librium and alchohol withdrawal not sure if I should do it

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Hi all,  I have been tapering off of 1.5 mill of clonozapam four three months now. I switched over to diazapam and am down to 2.5 mill of diazapam for ten days. None of it has been any fun especially the insomnia.  I have been using alcohol to help me get to sleep, a huge blunder.  So here I am finally ready to take my last dose of Valium and I am suddenly coming unglued again.  Problem is we have determined it is alcohol withdrawal.  I have been given a prescription for Librium with the instructions to take one 25 mill tablet four times for one day, two 25 mill tablets for 2 days, and one 25 mill  tablet for 1 day to overcome the alcohol withdrawal symptoms. That is the equivalent of taking

three and a half mill of clonozapam within four days.  I am not sure if this is the right thing to do I am afraid I will  go back to where I was.  I know that I sure don't want to start all of that again.  Does anyone have any experience up dosing for that short of time and what it did to them.  Would appreciate any knowledge out their as I am stuck between a rock and a hard spot. Thanks for now.

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Oh my. Quite a fix you're in.

 

I'm not sure you'll get the info you need on this forum. If I were you, I'd find an addiction doctor who understands that benzo street is danger street. I bet there are some supportive meds to help you get off alcohol safely. But you need to find the right doc, in my opinion.

[Guest [vi...]]

i'll soon be in a similar spot if you read my signature. follow your prescription of librium to get over alcohol withdrawals. you have no choice imo. you got to quit alcohol first and then start your taper all over (from  a higher dose of librium + valium). the question of short term use does not apply to you for you are already in benzo withdrawals. you have to start the slow taper again. however, after a week or so, imo, you can c/o from librium to valium (though not necessary for librium is as good as valium to taper from as per prof. ashton) -- this choice is yours.

 

you can also go for an alcohol taper to avoid taking librium (http://hamsnetwork.org/taper/) but considering that you are in withdrawals, i don't know if you will be able to pull it off.

 

in my case, i will be increasing my librium intake (chlordiazepoxide) as per my doc.'s advice when i quit alcohol and then start a taper from the higher dose.

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I get the alcohol for sleep part.

 

Unless you have better options, trust the doc ?

Doing it on your own, or following the advice of fellow BB members isn´t always that great ...

 

Short version, Librium is long acting.

It could help you cover the worst of alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

 

So you just take the doses as you indicated and then you stop, right ?

I wouldn´t worry about it messing up your taper.

Perhaps you need to put your taper on hold for a while ? Otherwise it could get messy. Just keep the Valium steady for a while ? I don´t think that short term thing will increase your benzo tolerance.

 

There are other options for alcohol withdrawal, for example baclofen.

You´ve been taking both Valium and alcohol. They interact. So it´s not pure alcohol withdrawal per se ?

Maybe you need something for sleep ? A short term course of (e.g.) sedating antihistamines may help you.

 

Check with your doc ?