When can I take Xanax after Valium?

[doglover1967]

I normally take 1 to 1.5 .25mg of Xanax daily for anxiety and have for years. I saw a new ENT yesterday who prescribed 5mg of Valium at bedtime for vertigo and instructed me to stop the Xanax. I did not take Xanax yesterday and took the Valium as prescribed. HORRIBLE nightmares all night so now I want to go back to my Xanax. I can deal with vertigo, but lucid nightmare like that I cannot.

My question is, it's been 24 hours since I took the 5mg Valium. Can I take a .25mg Xanax now? Or do I need to wait longer?

[Shazamataz]

I think it's safe to just go back to your regular regimen as they are very similar meds.

[panic_down_under]

My question is, it's been 24 hours since I took the 5mg Valium. Can I take a .25mg Xanax now? Or do I need to wait longer?

Valium (diazepam) has a very long half-life, up to 200 hours when its active metabolites are factored in, so most of the 5mg is still in your system therefore you probably won't need to take more than 1 x 0.25mg Xanax for a while.

I suspect that long half-life is the main cause of the nightmares as it can take a couple of days for Valium to build up in the body so while 5mg is actually a slightly higher dose compared to Xanax, it may not have felt that way to your brain.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Valium (diazepam) has a very long half-life, up to 200 hours when its active metabolites are factored in, so most of the 5mg is still in your system therefore you probably won't need to take more than 1 x 0.25mg Xanax for a while.

I suspect that long half-life is the main cause of the nightmares as it can take a couple of days for Valium to build up in the body so while 5mg is actually a slightly higher dose compared to Xanax, it may not have felt that way to your brain.

Have a scan at the Distribution half life when you are on Drugs.com, that's more important than the elimination one in terms of duration of effect. The Elimination half life has no bearing on feeling the effects of the drug whether it's the 48 hour active drug one or the active metabolite.

OP I would take it in line with the prescribing guidelines you were given since the doctor will have taken it into account. It might be best to contact them to discuss the change anyway. If you've been taking Xanax for some time, could there be any possibility of dependence?

The active drug in Diazepam will take some time to be eliminated, potentially 5x the 48 hour half life to get it at under 5% remaining but it won't be working. The Distribution half life of Diazepam is still short, a matter of hours, and then it loses its effect. So, like Shaz says with them both being Benzo meds it may be fine.