Really Need help switching from lorazapam to valium please!

[[ns...]]

I'm currently tapering lorazepam. Never had a window, I'm barely functional now.

Current dose

0.022mg 4x per day. Very small doses.

How do I switch to valium?

Should I switch to valium at this stage of my current taper?

Need to know What the dose would be to switch to valuim?

Otherwise, what would be the equivalent to lorazepam of valium?

I'd like to only take it twice or 3 times per day instead of four.

Not sure if I can take valium, I had issues with it in the past but it was during the beginning of my taper from lorazapam and I know I didn't take the equivalent. 

Need help with this please, I use a scale, cutter and file.

I have 5mg pills.

Thanks 

 

 

 

Edited March 10 by [ns...]
Correction and additions

[[Li...]]

@[ns...] Just checking … is your healthcare provider willing to prescribe Valium (diazepam)?  Many providers in the US will not prescribe this particular drug, especially not for older adults.  (Diazepam is on the American Geriatrics Society’s “Beers List” of Potentially Inappropriate Medications.)

[[ns...]]

3 hours ago, [[L...] said:

@[ns...] Just checking … is your healthcare provider willing to prescribe Valium (diazepam)?  Many providers in the US will not prescribe this particular drug, especially not for older adults.  (Diazepam is on the American Geriatrics Society’s “Beers List” of Potentially Inappropriate Medications.)

Hi Libertas,

my doctor gave me valium just last yr, i don't think I'll have a problem with that but its always a possibility. I did just turn 65 but really dont feel much different lol. 

I do need to know what to ask him for regarding dose amount and what my dose schedule would be. I still have the prescription he gave me last yr.

I do realize it's difficult to get prescriptions for benzos here but he's very supportive. 

I'm having a difficult time finishing my taper with lorazapam. I am not functioning very well.

With every dose I take my symptoms rev up even more. Ive had a reaction to them which is why im tapering. I think I've become more chemically dependent on them and dragging out the process. 

I'm wanting to try the valuim to do a quick taper to finish it. 2 yrs ago an er doc gave me one valuim and all of my symptoms stopped. I wasn't on lorazapam at that time. The symptoms I was experiencing then were from a forced quick taper from lorazapam. 

Later my doctor gave them to me while I was still on lorazapam and I had a terrible time. I basically went into withdrawal for the lorazapam. 

Since I'm so low in my taper now, I'm hoping I can just do a switch, but don't know at what dose of valium I would need to take for the equivalent. 

Once I have a good understanding of this, I will go back to my previous prescribing doctor and request them.

I'll be here all day and will look forward to hearing back from you on this so I can contact my doctor tomorrow. 

Thanks so much Libertas 

Ns

 

[[Li...]]

Hello @[ns...].  I just wanted to confirm you could obtain the diazepam before other members offered input.  (I don’t have personal experience with substituting diazepam for clonazepam so regrettably cannot assist you with this.)

 

[[ns...]]

1 minute ago, [[L...] said:

Hello @[ns...].  I just wanted to confirm you could obtain the diazepam before other members offered input.  (I don’t have personal experience with substituting diazepam for clonazepam so regrettably cannot assist you with this.)

Ok, I'm currently tapering lorazepam but that's ok. Could you please refer my request to someone who can assist.

Thanks Libertas 

Ns

[[Li...]]

7 minutes ago, [[n...] said:

Ok, I'm currently tapering lorazepam but that's ok. Could you please refer my request to someone who can assist.

Thanks Libertas 

Ns

I was referring to my personal experience, @[ns...]. I am tapering clonazepam, not lorazepam. 

We are all peer volunteers so typically do not do referrals.

[[ns...]]

2 minutes ago, [[L...] said:

I was referring to my personal experience, @[ns...]. I am tapering clonazepam, not lorazepam. 

We are all peer volunteers so typically do not do referrals.

No worries Libertas, I just  need someone to respond with the experience to give me some numbers. I understand,  no worries.

Found online 2 conflicting numbers for the equivalent. I've posted here  asking of anyone else has experience switching these,hopefully I'll get some suggestions. 

Thanks again

Ns

[[ns...]]

Anybody?

[[Fo...]]

On 10/03/2024 at 21:20, [[n...] said:

Anybody?

From what I can gather from various sources, including Ashton, 1mg of lorazepam is roughly equivalent to 10mg of diazepam. Hope this helps. Do the change over slowly though, as per Ashton Manual.Then I would do a slow hyperbolic or exponential taper from your diazepam. Good luck ! 

 

 

 

[[Pa...]]

33 minutes ago, [[F...] said:

From what I can gather from various sources, including Ashton, 1mg of lorazepam is roughly equivalent to 10mg of diazepam. Hope this helps. Do the change over slowly though, as per Ashton Manual.Then I would do a slow hyperbolic or exponential taper from your diazepam. Good luck ! 

Hello @[Fo...], welcome to BenzoBuddies,

Thanks so much for jumping in and helping out.

@[Pa...]

[[Fo...]]

You're welcome. I only want to help. 

[[de...]]

@[Fo...] Welcome to Benzo Buddies!  

[[Fo...]]

Thank you decatur.

[[Di...]]

I am also tapering off of Ativan.  I use this:   Benzodiazepine Conversion Calculator (mdcalc.com)

I turn 69 in five more days.

I asked my Doctor if she would go along with the Ashton Manual and when I get to .5 mg of Ativan, I would like to switch over to Valium and she told me she would look into first.  I just need to see how my body responds to Valium and then I will go to compound pharmacy and taper off of this.   I told her the Valium is in your system longer and it doesn't stick to your transmitters like Ativan does.   

[[Hu...]]

13 hours ago, [[D...] said:

 and it doesn't stick to your transmitters like Ativan does.   

Do you have a source for this? 

[[ns...]]

Hi guys, I'm not going to be using valium to finish my taper. 

I am wondering however, how to crush these lorazepam to powder and to take my dose, weigh etc?

Anyone know have any suggestions?

Thanx

[[Hu...]]

12 minutes ago, [[n...] said:

Hi guys, I'm not going to be using valium to finish my taper. 

I am wondering however, how to crush these lorazepam to powder and to take my dose, weigh etc?

Anyone know have any suggestions?

Thanx

Buy a paper nail file, those really fine ones made of paper and a small/thin stanley hobby knife.

Making quarters with the knife, file with the nail file. Don't create powder. File away til you have the weight you need. 

Get a decent scale. I have a scale with a 50gr calibration weight which is cheap yet very good quality for the money. 

liquid tapers with ativan are not doable. 

Edited March 15 by [Hu...]

[[ns...]]

Just now, [[H...] said:

Buy a paper nail file, those really fine ones made of paper and a small/thin stanley hobby knife.

Making quarters with the knife, file with the nail file. Get a decent scale. I have a scale with a 50gr calibration weight which is cheap yet very good quality for the money. 

liquid tapers with ativan are not doable. 

Higodrax, hi and thanks for responding.

I'm already down to .08 and can no longer use a file. Been filing and weigjing for few months now. 

Now its time to crush them and figure out how to take the powder dose.

I'm going down to .05 then jumping off. I'm in a paradoxical with these for 8 months now so need to get off of this drug!.

Looking to understand how to take powdered lorazepam. 

Thank u for your suggestion though.

Good luck with your taper!

Thanks

Ns

[[Hu...]]

basically, the active ingredient is distributed throughout the tablet, but it's always possible that you could have problems with filler vs active ingredient. maybe have your pharmacy put together some 0.5 tablets? They are definitely there because I swallowed them once.

But you could also do it yourself, I did also used powder on a scale a couple of times, but having a pharmacy spoon is really handy. On amazon they are cheap.

Edited March 15 by [Hu...]

[[ns...]]

8 minutes ago, [[H...] said:

basically, the active ingredient is distributed throughout the tablet, but it's always possible that you could have problems with filler vs active ingredient. maybe have your pharmacy put together some 0.5 tablets? They are definitely there because I swallowed them once.

But you could also do it yourself, I did also used powder on a scale a couple of times, but having a pharmacy spoon is really handy. On amazon they are cheap.

Thank u

[[Di...]]

8 hours ago, [[H...] said:

Do you have a source for this? 

I did research on YouTube and no I do not have a source, just watched someone's video and they mentioned this.   It made sense.