good. Today is my starting to 2nd step.

 

Hi ScaredCat,

I wasn't aware you decided to cross. Are you crossing from etizolam to diazepam? Are you doing 6-steps? Did you stabilize on your last step?

 

Congrats on moving forward with your recovery!  :thumbsup:

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I am doing a 6 step cross from E to V.

I was much stable before I started co (except 2 days when I msged u n thought of reinstating), and today is my 1st day of 2nd step cross over to Valium.

 

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I am doing a 6 step cross from E to V.

I was much stable before I started co (except 2 days when I msged u n thought of reinstating), and today is my 1st day of 2nd step cross over to Valium.

 

I'm so glad that you were able to get a prescription for diazepam and that your crossover and drug trial is going well thus far! I think you're very brave to try this, and I hope you will be rewarded with improved stability and ease of tapering.

 

Are you holding 1 week between steps?

Did you feel stable at the end of step 1 before crossing to step 2?

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I am holding 5 days on each step, I was stable on step 1 before I came to 2. I am still stable today.

During my first step co I didn't notice any change except a some heart palpitations.

I think a 3 week hold at 0.26mg E, did turned out good, I didn't held it intentionally, I held it coz my marriage was forthcoming. I waited the co to V for the same reason. Now that my social situation is less bothersome after I got married, I'm back tapering.

I was denied valium by some doctors, but on forum advice I asked my uncle who is a Gastro specialist to write the script and i got it easy.

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I am holding 5 days on each step, I was stable on step 1 before I came to 2. I am still stable today.

During my first step co I didn't notice any change except a some heart palpitations.

I think a 3 week hold at 0.26mg E, did turned out good, I didn't held it intentionally, I held it coz my marriage was forthcoming. I waited the co to V for the same reason. Now that my social situation is less bothersome after I got married, I'm back tapering.

I was denied valium by some doctors, but on forum advice I asked my uncle who is a Gastro specialist to write the script and i got it easy.

 

Yay! This is really great news. I'm so glad that you held long enough to stabilize on etizolam before your cross, that your uncle was willing to prescribe the medicine you wanted, and that your feeling stable so far in your cross. I'm so happy to hear this.  Please keep us posted!  :thumbsup:

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The stability I'm feeling is because of the benzos still in effect.

It's the benzo numbness (which is symptom free temporarily) which is making me feel relieved after I spread out my doses, prior to which I was struggling. This feeling is soon to wear out I know, suffering is just around the corner. Anyway, I still get going.

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The stability I'm feeling is because of the benzos still in effect.

It's the benzo numbness (which is symptom free temporarily) which is making me feel relieved after I spread out my doses, prior to which I was struggling. This feeling is soon to wear out I know, suffering is just around the corner. Anyway, I still get going.

 

Yes, I agree that you're probably experiencing support from the benzos in staying calm, but I think this could also be supporting your healing in many ways. And I think this is also the same quality of calm that you are learning to cultivate in yourself naturally and which you can experience once you're off the medication with enough practice and self-awareness. I believe you will get there. Suffering has been my greatest teacher.  :thumbsup:

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I have learnt some specific Yogic practices which will never allow me to give up on life, although I may sound like that many times in future. These practices have kept me alive, but with fatigue as a symptom it's hard sometimes to keep it practicing daily.

I have little concern on how to manage myself without meducations when I have such potent tools with me, but the fact that benzo withdrawal is so cruel and I have to deal with paxil post this, is something I deeply struggle to come in terms with. I'm definitely scared for such a long journey.

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SC, it's good that you got your uncle to prescribe the Valium for you.  I'm sure then you'll be able to have a better taper and not have interdose w/d and get off the drugs smoothly.
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I'm definitely scared for such a long journey.

 

Perhaps fear exists as a misperception of the meaning and value of suffering. ;)

 

Also congratulations on your marriage. I don't know what it means to you, but I'm wishing you the best. :thumbsup:

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Here is a new crossover schedule I made for my Klonopin to Valium switch.

 

Any thoughts?

 

5 Days

9 AM:  0.125mg K / 2.5mg V

3 PM:  0.25mg K

BED: 0.5mg K

 

5 Days

9 AM:  5mg V

3 PM:  0.25mg K

BED: 0.5mg K

 

5 Days

9AM:  5mg V

3PM:  0.125mg K / 2.5mg V

BED: 0.5mg K

 

5 Days

9AM:  5mg V

3PM:  5mg V

BED: 0.5mg K

 

5 Days

9AM:  5mg V

3PM:  5mg V

BED: 0.25mg K / 5mg V

 

Final

9AM:  5mg V

3PM:  5mg V

BED: 10mg V

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