glassbell Posted June 24, 2022 Share Posted June 24, 2022 Hello all, I joined this forum because I've been trying to figure out how to taper off of 3.0 mg of Vraylar. The drug is a powder in a capsule and only comes in 4.5, 3.0, and 1.5 mg doses. Does anyone have any experience tapering off of Vraylar? Any words of advice? My holistic psychiatrist suggested he prescribe me 1.5mg x 60 each month where I take one capsule whole and used a scale/microspoon to eliminate 0.1mgs of the 1.5 mg pill so I'd do a taper of 0.1 mg ever 2 weeks to 1 month. I'm stuck on which scale to buy--- would this scale serve my purpose?? It's the "U.S. Solid Analytical Balance 120 x 0.0001 g 0.1mg Electronic Precision Scale" on ebay for $419. Thank for any assistance! Glassbell Vraylar 3.0 mg since July 2020 Attempting to start a microtaper of about 0.1 mg/month but I need advice on which scale to purchase! Trazodone 150mg Since July 2020 Took it for sleep but CT March 2022 at the advice of a holistic doctor who wanted me to try to sleep without it. Sleeping fine. Lithium 600 mg since August 2018 Tapered down at a rate of 150 mg/month starting July 2021 at the advice of my psychiatrist but held steady at 300 for a few months. Off Lithium as of 3/2022. No rebound psychosis, thankfully. Probably due to being on Vraylar. Latuda 40 mg since August 2018 August 2020 Tapered down from 40 to 20 to CT because I switched to Vraylar Link to comment
Moderator Frogie Posted June 24, 2022 Moderator Share Posted June 24, 2022 @glassbell Welcome to SA. We are a volunteer ran site helping member such as yourself taper off psychiatric medications or have tapered off and are now healing. This is your introduction page where you will receive information, ask questions and meet other members. We ask that you only have one introduction page so we can keep all your information in one place. Another moderator posted this about Vraylar. You might find information in these posts. Search results in the Introduction forum to find other members taking the same drug. There might be information in those topics about how the members are tapering the drug: Vraylar is another brand name for cariprazine. https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/search/?q=cariprazine https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/search/?q=Vraylar Here are some other links I'm providing that will give you information on tapering. Why taper by 10% of my dosage? Preparing to taper The Brassmonkey Slide Method of Micro-tapering Dr. Joseph Glenmullen's withdrawal symptom checklist An expensive scale is not necessary. Most members on here use the Gemini 20 scale (myself included) and it works just fine. You can check it out on Amazon. You will also need some "0" or "00" gel caps so you can weigh and keep the extra powder to taper with. You can purchase these on Amazon also. Using a scale to weigh and measure doses Please reach out to us with any questions you may have after reading the links. PREVIOUS medications and discontinuations: Have been on medications since 1996. Valium, Gabapentin, Lamictal, Prilosec and Zantac from 2000 to 2015 with a fast taper by a psychiatrist. Liquid Lexapro Nov, 2016 to 31-March, 2019 Lexapro free!!! (total Lexapro taper was 4 years-started with pill form) ---CURRENT MEDICATIONS:Supplements:Milk Thistle, Metamucil, Magnesium Citrate, Vitamin D3, Levothyroxine 25mcg, Vitamin C, Krill oil. Xanax 1mg 3x day June, 2000 to 19-September, 2020 Went from .150 grams (average weight of 1 Xanax) 3x day to .003 grams 3x day. April 1, 2021 went back on 1mg a day. Started tapering May 19, 2023. July 28, 2023-approximately .87mg. Dr. fast tapered me at the end and realized he messed up. Prescribe it again and I am doing "slower than a turtle" taper. 19-September, 2020 Xanax free!!! (total Xanax taper was 15-1/2 months-1-June, 2019-19-September, 2020) I am not a medical professional. The suggestions I make are based on personal experience. Link to comment
SlowVeil Posted June 25, 2022 Share Posted June 25, 2022 I posted my intro about my vraylar withdrawal which may give you some insights in what would symptoms may appear as withdrawing from vraylar. However I can't really find it in my profile or anywhere on this website. I feel hopeless. 2018: abilify(ct) -> lamictal(ct) -> quetiapine(fast taper): no withdrawal syndrome. All side effects and adverse reactions disappeared as soon as I went off the meds. 2019-2021: psych med free; 2021/05 - 08: oral contraceptive for abnormal period (had very irregular period with bleeding that could last 3 weeks) 2021/11: Had shingles for a few weeks, used gabapentin & Valacyclovir. Stopped when shingles stopped. No issues. 2022- 2/11-2/27: Vraylar 1.5mg/day, 2/25-2/27: Mirtazapine(all under previous psych NP's instruction); Went to ER for akathisia on 3/6/2022 and tried propranolol with lorazepam for around 5 days but did not work. Hospitalized on 3/16/2022 due to akathisia and introduced the following: Clonidine 0.1mg/day for 2 weeks; Lorazepam 0.5mg twice/day for 1 week; benztropine 1mg twice/day for 1 week; propranolol 10mg/day for 1 week. 100mg/day vitamin B6 from 4/6-4/17. No med since 4/14/2022. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Shep Posted June 26, 2022 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted June 26, 2022 On 6/24/2022 at 8:24 PM, SlowVeil said: I posted my intro about my vraylar withdrawal which may give you some insights in what would symptoms may appear as withdrawing from vraylar. However I can't really find it in my profile or anywhere on this website. I feel hopeless. @SlowVeilyour intro is here: SlowVeil: Vraylar / cariprazine withdrawal Please continue posting there. Thank you. 1 Link to comment
glassbell Posted April 19, 2023 Author Share Posted April 19, 2023 Update: my regular psychiatrist wants to put me on Caplyta because I've been crying non stop / depressed on Vraylar. I thought I'd start it and stabilize on it for 6 months before I start a liquid taper. Thinking ahead, Caplyta is a 42 mg capsule with powder inside and its solubility in water is 0.0805 mg/mL. Dividing that into 42, would I need to do a liquid taper with 522 mL of water? Thanks! Vraylar 3.0 mg since July 2020 Attempting to start a microtaper of about 0.1 mg/month but I need advice on which scale to purchase! Trazodone 150mg Since July 2020 Took it for sleep but CT March 2022 at the advice of a holistic doctor who wanted me to try to sleep without it. Sleeping fine. Lithium 600 mg since August 2018 Tapered down at a rate of 150 mg/month starting July 2021 at the advice of my psychiatrist but held steady at 300 for a few months. Off Lithium as of 3/2022. No rebound psychosis, thankfully. Probably due to being on Vraylar. Latuda 40 mg since August 2018 August 2020 Tapered down from 40 to 20 to CT because I switched to Vraylar Link to comment
glassbell Posted April 24, 2023 Author Share Posted April 24, 2023 Could anyone with a pharmacist brain give me some advice? Caplyta comes in 42 mg capsules which contain the equivalent of 60 mg of lumateperone tosylate. I want to dissolve the powder inside the capsules to make a liquid solution that I could use to taper off the medication. I found the following information on solubility here: https://cdn.caymanchem.com/cdn/insert/34541.pdf "Lumateperone (tosylate) is soluble in organic solvents such as ethanol, DMSO, and dimethyl formamide (DMF). The solubility of lumateperone (tosylate) in these solvents is approximately 1, 10, and 25 mg/ml, respectively." If I purchase DMSO online and use 6 mL of the liquid to dissolve 60 mg of the drug (10 mg/ml) could I taper with this solution? Would you recommend I dilute it with distilled water to make the calculations of the taper or could I just use a 1 ml syringe and make the adjustments to the DMSO solution without diluting it? Or could I just use vodka as ethanol and how much vodka should I use? This is so confusing! Vraylar 3.0 mg since July 2020 Attempting to start a microtaper of about 0.1 mg/month but I need advice on which scale to purchase! Trazodone 150mg Since July 2020 Took it for sleep but CT March 2022 at the advice of a holistic doctor who wanted me to try to sleep without it. Sleeping fine. Lithium 600 mg since August 2018 Tapered down at a rate of 150 mg/month starting July 2021 at the advice of my psychiatrist but held steady at 300 for a few months. Off Lithium as of 3/2022. No rebound psychosis, thankfully. Probably due to being on Vraylar. Latuda 40 mg since August 2018 August 2020 Tapered down from 40 to 20 to CT because I switched to Vraylar Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Shep Posted April 28, 2023 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 28, 2023 On 4/19/2023 at 1:33 AM, glassbell said: Update: my regular psychiatrist wants to put me on Caplyta because I've been crying non stop / depressed on Vraylar. I thought I'd start it and stabilize on it for 6 months before I start a liquid taper. On 4/23/2023 at 8:55 PM, glassbell said: Could anyone with a pharmacist brain give me some advice? Caplyta comes in 42 mg capsules which contain the equivalent of 60 mg of lumateperone tosylate. We aren't medical professionals here and can't help you set up a new drug cocktail using Caplyta. We don't recommend adding in new drugs in order to taper off your current drug. You'll need to work with your doctor. Link to comment
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