Librium Taper: Managing Withdrawal Symptoms

The likelihood of Librium dependence is high, even when you take it as prescribed. That’s why a Librium taper plan is so important.

Once the body is dependent on Librium, it’s dangerous to stop using it suddenly. A Librium taper schedule may be required to stop using the drug safely.

Librium poses a risk for addiction and dependence. It is a Schedule IV controlled medication, meaning it has a low potential for abuse and addiction.

With any drug that has the potential to be addictive, it can be unsafe to stop using cold turkey, which is why doctors put patients on a Librium taper schedule.

A Librium taper schedule is also important if you take the drug to treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol withdrawal lasts three to five days, and a taper helps slowly reduce withdrawal symptoms during that time.

What Is Librium Tapering or Weaning off Librium?

Librium is the brand name of the generic prescription drug chlordiazepoxide. It’s prescribed to treat acute anxiety and alcohol withdrawal. Librium is classified as a benzodiazepine, and it impacts the effects of GABA, a natural chemical that controls nerve activity in the brain.

Librium is commonly prescribed for alcohol withdrawal because it helps manage more dangerous symptoms like tremors, seizures, hallucinations and agitation. When Librium is slowly removed from the body, its effects last long enough to be helpful for withdrawals.

Different treatment centers use various taper protocols. However, an example of a Librium taper is:

• Day one: 50–100 mg by mouth every four to six hours as needed for symptoms
• Day two: 50–100 mg by mouth every six to eight hours as needed for symptoms
• Day three: 50–100 mg by mouth every 12 hours as needed for symptoms
• Day four: 50–100 mg by mouth at bedtime as needed

Librium should be used at the lowest dose for the shortest time possible, so it is generally used for a maximum of four to five days. It should only be used long enough to manage withdrawal symptoms.

Only take Librium for alcohol withdrawal under the supervision of a trained professional.

Why Is Librium Used for Alcohol Withdrawal?

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be some of the most serious of any substance, and it’s important for someone with an alcohol use disorder to seek care in a medically supervised detox program.

When someone detoxes from alcohol, a team of doctors and clinicians can prescribe the proper medications to keep them comfortable and safe. Librium is often used for this purpose. When Librium is used for alcohol withdrawal symptoms, the person may take up to four doses daily.

Librium has a long half-life of around 100 hours due to its breakdown products that remain in your body. This means that half of the drug is eliminated from the body in around 100 hours. Since it generally takes five half-lives to leave the body fully, Librium and its products can be present for weeks in the system.

The long half-life of Librium is the reason it is useful for alcohol withdrawal. It is better at managing symptoms than benzos, which have a shorter half-life.

Related Topic: How To Taper Off Alcohol

Librium Addiction and Dependence

Addiction and dependence are different things. Dependence is a condition where the person will experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking the medication. However, they are not driven to use the drug in a damaging way.

When a person has become physically or psychologically dependent on a drug, their body experiences adverse side effects if they stop taking it. However, being dependent on Librium doesn’t necessarily mean you’re addicted to it.

If someone is addicted to Librium, their brain pushes them to take the drug repeatedly because it activates their reward center. When this happens, it’s considered a psychological disease. Someone addicted to Librium will start to make the drug their sole focus and often neglect other responsibilities and relationships. Librium abuse can include taking higher doses of the drug than prescribed or taking it differently.

People addicted to Librium may also “doctor shop” for prescriptions, lie or hide their use. Physical signs of Librium addiction may include restlessness, confusion and tolerance that develops for the drug.

The likelihood of Librium dependence is high, even when you take it as prescribed. That’s why a Librium taper plan is so important. A Librium taper guided by a medical professional can help mitigate or prevent withdrawal symptoms and help you stop using the drug. It’s important to realize that even after using Librium for only a few weeks, you may need to wean off it gradually.

Types of Librium Tapering Methods

Different strategies for tapering Librium exist. Tapers slowly decrease your dose over time and may be paused or slowed if withdrawal symptoms occur. However, not all types of tapers are equally recommended. Specifically, experts recommend two types of tapers: direct or substitute. A third type of taper, a titration taper, is not recommended.

Direct Tapering

In a direct taper, the Librium dose is slowly decreased over weeks to months. A direct taper is generally straightforward, with your doctor decreasing your dose by around 25% per week. 

Substitute Tapering

In substitute tapering, a short-acting benzodiazepine is converted to a long-acting benzodiazepine, which is then tapered 25% per week, similar to a direct taper. However, because Librium is already one of the longest-acting benzodiazepines available, a substitute taper is typically unnecessary.

Titration Tapering

Titration tapering is not recommended. In titration tapering, the benzodiazepine is mixed with water, and then you slowly take decreasing amounts of the water mixture daily to wean yourself off the drug. However, because the drug may not completely mix evenly in water, it is possible to accidentally take too much of it, risking an overdose.

Why Consider Tapering vs. Stop Librium Cold Turkey?

Tapering is better than stopping Librium cold turkey because tapering allows your body to slowly ease off the drug and acclimate to its absence. Because your body adapts to Librium’s presence when you take the drug regularly, suddenly stopping it can cause unpleasant and dangerous withdrawal symptoms, leading to complications like seizures. Tapering is a much more controlled way of weaning off the drug and can help you avoid withdrawal.

Common Librium Withdrawal Symptoms

Librium withdrawal symptoms are similar to those of other benzos. While some side effects are merely bothersome, others can be serious. Side effects include:

• Sweating 
• Rapid pulse
• Tremor
• Insomnia
• Nausea or vomiting
• Hallucinations
• Agitation
• Anxiety
• Seizures

Side Effects of Librium Tapering

When done correctly, a Librium taper should have no side effects. Feeling withdrawal effects during a Librium taper means the taper should be stopped or slowed to give your body time to adjust to the new lower dose.

That said, sometimes Librium is prescribed to treat conditions like anxiety, and dose reduction during a taper may mean the preexisting anxiety worsens. In these cases, your doctor should have an alternate treatment available to you during the Librium taper to manage your anxiety.

Librium Withdrawal Timeline

Librium is one of the longest-acting benzos, and a dose of the drug can take days to wear off. For this reason, Librium withdrawal symptoms may not start for a few days or even a week after the last dose of the drug. A Librium withdrawal timeline can vary from person to person, but in general, the following is expected:

• Withdrawal symptom onset: One day to a week after the last Librium dose
• Peak withdrawal symptoms: Two weeks after the last Librium dose
• Resolution of withdrawal symptoms: Three weeks to a month after the last Librium dose

In some cases, prolonged withdrawal symptoms may wax and wane for months after the person has stopped taking Librium, although these resolve with time.

Can Tapering Your Librium Intake Reduce Withdrawal Symptoms?

Tapering Librium can reduce or eliminate your withdrawal symptoms. By allowing your body to adjust to progressively lower Librium doses, you can avoid the abrupt changes to your brain chemistry that would otherwise occur if you quit the drug cold turkey.

Final Thoughts

Librium is a prescription benzo that treats anxiety and alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Regardless of why you’re prescribed Librium, it’s intended as a short-term treatment. You should speak with your physician about whether or not a Librium taper is the right way to stop using the drug. If you’re struggling with Librium misuse or are concerned about a Librium addiction, contact The Recovery Village for help.

How The Recovery Village Uses Librium Tapering

At The Recovery Village, we taper your Librium to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Working alongside you and your addiction specialist team, we will slowly wean you off Librium, easing you through withdrawal as your system is cleansed of Librium. Don’t wait: contact us today to see how we can help you live a Librium-free life.

Editor – Theresa Valenzky

Theresa Valenzky graduated from the University of Akron with a Bachelor of Arts in News/Mass Media Communication and a certificate in psychology. She is passionate about providing genuine information to encourage and guide healing in all aspects of life. Read more

Medically Reviewed By – Dr. Jessica Pyhtila, PharmD

Dr. Jessica Pyhtila is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist based in Baltimore, Maryland with practice sites in inpatient palliative care and outpatient primary care at the Department of Veteran Affairs. Read more