Benzos Just switched from xanax to diazepam

[Alexander16]

I was on 2mg xanax and requested to switch to Diazepam. He gave me 20mg diaz in place of 2mg xanax...I'm aware all the charts say 10mg diaz=.5mg xanax but does anyone else feel like this is bullshit. 10mg valium feels a lot stronger than .5mg xanax to me

 

[Alexander16]

Basically, in my experience 5mg diaz has felt a lot more like .5mg than .25mg (that does next to nothing), anyone else feel the same?

 

[d1ahp]

I'd rather 1mg xanax than 20mg valium. To me, xanax has always been my favorite benzo, with klonopin as second, and valium as third. I don't care for ativan at all.

 

[TheLostBoys]

10mgs of Valium feels like 1mg of xanax to me......but everyone is different.

I prefer Valium & temazepam........I don't like xanax at all.

 

[Psychonauticunt]

I was on 2mg xanax and requested to switch to Diazepam. He gave me 20mg diaz in place of 2mg xanax...I'm aware all the charts say 10mg diaz=.5mg xanax but does anyone else feel like this is bullshit. 10mg valium feels a lot stronger than .5mg xanax to me

Everyone responds differently, but diazepam also has a more balanced - including sedative and physical - effects profile, so it may feel "stronger". Personally I don't find diazepam all that strong and alprazolam pretty strong, but alprazolam has very specific anxiolytic (and amnesic, if I take more) action for me - it is useless as a hypnotic or muscle relaxant.

For me the equivalence chart is pretty accurate for those two, but like I said, different effects profiles. 0.25-0.5mg of alprazolam will annihilate a panic attack for me, but I need 15-20mg of diazepam for the same result. I have to eat a lot of alprazolam to fall asleep, but much less diazepam. I can also eat 40mg diazepam and not be too fucked up, but a 2mg Xanax may or may not make me forget bits and pieces (not blackout, but close).

I find both to have their uses but for everything (except tapering, for which Valium is great), there are better choices. Xanax was effective for my panic disorder, but too amnesic, inebriating, and short-acting - clonazepam and lorazepam were much better.

 

[OntarioGuy]

I take 100 mgs of diazepam per day and have been for the last 2 months or so (sort of benzo maintenance I take it in a single dose) and with my chronic daily dosing id say 10 mgs of Diaz does feel more like 1 mg of alprazolam or clonaepam even tho as u said most charts say 10 mg=0.5 mgs....it's much more sedating as well I've learned to love it

 

[decu2gogo]

You may be feeling like the Valium is overly strong because when you make a switch between benzodiazepenes, they can initially feel stronger. At least this is my experience - I've been taking 20mg Valium/day for over 15 years, and I'm tolerant enough that I don't feel anything when I take it. But there were a few times when I switched to a different benzo (at the same equivalent dosage), and I remember that I could really feel the effects of the klonopin, xanax or whatever... So you might not need the 20mgs of Valium/day just yet, but I wouldn't go asking your doctor to lower your dosage!
One more thing: if 10mg Valium = .5mg xanax, and you were taking 2mg xanax/day, shouldn't you be getting 40mg valium instead of 20mg? Just curious...

 

[Lorne???]

I'm sorry, but your doc sounds like an idiot.

Not only is 20mg of Diazapam equivelant to only 1mg of alprazolam, for most people, but importantly, diazepam doesn't last nearly as long as alprazolam.(Xanax)

It many cases, diazepam is prescribed 4-5 times per day, because of it's prohibitively short duration. And 3 times per day is the minimum. I have literally never seen it twice per day.

If you are used to taking 1mg alprazolam BID, you will most likely feel a wreck from 10mg diazepam BID, since it is both weaker, and has a shorter duration. But YMMV.

Still, this is asanine. Good luck.

 

[Lorne???]

You may be feeling like the Valium is overly strong because when you make a switch between benzodiazepenes, they can initially feel stronger. At least this is my experience - I've been taking 20mg Valium/day for over 15 years, and I'm tolerant enough that I don't feel anything when I take it. But there were a few times when I switched to a different benzo (at the same equivalent dosage), and I remember that I could really feel the effects of the klonopin, xanax or whatever... So you might not need the 20mgs of Valium/day just yet, but I wouldn't go asking your doctor to lower your dosage!
One more thing: if 10mg Valium = .5mg xanax, and you were taking 2mg xanax/day, shouldn't you be getting 40mg valium instead of 20mg? Just curious...

He should actually be getting 60-80mg per day, due to the short duration. Of course, I've noticed for some odd reason that doctors don't like giving large doses of diazepam. I mean I've seen doctors who have no problem handing out 4ng clonazepam per day, but fret at the idea of prescribing over 100mg diazepam, even though that is what it would take to equal 4mg clonazepam, due to it's very long duration.

Since BID dosing with Xanax worked for the OP, TID dosing would be sufficient for diazepam, but I still can't recall BID dosing utilized with diazepam, except possibly in the context of tapering with an alcohol dependence. I guess for breakthrough anxiety it could work(though I've never seen it) but not for someone benzo tolerant, who was taking a fairly high dose of alprazolam.

 

[citizenuzi]

^This is gross misinformation. Diazepam has a half-life over 100hrs, it is the longest acting benzo except for chlordiazepoxide (librium) and maybe a few obscure others.

I also take issue with the equivalency chart estimate of .5mg to 10mg. I'm not sure how they get their numbers, but just because diaz is way smoother and more comprehensive doesn't mean it 'takes' 40mg to equal a bar.

 

[Lorne???]

^^^ I literally have to go right now, but diazepam is the SHORTEST ACTING BENZODIAZEPINE.

Once again, you have failed to do even a minuscule amount of research, or you'd see that diazepam has a notoriously short duration, at the clinically relevant doses.

A little more research and you'd find that this is because it's extremely high lipid solubility leads to rapid redistribution from adipose tissue.

And if you knew the slightest thing about pharmacology, you'd know that half-life is often irrelevant to the duration of a drugs effects. This is true for many drugs, including all benzodiazepines.
Seriously, anyone who has ever taken both diazepam and clonazepam will tell you that the idea that diazepam lasts longer is a fucking joke.

Please, please, PLEASE people, stop using the term "half-life" if you don't understand it.

Not to be rude man, but seriously? This is 2 posts in one day where I have to clear up this bullshit about "duration vs half-life".

I swear, I am going to put a link in my signature, to a benzodiazepine chart, showing that the duration of the respective benzo's (and therefore the respected dosing) is irrelevant to the half-life.

In the mean time, take 10 minutes to read through my previous posts, it shall enlighten you

 

[Psychonauticunt]

^This is gross misinformation. Diazepam has a half-life over 100hrs, it is the longest acting benzo except for chlordiazepoxide (librium) and maybe a few obscure others.

I also take issue with the equivalency chart estimate of .5mg to 10mg. I'm not sure how they get their numbers, but just because diaz is way smoother and more comprehensive doesn't mean it 'takes' 40mg to equal a bar.

So it does, but its half-life is biphasic, and the principal clinically significant effects will (at a normal dose) only last around 4-6 hours, as the drug is distributed to muscle tissue and such. Lorazepam has a far shorter half-life but a clinically effective dose (for purposes other than tapering) lasts longer than an equivalent dose of diazepam. The rest of the duration is made up of the diazepam being turned into active, but mild metabolites. They do accumulate, sure, but you will only be prescribed a large amount if you are already tolerant.

Doctors do seem averse to it though; last time my doctor wanted to start tapering from 3mg Ativan daily (after 3 months) with 10mg diazepam. Thankfully she took my word for it when I called her back to say it wasn't staving off the withdrawals, and upped it right to 30mg. I was eating 30mg a day for two weeks and though it obviously accumulated, I wasn't getting groggier by the day or anything.

 

[Psychonauticunt]

Once again, you have failed to do even a minuscule amount of research, or you'd see that diazepam has a notoriously short duration, at the clinically relevant doses.

A little more research and you'd find that this is because it's extremely high lipid solubility leads to rapid redistribution from adipose tissue.

And if you knew the slightest thing about pharmacology, you'd know that half-life is often irrelevant to the duration of a drugs effects. This is true for many drugs, including all benzodiazepines.
Seriously, anyone who has ever taken both diazepam and clonazepam will tell you that the idea that diazepam lasts longer is a fucking joke.

Please, please, PLEASE people, stop using the term "half-life" if you don't understand it.

Not to be rude man, but seriously? This is 2 posts in one day where I have to clear up this bullshit about "duration vs half-life".

I swear, I am going to put a link in my signature, to a benzodiazepine chart, showing that the duration of the respective benzo's (and therefore the respected dosing) is irrelevant to the half-life.

In the mean time, take 10 minutes to read through my previous posts, it shall enlighten you

Just beat me to it. :D Diazepam isn't the shortest-acting benzo as you say, but its principal effects are just about the shortest of any that is not considered an ultra-short acting one. After 6 hours just about all clinically relevant effects (except for tapering purposes) are gone.

 

[Lorne???]

^^^ Finally, someone who knows what they are talking about!!!

And I know that diazepam isn't actually the shortest acting benzo, (though triazolam is the only one I can think of off the too of my head) but, of all the most common benzodiazepines(and as you say, excluding the ultra short acting ones,) diazepam generally has the shortest duration.

And I have taken very high doses of diazepam, and it never accumulated, though I imagine if you took over 100mg a day for several days, it might.

 

[Alexander16]

^^^ Finally, someone who knows what they are talking about!!!

And I know that diazepam isn't actually the shortest acting benzo, (though triazolam is the only one I can think of off the too of my head) but, of all the most common benzodiazepines(and as you say, excluding the ultra short acting ones,) diazepam generally has the shortest duration.

And I have taken very high doses of diazepam, and it never accumulated, though I imagine if you took over 100mg a day for several days, it might.

I've never taken it long enough to accumilate, but I've used it for 6 months, maybe once a week to sleep and I'd take it at around 8pm, I have chronic anxiety and I'd still feel calm until the following evening...I'm on my 2nd day off xanax and only took 10mg (2x5mg) diazepam tablets, I feel relaxed and zero anxiety whereas with xanax I'd take it around the clock and feel anxious/jittery even while on doses of 1.5mg...I know the difference between half life and duration but to me valiums effects seem to act a lot longer than xanax, I also feel very calm and haven't had my usual mood swings/cravings for the last 2 days

 

[Tommyboy]

When I made the switch I went from 1mg of xanax to 10mg of valium and was fine, despite the conversation saying that 0.5mg of xanax is equal to 10mg of valium.

 

[Lorne???]

Yeah, conversion charts are just a rough approximation, and it will inevitably vary with some people.

Especially with diazepam, the "official" conversion is 0.5mg alprazolam/1mg lorazepam= ROUGHLY 10mg diazepam, but for a fair number of people it is more 5-7.5mg diazepam.

I think a lot of it is psychological, as well, I mean, like most centrally acting drugs, benzodiazepines become less effective over time, so I think for some people just having them to take helps them out, then running out of them causes so much stress in anticipation of what *could* happen, that the stress of worrying alone is worse than the rebound effects of not having a low-dose benzodiazepine.

I mean, 10mg diazepam really is a low dose, and with a short duration, to boot, taking twice per day and then running out is hardly the traumatic experience some make it out to be.

(Oh, and this is just a general observation, not talking about anyone in particular) taking anything every single day will cause done adjustments in the body, no matter how minor. Even taking 100mg diphenhydramine every single day, for an extended period will lead to some rebound effects.

 

[Jesusgreen]

I was on 2mg xanax and requested to switch to Diazepam. He gave me 20mg diaz in place of 2mg xanax...I'm aware all the charts say 10mg diaz=.5mg xanax but does anyone else feel like this is bullshit. 10mg valium feels a lot stronger than .5mg xanax to me

I agree. I think Alprazolam (Xanax) is overrated, both in strength and in how nice it is as a benzo. Diazepam (Valium) on the other hand is way under-rated, even though 5mg Diazepam is quite a bit weaker than 1mg Alprazolam I find it more pleasurable, and when I take 15-20mg+ Diazepam I'm in that amazing chill-zone I've come to know and love with benzos.

Alprazolam is decent but I think more people like it because it's the most readily available benzo in the US and many people who say it's their favourite haven't tried many/any other benzos to begin with - that and it sort of has a cult reputation and that can be a factor in peoples enjoyment of a drug, if a drug is well-known and liked by many then you naturally expect it to be great, and expectations play an important role in your overall experience.

I've tried 14 benzos to date if I recall correctly (definitely at least 12, but think it's 14, too lazy to check my list ) and Alprazolam wasn't that great compared to most of the others. Diazepam is one of my favourites though, love it

Everyone's different though, and each benzo is different. The equivalent potencies for benzos aren't precise because each benzo has different binding affinities for the benzodiazepine sites, some are more a1 selective, some more a3 selective etc. These alter the effects, i.e. an a1 selective benzo is more sedating and body-high orientated (Midazolam aka 2-Fluoro-Alprazolam for example) - while a benzo with a good a2 or a3 affinity like Diazepam tends to be more anxiolytic, upbeat and care-free. So depending what you're looking for in a benzo the purported equivalences between benzos may appear inaccurate/misleading, or fairly spot on.