Valium And My New Psychiatrist

[[bl...]]

Hi,

My new psychiatrist says that it would be useless for me to switch from Ativan to Valium for an easier taper because I take Ativan only before bed for sleep. He says that switching to Valium is only useful for those who take benzos all day long. 

Is this true?

Thanks.

[[je...]]

If you are not struggling with interdose withdrawal then we don’t recommend a crossover to Valium. Making unnecessary changes to your meds is not recommended as it carries some risk. 

If you currently only dose once a day then I agree with your doctor. If you are having difficulty with interdose withdrawal the next option would be to first split your dose.

Valium does not constitute an easier taper when it comes to withdrawal symptoms. It can be practically easier because it comes in smaller doses but it is notorious for causing depression and sedation and some people cannot tolerate Valium. Ultimately if you’re doing okay on your current benzo we advise you taper it directly.

[[Mo...]]

I was on Valium all along, and I was told by one psychiatrist to switch to the shorter acting lorazepam, and I found this to be a grave mistake

in my own personal experience, the longer acting benzodiazepines have the advantage of being easier to withdraw from because you don’t have to take them as often

that being said, I have a horrible time, even staying on the Valium and I’m not currently even in a doctors care, because the last psychiatrist simply dropped me because I was critical of his switching from one Benzo to another( diazepam to lorazepam in my case)

all I can say is that you have to approach the doctors with the deference that they think they deserve or they will cut you off if they feel you offended or challenged them 
it happened to me me . 
I am glad you are seeking advice on this forum, because the medical professionals are often the wrong ones to be fully reliant upon

I have always found the Ashton manual to be reasonable in its reliability regarding short acting benzodiazepines vis a vis diazepam 

Edited June 15 by [Mo...]
Clarity

[[bl...]]

Thank you both for your replies. 

[[Do...]]

20 hours ago, [[b...] said:

Hi,

My new psychiatrist says that it would be useless for me to switch from Ativan to Valium for an easier taper because I take Ativan only before bed for sleep. He says that switching to Valium is only useful for those who take benzos all day long. 

Is this true?

Thanks.

It is actually exactly the opposite. Valium is better for single dosed people at night and dont require multiple takes, if you stay in ativan you will have to start taking it 3 times a day when you reach interdose WD. I know this cause i suffered very sever acute interdose WD even before i started tapering, taking my prescribed dose at night only made me realize i had a reached dependency and i had to switch to diazepam cause is imposible to make small accurate cuts with ativan unless you have a very expensive scale.

[[je...]]

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

is imposible to make small accurate cuts with ativan unless you have a very expensive scale.

This is not accurate. We have had many members over the years who have successfully tapered Ativan directly by using a $20 scale from Amazon. Even people on Valium who need to make small cuts require a scale. @[El...] is currently tapering Ativan using a slightly more expensive scale and I tapered Clonazepam using a $20 scale with no problem whatsoever. It’s a risk benefit analysis. Whether the benefits involved in crossing over outweigh the risks. If it ain’t broken don’t fix it. If you struggle with interdose withdrawal, then yes it’s worth it to cross over. 
 

On 03/06/2024 at 03:28, [[E...] said:

I am tapering Ativan.   I was originally on Xanax.  Late April 2023, my new provider switched me to 3 mg Ativan and I began my taper.  After much trial and error, I began a micro taper in September 2023.  I am now at 0.53 mg.  I dose 3x per day (6am, 2pm, 10 pm) with 3 equal doses.  I use a scale (to weigh each dose accurately...after cutting and filing my pills).  I reduce about 0.3% for 10-12 days consecutively, followed by a 2-3 day hold.  So far, I have not experienced any interdose withdrawal (but I am very careful to dose 3x day).  I am, of course, not completely symptom free, but I am very functional (can carry out daily tasks, exercise and enjoy family activities). Many have said it is difficult to taper Ativan.  So far I have found it very doable.  Hopefully, I can complete my taper without resorting to a switch to a longer acting benzo.

I do not know much about Clonazepam.  But I think the ratio is 2 mg Ativan = 1 mg Clonazepam.

Wishing you well!