Benzodiazepine equivalent dose conversion
Converts a daily benzodiazepine dose to an approximately equivalent dose of another, with a cross-tolerance reduction.
Inputs
1 of 4Current drug
mg/day
New drug
Cross-tolerance reduction
When to use
- Switching benzodiazepines, often to a long-acting agent before a taper.
Pearls and pitfalls
- Equivalence tables vary widely between sources; treat results as a starting point.
- Reduce the calculated dose 25% to 50% when switching, then titrate.
- Elderly and hepatic impairment: prefer lorazepam, oxazepam, or temazepam (no active metabolites).
Why use
Shows the arithmetic and a built-in safety reduction rather than a bare ratio.
New dose = current dose × (equivalent of new drug ÷ equivalent of current drug) × (1 − reduction)