How should I stabilize? Please Help.

I recently tried switching from a high dose of Clonazepam to the Ashton equivalent of Valium. My psychiatrist didn’t taper me and it got to be too much, so after talking with him, he decided to switch me back to Clonazepam. I’m back at my original dose of 3.5mg a day. I only took the Valium for about 3 weeks and have already started to taper back of the Diazepam. After taking it for 3 weeks, how should I taper off the rest of the Valium now that I’m back on the Clonazepam?

Hi Airamis0007

 

Could you please clarify:

 

What were the doses K and Valium for the first substitution?

When you switched back to K did you remain on the same dose of Valium?

How much Valium have you already tapered?

 

It will greatly help members, help you if you could

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3.5 mgs of Klonopin is equal to  70mg of valium.

3.5 mgs of Klonopin is equal to  70mg of valium.

 

3.5mgs of clonazepam is the Ashton-equivalent of 70mg of diazepam; but doctors don't all agree on what equivalents charts to use and some of them are wildly different. I personally think that where a diazepam cross is concerned, Dr. Ashton's numbers are perhaps the best tested and most reliable. What I know of her practice of medicine was ethical and care-oriented; I can't say the same for all other benzo discontinuation resources, especially not of main-stream psychiatry.

 

Airamis0007,

The simple answer to your OP is "slowly", and ideally only after stabilizing.

 

I understand that you're currently on 3.5mg clonazepam and 35mg diazepam every day; this is the Ashton-equivalent of 5.25mg clonazepam or 105mg diazepam. IMO, quite an updose from your previous 3.5mg/day of clonazepam.

 

I think that at this point you've been at these elevated benzo doses long enough to need to go slowly when withdrawing; I suspect that your body is now dependent on something like the cumulative benzo Ashton-equivalents I mentioned earlier.

 

The upside of large doses is that I suspect you can take your first series of well-tolerated reductions with a pill splitter, assuming your tablets are reasonably sized. The question I have is which way do you want to go? Do you want to taper the clonazepam or do you want to taper the diazepam? I suspect that if you're tolerating the diazepam at this point, it might be the better long term decision to taper the clonazepam.

 

Let us know what you want to do, and how we can help.