💊 Benzodiazepine Equivalent Converter

Different benzodiazepines come in wildly different milligram strengths: 0.5 mg of alprazolam is roughly equivalent to 10 mg of diazepam. The standard reference table expresses every benzodiazepine as its diazepam equivalent, which lets clinicians compare doses, switch agents, and plan tapers.

This converter applies that standard equivalency table. It is strictly educational: equivalences are approximate, half-lives differ enormously, and any change to a benzodiazepine regimen must go through the prescriber with a supervised taper plan.

How to use this converter

Select the drug you are converting from and enter the dose in milligrams.

The equivalency table

The widely used reference equivalences (dose equal to 10 mg diazepam):

These are consensus approximations from clinical references, not exact pharmacology. Potency, onset, and duration all vary, and the table does not capture those dimensions.

Worked example

Lorazepam 2 mg: the table says 1 mg lorazepam equals 10 mg diazepam, so 2 mg equals 20 mg diazepam-equivalent. The same 20 mg diazepam-equivalent is 1 mg of alprazolam or 0.5 mg of clonazepam.

Notice what the table hides: diazepam's half-life stretches to days (with active metabolites), while lorazepam's is hours. Switching 2 mg lorazepam to "equivalent" diazepam changes the drug's behavior in the body substantially, which is why conversions are clinician territory.

Why tapering needs supervision

Benzodiazepine withdrawal can cause rebound anxiety, insomnia, tremor, and in severe cases seizures. The risk climbs with higher doses, longer use, and shorter-acting agents like alprazolam. Safe tapers are slow, often 5 to 10 percent reductions every couple of weeks, and sometimes switch to a long-acting agent like diazepam first to smooth the descent.

Never stop abruptly or adjust based on an equivalency table alone. If you want to reduce or stop, the conversation starts with the prescriber, who plans the taper around the specific drug, dose, duration, and your history. For general medication safety references, see our Aleve guide and Benadryl guide.

Half-life: the hidden dimension

Equivalency tables flatten drugs that behave very differently over time. Diazepam and chlordiazepoxide linger for days; lorazepam, oxazepam, and temazepam clear in hours; alprazolam sits in between with a sharp peak that encourages redosing. Interdose withdrawal, feeling worse between doses, is most common with short-acting agents.

This is also why "equivalent" switches can feel wrong: the same diazepam-equivalent dose of a long-acting agent produces steadier blood levels than the short-acting original. The table answers "how much," never "how will it feel."

Taper principles: the slow way off

Coming off benzodiazepines after sustained use is a months-long project, not a weekend effort. The widely referenced approach, associated with clinician Heather Ashton's manual, rests on a few principles: reduce slowly, often 5 to 10 percent of the dose every two to four weeks; switch short-acting agents to a long-acting one like diazepam first, so blood levels fall smoothly instead of in steps; and hold the dose steady during stressful periods rather than pushing through.

Withdrawal symptoms are the speedometer. Rebound anxiety, insomnia, sensory sensitivity, and muscle tension that flare after a cut mean the last reduction was too big or too fast; the answer is to pause, not to abandon the taper. Some people need liquid formulations or compounded doses to make cuts small enough at the tail end, where each milligram is a larger fraction.

None of this is self-directed. Tapering needs a prescriber who plans the schedule, monitors symptoms, and adjusts. What the equivalency table contributes is the starting math; the clinical judgment around it is the actual treatment.

Benzodiazepines, alcohol, and opioids

The deadliest fact about benzodiazepines is not the dose but the combination. Benzodiazepines, alcohol, and opioids all suppress breathing through overlapping pathways, and together they multiply the effect. Most fatal benzodiazepine overdoses involve another sedative; benzodiazepines alone, while dangerous in overdose, are less often lethal.

This is why prescribers ask about drinking honestly and why "just one drink" on a benzodiazepine is genuinely risky, not moralizing. The impairment stacks invisibly: coordination, judgment, and breathing all degrade more than either substance alone would suggest. Older adults face the steepest risk, since metabolism is slower and falls turn deadly.

If someone is unresponsive after combined use, it is a medical emergency: call 911, mention every substance involved, and stay until help arrives. Flumazenil can reverse benzodiazepines in hospital settings but is not a home remedy and is risky in dependent patients. Prevention, one sedative class at a time, is the whole strategy.

One more safety habit: keep an updated medication list on you, because emergency responders need to know about benzodiazepine dependence before giving certain reversal agents or sedatives. Tell every new prescriber and dentist too; the drug interacts with more of medicine than most patients realize.

For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional.