Switching from Clonazepam to Diazepam??

[[ca...]]

Libertas~

Thank you so much for hanging around to help. So, the member was incorrect and I am NOT cutting by the equivalent of 6mg valium with my plan? That would be scary!!

 

Pamster's and I's math was 1.65 with current plan, so higher than the original dose, so I didn't understand.

 

and thank you, I am really trying to figure this all out... I am keeping a log daily.

 

 

[[Li...]]

I’m glad I can help.

 

I would be scared about making a 6mg reduction in dose as well.

 

Again, to put this in perspective, you reduced your clonazepam dose by 0.125mg.  Per Ashton, that’s equivalent to 2.5mg of diazepam.  You added 5mg of diazepam so that should ‘cover’ the reduction and then some.

 

Bravo for keeping a daily log.  Doing so is one of the keys to a successful taper.  You are both the investigator and the guinea pig in your own single-subject experiment.  Your daily log is your primary data source.

 

Are you up-to-speed on the differences in half-life between clonazepam and diazepam?  Knowing the half-life of a drug can give you a clue as to (1) when you can expect withdrawal symptoms to have fully emerged and (hopefully) stabilized after a reduction in dose (in the case of clonazepam, a ballpark is about 12 days) and (2) when you can expect the serum concentration of a drug to reach steady state (in the case of diazepam, a ballpark is about 30 days).

[[ca...]]

Thank you !!! Your calm demeanor is appreciated.

And thank you for the perspective on my situation.

There seems to be mixed reviews on my Dr.’s choice to updose to start.

I get it, not ideal. I guess it was to get me out out horrible inter dose withdrawals. I’m not sure if it was the right call.

But the way from here is down I guess!

 

I knew a little about half lives but your ball parks were very helpful in seeing when I can confidently know if it’s safe to move to a further reduction.

 

 

[[Li...]]

Hello again calisurfing20.  Your kind words are much appreciated. 

 

Rather than second-guessing your doctor based on opinions offered by well-meaning but anonymous laypeople on an Internet forum (some doctors take umbrage with this), might I suggest that you (1) continue to collect daily data on how you are responding to the decrease in clonazepam/increase in diazepam and (2) if your data suggest that substituting 5mg of diazepam for 0.125mg of clonazepam might be on the high side, share this with your doctor at your next appointment and ask if a lower dose  (e.g. 2.5mg of diazepam for 0.125mg of clonazepam) might be warranted.

 

Also, upon further reflection, I wonder if your doctor may be using this 5mg dose as a partial ‘loading dose’ given diazepam’s long half-life?  Per StatPearl’s (link below):

 

While a patient is taking a specific drug to achieve the therapeutic benefit, the drug must reach a certain steady-state concentration.. Typically, for any medication, five to seven half-lives are required for this to be achieved. Reaching this concentration is typically not an issue for drugs with short half-lives; however, other medications or conditions may require more rapid therapeutic onset. For instances where a therapeutic steady-state concentration is needed immediately, loading doses can be utilized to more rapidly achieve this therapeutic concentration.

 

Link:

Loading Dose - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557418/