diff --git a/diffrax/_misc.py b/diffrax/_misc.py
index 38b90fdd..8fa07ce1 100644
--- a/diffrax/_misc.py
+++ b/diffrax/_misc.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 from collections.abc import Callable
-from typing import Any, cast
+from typing import cast
 
 import jax
 import jax.core
@@ -13,22 +13,17 @@
 from ._custom_types import BoolScalarLike, RealScalarLike
 
 
-_itemsize_kind_type: dict[tuple[int, str], Any] = {
-    (1, "i"): jnp.int8,
-    (2, "i"): jnp.int16,
-    (4, "i"): jnp.int32,
-    (8, "i"): jnp.int64,
-    (2, "f"): jnp.float16,
-    (4, "f"): jnp.float32,
-    (8, "f"): jnp.float64,
-}
-
-
 def force_bitcast_convert_type(val, new_type):
     val = jnp.asarray(val)
-    intermediate_type = _itemsize_kind_type[new_type.dtype.itemsize, val.dtype.kind]
-    val = val.astype(intermediate_type)
-    return lax.bitcast_convert_type(val, new_type)
+    result = lax.bitcast_convert_type(val, new_type)
+
+    # If downcasting (larger -> smaller type), bitcast returns multiple values.
+    # Combine them via XOR to ensure nearby input values map to different outputs.
+    if result.shape != val.shape:
+        result = jnp.bitwise_xor.reduce(result, axis=-1)
+        assert val.shape == result.shape
+        assert result.dtype == new_type
+    return result
 
 
 def _fill_forward(
diff --git a/test/test_misc.py b/test/test_misc.py
index bb61c813..cb341684 100644
--- a/test/test_misc.py
+++ b/test/test_misc.py
@@ -9,3 +9,22 @@ def test_fill_forward():
     out_ = jnp.array([jnp.nan, 0.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 2.0, 2.0])
     fill_in = diffrax._misc.fill_forward(in_[:, None])
     assert tree_allclose(fill_in, out_[:, None], equal_nan=True)
+
+
+def test_force_bitcast_convert_type():
+    val_1 = jnp.float64(1e6)
+    val_2 = jnp.float64(1e6 + 1e-4)
+
+    # Val_1 and val_2 are different as float64,
+    # but would be the same if naively downcast to float32.
+    assert val_1 != val_2
+    assert val_1.astype(jnp.int32) == val_2.astype(jnp.int32)
+
+    val_1_cast = diffrax._misc.force_bitcast_convert_type(val_1, jnp.int32)
+    val_2_cast = diffrax._misc.force_bitcast_convert_type(val_2, jnp.int32)
+
+    assert val_1_cast.dtype == jnp.int32
+    assert val_2_cast.dtype == jnp.int32
+
+    # Bitcasted values should be different in the smaller type
+    assert val_1_cast != val_2_cast