Used as prescribed for muscle tension I had been bothered with for years. Dissolved and I felt more centered, clear, and slightly sluggish while using. It's great for flights, and for sleeping on friends' couches and other less physically comfortable situations.
Oxazepam
Well-documented
Well-documented
Multiple authoritative sources agree on dosing and effects.
- 3 corroborating sources
- 1 ROA with full dose ladder
- duration data present
- 27 combo interactions documented
- PubChem toxicity data
Well-documented
Multiple authoritative sources agree on dosing and effects.
- 3 corroborating sources
- 1 ROA with full dose ladder
- duration data present
- 27 combo interactions documented
- PubChem toxicity data
Aliases: Serax, Sobril, Alepam, Serepax, Seresta
Summary
Oxazepam is an intermediate-acting benzodiazepine with slow onset used for anxiety, alcohol withdrawal, and insomnia. It is the active metabolite of diazepam, prazepam, and temazepam. Oxazepam has a slower onset than most benzodiazepines and is considered less sedating than alprazolam or lorazepam at therapeutic doses.
Dose Information
| ROA | Light | Common | Strong | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 5-10mg | 10-30mg | 30-45mg | 45mg+ |
Benzo Equivalence Calculator
mg
20.0
mg
Oxazepam
=
—
mg
Diazepam
| Substance | Equivalent Dose | Potency |
|---|
⚠ These are approximate equivalences for educational and cross-tapering reference. Individual response, tolerance, and half-life differences mean actual equivalence varies. Always consult a healthcare provider for tapering guidance.
Onset, Duration & After-effects
| ROA | Onset | Comeup | Peak | Offset | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | 0.5-2 hrs | 30-60 min | 2-4 hrs | 4-8 hrs | 7-8 hrs |
Effect Profile
1 reportsScores (0–10) curated from multiple sources:
- Effect keyword matching from PsychonautWiki catalog
- Weighted by importance: core (×3), major (×2), minor (×1)
Benzodiazepine
7.3
Strong+
7/10
Strong anxiolysis with strong cognitive impairment, moderate sedation and euphoria
Anxiolysis
×3
10
anxiety suppression
anxiolytic
muscle relaxation
muscle relaxant
Sedation / Relaxation
×2
7
sedation
drowsiness
muscle relaxation
Motor / Cognitive Impairment
×1
9
motor control loss
cognitive impairment
memory suppression
double vision
Euphoria / Mood Lift
×1
6
physical euphoria
disinhibition
Based on reports from:
Tolerance
Build-up
develops over 1–4 weeks of daily use; hypnotic tolerance faster than anxiolytic tolerance
Reset
Falls after you stop, at a rate that varies from person to person. If you've been using regularly, cut down gradually with medical help rather than stopping suddenly.
No tolerance chart. Our decay curves for these drugs were estimates, and a curve can make tolerance look longer-lasting than it is, which is the dangerous direction.
How fast tolerance to these drugs fades after a break has not been measured well enough to draw, so don't count on a dose you used to take still being safe: after time off, start with a much smaller amount and don't use alone. Mixing sedatives with each other, with alcohol or with opioids sharply raises the risk of a fatal overdose. If you've been using regularly, don't stop suddenly: withdrawal from benzodiazepines, alcohol or GHB/GBL can cause seizures or delirium, so get medical help to cut down gradually.
Sources: FRANK: benzodiazepines · Alcohol and Drug Foundation: GHB · FDA 2020: benzodiazepine boxed warning · FDA 2019: gabapentinoids and breathing · NHS: alcohol use disorder
Cross-Tolerances
Other benzodiazepines
Z-drugs
Alcohol (GABAergic)
Barbiturates
Effects
Effect glossary — · full glossary
Positive
Negative
Positive
Negative
- Typical benzodiazepine effects
Positive
Negative
Combinations
Cross-Check Oxazepam with another substanceCommunity Trip Reports
Anecdotal first-person accounts from Reddit, Erowid, Bluelight, and Dose.wiki. Click a source to expand. Reports are harm-reduction context, not medical guidance. Tags summarise each author's own verdict — how reports are classified.
Erowid 1 report 1 neutral visit
Pill Identifiers
6
known pill identifiers on record — view imprints, colors, shapes, and images
→
Oxazepam's nerd page
Pharmacology, chemical data, effect profiles, and more
→
Helpful Links
Import into PsychonautWiki Journal
The PsychonautWiki Journal app includes Oxazepam, but its built-in data can be thinner than ours. Importing this file adds a separate "Oxazepam (Substance Search)" custom substance with our dose ranges and durations, so you can log against whichever you prefer. It leaves tolerance out on purpose, for the reason given under Tolerance above.
⬇ Download import file
Import this file as custom substances
and you get "Oxazepam (Substance Search)" with every
route's full dose ladder and timeline, no typing. Works on iOS and
Android (v15+); the format is confirmed by the app's
developer.
Ranges are harm-reduction guidance, not a prescription.
Report an issue or suggest an edit
Spotted incorrect or dangerous information, have a correction, a new study, or a useful addition for Oxazepam? Let us know. Reports are reviewed by moderators — this is not posted publicly.