would valium stop xannax wds ?

[phsycra]

Hi

Been on both for a couple of yrs about 30mgs of Valium and 3mgs of Xanax daily .I've given up xanax pretty much cold Turkey for about 2 week and am tapering the Valium my question is I have had absolutely no wds from Xanax is this because I'm still taking Valium? I haven't even thought about Xanax.

 

[jay12345]

Yes, some Dr will actually use Valium as a way to taper off Xanax. There is info on the web to proper dosages but I would speak to your Dr about it.

 

[debaser]

Hi phsycra, absolutely, it's because you're still taking diazepam (Valium) that you don't feel alprazolam (Xanax) withdrawal.

So it's been two weeks you've stopped cold turkey alprazolam. Are you tapering on your own, without a doctor's schedule? What is the rate of your taper?

 

[Dread calm]

Valium will keep your wd's at bay for longer too as it has a huge half life. That's why it's used to taper people off most Benzos. You can maintain a fairly consistent level with it and taper much More safely. But dont drop your valium dose too quickly, its a long process.

 

[phsycra]

Hi

Thanks for the replies I'm planning on a 3 month Valium taper dropping by 2.5 mgs every two days but its hard as I love the relief they provide

 

[nAON]

Did you increase your valium dosage at all before you started the taper? Normally would recommend upping your valium dose if you dropped the xanax (ratios in my sig), but if it's been several weeks already and you stayed at 30mg, not much point.

Dropping dose by ~8mg a week sounds a bit too rapid though, the usual taper is something like 10% a week. So i'd say try dropping it by 1mg every two days rather than 2.5mg.

 

[Cyb]

I agree with nAON. With some drug withdrawals, say opiates, the withdrawal is highly dependent on your mentality - you may feel like you're going to die, but you (minus the very few exceptions) wont actually die. With GABAergic substances, you CAN actually die from them. Drop your dose as fast as you comfortably can, but don't get the ''I can do this cold turkey - 200mg Valium yesterday? I can do NONE today!" mentality. It is very possible to have seizures that can, possibly, be lethal in the throes of BZD withdrawal. I cannot stress enough how important it is to be under a medical professional's supervision while doing a taper / withdrawal. The same amount of importance goes for staying vigilant in your taper program - if your doctor thinks you just dropped 2mg of your daily dose, but you haven't, suddenly your RX bottle is empty and you could find yourself in the emergency room. I am NOT trying to scare you, I am merely concerned about your health. I am currently physically dependent on alcohol (and opiates, which also gave me the super bonus of a free case of HCV), so I soon too shall be on a long term BZD taper myself. You're not alone, and more importantly, you're more than capable of doing this.

Be safe, be well, and do succeed!

C

 

[Psychonauticunt]

Yes.

The difference in subjective effects may mean that even with the Valium, you feel like you are 'missing' something, as Xanax is more potently anxiolytic and hits a lot faster.

However, apart from such psychological symptoms, Valium will absolutely stop your alprazolam withdrawals (and as a matter of fact, is the most commonly prescribed drug for tapering off any benzodiazepine). Tolerance and dependence develops NOT to alprazolam, but its effects on the brain and body - and diazepam exerts all those same effects. This is why all benzos are cross-tolerant - your body doesn't discriminate; if it works on the same receptors with a similar potency, you will not experience withdrawal.