Ativan taper Question (with Diazepam)

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I’ve been trying to taper off of Ativan, I’ve been taking anywhere from .5 to 1 mg since November (8 months) most recently I’ve been tracking: 

7/4 .5

7/5 .25

7/6 .25 

7/7  .125

7/8 .125 

7/9 missed 

7/10 .125 

my new psychiatrist wants me To go to Valium of 2.5 to complete my taper and completely replace Ativan with that dose.  

This seems counter intuitive to me, to replace one with another but I will say my symptoms of rebound anxiety and depression are not entirely bearable.  Has anyone successfully tapered off of Ativan with Valium and then subsequently tapered off Valium ?  How hard was it and about how long did it take ?  Also I feel like at .125 of Ativan I could hold on for a week then take the leap perhaps without introducing a new dependency.  
 

Finally I think 2.5 valium is a larger dose than the .125 avtivan in terms of trying to be at equal doses.  Any insight is much appreciated. Thank you in advance ! 

 

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Hi @[...] - In some situations it can make sense to consider a crossover from Ativan to Valium - and that is if you are struggling with interdose withdrawal. Interdose withdrawal occurs when withdrawal symptoms emerge in between scheduled doses. These symptoms resolve or partially resolve when the next scheduled dose is taken. Some prescribers misdiagnose interdose withdrawal as a worsening anxiety disorder. It typically occurs with short half-life benzodiazepines, like Ativan or Xanax.  Do you feel you are experiencing interdose withdrawal?

 

 

 

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Hi @[Br...] thank you for replying.  Yes I feel like it is after it wears off the anxiety is through the roof.  I take Ativan usually sometimes in the middle of the night or early morning when I have anxiety and wake up.  So there is no real set time - perhaps that’s a mistake on my part.  The substitution of Valium feels like a bandaid that I’ll have to go through another prolonged taper with another drug … just so unsure what to do 

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@[Br...]yes when I take that .125 - it helps the Middle of night and morning are the worst times for me. 
 
Can you advise how I may split that .125 dose it’s such a small portion of the pill at this point, also if it were you want times of day would you assign for each dose? 

[[Br...]]

I'm sorry I don't have experience with tapering Ativan.  I believe it's a very small pill so I'm sure it's challenging to split into eighths.  How have you been making cuts?  Some members use a razor blade to cut pills.

Here's a thread with a lot of good information about tapering Ativan: