FinnWren: looking to taper Lithium extended release

[FinnWren]

Hi everyone! I am looking for some advice. I have decided to taper off of my medications. I am on Lithium, Vraylar (mod note:  cariprazine) and Lamictal. I am starting with Lithium but it is extended release so I can't cut it or make a liquid mixture or anything like that. My psychiatrist wont help me taper down so I am kinda at a loss as to what to do. The only advice I have had is to take the Lithium every other day but I have also had advice against that. I am also not sure how to taper off of the Vraylar because it is powder in a capsule so I can't cut it. Does anyone know what I should do?

 

Edited September 22, 2022 by ChessieCat
added drug name

[JanCarol]

Hey FinnWren, 

 

Welcome to SA!  

Wow, you are on a heavy "mood stabilising" cocktail.  Fortunately, you haven't been on them long.

 

This will still take awhile, because you want to be careful.  The sneakier you can be in getting rid of the drugs, the less disruptive the process will be. 

Why Taper by 10%?  

 

You will want to mostly do one drug at a time, but as you monitor your symptoms, you may want to adjust others.  All of these drugs do different things.  Mood stabilisers are different animals, hit on different systems, and I'm not a doctor, so I don't know if they share any enzymes which could make reducing one affect the others.  The lithium should be pretty straightforward, but I'm thinking ahead to the Vraylar, which hits on a lot of receptors.  That's the one you need to be really careful with.

Can you please add your doses, and maybe (if you know it) what month you were put on each to your signature? 
Like May 2021 to present Lithium 750 XR  (I'm guessing, I don't know your doses.)

So yes, you will break your lithium, and you will dose it 2x a day to make up for it.  That has been fine for everyone I've known on or tapering lithium.  I did dry tapering with a micro-gram scale.  Using a Digital Scale to Measure Doses  It is pretty easy, but I made a lot of mistakes doing it.  If I could do it again, I would use Liquid Tapering:  How to Make a Liquid from Tablets or Capsule.  Liquid tapering is more precise, so the errors are not as big if you make them.  

Please see:  Tips for Tapering off Lithium 

 

Also - to get put on such heavy mood stabilisers, you must have been in distress.  You may be numb to it now, but tapering will bring the feelings back.  This is the perfect time to learn some non-drug skills, like breathing:  Breathing for Well Being  Meditating, Sun Walks (really, seeing the horizon is an amazing mood support), simple things you can do - yoga, walking, journaling, art & music - anything to help you work through the feelings as they come up.  The more skills you learn as your doses start to go down, the better you will fare.

I'm not going to address the Vraylar or Lamictal yet, let's Keep it Simple, Slow, and Stable.  3 KIS's Keep It Simple, Slow, Stable

 

I will say I like your idea to do the lithium first, as it's clearly toxic, and you're already on another mood stabiliser.  And an "antipsychotic."  I believe that tapering the lithium will be good training for coming off the bad boy, Vraylar (Is he Darth's Cousin?  Vraylar Vader?). 

 

Keeping the Lamictal to last can have it's benefits, too:  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/3769-lamictal-lamotrigine-to-calm-post-discontinuation-withdrawal-symptoms/?hl=lamotrigine  

 

So, please get those doses in your signature, do a little reading (links above), look around the site.  If you do a search in Member forums for lithium, you can read other stories (including mine!).  If you have specific concerns, look in Symptoms & Self Care.  

And I hope you see the Sun today!

 
 

[FinnWren]

Hey! Thanks so much for responding! I appreciate all the thought you put into the response. My main issue is that it is extended release so it is my understanding that I cannot cut it in half. 

 

When you say break do you mean cut it in half? Then from there what is the reasoning for taking two halves because that would make a whole. It is also my understanding that I cannot make a liquid mixture from the extended release lithium. Sorry if I am just misunderstanding and thanks for any clarification! 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2022 by ChessieCat
extracted post from quote and deleted quote