Why a slow c/o?

[Guest [He...]]

If a benzo is a benzo and they all act in the same way on gaba receptors (with a couple of exceptions such as Versed), then why is a slow c/o from say Xanax to Valium needed?  I know this is what the Ashton Manual suggests but she also states that all benzos act the same way (in that there are not specific receptors for Xanax vs Klonopin vs Valium etc.)  The only difference appears to be in half life and how fast acting a benzo is.  I am in the midst of a very slow c/o from X to V (almost done after 2 months) which I did based on the Ashton method.  My question is one of curiosity rather than advice.  Does anyone know why a slow c/o is recommended? 

[[...]]

Slow crossing is needed due to half life mismatch.  The longer the half life the longer it takes for the drug to build up internally to its full equilibrium level, whereas shorter half life drugs like X do it much quicker.  If you cross too quickly you will essentially have a temporary dose cut until the longer acting drug finishes building up.  The way to minimize this is to do a little at a time and allow lots of time.

[Guest [He...]]

Thank you!  That makes sense. 

[[Ju...]]

Also the equivalencies are estimates. If you go slowly you can get a sense of how much is right for you and adjust accordingly.

JKS

[[me...]]

There are actually many subunits and subtypes on the GABA receptors, it's more complicated than it appears at first glance. Each benzo has different affinities for the different subunits and subtypes, thus they all act in a unique way and some are more anxiolytic, some more hypnotic, some more of a muscle relaxant, etc...Obviously there is a lot of overlap, but there is some adjustment that your body needs to go through when you switch from one benzo to another. And this may vary form person to person, dose to dose, etc...So I believe Ashton errs on the side of caution in crossing-over.

[[be...]]

There is quite a bit of difference in slow acting and long acting benzodiazepines. Valium has a very long half life, up to 200 hours. It takes a while to build up in your system. If you went straight from one to another you would  likely not feel too well.

[[ho...]]

This is Ashton's recommendation for a crossover, at the bottom is an update from the 2002 update.

http://www.benzo.org.uk/ashvtaper.htm