@lakesofdelray , Your doctor had the right idea as far as replacing 1 mg. of Ativan with 0.5 mg. of Xanax however doing a direct switch would definitely cause withdrawal symptoms from Ativan. If you do try it again you just start with one Ativan replaced by Xanax for a week and then do it again with a second Ativan for another week until you are only taking Xanax after the third week, this method will help you to avoid withdrawal symptoms, best wishes.