switching from Cloazepam to valium

I take 0.5mg of K each night but want to switch to Valium before tapering. Should I take 0.25mg of K and 5mg of valium on the first night or should I sustitute more slowly? I have been taking K for about 6 months. 

May I ask you why you want to switch? Nothing wrong with switching, it just helps to better understand your situation.

It is suggested in the Ashton Manual. I have tinnitus and trying to taper from K seems to make the ringing worse.

When I came here I also read the Ashton manual and thought I had to switch to Valium to taper successfully. However many of us are tapering our original prescribed drug without problem.

 

Some people have mentioned issues with depression and drowsiness during their crossover to valium. There's also no guarantee that your tinnitus will get better on valium as this is a common withdrawal symptom for all benzos.

 

I'm not saying you shouldn't crossover, it just helps to have all the information to make an informed decision.

 

If you still want to do the crossover we can help you.

Thank you for your reply. I did note that the AM did say that some people found it hard to switch from K to Valium. I am in Thailand and only have access to 0.5mg K with no doctor support. If I taper from K should I start with 7/8 or 3/4 of a tablet. I am desperate to get off but very anxious and scared.

I know it can be scary. I was also scared at the beginning and have no doctor support, other than prescribing what I need. But now I'm stable and functional in my taper and making progress. 

 

Personally I'm glad I didn't switch to Valium. My reasoning was - better the devil I know than the one I don't. I know how my body reacts to Clonazepam and I didn't want to take a chance on another drug. I always kept the door open to crossing over should I need it though.

 

I also only have access to 0.5mg pills. When you get to the smaller numbers like 0.125mg it will likely require you to go into titration (if you cannot get a compounding pharmacy to make you liquid Clonazepam in Thailand). Valium might be easier to direct taper if you can get it in smaller tablets in your country. You have to weigh the pro's and cons and decide what you feel up to.

 

I know it might seem daunting at the moment, but I've been doing this for almost a year and I promise you it gets easier and the scary part gets better. We are here to share our experiences and talk you through your various options. You need to decide what is best for you and only you know what that is. Everything is going to be okay!