Counting beads in a capsule versus weighing

[Superwoman]

1 hour ago, Superwoman said:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15b4bNWYHDyx_iAnKX5k1j0121zcz-W34/view?usp=drivesdk
 

 

The link above is a video that I made of me tapering Effexor Xr.  It is a method I developed using a baby nasal aspirator to suck up beads and a home made pill rack and funnel.  @Altostrata, SA members, are you able to open the link?  This method would work for tapering any pill with beads.

[Superwoman]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15b4bNWYHDyx_iAnKX5k1j0121zcz-W34/view?usp=drivesdk
 

I went in and changed the permissions so that it is public.  Someone informed me that they could not open it.  Let me know if it viewable now?  Thanks

[FindRest]

Thanks, @Superwoman! I was able to view it just fine. Do you use brand name Effexor? I do and my beads don’t look near as uniform as yours do. Love the tray and using the pimple popper!!! I’m going to start using mine!  

[Superwoman]

4 minutes ago, FindRest said:

Thanks, @Superwoman! I was able to view it just fine. Do you use brand name Effexor? I do and my beads don’t look near as uniform as yours do. Love the tray and using the pimple popper!!! I’m going to start using mine!  

Thanks.  If someone finds this tray can you post on here where you find it please?   I can’t remember where I found it for sure.  The tray works perfect for tapering.  I use generic Effexor Aurobindo brand.  There looks to be 3 different sizes of beads in mine. 

[Superwoman]

I will post some more tips and info about the method later.  

[Altostrata]

Ingenious! Thanks for sharing this.

 

Why do you use the scissors? Do you find it difficult to twist open the capsule? Do the scissors damage any of the beads?

[Superwoman]

4 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

Ingenious! Thanks for sharing this.

 

Why do you use the scissors? Do you find it difficult to twist open the capsule? Do the scissors damage any of the beads?

Thanks Alto.  I thought it was pretty clever.  Not to toot my horn or anything.  I am very innovative and good at coming up with ideas and my husband is very handy.  So we make a good team.  
 

Yes, my capsules are very difficult to open.  I had maybes 2 or 3 broken beads per capsule.  I was careful how I cut it.  I don’t know if the broken beads were from cutting it open or not.  They could have been broken from the start.  I had many more crushed beads from struggling to open the capsules.   I will post some more information and tips.  

[ChessieCat]

Excellent!!!  I'd be chuffed too.

I found this.  You could contact the supplier and find out which companies they supply.  Just don't eat all the cookies at once though.

 

https://www.copybook.com/companies/excellent-packaging-supply-eps/articles/a-full-line-of-catering-trays-bowls-and-lids-all-made-of-compostable-biodegradable-ingeo

[Superwoman]

On 4/12/2020 at 7:26 PM, Superwoman said:

I found a novel way to count beads.  Below are the tools that I used....
 

This is a tray that I found in my kitchen cabinet.  The textured indented design on it works great for dividing out beads.  I got this at a local grocery store a long time ago.  I don’t remember which one.  I think it was from the bakery section and had cake or cookies or something on it.  I looked at the baking section at Meijers and I did not see this plate there.  Maybe try Krogers.  I know this tray is still made b/c I saw someone had brought in this plate to work with fudge squares on it.   I think that a school lunch tray would also work.

Sorry the picture is upside down.  I don’t know how to fix that.  My husband made me the pill rack.  He said it was very easy.  If you are not handy like my husband (he is a skilled tradesman), they do sell pill racks.  My husband also made me the tiny funnel.  You can also buy tiny funnels online.  The device to the side of the pill rack is a pimple popper tool.  You can buy this at any drug store in the cosmetic section.  The pimple popper tool works wonderfully for dividing and moving the beads.  
 

Below is a baby snot sucker 🤣.  It works well to suck up those tiny AD beads.  I was having difficulty picking up those pesky little beads so I started looking for something that could suck up the beads.  Pretty resourceful, huh.  The device plays you lullaby’s 😂.  The lullaby’s are actually rather soothing for my anxiety lol 🤣.  I got it for $20 or $30 at Walmart. 
  
 

 

9 hours ago, Superwoman said:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15b4bNWYHDyx_iAnKX5k1j0121zcz-W34/view?usp=drivesdk
 

I went in and changed the permissions so that it is public.  Someone informed me that they could not open it.  Let me know if it viewable now?  Thanks

Above is a video that I made of a new method that I came up with for tapering antidepressants using the a baby nasal aspirator, party tray, and pimple popper tool.  I am combining this all into one post so that it is easier to follow.  @Altostrata, feel free to delete the duplicate pictures from my previous post if you wish.  You may need to have Google Drive to open this video?  

 

Materials Needed

 

• Pimple popper tool (see picture and/or video)
• Baby nasal aspirator
•  Party Tray
•  Pill rack/ capsule holder-  You can make your own or purchase from Amazon,  https://www.aromatools.com/wooden-capsule-holder.html or https://www.etsy.com/search?q=capsule holder.  All of the capsule holders for sale that I saw were for large size capsules size 00 or 0.  If you want to use small size capsules like I used, then you may need to make your own.   
• Mini funnel- https://www.aromatools.com/mini-funnels.html  This mini funnel from Aroma Tools.  The capsules that I have at home that fit this funnel are DoTerra Veggie Caps.  The bottle does not list the capsule size but they are large size capsules.  This funnel would fit other capsule of a similar size.  This funnel does not fit my small size 3 or 4 capsules.  I like the metal funnel that my hubby made me b/c there is no static cling with the metal.  You can probably find mini metal funnels on Amazon.  Get a size funnel to fit the size capsules that you want to use.  You may even be able to make a funnel at home by rolling up an index card.     
• Empty Capsules- available on Amazon (get the size to fit your size pill rack and funnel)
•  1 index card- roll into a cylinder and tape
•  Small Scissors (optional): If your pills are difficult to open
•  Empty prescription pill bottle or size 5/8 sample essential oil drams or bigger(optional): I had these at home.  I found that they worked better than my empty prescription bottle for storing the empty beads.  The beads do not stick to the bottle like they do with the plastic prescription bottles.  Also it is easier to pour the beads out without them going all over.  https://www.aromatools.com/5-8-dram-amber-glass-vials-with-black-cap-and-orifice-reducer-pack-of-12.html
•  Sticky labels- Avery address labels 80 labels per sheet fit the size 5/8 or larger dram bottles listed above.  You could also use any sticky labels and cut them to size
•  Fine tip Permanent marker or Pen (Write the expiration date and the dosage on the sticky label and place this on the bottle where you put the extra beads)
•  Sticky label markers: To mark the sections out on the plate of the number of groups of beads.  (see video)

Tips

 

There was a little bit of a learning curve at first.  I ran into a few problems at first.  Once I figured out solutions to these issues, then this method was pretty easy.  It took me about 30 to 40 minutes to make 1 week worth of pills.  I only made one week at a time.

 

Issue 1: Static cling: Static caused the beads to stick in the device.

 

Solution:

A. Make a mixture of 1/2 hand dish wash soap and 1/2 water.  Wipe the tray down with this solution and allow to air dry.  Take off the colleciotn cup, and the nozzle of the baby aspirator and dip it in this solution.  Do not wipe off the solution.  Allow to air dry. Do this after the first use.  You may wish to do this again if needed if static cling becomes an issue again.  

B. You will see in the video that I gently tap the device on the counter after using.  This is too dislodge any beads that get stuck.

C. You will also see in the video that I take off the nozzle of the aspirator and I take off the collection cup and look inside the device to make sure no beads are stuck after sucking them up.  Despite using the solution of dish wash and water, you could still have a bead or two stick especially on a dry winter day.  They tend to stick in the nozzle.  The aspirator has just enough suction to suck up the beads but no more.  There are also devices similar to this, but used for clearing facial pores.  These may have more suction which may prevent beads getting stuck.  I got the baby aspirator b/c it has gentle suction and I was worried that too much suction could potentially break the beads.  Let us know if you try a poor sucker how it works please.

 

Issue 2: Clumping of beads around nozzle

 

Sometimes the beads clump up at the nozzle if you try to suck up too many at once.  

 

Solution:  Don't suck up too many beads at once.  Look at the nozzle periorically to make sure there are not beads sticking to it clumped up.  You will see in the video that I do this.

 

This all might complicated and elaborate, but it is not as difficult as it looks.  If you follow these tips then it is pretty easy and straight forward.  This method works pretty well.  Let me know if you have any questions. 

    

Edited April 15, 2020 by Altostrata
added code for image rotation

[ChessieCat]

You could try a flocked bead tray.  There are various designs available.

 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bead+tray+flocked&ref=nb_sb_noss_2




This one (which is usually available in grey) might make it easy to see the beads:

[Superwoman]

16 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

Excellent!!!  I'd be chuffed too.

I found this.  You could contact the supplier and find out which companies they supply.  Just don't eat all the cookies at once though.

 

https://www.copybook.com/companies/excellent-packaging-supply-eps/articles/a-full-line-of-catering-trays-bowls-and-lids-all-made-of-compostable-biodegradable-ingeo

Good job!  I can’t believe that you found it!  I will contact them.  Eating the cookies is the best part of this method! 

[Superwoman]

2 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

You could try a flocked bead tray.  There are various designs available.

 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bead+tray+flocked&ref=nb_sb_noss_2




This one (which is usually available in grey) might make it easy to see the beads:

Cool!

[ChessieCat]

Two more places to check (for these I did a google image search of the previous one I found):

 

http://www.wilsonwholesalesupply.com/bakery.html

 

https://www.stemelsupplyinc.com/food-service.html#/

[Altostrata]

You can probably use a wire needle threader to corral the beads, too, or a wire loop you make yourself.

 

[Superwoman]

14 hours ago, Altostrata said:

You can probably use a wire needle threader to corral the beads, too, or a wire loop you make yourself.

 

That should work.  A paper clip might also work well.  

Edited April 15, 2020 by Altostrata
removed image

[ChessieCat]

 

FUNNELS

 

9 hours ago, plantsrule said:

 

These funnels fit in both my 20 or 30mg capsules distributed by Rising Health, LLC

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DDJ48DC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

The two smallest funnels fit my 60mg capsules distributed by Rising Health, LLC 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KJQ29D6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Manati]

On 6/12/2015 at 11:56 PM, mammaP said:

I have finished my effexor taper and want to share my method for tapering the last few beads. When I was at 4 beads I couldn't get down to 3 without withdrawal, tried alternating 3 one day 4 the next but still had withdrawal. I cut to 3 and had to updose again, and thought I would never get off those 4 beads.

 

 Then started this......I took the LARGEST 4 beads from the capsule each day. I tipped the beads out into a little box so I could find the biggest ones with a magnifying glass and pair of tweezers.  When I got to 4 of the smallest  ones I went to 3, Did the same again taking 3 of the largest beads. It is still tapering as the dose is getting smaller as the beads get smaller. At 2 beads I took 2 big ones until down to the small ones, then dropped to 1 bead. Stayed at 1 bead for a few months then quit.  All together it took 2 years to go from 4 beads to zero, the last year was as described. It is 4 months since stopping and no effexor withdrawal to speak of, a little tingling and numbness, and insomnia which is a problem for me anyway so not blaming effexor withdrawal. 

 

I feel like my brain is even clearer and it is amazing how many side effects  just one bead can cause! I didn't rush the last leg because it is the hardest, rush and end up updosing again. It just isn't worth it! 

Thanks for the instruction, MammaP - I  hope to be able to try that one day!!

[Holly26]

Hi Everyone, 

 

regarding weighing the beads how do i know how much Active ingreadient vs fillers i have . Lets say i want 6mg which equals. 020 on my scale . Isnt weighing pointless because of this issue? 🤔

[ktp]

Holly26 asks "regarding weighing the beads how do i know how much Active ingreadient vs fillers i have . Lets say i want 6mg which equals. 020 on my scale . Isnt weighing pointless because of this issue?"

 

I agree weighing is largely pointless - it's just too difficult to weigh a milligram.  Much easier to add filler and divide larger quantities.  Drug mfrs know this and know better than to try.  Instead they'll make 1000g of med, mix that with  enough filler to fill a million capsules, stir well and fill the caps  - you now have "1mg" caps which actually weigh ... we don't care!  they're 1mg of med + some large amount of filler.     

liquid lets you do the same thing.  instead of trying to measure 1mg of med, take a known dose equivalent (say one 37.5mg cap?), dissolve in 100ml water, and calculate how much liquid to ingest to get your miligram:

100ml h2o = 37.5mg == 1ml h20 = .375mg or

100ml/37.5mg = 2.666ml/mg.  so a 19mg dose would require taking 19*2.666 ml of the solution.

You seem to be well on the right track to creating you own exact doses, no scale needed. 

 

for a real life example, I'm currently taking 2.5mg prozac (along with 37.5mg venlafaxine).  to get 2.5mg, I dump two 20mg caps plus one 10mg cap into 100ml of water:  50mg/100ml == 5mg/10ml == 2.5mg/5ml so i take 5ml.   

 

I sure hope that helps (or at least does not increase anybody's confusion;-) 

 

Basically my opinion is don't even try to weigh, you just can't get accurate enough with tiny quantities.  either count beads (requires consistent beads) or use liquid in amounts large enough to accurately measure.   AUROBINDO is another mfr with consistent beads in their venlafaxineXR caps!

 

[Holly26]

Hi ktp, 

 

awesome knowledge. Thank you very much for that ! 

 

 

[Holly26]

Hi Everyone,

im still wondering why im not doing well even if i taper 5% Venlafaxin  im constantly dizzy and detached.  This is why i tried stopping at 6 because i couldnt take it anymore, which didnt work either. Im getting a compound and they weigh the xr/pfizer  beads . I feel like this isnt working for  me. I wonder if weighing can cause interdose withdrawl because of some default like filler and active ingredient or the extended release mechanism? Its like im good for 2 hours than all of a sudden i crash so bad that i need to sleep immediately. 
Thank you

[Holly26]

On 8/16/2019 at 9:51 PM, ktp said:

re-reading posts on this thread, I feel I should repeat that different size beads could very well be part of the "XR" (extended release) scheme.  it's been noted that some mfr's of venlafaxine have different size beads and there are posts here mentioning sorting large from small beads which seem to follow the jawbreaker theory (big ones outlast little ones) where coatings could actually be the difference in small vs large which could mean you're taking faster or slower doses without realizing it. 
With effexor (venlafaxine), the common Rx is either 2 doses per day of 'regular' or 1 dose per day of "XR".  While mfr TEVA's caps contain effectively 1mg beads and they're XR, for sub-milligram doses, "in my opinion" weighing is ridiculous and reality dictates using liquid.  so XR is out the window and you need to take it twice a day. 

Hi ,

 

counting beads or weighing them ( Effexor) could cause interdose withdrawl because of the problem with the different bead sizes? Would you agree? Especially the lower you get .

 

Thanks!!!

[Holly26]

On 9/5/2019 at 2:18 PM, drugged said:

The reason that the beads inside a capsule of venlafaxine are different sizes is because each head has more or less slow release coating on it.  If you take beads out of the capsule and weigh out, say 10mg worth of beads that isn't  giving you 10 mg of active ingredient!  Weighing beads gives you the weight of the inert coating + active ingredient.  

 

Again, the beads are different sizes due to the amount of delayed release coating around an equal amount of active drug.  

 

If you sort out beads by size and take only the smallest beads you are essentially selecting the immediate release beads.  If you only take the largest beads you are selectively taking beads that will release the drug some time later.  

 

This probably doesn't matter a whole lot with the drugs that have a longer half-life but it can make a big difference with a drug like venlafaxine.  One thing my psychiatrist did see fit to warn me about was to avoid the immediate release tablets.  

Interesting. What is the soloution for this? Immediate release twice a day??

[ktp]

drugged says

>>The reason that the beads inside a capsule of venlafaxine are different sizes is because each head has more or less slow release coating on it.

 

ktp replies

Different coating thicknesses is one way to engineer Extended Release(XR), but It depends on the manufacturer.  SO PLEASE MENTION YOUR MANUFACTURER when stating generalities 🙂

 

for example, TEVA's venlafaxine XR caps contain ONE size of beads (and conveniently = 1 mg per bead).  Thus the XR mechanism, whatever exactly it is, appears to rely on continuous release from all the beads. 

 

other methods are possible but not straightforward, such as different sizes of homogenous compound designed to leave the midsize and large beads active after the tiny beads are gone.

 

Holly replies to drugged saying

>> Interesting. What is the soloution for this? Immediate release twice a day??

 

ktp replies

using TEVA's beads as an example, one mg is the smallest dose you can engineer with XR beads, and how do you get there without jumping from 2mg to 1mg (50% reduction)?  don't do it, no no no!!  Liquid seems to be the only way, and because dissolving will eliminate any delaying factors, 2 doses / day will be  necessary.  And it's probably easier to dissolve immediate release formulas than the XR coatings, so yes, i agree, switching to immediate release is probably a good move as soon as you start using liquid to get any sort of fractional mg dosage, and this requires dosing every 12 hours.

[Holly26]

I live in Berlin. Never heard of Teva. Im dealing with a  compound pharmacy weighing pfizer beads ( 5mg) but they dont add a mix of different bead sizes so i assume i get interdose withdrawl 🤔

On 9/5/2019 at 2:18 PM, drugged said:

The reason that the beads inside a capsule of venlafaxine are different sizes is because each head has more or less slow release coating on it.  If you take beads out of the capsule and weigh out, say 10mg worth of beads that isn't  giving you 10 mg of active ingredient!  Weighing beads gives you the weight of the inert coating + active ingredient.  

 

Again, the beads are different sizes due to the amount of delayed release coating around an equal amount of active drug.  

 

If you sort out beads by size and take only the smallest beads you are essentially selecting the immediate release beads.  If you only take the largest beads you are selectively taking beads that will release the drug some time later.  

 

This probably doesn't matter a whole lot with the drugs that have a longer half-life but it can make a big difference with a drug like venlafaxine.  One thing my psychiatrist did see fit to warn me about was to avoid the immediate release tablets.  

Interesting. What is the soloution for this? Immediate release twice a day??

[ktp]

>> I live in Berlin. Never heard of Teva. Im dealing with a  compound pharmacy weighing pfizer beads ( 5mg) but they dont add a mix of different bead sizes so i assume i get interdose withdrawl 🤔

 

Teva was just an example.  Your compounding pharmacy should be able to tell you EXACTLY what they're doing to establish your desired doses.  I would ask for every detail of the process.  
 

[Holly26]

Thank you for your reply i asked them a couple of times they just said i shouldnt worry but i do cause im not doing well with this weighing method. The issue with the different sized beads was discussed here before so if they only go by weight and i have lets assume 70% larger beads they will release kind of at the same time so i dont think i have a consistent dose of aktive ingredient in my blood. The extended release mechanism is engineered through the different bead sizes i assume. 

Thank you for your help!!

[ktp]

11 hours ago, Holly26 said:

i asked them a couple of times they just said i shouldnt worry but i do cause im not doing well with this weighing method. The issue with the different sized beads was discussed here before so if they only go by weight and i have lets assume 70% larger beads they will release kind of at the same time so i dont think i have a consistent dose of aktive ingredient in my blood. The extended release mechanism is engineered through the different bead sizes i assume. 

Thank you for your help!!

let's assume nothing.  first, i gather you are giving your Rx'd meds to the compounding pharmacy with the intention of having them produce oddball doses of meds, and they're telling you not to worry about how they're doing so.  Can you open a capsule to see what's really in there?  heck, they could be grinding beads to a powder then equally dividing that to make your doses.  or they could sort the beads into Small Med Large and make smaller than Rx doses with the same ratio of bead sizes.  

 

If I were in your predicament, I think i would open those "don't worry about it" doses and split in half to take every 12 hours.  

 

 

 

 

[Holly26]

Thank you for your answer!

 

They only weigh down the Pfizer beads to the desired mg. They dont crush them but the lower i get the more dizzy spells , panic attacks,  depressioni get. It feels like interdose withdrawl.  They only go by weight but they dont consider the different bead sizes and to my knowledge the smaler ones are released faster . Not sure where to go from here.  I will probably change to immediate release twice a day .

 

Thank you for your knowledge and help

 

 

[ktp]

i know you're anxious to get off the venlafaxine but please bear in mind that it's been an important part of your metabolism since 2005 (except for the scary looking breaks to try the 'prozac bridge').  

 

I personallly suggest going back to the dose at which you were last comfortable (19mg?), cut it in half and take 2x / day.  Get stable at that dose, and only then consider further reduction, by no more than 10% / month.

 

thank you for mentioning Pfizer is your manufacturer; i'm pretty sure they are the one who acknowledged 3 bead sizes with 0 or 1 or 2 layers of time-delay coating.  please research this before relying on it; I don't really know and have never seen Pfizer venlafaxine caps.   IF this reallly is the case, you can do a better job by counting beads than your compounder can ever do by weighing.  Count the beads in a capsule, divide by its mgs to find beads per mg.  Sort the beads into size groups, build your dose with equal number of beads from each pile.  and to be safer, do take your meds twice a day, even though you're using XR.

 

this is not medical advice, just a layman's opinions.  torture yourself by reading my sig if you want to see an example of what misery can happen with weaning too quickly.  

 

[Altostrata]

@Holly26, please respond in your Introductions topic here.

 

If the compounding pharmacy is filling capsules by weight to a specified number of milligrams of active ingredient (MGAI), variation in the size of the beads doesn't matter. Some will be smaller and some larger, that will average out. What important is that you get the correct amount of active ingredient.

 

Be sure your prescription is written so the compounding pharmacy is putting 5mg Effexor (active ingredient) in a capsule, rather than 5mg weight of beads (milligrams of pill weight, or MGPW) in a capsule.

 

5mg MGPW will contain less active ingredient than 5mg MGAI, because some of the weight will be filler.

[Holly26]

On 5/22/2021 at 6:59 PM, ktp said:

Count the beads in a capsule, divide by its mgs to find beads per mg.  Sort the beads into size groups, build your dose with equal number of beads from each pile.  and to be safer, do take your meds twice a day, even though you're using XR.

Thank you so much for all the valuable knowledge you share with me. 

Much appreciated 🙏

[Holly26]

Thank you for your answer Altostrata,

 

Yes  they do weigh the active ingredient but im not doing well lately and i was thinking about what you said about interdose withdrawl and i think that is the case for me. 

 

5mg have aprox 16 beads , some variation because the go by weight. So if i have 70% larger beads and 30% by chance im not getting an equal distribution of active ingredient in my blood and because of Effexors short half life this seems to cause issues for me. 

 

I think KT is right that dividing them into different bead sizes to ensure that i get as much as extended release as possible lasting 24 hours . Or even take immediate release 3 times a day. 

 

Im not taking anything else. 

I think the unequal extended release due to the fact that they go by weight and not bead sizes causes instability. I take effexor at 9am . I get random dizzines which is pretty severe along with fatigue and because i cant tell when which bead is released in my body i get pretty random interdose withdrawl.  Thats what it feels like. All of a suddan im fine and than i get dizzy and feel faint. 

 

Warm regards 

Holly

 

 

[member21]

I have noticed that it is better to first make a cut in the blister pack with a sharp object - before pushing the capsule out of the cap. Doing so allows us to get the capsule un-deformed. Otherwise the capsule is deformed to some extent...and it becomes difficult to twist open the capsule.

 

 

Also I have a question -

I use my fingers and a paper to pick up the beads. Is it ok to use the fingers (does it spoil the medicine in the beads)?

[CharlieBrown]

On 3/12/2023 at 11:12 AM, member21 said:

I have noticed that it is better to first make a cut in the blister pack with a sharp object - before pushing the capsule out of the cap. Doing so allows us to get the capsule un-deformed. Otherwise the capsule is deformed to some extent...and it becomes difficult to twist open the capsule.

 

Also I have a question -

I use my fingers and a paper to pick up the beads. Is it ok to use the fingers (does it spoil the medicine in the beads)?

 

That's good advice. My prescription always came in a bottle. I didn't consider blister pack issues.

 

I did it on a piece of paper and separated beads with a plastic card. Then folded the paper and poured the beads back into the capsule. (Over a bowl to catch any falling beads) I did use my fingers, at times. But the card made it easier. My hands sweat.

 

People pop it open, and pour it on apple sauce or the like.

 

Unless your hands are super wet, stick to the beads and start dramatically melting the XR element, I wouldn't be concerned.

 

Also it's hard to gauge the thickness of the XR release, so each pill can be quite different.

It's really a hassle... If only the pills came in smaller, tapering form. Withdrawal is well known now...

Even some benzodiazepines have breakable, dose reducing buccal strips.

Edited March 14, 2023 by CharlieBrown
I used my hands at times.

[member21]

On 3/14/2023 at 9:45 PM, CharlieBrown said:

 

Then folded the paper and poured the beads back into the capsule. (Over a bowl to catch any falling beads) I did use my fingers, at times. But the card made it easier. My hands sweat.

 

 

good idea. I had not thought of it yet...will try.