Psycho-Babble Medication | about biological treatments | Framed
This thread | Show all | Post follow-up | Start new thread | List of forums | Search | FAQ

Xanax to Valium Conversion.. Ashton's #s too high?

Posted by cache-monkey on March 26, 2005, at 13:45:54

Hey all,

So, I've been trying to go the benzo route lately, upon a strong recommendation from my therapist. Xanax works the best for me at about 1-1.25 mg per day. Problem is the inter-dose rebound anxiety and the difficulty with eventual discontinuation.

The XR version of Xanax didn't work for me. Maybe my digestive system rips through all the layering too quickly, but it was like 3 hours of intense sedation, another 3 hours of anxiolysis, then nothing.

Klonopin also didn't work: excessive sedation relative to anxiolysis, and some sexual dysfunction.

I'm now trying Valium and was pleased by my first 2 mg dose. Problem is, I'm not sure what amount of Valium equates to 1-1.25 mg of Xanax.

According to Dr. Bob's tips [1], 1 mg of alprazolam should be ~ 10 mg of diazepam. I've seen this also at the on-line Family Practice Notebook [2], and in an article in the American Family Physician on discontinuation/withdrawal [3].

But, C. Heather Ashton, who has written an extensive manual on benzos and discontinuation, claims that 1 mg of alprazolam should be ~ *20* mg of diazepam [4].

What gives? Maybe it's because Ashton's equivalence chart is geared toward cross-tapering to diazepam for discontinuation. I.e. just to make the transition smoother (since not all benzos are perfectly interchangeable), she inflates the diazepam equivalent?

Anyway, if anyone, from personal experience, might be able to tell me what amount of Valium they found to equate to a workable Xanax dose, I would be much obliged.

Thank,
cache-monkey

[1] http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/bzd.html
[2] http://www.fpnotebook.com/PSY163.htm
[3] http://www.aafp.org/afp/980700ap/miller.html
[4] http://www.benzo.org.uk/bzequiv.htm


Share
Tweet  

Thread

 

Post a new follow-up

Your message only Include above post


Notify the administrators

They will then review this post with the posting guidelines in mind.

To contact them about something other than this post, please use this form instead.

 

Start a new thread

 
Google
dr-bob.org www
Search options and examples
[amazon] for
in

This thread | Show all | Post follow-up | Start new thread | FAQ
Psycho-Babble Medication | Framed

poster:cache-monkey thread:475854
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050326/msgs/475854.html