abrupt switch from alprazolam (Xanax) to diazepam

Posted by sukarno on March 25, 2010, at 9:56:24

August 2008 -- 21 March 2010, alprazolam 1mg QID
22 March 2010
alprazolam 1mg
diazepam 10mg
diazepam 10mg
diazepam 10mg
23 March 2010
woke up with moderate withdrawal symptoms (took alprazolam 1mg)
diazepam 15mg
diazepam 5mg
diazepam 10mg
diazepam 5mg
24 March 2010
diazepam 15mg
diazepam 10mg
diazepam 5mg
diazepam 5mg
diazepam 10mg
25 March 2010
diazepam 7.5mg
diazepam 7.5mg
diazepam 5mg
diazepam 5mg
-->(this is where I am now) 21:55, 25 March 2010 <--
26 March 2010 (diazepam 5mg QID) 20mg/day
27 March 2010 (diazepam 4mg QID) 16mg/day
28 March 2010 (diazepam 4mg - 4mg - 3mg - 4mg) 15mg/day
29 March 2010 (diazepam 4mg - 3mg - 3mg - 4mg) 14mg/day

Maybe I'll try clobazam 10mg BID after getting down to diazepam 5mg BID. I'd love to try that medication.
I feel pretty sedated right now, despite decreasing the dose of diazepam. I suppose it is still accumulating in my body from the previous high doses needed to suppress alprazolam withdrawal. My mood is slightly below normal, so I boosted the light therapy to 3 hours/day to compensate.
I feel very much on an even keel now. No peaks or valleys and do I ever sleep well now! lol.
My wife checks on me every now and then to make sure my sleep apnea doesn't worsen. So far, so good. I sleep with my bed elevated 30 to 45 degrees to minimise obstructive apnea.
Interestingly I feel much more sedated on diazepam than I ever did on alprazolam. This feels like 10mg of alprazolam, even though I've never taken more than 5.5mg alprazolam/day. Just a guess. Diazepam is very sedating.
I really hope I can get off this crap for good and see if the panic attacks come back. I guess I'll try a more rapid taper than last time because tapering by 1mg/month on diazepam was only prolonging the misery. I should probably drop the dose by 2mg/week or so when I get to the lower doses to get it over with.
At least there won't be seizures (they are either non-existent or very rare on a diazepam taper). With alprazolam though, tapering has many pitfalls.
The government of Australia has a protocol for a rapid taper similar to this. They usually start with 60mg/day, then 40mg/day, then 20mg/day and 10mg/day, etc.

alprazolam (Xanax) 1mg QID
tianeptine (Stablon) 12.5mg QID
famotidine (Pepcid) 20mg BID
GNC Ultra Mega Gold vitamin supplement, BID
Dx: panic disorder, MDD (unipolar, melancholia), perfectionist

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abrupt switch from alprazolam (Xanax) to diazepam sukarno 3/25/10

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