Benzos Would switching from Alprazolam (Xanax) to Etizolam cause benzo WD symptoms?

[Identity888]

From Wikipedia:

Alprazolam is a short-acting anxiolytic of the benzodiazepine class of psychoactive drugs.

Etizolam is a thienobenzodiazepine drug which is a benzodiazepine analog.

So if one would be using Alprazolam daily for some time and switch to Etizolam, would he experience withdrawal symptoms?

The question is theoretical, so no exact dosage/timeframe.

Thank you.

 

[crazycatman]

Never tried it, put if I had to guess, my answer would be no.

 

[cook]

Both act on GABAa-receptor so they should be interchangeable.

 

[laCster]

G Research chems (in the USA etizolam is more of a rc than a pharm drug) are notorious for being cut and being weakith active chemical. Etizolam pills are highly variable in the amount etizolam actually in them. So if someone was addicted to xanax, ran out, and bought etizolam to compensate, they would need to take more etizolam than the actual medical equivalence.

Like if someone was dependant on 4mg of xanax a day, they would need to take more than 8mg etizolam (1mg xanax = 2mg etizolam) because the 1mg pellets usually have less than 1mg in them.


In theory, a person could be held by etizolam because it is a benzo , but because etizolam pellets vary in strength, one needs to take more in order to feel relief

 

[Opanaking]

When I was taking Klonopin daily I would switch to xanax. It kept me out of withdrawal as long as I made sure I was taking enough. I know they are the same strength the only real difference is half life. The xanax would wear off a lot quicker but still hit the same receptors.

When it comes to etizolam I'm not sure. I know it's not a classic benzodiazapine. My guess would be that it would require some transitioning/getting used to comming from a benzo as strong as xanax.

Edit: Just realized this is an old thread.

 

[ErgicMergic]

When I was taking Klonopin daily I would switch to xanax. It kept me out of withdrawal as long as I made sure I was taking enough. I know they are the same strength the only real difference is half life. The xanax would wear off a lot quicker but still hit the same receptors.

When it comes to etizolam I'm not sure. I know it's not a classic benzodiazapine. My guess would be that it would require some transitioning/getting used to comming from a benzo as strong as xanax.

Yeah, I was just about to say that Etizolam is not technically a benzo, but rather a thienodiazepine. I've never used it, but there have been plenty of accounts of hardcore addiction and cravings to it in the same manner as a short-acting benzo, kind of like Xanax but more like Ativan. Again, I've never used it.

Like laCster said, RC chems are highly variable, but I wouldn't instantly assume it's weak and dose higher than double the mg of your xanax/kpin dose. Rather, I would start at 1mg xanax/kpin = 2mg etizolam, and if that doesn't work, work your way up from there. It's better to be safe than sorry, both from an OD standpoint and from a physical addiction standpoint.

 

[.:Holy::Toast:.]

Yea etizolam is more sedative than Xanax, pyralozam is supposedly more similar to Xanax.
I don't think the change should give you much for WD's as they both have very similar mechanisms of action

 

[stilllost]

don't take eddie, it'll make your eyes jiggle like mine

 

[ErgicMergic]

^ You get eye wobbles from etizolam? That's fascinating... do you mind telling us more and which other drugs/herbs you take?

 

[Cruel Intentions]

Swap from alprazolam to diazepam if you want off it. Diaz lasts longer and is easier to titrate down on

 

[ErgicMergic]

^ Clonazepam lasts much longer than diazepam, and is available in dosage units as low as 0.25mg (5mg Valium), or 0.125mg (2.5mg Valium) if you go for the sublingual wafers.

Yes, I know diazepam's half-life is much longer, but duration of action does not = half-life. I tapered off of Valium/Xanax (scripted), equivalent to ~30-40mg/day for 8 months, using a very slow Valium Ashton taper over 6-8 months, and once I got down to 1.25mg Valium once a day (a quarter of a 5mg), the interdose withdrawals were ridiculous, and had to switch to kava-kava herbpharm liquid tincture to taper off of that, going from 20 drops to 1 drop a day.

On the other hand, I suspect that if I had used clonazepam to taper instead, and kept the doses equivalent (this is the tricky part, as Valium is delightfully weak), I would have had a much easier time coming off of it. Clonazepam has a duration of action roughly 3-4 times longer than Valium in my experience.