Moderator Frogie Posted April 1, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 1, 2019 4 minutes ago, BfromNJ said: So I am basically paying no mind to the milligram idea. I weigh in grams and then do 90% of it. does the scale not measure in miligrams? I’m not sure if it does in mg. But I did what Brassmonkey said to do and weigh in grams. He did his whole taper using the scale and is doing wonderful. 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BfromNJ Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 7 minutes ago, Frogie said: I’m not sure if it does in mg. But I did what Brassmonkey said to do and weigh in grams. He did his whole taper using the scale and is doing wonderful. Thank you. My scale is ordered and will be here tomorrow. Hopefully brassmonkey can "weigh" in pun intended. lol. if he sees this. 9/2018- lexapro low dose few days.11/3/2018- zoloft 2 days 11/7/18 - 11/15/18 - Prozac 9 days, from 10 mg for week, to 20 11/16 inpatient put on Lexapro for a few days, Cymbalta, 2 days 11/24-12/8 - gabapentin 100 mg 3xs per day - a very fast taper 1/7 - tbuspar for three days- blurry vision, jerky eye 1/17/19 - 2/15/19- mirtazapine 15 mg - started taper on 1/30 2/20/19 gabapentin 600 mg. . 12/20- taper finished 2/20/19 - seroquel 25 mg current - taken 10 pm 2/20/19- luvox (generic) 25 mg. 4/6/19 to 18.75 mg .held . Started taper again 1/7/21- 15 mg, 2/7/21- 12.5 mg, 3/7/21 -10 mg, 4/1/21- 9 mg, 5/1/21- 8.1 mg, 5/27/21- updose to 10 mg, 6/21- in patient updose to 50 mg, 6/25/21- reduce to 10 mg (current) . 9/5- split dose 5mg am/5 mg pm. 9/20- 4 mg am/5 mg pm . 9/1/21- took one dose of vistril 50 mg. 9/1/21-accidental double dose of seroquel- 50 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Frogie Posted April 1, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 1, 2019 Just now, BfromNJ said: Thank you. My scale is ordered and will be here tomorrow. Hopefully brassmonkey can "weigh" in pun intended. lol. if he sees this. He might. He’s currently on a trip around the world. Lucky him. But I’m sure one of the mods can help you. They are all very experienced and knowledgeable. Good luck! 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BfromNJ Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 8 minutes ago, Frogie said: He might. He’s currently on a trip around the world. Lucky him. But I’m sure one of the mods can help you. They are all very experienced and knowledgeable. Good luck! Well the way you explained it is very helpful to me. Im just so afraid to mess it up. 9/2018- lexapro low dose few days.11/3/2018- zoloft 2 days 11/7/18 - 11/15/18 - Prozac 9 days, from 10 mg for week, to 20 11/16 inpatient put on Lexapro for a few days, Cymbalta, 2 days 11/24-12/8 - gabapentin 100 mg 3xs per day - a very fast taper 1/7 - tbuspar for three days- blurry vision, jerky eye 1/17/19 - 2/15/19- mirtazapine 15 mg - started taper on 1/30 2/20/19 gabapentin 600 mg. . 12/20- taper finished 2/20/19 - seroquel 25 mg current - taken 10 pm 2/20/19- luvox (generic) 25 mg. 4/6/19 to 18.75 mg .held . Started taper again 1/7/21- 15 mg, 2/7/21- 12.5 mg, 3/7/21 -10 mg, 4/1/21- 9 mg, 5/1/21- 8.1 mg, 5/27/21- updose to 10 mg, 6/21- in patient updose to 50 mg, 6/25/21- reduce to 10 mg (current) . 9/5- split dose 5mg am/5 mg pm. 9/20- 4 mg am/5 mg pm . 9/1/21- took one dose of vistril 50 mg. 9/1/21-accidental double dose of seroquel- 50 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Frogie Posted April 1, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 1, 2019 12 minutes ago, BfromNJ said: Well the way you explained it is very helpful to me. Im just so afraid to mess it up. I made a lot of mistakes. But I finally listened to the mods and it started going smoother. I still had a rough road, but I made it. Yesterday was my last dose of Lexapro! I never thought I would see that day. If I can do it anyone can. 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BfromNJ Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 1 minute ago, Frogie said: I made a lot of mistakes. But I finally listened to the mods and it started going smoother. I still had a rough road, but I made it. Yesterday was my last dose of Lexapro! I never thought I would see that day. If I can do it anyone can. awesome congratulations! 9/2018- lexapro low dose few days.11/3/2018- zoloft 2 days 11/7/18 - 11/15/18 - Prozac 9 days, from 10 mg for week, to 20 11/16 inpatient put on Lexapro for a few days, Cymbalta, 2 days 11/24-12/8 - gabapentin 100 mg 3xs per day - a very fast taper 1/7 - tbuspar for three days- blurry vision, jerky eye 1/17/19 - 2/15/19- mirtazapine 15 mg - started taper on 1/30 2/20/19 gabapentin 600 mg. . 12/20- taper finished 2/20/19 - seroquel 25 mg current - taken 10 pm 2/20/19- luvox (generic) 25 mg. 4/6/19 to 18.75 mg .held . Started taper again 1/7/21- 15 mg, 2/7/21- 12.5 mg, 3/7/21 -10 mg, 4/1/21- 9 mg, 5/1/21- 8.1 mg, 5/27/21- updose to 10 mg, 6/21- in patient updose to 50 mg, 6/25/21- reduce to 10 mg (current) . 9/5- split dose 5mg am/5 mg pm. 9/20- 4 mg am/5 mg pm . 9/1/21- took one dose of vistril 50 mg. 9/1/21-accidental double dose of seroquel- 50 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Frogie Posted April 1, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 1, 2019 Just now, BfromNJ said: awesome congratulations! Thanks. I appreciate that. I hope you do well in your taper. 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted April 1, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 1, 2019 Very well explained Frogie. This is a very weighty subject and I can't wait to weigh in on it. (don't get me started on puns I'll get banned from the group) The scales we use don't actually have a milligram setting, so we have to use the gram setting. The Readout shows the weight to 3 decimal places (00.000) The three places to the right of the decimal point indicate milligrams. A reading of 00.125 would be read as 125mg. a reading of 00.012 would be 12mg and 00.001 would be 1mg. Just to add to the confusion, the weight on the readout of the scale is referred to as mgpw (milligrams pill weight) and is the physical weight of the dose. The strength of the dose is referred to as mgai (milligrams active ingredient) This is the number that we usually talk about. You would do the same calculations just starting with the strength of the dose as stated on the bottle instead of the average pill weight. For your record keeping you need to track both. The numbers Frogie gave are for doing a 10% taper. If you want to do something different just ask and we can help with the math. It might be a good idea to practice a couple of times with some otc painkiller tablets just to get the feel of how things work. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Frogie Posted April 1, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 1, 2019 4 minutes ago, brassmonkey said: Very well explained Frogie. This is a very weighty subject and I can't wait to weigh in on it. (don't get me started on puns I'll get banned from the group) The scales we use don't actually have a milligram setting, so we have to use the gram setting. The Readout shows the weight to 3 decimal places (00.000) The three places to the right of the decimal point indicate milligrams. A reading of 00.125 would be read as 125mg. a reading of 00.012 would be 12mg and 00.001 would be 1mg. Just to add to the confusion, the weight on the readout of the scale is referred to as mgpw (milligrams pill weight) and is the physical weight of the dose. The strength of the dose is referred to as mgai (milligrams active ingredient) This is the number that we usually talk about. You would do the same calculations just starting with the strength of the dose as stated on the bottle instead of the average pill weight. For your record keeping you need to track both. The numbers Frogie gave are for doing a 10% taper. If you want to do something different just ask and we can help with the math. It might be a good idea to practice a couple of times with some otc painkiller tablets just to get the feel of how things work. Thanks Brassmonkey: I tried to explain it the best I could. I just didn’t use it very long because I switched to liquid. But I will be using it when I start my Xanax taper. I’ll probably be asking you questions too. By the way, I love your puns. You keep us going. Hope you are enjoying yourself. Take care, Frogie xx 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BfromNJ Posted April 1, 2019 Share Posted April 1, 2019 3 hours ago, brassmonkey said: Very well explained Frogie. This is a very weighty subject and I can't wait to weigh in on it. (don't get me started on puns I'll get banned from the group) The scales we use don't actually have a milligram setting, so we have to use the gram setting. The Readout shows the weight to 3 decimal places (00.000) The three places to the right of the decimal point indicate milligrams. A reading of 00.125 would be read as 125mg. a reading of 00.012 would be 12mg and 00.001 would be 1mg. Just to add to the confusion, the weight on the readout of the scale is referred to as mgpw (milligrams pill weight) and is the physical weight of the dose. The strength of the dose is referred to as mgai (milligrams active ingredient) This is the number that we usually talk about. You would do the same calculations just starting with the strength of the dose as stated on the bottle instead of the average pill weight. For your record keeping you need to track both. The numbers Frogie gave are for doing a 10% taper. If you want to do something different just ask and we can help with the math. It might be a good idea to practice a couple of times with some otc painkiller tablets just to get the feel of how things work. The magi and mgpw confuse me. I don't understand this at all. So I'm not weighing as forgive said? Now I have to figure this out? 9/2018- lexapro low dose few days.11/3/2018- zoloft 2 days 11/7/18 - 11/15/18 - Prozac 9 days, from 10 mg for week, to 20 11/16 inpatient put on Lexapro for a few days, Cymbalta, 2 days 11/24-12/8 - gabapentin 100 mg 3xs per day - a very fast taper 1/7 - tbuspar for three days- blurry vision, jerky eye 1/17/19 - 2/15/19- mirtazapine 15 mg - started taper on 1/30 2/20/19 gabapentin 600 mg. . 12/20- taper finished 2/20/19 - seroquel 25 mg current - taken 10 pm 2/20/19- luvox (generic) 25 mg. 4/6/19 to 18.75 mg .held . Started taper again 1/7/21- 15 mg, 2/7/21- 12.5 mg, 3/7/21 -10 mg, 4/1/21- 9 mg, 5/1/21- 8.1 mg, 5/27/21- updose to 10 mg, 6/21- in patient updose to 50 mg, 6/25/21- reduce to 10 mg (current) . 9/5- split dose 5mg am/5 mg pm. 9/20- 4 mg am/5 mg pm . 9/1/21- took one dose of vistril 50 mg. 9/1/21-accidental double dose of seroquel- 50 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted April 2, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 2, 2019 You should weigh things the way that frogie talked about. mgai, milligrams active ingredient, is the strength that is listed on the bottle, for example according to your signature you are currently taking 25mgai of luvox. As you taper this number will decrease as you take smaller amounts of the medication. This is the number we talk about when we say we are taking xx amount of a drug. mgpw, milligrams pill weight, if you put a whole tablet on the scales the reading you get is xxx mgpw. When you crush a pill and put some of the powder on the scale the reading you get is yy mgpw. As you taper this number will decrease and you will weigh out smaller and smaller amounts. This is the amount that you actually measure and take. We have added the ai and pw suffixes to the mg to make it easier for people to understand what is being talked about. If you were to say your taking 55mg we can't tell if you're talking about the strength of the dose or the weight of the dose and it is a very important difference to keep straight. For my taper I used 40mg paxil tablets. When I put one tablet on the scales it weighed 500mg. So we would write that as 40mgai and 500mgpw. My first reduction was 10% so I weighed out 450mgai of powder on the scales, this would be the dose that I take, I keep a record of this so I can calculate my next reduction. That powder would contain 10% less medication which would be 36mgai , this is the number that I would report on my intro thread. I hope this helps clear it up a bit. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Songbird Posted April 2, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 2, 2019 9 hours ago, BfromNJ said: The magi and mgpw confuse me. I don't understand this at all. So I'm not weighing as forgive said? Now I have to figure this out? You could use the dose-weights spreadsheet here (see second post): how to calculate dosages and dilutions spreadsheets and calculators 2001–2002 paroxetine 2003 citalopram 2004-2008 paroxetine (various failed tapers) 2008 paroxetine slow taper down to 2016 Aug off paroxetine2016 citalopram May 20mg Oct 15mg … slow taper down2018 citalopram 13 Feb 4.6mg 15 Mar 4.4mg 29 Apr 4.2mg 6 Jul 4.1mg 17 Aug 4.0mg 18 Nov 3.8mg 2019 15 Mar 3.6mg 21 May 3.4mg 26 Dec 3.2mg 2020 19 Feb 3.0mg 19 Jul 2.9mg 16 Sep 2.8mg 25 Oct 2.7mg 23 Oct 2.6mg 24 Dec 2.5mg 2021 29 Aug 2.4mg 15 Nov 2.3mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BfromNJ Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 3 hours ago, brassmonkey said: You should weigh things the way that frogie talked about. mgai, milligrams active ingredient, is the strength that is listed on the bottle, for example according to your signature you are currently taking 25mgai of luvox. As you taper this number will decrease as you take smaller amounts of the medication. This is the number we talk about when we say we are taking xx amount of a drug. mgpw, milligrams pill weight, if you put a whole tablet on the scales the reading you get is xxx mgpw. When you crush a pill and put some of the powder on the scale the reading you get is yy mgpw. As you taper this number will decrease and you will weigh out smaller and smaller amounts. This is the amount that you actually measure and take. We have added the ai and pw suffixes to the mg to make it easier for people to understand what is being talked about. If you were to say your taking 55mg we can't tell if you're talking about the strength of the dose or the weight of the dose and it is a very important difference to keep straight. For my taper I used 40mg paxil tablets. When I put one tablet on the scales it weighed 500mg. So we would write that as 40mgai and 500mgpw. My first reduction was 10% so I weighed out 450mgai of powder on the scales, this would be the dose that I take, I keep a record of this so I can calculate my next reduction. That powder would contain 10% less medication which would be 36mgai , this is the number that I would report on my intro thread. I hope this helps clear it up a bit. i see, but I will take the mgpw dose correct? so if my luvox pill weighed in at 200 mg and i wanted to reduce by 10%, i would take 190 mgpw, but really i am taking 22.5 mgai right? the rest of that is just the filler, etc. Its like having a steak dinner, the steak is the main item, but i also have sides of potatos and veggies. lol. 9/2018- lexapro low dose few days.11/3/2018- zoloft 2 days 11/7/18 - 11/15/18 - Prozac 9 days, from 10 mg for week, to 20 11/16 inpatient put on Lexapro for a few days, Cymbalta, 2 days 11/24-12/8 - gabapentin 100 mg 3xs per day - a very fast taper 1/7 - tbuspar for three days- blurry vision, jerky eye 1/17/19 - 2/15/19- mirtazapine 15 mg - started taper on 1/30 2/20/19 gabapentin 600 mg. . 12/20- taper finished 2/20/19 - seroquel 25 mg current - taken 10 pm 2/20/19- luvox (generic) 25 mg. 4/6/19 to 18.75 mg .held . Started taper again 1/7/21- 15 mg, 2/7/21- 12.5 mg, 3/7/21 -10 mg, 4/1/21- 9 mg, 5/1/21- 8.1 mg, 5/27/21- updose to 10 mg, 6/21- in patient updose to 50 mg, 6/25/21- reduce to 10 mg (current) . 9/5- split dose 5mg am/5 mg pm. 9/20- 4 mg am/5 mg pm . 9/1/21- took one dose of vistril 50 mg. 9/1/21-accidental double dose of seroquel- 50 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus manymoretodays Posted April 2, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 2, 2019 (edited) Hey BfromNJ, See if this helps. You have said: Luvox 25mgai weighs 200mgpw 25mgai X .90 = 22.5 mgai This is the dose of your 10% reduction from 25mgai. So yes, you've got that correct! !!! 🙂 Next you figure out what that would be in mgpw. Or you can do this part first, which you may have. So again......if 25 mgai weighs 200mgpw(on average) You can do the same multiplication with that, to figure out what your 10% decrease looks like in milligram pill weight(mgpw) 200mgpw X .90= 180 mgpw So here, I got 180mgpw. I think you may have just subtracted 10 from the 200mgpw when you came up with 190mgpw? So 22.5 mgai weighs 180 mgpw. Therefore, to take a dose strength of 22.5 mgai you would ingest the contents of the weighed crushed pill/tablet which is 180 mgpw. And then if you are using a Gemini20 scale, it reads out in grams or g for the weight. I either use a milligrams(mg) to grams(g or gm) converter or just my personal calculator to figure that part. I come up with, at least for the Gem20 scale, a gram reading then of 0.180 g Hope that helps. Edited April 2, 2019 by manymoretodays Clearer?? Late 2023- gone to emeritus status, inactive, don't @ me, I can check who I've posted on, and I'm not really here like I used to be......thanks. Started with psycho meds/psychiatric care circa 1988. In retrospect, and on contemplation, situational overwhelm. Rounding up to 30 years of medications(30 medication trials, poly-pharmacy maximum was 3 at one time). 5/28/2015-off Adderal salts 2.5mg. (I had been on that since hospital 10/2014) 12/2015---just holding, holding, holding, with trileptal/oxcarb at 75 mg. 1/2 tab at hs. My last psycho med ever! Tapered @ 10% every 4 weeks, sometimes 2 weeks to 2016 Dec 16, medication free!! Longer signature post here, with current supplements. Herb and alcohol free since 5/15/2016. And.....I quit smoking 11/2021. Lapsed. Redo of quit smoking 9/28/2022. Can you say Hallelujah?(took me long enough)💜 None of my posts are intended as medical advice. Please discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical provider. My success story: Blue skies ahead, clear sailing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savinggrace Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 Brassmonkey, Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions from “down under.” If I remember correctly, you were on your drug for decades too. The fact that you are so well that you can travel the world is such an inspiration to those of us whose nervous system’s can barely tolerate a shopping mall! Have fun. You earned it! Grace amitriptyline from 1980-2002, intermittent use of benzos over 2 decades prior to 2002 2002-2010 Klonopin 1-2 mg., ambien 10--20, mg, remeron 4 mg. and trileptal 300 mg 2011 Stopped ambien and crossed over to valium 17.5 mg. (updosing 2.5 mg. to cover ambien C/T ) tapered valium w/ long holds to 12.74 mg. from a high of approximately 20-30 mg/day 2015-present tapered trileptal aggressively for a year; now intermittently; interacts w/ other drugs currently 2024 still on 96 mg. trileptal and 4 mg. remeron Currently on benzo hold as I have to cross-over from brand-name valium to generic diazepam. Current dose of diazepam is 8.8 and valium is 5.7. I had to up-dose the total valium/diazepam from 12.74 to 14.5 where I have stayed since June 2023. I am crossing over to generic at a somewhat tolerable rate of .3mg/month after about 2 months of trial/error w/ updosing. I am not currently tapering; will continue to cross over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted April 2, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 2, 2019 As MMT pointed out your are mostly correct BfromNJ. A 10% reduction from 200 would be 180mgpw. That is the amount your would weigh out and take. I like your steak dinner analogy and will be stealing it in the future. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BfromNJ Posted April 3, 2019 Share Posted April 3, 2019 18 hours ago, brassmonkey said: As MMT pointed out your are mostly correct BfromNJ. A 10% reduction from 200 would be 180mgpw. That is the amount your would weigh out and take. I like your steak dinner analogy and will be stealing it in the future. Feel free brassmonkey. lol. My scale came from amazon. so I will be starting my taper soon. Just waiting to be along in the house. as it is my boyfriend doesn't understand and thinks im crazy. so its best I do this by myself. lol. 9/2018- lexapro low dose few days.11/3/2018- zoloft 2 days 11/7/18 - 11/15/18 - Prozac 9 days, from 10 mg for week, to 20 11/16 inpatient put on Lexapro for a few days, Cymbalta, 2 days 11/24-12/8 - gabapentin 100 mg 3xs per day - a very fast taper 1/7 - tbuspar for three days- blurry vision, jerky eye 1/17/19 - 2/15/19- mirtazapine 15 mg - started taper on 1/30 2/20/19 gabapentin 600 mg. . 12/20- taper finished 2/20/19 - seroquel 25 mg current - taken 10 pm 2/20/19- luvox (generic) 25 mg. 4/6/19 to 18.75 mg .held . Started taper again 1/7/21- 15 mg, 2/7/21- 12.5 mg, 3/7/21 -10 mg, 4/1/21- 9 mg, 5/1/21- 8.1 mg, 5/27/21- updose to 10 mg, 6/21- in patient updose to 50 mg, 6/25/21- reduce to 10 mg (current) . 9/5- split dose 5mg am/5 mg pm. 9/20- 4 mg am/5 mg pm . 9/1/21- took one dose of vistril 50 mg. 9/1/21-accidental double dose of seroquel- 50 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BfromNJ Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 I have a question. The Gemini scale comes with this weighing tray. Do I use it and if do won't it throw measurement off? I don't know how to insert picture. Or does the scale account for the tray since you are supposed to use it? 9/2018- lexapro low dose few days.11/3/2018- zoloft 2 days 11/7/18 - 11/15/18 - Prozac 9 days, from 10 mg for week, to 20 11/16 inpatient put on Lexapro for a few days, Cymbalta, 2 days 11/24-12/8 - gabapentin 100 mg 3xs per day - a very fast taper 1/7 - tbuspar for three days- blurry vision, jerky eye 1/17/19 - 2/15/19- mirtazapine 15 mg - started taper on 1/30 2/20/19 gabapentin 600 mg. . 12/20- taper finished 2/20/19 - seroquel 25 mg current - taken 10 pm 2/20/19- luvox (generic) 25 mg. 4/6/19 to 18.75 mg .held . Started taper again 1/7/21- 15 mg, 2/7/21- 12.5 mg, 3/7/21 -10 mg, 4/1/21- 9 mg, 5/1/21- 8.1 mg, 5/27/21- updose to 10 mg, 6/21- in patient updose to 50 mg, 6/25/21- reduce to 10 mg (current) . 9/5- split dose 5mg am/5 mg pm. 9/20- 4 mg am/5 mg pm . 9/1/21- took one dose of vistril 50 mg. 9/1/21-accidental double dose of seroquel- 50 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BfromNJ Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 So here is my math. Frogie or someone am I correct? 10 pills is 1.266. ÷ 10 = 0.1266. This is each pill average. X .75 (as I'm doing 25 % per alto and shep). = .09495. This is what goes in each capsule? 9/2018- lexapro low dose few days.11/3/2018- zoloft 2 days 11/7/18 - 11/15/18 - Prozac 9 days, from 10 mg for week, to 20 11/16 inpatient put on Lexapro for a few days, Cymbalta, 2 days 11/24-12/8 - gabapentin 100 mg 3xs per day - a very fast taper 1/7 - tbuspar for three days- blurry vision, jerky eye 1/17/19 - 2/15/19- mirtazapine 15 mg - started taper on 1/30 2/20/19 gabapentin 600 mg. . 12/20- taper finished 2/20/19 - seroquel 25 mg current - taken 10 pm 2/20/19- luvox (generic) 25 mg. 4/6/19 to 18.75 mg .held . Started taper again 1/7/21- 15 mg, 2/7/21- 12.5 mg, 3/7/21 -10 mg, 4/1/21- 9 mg, 5/1/21- 8.1 mg, 5/27/21- updose to 10 mg, 6/21- in patient updose to 50 mg, 6/25/21- reduce to 10 mg (current) . 9/5- split dose 5mg am/5 mg pm. 9/20- 4 mg am/5 mg pm . 9/1/21- took one dose of vistril 50 mg. 9/1/21-accidental double dose of seroquel- 50 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Frogie Posted April 6, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 6, 2019 1 hour ago, BfromNJ said: So here is my math. Frogie or someone am I correct? 10 pills is 1.266. ÷ 10 = 0.1266. This is each pill average. X .75 (as I'm doing 25 % per alto and shep). = .09495. This is what goes in each capsule? You put the little tray on the scale, then turn the scale on. It will read “0”. That’s what you use to put the powder in so you can transfer it to the capsule. The average capsules would be .126 (since you round to 3 digits). The 75% would be .0945. Since the scale measures in 3 digits I would round up to .095. That’s what would go in the capsules. I’m sure Brassmonkey will explain it better but that’s how I figured it out. @brassmonkey: Is this correct? I don’t want to give wrong information. Thanks, Frogie xx 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted April 6, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 6, 2019 That is correct. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BfromNJ Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 5 hours ago, Frogie said: You put the little tray on the scale, then turn the scale on. It will read “0”. That’s what you use to put the powder in so you can transfer it to the capsule. The average capsules would be .126 (since you round to 3 digits). The 75% would be .0945. Since the scale measures in 3 digits I would round up to .095. That’s what would go in the capsules. I’m sure Brassmonkey will explain it better but that’s how I figured it out. @brassmonkey: Is this correct? I don’t want to give wrong information. Thanks, Frogie xx Also, if I weighed ten whole pills, i should end up with 10 measured ones right? Did I do it right? I ended up with 10 new capsules, using 10 pills to start. I feel like I should have had more capsules if I was only doing 75% of my starting pills or at least more extra powder. Or is it that it's such a negligible amount? Maybe I just wasted more than I thought. 9/2018- lexapro low dose few days.11/3/2018- zoloft 2 days 11/7/18 - 11/15/18 - Prozac 9 days, from 10 mg for week, to 20 11/16 inpatient put on Lexapro for a few days, Cymbalta, 2 days 11/24-12/8 - gabapentin 100 mg 3xs per day - a very fast taper 1/7 - tbuspar for three days- blurry vision, jerky eye 1/17/19 - 2/15/19- mirtazapine 15 mg - started taper on 1/30 2/20/19 gabapentin 600 mg. . 12/20- taper finished 2/20/19 - seroquel 25 mg current - taken 10 pm 2/20/19- luvox (generic) 25 mg. 4/6/19 to 18.75 mg .held . Started taper again 1/7/21- 15 mg, 2/7/21- 12.5 mg, 3/7/21 -10 mg, 4/1/21- 9 mg, 5/1/21- 8.1 mg, 5/27/21- updose to 10 mg, 6/21- in patient updose to 50 mg, 6/25/21- reduce to 10 mg (current) . 9/5- split dose 5mg am/5 mg pm. 9/20- 4 mg am/5 mg pm . 9/1/21- took one dose of vistril 50 mg. 9/1/21-accidental double dose of seroquel- 50 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Frogie Posted April 6, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 6, 2019 3 hours ago, BfromNJ said: Also, if I weighed ten whole pills, i should end up with 10 measured ones right? Did I do it right? I ended up with 10 new capsules, using 10 pills to start. I feel like I should have had more capsules if I was only doing 75% of my starting pills or at least more extra powder. Or is it that it's such a negligible amount? Maybe I just wasted more than I thought. You will end up with 10 capsules plus extra powder. Did you keep the extra powder? You need to keep it and put it in an empty pill container and mark it “extra Luvox.” Then it will add up and you can get 3-4 more pills out of it next month probably when you do your next taper. 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Frogie Posted April 6, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 6, 2019 3 hours ago, brassmonkey said: That is correct. Thanks... Hope you are enjoying your trip. Can’t wait to see pictures 😊 Take care, Frogie xx 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BfromNJ Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 On 4/6/2019 at 3:10 PM, brassmonkey said: That is correct. Great. so I did okay with my first try. Well, I panicked on the first 5 capsules and thought my math was wrong. lol. so I flushed them. dummy me . before realizing I could have just emptied and started over. Darn mushy med brain. 9/2018- lexapro low dose few days.11/3/2018- zoloft 2 days 11/7/18 - 11/15/18 - Prozac 9 days, from 10 mg for week, to 20 11/16 inpatient put on Lexapro for a few days, Cymbalta, 2 days 11/24-12/8 - gabapentin 100 mg 3xs per day - a very fast taper 1/7 - tbuspar for three days- blurry vision, jerky eye 1/17/19 - 2/15/19- mirtazapine 15 mg - started taper on 1/30 2/20/19 gabapentin 600 mg. . 12/20- taper finished 2/20/19 - seroquel 25 mg current - taken 10 pm 2/20/19- luvox (generic) 25 mg. 4/6/19 to 18.75 mg .held . Started taper again 1/7/21- 15 mg, 2/7/21- 12.5 mg, 3/7/21 -10 mg, 4/1/21- 9 mg, 5/1/21- 8.1 mg, 5/27/21- updose to 10 mg, 6/21- in patient updose to 50 mg, 6/25/21- reduce to 10 mg (current) . 9/5- split dose 5mg am/5 mg pm. 9/20- 4 mg am/5 mg pm . 9/1/21- took one dose of vistril 50 mg. 9/1/21-accidental double dose of seroquel- 50 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Frogie Posted April 8, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 8, 2019 2 hours ago, BfromNJ said: Great. so I did okay with my first try. Well, I panicked on the first 5 capsules and thought my math was wrong. lol. so I flushed them. dummy me . before realizing I could have just emptied and started over. Darn mushy med brain. I did that a few times until Brassmonkey told me to keep the powder. It does add up. You’ll be able to get 3-4 capsules out of extra powder soon. I’m glad you’re doing ok. You did it! Awesome!😊 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 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BfromNJ Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 So I have a question on the scale. When calibrating it, you don't put the bowl on there right, the weights must go right on the platform? 9/2018- lexapro low dose few days.11/3/2018- zoloft 2 days 11/7/18 - 11/15/18 - Prozac 9 days, from 10 mg for week, to 20 11/16 inpatient put on Lexapro for a few days, Cymbalta, 2 days 11/24-12/8 - gabapentin 100 mg 3xs per day - a very fast taper 1/7 - tbuspar for three days- blurry vision, jerky eye 1/17/19 - 2/15/19- mirtazapine 15 mg - started taper on 1/30 2/20/19 gabapentin 600 mg. . 12/20- taper finished 2/20/19 - seroquel 25 mg current - taken 10 pm 2/20/19- luvox (generic) 25 mg. 4/6/19 to 18.75 mg .held . Started taper again 1/7/21- 15 mg, 2/7/21- 12.5 mg, 3/7/21 -10 mg, 4/1/21- 9 mg, 5/1/21- 8.1 mg, 5/27/21- updose to 10 mg, 6/21- in patient updose to 50 mg, 6/25/21- reduce to 10 mg (current) . 9/5- split dose 5mg am/5 mg pm. 9/20- 4 mg am/5 mg pm . 9/1/21- took one dose of vistril 50 mg. 9/1/21-accidental double dose of seroquel- 50 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Shep Posted April 15, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 15, 2019 2 hours ago, BfromNJ said: So I have a question on the scale. When calibrating it, you don't put the bowl on there right, the weights must go right on the platform? If you're using the Gemini scale, this is a good video to watch. I'm linking this to start at about 3:30 minutes in where he demonstrates how to calibrate the scale: Smart Weigh GEM20 Digital Jewelry Scale Review The bowl and the weights are all used to calibrate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BfromNJ Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 42 minutes ago, Shep said: If you're using the Gemini scale, this is a good video to watch. I'm linking this to start at about 3:30 minutes in where he demonstrates how to calibrate the scale: Smart Weigh GEM20 Digital Jewelry Scale Review The bowl and the weights are all used to calibrate. Omg I'm freaking out because I think I calibrated the scale when I got it without the bowl. Does that mean my measuring of my meds is off? 9/2018- lexapro low dose few days.11/3/2018- zoloft 2 days 11/7/18 - 11/15/18 - Prozac 9 days, from 10 mg for week, to 20 11/16 inpatient put on Lexapro for a few days, Cymbalta, 2 days 11/24-12/8 - gabapentin 100 mg 3xs per day - a very fast taper 1/7 - tbuspar for three days- blurry vision, jerky eye 1/17/19 - 2/15/19- mirtazapine 15 mg - started taper on 1/30 2/20/19 gabapentin 600 mg. . 12/20- taper finished 2/20/19 - seroquel 25 mg current - taken 10 pm 2/20/19- luvox (generic) 25 mg. 4/6/19 to 18.75 mg .held . Started taper again 1/7/21- 15 mg, 2/7/21- 12.5 mg, 3/7/21 -10 mg, 4/1/21- 9 mg, 5/1/21- 8.1 mg, 5/27/21- updose to 10 mg, 6/21- in patient updose to 50 mg, 6/25/21- reduce to 10 mg (current) . 9/5- split dose 5mg am/5 mg pm. 9/20- 4 mg am/5 mg pm . 9/1/21- took one dose of vistril 50 mg. 9/1/21-accidental double dose of seroquel- 50 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BfromNJ Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 30 minutes ago, BfromNJ said: Omg I'm freaking out because I think I calibrated the scale when I got it without the bowl. Does that mean my measuring of my meds is off? okay I checked it, im okay. no need to freak out. lol. 9/2018- lexapro low dose few days.11/3/2018- zoloft 2 days 11/7/18 - 11/15/18 - Prozac 9 days, from 10 mg for week, to 20 11/16 inpatient put on Lexapro for a few days, Cymbalta, 2 days 11/24-12/8 - gabapentin 100 mg 3xs per day - a very fast taper 1/7 - tbuspar for three days- blurry vision, jerky eye 1/17/19 - 2/15/19- mirtazapine 15 mg - started taper on 1/30 2/20/19 gabapentin 600 mg. . 12/20- taper finished 2/20/19 - seroquel 25 mg current - taken 10 pm 2/20/19- luvox (generic) 25 mg. 4/6/19 to 18.75 mg .held . Started taper again 1/7/21- 15 mg, 2/7/21- 12.5 mg, 3/7/21 -10 mg, 4/1/21- 9 mg, 5/1/21- 8.1 mg, 5/27/21- updose to 10 mg, 6/21- in patient updose to 50 mg, 6/25/21- reduce to 10 mg (current) . 9/5- split dose 5mg am/5 mg pm. 9/20- 4 mg am/5 mg pm . 9/1/21- took one dose of vistril 50 mg. 9/1/21-accidental double dose of seroquel- 50 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deedeedee Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 Hi, I was looking for somebody to help me and luckily I have stumbled across this page. I am just about to start tapering off Seroxtat, so just getting my tool-kit in place. I guess I am going to need a pill cutter, pill box and digital scales. My question is on the digital scales - can someone please recommend a make of digital scale as obviously I will need to be measuring in milligrams? Thank You Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BfromNJ Posted April 21, 2019 Share Posted April 21, 2019 @Frogie @brassmonkey Can someone help me with tapering gabapentin? I take two 100 mg capsules 3x per day. I need to reduce by 10%. Its a powder in capsule. Do I open the capsules and weigh powder? Or can I weigh the entire capsules? If I do that won't it be inaccurate? 9/2018- lexapro low dose few days.11/3/2018- zoloft 2 days 11/7/18 - 11/15/18 - Prozac 9 days, from 10 mg for week, to 20 11/16 inpatient put on Lexapro for a few days, Cymbalta, 2 days 11/24-12/8 - gabapentin 100 mg 3xs per day - a very fast taper 1/7 - tbuspar for three days- blurry vision, jerky eye 1/17/19 - 2/15/19- mirtazapine 15 mg - started taper on 1/30 2/20/19 gabapentin 600 mg. . 12/20- taper finished 2/20/19 - seroquel 25 mg current - taken 10 pm 2/20/19- luvox (generic) 25 mg. 4/6/19 to 18.75 mg .held . Started taper again 1/7/21- 15 mg, 2/7/21- 12.5 mg, 3/7/21 -10 mg, 4/1/21- 9 mg, 5/1/21- 8.1 mg, 5/27/21- updose to 10 mg, 6/21- in patient updose to 50 mg, 6/25/21- reduce to 10 mg (current) . 9/5- split dose 5mg am/5 mg pm. 9/20- 4 mg am/5 mg pm . 9/1/21- took one dose of vistril 50 mg. 9/1/21-accidental double dose of seroquel- 50 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted April 21, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 21, 2019 Yes, you have to take the powder out to weigh it. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BfromNJ Posted April 21, 2019 Share Posted April 21, 2019 So if its 10% , I can just open one up and take 20% of that one. Just to make it easier? Instead of taking apart two of them? @brassmonkey 9/2018- lexapro low dose few days.11/3/2018- zoloft 2 days 11/7/18 - 11/15/18 - Prozac 9 days, from 10 mg for week, to 20 11/16 inpatient put on Lexapro for a few days, Cymbalta, 2 days 11/24-12/8 - gabapentin 100 mg 3xs per day - a very fast taper 1/7 - tbuspar for three days- blurry vision, jerky eye 1/17/19 - 2/15/19- mirtazapine 15 mg - started taper on 1/30 2/20/19 gabapentin 600 mg. . 12/20- taper finished 2/20/19 - seroquel 25 mg current - taken 10 pm 2/20/19- luvox (generic) 25 mg. 4/6/19 to 18.75 mg .held . Started taper again 1/7/21- 15 mg, 2/7/21- 12.5 mg, 3/7/21 -10 mg, 4/1/21- 9 mg, 5/1/21- 8.1 mg, 5/27/21- updose to 10 mg, 6/21- in patient updose to 50 mg, 6/25/21- reduce to 10 mg (current) . 9/5- split dose 5mg am/5 mg pm. 9/20- 4 mg am/5 mg pm . 9/1/21- took one dose of vistril 50 mg. 9/1/21-accidental double dose of seroquel- 50 mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator brassmonkey Posted April 21, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 21, 2019 Yes. Be sure to save the powder you take out because it will add up quickly and you'll get "free doses" out of it. 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted April 23, 2019 Administrator Share Posted April 23, 2019 On 4/15/2019 at 11:46 AM, deedeedee said: Hi, I was looking for somebody to help me and luckily I have stumbled across this page. I am just about to start tapering off Seroxtat, so just getting my tool-kit in place. I guess I am going to need a pill cutter, pill box and digital scales. My question is on the digital scales - can someone please recommend a make of digital scale as obviously I will need to be measuring in milligrams? Thank You Please read this topic from the beginning. Extensive discussion of make and model. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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