bubbles

[ChessieCat]

28 minutes ago, bubbles said:

(and with the bubbles situation it's probably more realistic)

 

Seems like you pick an applicable member name! 

 

29 minutes ago, bubbles said:

I'll try to source some better ones.

 

It might be worth getting one of the dial the amount measuring ones which have been mentioned in the How to Make Liquid topic:

 

how-to-make-a-liquid-from-tablets-or-capsules/comment=515062

 

how-to-make-a-liquid-from-tablets-or-capsules/comment=526043

 

[bubbles]

On 3/27/2021 at 11:09 AM, ChessieCat said:

It might be worth getting one of the dial the amount measuring ones which have been mentioned in the How to Make Liquid topic:

 

Thanks Chessie. I'll look to see if I can find one that goes from 10ul to 1000ul. I have only found smaller or larger, but it might be okay that way too.

[bubbles]

Still going okay. Still a bit tired from work but overall okay.  My thyroid blood test came back as pretty optimal so that's good news. I'm good to drop again this weekend, which is Easter.

 

I think I'll drop to 1.2 because that's manageable with the syringes I have. I will have to look for a better option though.

[bubbles]

Still all good. I made up my current batch yesterday so I'm good to go on Sunday. I used cooled, boiled water to dilute the suspension vehicle. I make up the batch a few days ahead to allow any remnant tablet bits to have a chance to dissolve/disintegrate, then I use it for 4 weeks and discard whatever is left. Rinse, repeat.

 

Am going to go to 1.2ml since I can manage that with the larger syringe. Because despite the dosing rollercoaster in the last few months I didn't notice any of it, so I think it will all be good.

[bubbles]

1.2 ml from 4 April, all good so far.

[Rosetta]

Yes! A working thyroid!  Always a good thing.  Glad to see you are doing well.

 

🦋Rosetta

[Cruizer]

On 2/19/2021 at 8:51 AM, bubbles said:

Update - it's now been 9 days on new bottle. So far so good. I'll hold it up to 4 weeks. With the 25ml syringe I'm happier that I'll get accurate dosing.

 

I had to switch to a 3ml syringe after a couple of days of this new bottle because of the falling apart issue with the syringes. I have managed to source a couple of 1ml syringes of a different brand which I will switch to at another time. For now the 3ml syringe is fine.

 

Work has settled down again. It was a very stressful time for a couple of weeks, but it's back to normal now (and we've all collectively heaved a sigh of relief).

Hi bubbles, I hope your travelling well?

Can I ask where you sourced your syringes from as I too am in Australia? I am going to start making my own solution for sertraline as I feel the compounded tablets are not accurate enough anymore as I have gotten lower in dose. I'm finding every new batch I get seems to set me off into a wave. 

I am currently at 4.5mg so my original thought was to mix up a 50mg tablet in 50ml of water and take 4.5ml of it via syringe straight into my mouth. I should get around 11 days out of one batch. Is that what you basically do? 

[Rhiannon]

Hi Bubbles--Just skimming around the forum tonight during slow periods at work and caught up with your thread. It's lovely to hear how well you're doing. :-)

[bubbles]

On 5/4/2021 at 9:03 AM, Cruizer said:

Hi bubbles, I hope your travelling well?

Can I ask where you sourced your syringes from as I too am in Australia? I am going to start making my own solution for sertraline as I feel the compounded tablets are not accurate enough anymore as I have gotten lower in dose. I'm finding every new batch I get seems to set me off into a wave. 

I am currently at 4.5mg so my original thought was to mix up a 50mg tablet in 50ml of water and take 4.5ml of it via syringe straight into my mouth. I should get around 11 days out of one batch. Is that what you basically do? 

 

@Cruizer I'm sorry, I didn't answer.

 

I'll start by suggesting this thread: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/2693-how-to-make-a-liquid-from-tablets-or-capsules/ I rather think it suggests discarding a water suspension after a few days. I don't know the reason for discarding.

 

For me, I haven't been using water on its own - I have been using Oraplus https://www.amazon.com.au/Ora-Plus-Oral-Suspending-Vehicle-Paddock/dp/B000GGHSQM from Amazon. I bought two bottles and I think they were cheaper than this, but it was now some time ago. Oraplus can be diluted up to 50% with (cooled boiled) water, so I sometimes do that. I've not noticed any potency change from start to end of the batch, but I discard at 4 weeks.

 

I will say that I am aware that I had some measuring mishaps early in my suspension-making so I think my dose bounced up and down a bit. I don't think I noticed it, so my not noticing a potency change from start to end of the batch may not mean anything.

 

Syringes - the best ones have been from a pharmacy, but I've needed to look around to find 1ml syringes. I actually had some left over from pet medicine (unused - still in the package) which got me started, but some pharmacies have the tiny ones. I bought some off Ebay and while they were cheaper they didn't last very long, so at the moment I'm just buying at a pharmacy.

 

 

[bubbles]

On 5/4/2021 at 12:05 PM, Rhiannon said:

Hi Bubbles--Just skimming around the forum tonight during slow periods at work and caught up with your thread. It's lovely to hear how well you're doing. 🙂

 

Hi @Rhiannon

 

Yes doing well. About a year to go. Am sure my doctor thinks I'm taking too long at such a low dose but was happy to prescribe the (last, hopefully) box I'll need so that's all fine.

 

Quite possible I could have done this faster, and I will be very glad when it is over, but I'm also content at the path I've taken. I think the longer I've taken the greater the likelihood of success and I've been stable for the vast majority of the time.

 

How have you been?

[bubbles]

I went down to 1.1mg on around 2 May, so I'm coming up to 4 weeks on that. I'll go down to 1mg on Sunday.

 

I've gone for capsules for this this dose. (Capsules will just be easier for now.) I'll probably hold it for six or seven weeks and then go back to making a suspension for the final run down. Once I'll be below 1mg, I'll find a pipette thingy to avoid having to keep using syringes.

[Altostrata]

Good to hear, @bubbles!

[bubbles]

I'm doing well on 1mg (capsules). Had a mishap (long story, I won't go into it) and several doses were missed over a week or so which may have been on two consecutive days, not sure, but I did not experience any withdrawal. This was about three or so weeks ago. Mood is good, generally all is well. Overall, I'm much better on 1mg than I was on a full dose.

 

Interestingly, in this part of my taper I have found it easier, not harder. If doses are missed, I am noticing no issues. (Not something I plan to do, but life happens.) It should be noted that I'm on 1% of my highest dose of 100mg, have been gently and gradually dropping for seven years and have been stable for virtually that whole time.

 

This week I will try to source a good pipette for dosing for returning to a suspension. I'll mix up a batch of the suspension in the next few days so that I can drop the dose on the weekend. (It takes a few days for the ground up tablet to fully dissolve/disperse in the suspension so I like to make it a few days ahead.)

 

Summary: at 1mg, down 99mg (at 1%, down 99%).

[Rosetta]

What a lovely update to read!  Go, Bubbles!

[bubbles]

I've stayed for a bit on 1mg, as it's been an easy option as they're capsules.

 

There's been a shortage of sertraline in Australia. I have good supplies since a tablet lasts me a month, so my one box (and a few leftover expired tablets from the previous box - in the fridge) will do me a long time.

 

Will attempt to get organised to do a drop next week.

 

All well, just really busy.

[Cruizer]

On 5/12/2021 at 10:11 PM, bubbles said:

 

@Cruizer I'm sorry, I didn't answer.

 

I'll start by suggesting this thread: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/2693-how-to-make-a-liquid-from-tablets-or-capsules/ I rather think it suggests discarding a water suspension after a few days. I don't know the reason for discarding.

 

For me, I haven't been using water on its own - I have been using Oraplus https://www.amazon.com.au/Ora-Plus-Oral-Suspending-Vehicle-Paddock/dp/B000GGHSQM from Amazon. I bought two bottles and I think they were cheaper than this, but it was now some time ago. Oraplus can be diluted up to 50% with (cooled boiled) water, so I sometimes do that. I've not noticed any potency change from start to end of the batch, but I discard at 4 weeks.

 

I will say that I am aware that I had some measuring mishaps early in my suspension-making so I think my dose bounced up and down a bit. I don't think I noticed it, so my not noticing a potency change from start to end of the batch may not mean anything.

 

Syringes - the best ones have been from a pharmacy, but I've needed to look around to find 1ml syringes. I actually had some left over from pet medicine (unused - still in the package) which got me started, but some pharmacies have the tiny ones. I bought some off Ebay and while they were cheaper they didn't last very long, so at the moment I'm just buying at a pharmacy.

 

 

Hi Bubble, glad to hear your doing well. 

I tried making a liquid solution last night. I purchased the Ora Plus suspending vehicle and mixed 25ml of this and 25ml of water into a container and then added the 50mg tablet. This would make 1ml = 1mg. 

What I found is this morning the tablet was still basically whole in the bottom. It was quite hard to see also as the Ora Plus is quite cloudy. I then tried putting another tablet into just water and it dissolved very quickly (within a minute or 2). 

So my question is do you dissolve the tablet in water prior to adding the Ora plus in? Is it OK to use cold filtered water or should I boil and let cool first and then put tablet in? 

I just want to get this right so I'm not making mistakes when switching across. 

Appreciate if you could explain your method of making up batches?

Thanks heaps. 

[bubbles]

On 9/21/2021 at 8:25 AM, Cruizer said:

 

So my question is do you dissolve the tablet in water prior to adding the Ora plus in? Is it OK to use cold filtered water or should I boil and let cool first and then put tablet in? 

 

On 9/21/2021 at 8:25 AM, Cruizer said:

Appreciate if you could explain your method of making up batches?

Thanks heaps

 

Hi Cruizer

 

I crush the tablets first and add them in powdered form. I bought a mortar and pestle especially for this purpose and I line it with baking paper (I think Americans call it parchment paper). The paper helps me to make sure get all of the powdered tablet when I transfer to the suspension bottle.

 

I find that I see visible bits of crushed tablet floating for a couple of days, so I try to make up a batch a few days before I need it, and give it a good shake each day, and then before use.

 

Re the water, personally I boil to disinfect (umm 3 minutes? not sure, would have to check my notes) and allow to cool. I also disinfect the bottles I use.

 

To disinfect the bottles (and measuring syringes and or medicine cup) I use the disinfectant tablets for baby bottles and then allow to air dry. My mortar and pestle and paper aren't disinfected though. I do my best with disinfecting because I push how long I keep it - here on SA the recommendation seemed to be only to keep a home made suspension for a few days. I spoke to a pharmacy who said they'd make up a suspension and I should discard after a month. It should be said that I've seen their set up through a window and they have much better sterilization than I can achieve at home. I discard after about a month. Personally I've had no trouble doing it like this and going from bottle to bottle is imperceptible. Your mileage may vary, of course.

 

Hope that helps a bit. Good luck with it.

[bubbles]

Dropped to 0.8mg today. I neglected to note when I went to 0.9 but I think it was roughly four weeks ago.

 

The light at the end of the tunnel is visible.

 

Update, down 99.2mg, at 0.8mg. Also therefore down 99.2%. 

[ChessieCat]

Woohoo!!!  And it is NOT a train.

 

Isn't it exciting?!?!

 

I "cheated" by reducing every week.  I started off by reducing every 3rd week, then every 2nd week and then weekly.

[bubbles]

12 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

Woohoo!!!  And it is NOT a train.

 

Isn't it exciting?!?!

 

I "cheated" by reducing every week.  I started off by reducing every 3rd week, then every 2nd week and then weekly.

At the end? I see you're at 0.2mg - woo hoo for you too! So close.

 

I'm not noticing anything with drops. Part of me wonders if I'm now at the point where there is a negligible effect and maybe could just stop. But it's been too long a ride to do that now! Have obviously abandoned the 10% thing now.

 

[ChessieCat]

9 hours ago, bubbles said:

I see you're at 0.2mg - woo hoo for you too! So close.

 

Actually it's 0.02mg.  And thanks.

 

I will post in my Intro topic my full taper.  I started speeding up my taper at the end of March 2021 at 0.328mg.

 

We each need to taper at the rate we feel comfortable with.  I know I took a bit of a risk going faster but I figured that I had had a reasonably comfortable taper after I got on track mid 2016 so I thought it was worth the risk.  Over all it will be a 5 year taper with several long holds during that time.

 

Keep marching to your own tune.  If you feel that you can go a bit faster do it in small steps.

[bubbles]

On 9/28/2021 at 6:51 AM, ChessieCat said:

 

Actually it's 0.02mg.  And thanks.

 

 

Oh, wow! (This is what happens when middle-aged eyes read on a phone...) Will go check out your thread.

 

[Rosetta]

Bubbles, just think how much your liver and kidneys appreciate the reduced workload these past couple of years.  You are close to zero, but, actually, your body is so much the better for having been receiving that low dose.  Yay!  Good thing you are not struggling with a shortage of sertraline.  
 

This week my mother said to a doctor that she can’t stay on Prozac for ever, and the doctor said, “Why not?”  Ugh!

 

Rosetta

[bubbles]

On 9/30/2021 at 2:55 AM, Rosetta said:

Bubbles, just think how much your liver and kidneys appreciate the reduced workload these past couple of years.  You are close to zero, but, actually, your body is so much the better for having been receiving that low dose.  Yay!  Good thing you are not struggling with a shortage of sertraline.  
 

This week my mother said to a doctor that she can’t stay on Prozac for ever, and the doctor said, “Why not?”  Ugh!

 

Rosetta

 

I see that there should be additional supplies in the next few weeks (of sertraline) so I will get a new prescription in a week or two and fill it once it looks like supplies are normal again. It's quite frightening to consider running out, even at this low dose. As an experiment, I've used my current batch of suspension much longer, without ill effect. That means I can stretch current supplies at least 1.5 times further if needed.

 

Yes, the slow slide down has been better, and even if I had to stop here, now, I'd be far better off than staying on 100mg. When I think of the side effects I had back then, goodness, it was awful.

 

Argh to your mum's doctor's comment...

 

 

[bubbles]

Goodness, I'm up to 18 pages. Going okay. I lowered to 0.8mg on 26 September which is now three weeks ago. I will drop again next weekend, I think, at four weeks.

I have ongoing "allergies" which I now suspect is probably seasonal allergies, and maybe an allergy to one of my pets, on top of histamine intolerance. It is definitely allergy season here just now and it's flared up.

 

Based on my allergy experience in recent years and some other issues, I think it is now time to seriously investigate histamine intolerance as well. I am looking at an elimination diet (which needs some planning, so will be a few weeks away), and also trying quercetin. I took the first quercetin supplement today - the bottle says 3x a day and I am trying 1 initially for a few days, then will up the dose one and then another.

 

The histamine elimination diet looks very basic and looks like mostly fresh meat, eggs, vegetables and fruit other than citrus so it's going to be manageable, and elimination diets aren't intended to be permanent. Anyway, all of that is healthy food and it won't do me any harm to try it for a few weeks.

 

I'm mentioning all of this here in case I later think the quercetin is causing problems and want to backtrack and work out what happened when. (Not that I expect it to cause problems, but you never know.) I don't expect zinc or vitamin c to cause issues as I've taken them off and on for a while.

 

TL;dr

At 0.8mg, down 99.2mg, at 0.8% of highest dose. Allergic.

[Altostrata]

An elimination diet is really quite simple: Variations of chicken, rice, and vegetables. It's easier to remember the foods that are least irritating than the rest. 

 

Egg whites are high in histamine; eggs can be eaten only when whites are scrambled with yolks.

[bubbles]

3 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

An elimination diet is really quite simple: Variations of chicken, rice, and vegetables. It's easier to remember the foods that are least irritating than the rest. 

 

Egg whites are high in histamine; eggs can be eaten only when whites are scrambled with yolks.

 

I didn't know that about egg whites, but I do like scrambled eggs. I'm at a stage where I have to try something different. I'll miss tea though.

 

 

[Altostrata]

An elimination diet is not that hard, if you like chicken and rice, or veg and rice.

[bubbles]

I have done them in the past and find it's tricky if you are out and haven't preplanned, or for that matter if at home and run out of "safe" food! The rest of the family don't need it so they can still eat cheese and tomatoes... Not actually a huge rice fan, sadly, but it looks like I can fill up on vegetables and the protein should be filling. I do like chicken, thankfully!

[Altostrata]

That's true, if you go out to eat and are on a special diet, you have to be prepared.

[bubbles]

I dropped to 0.7ml/mg on Monday.

 

I think I have forgotten several days of doses a few times in the last few weeks. Not 100% sure but will need to make a checklist or something for future.

 

I am having headaches which I think is mostly from being tired. They're not new, just a bit worse again than they have been for a while. I think my ponytail is probably not helping and I am planning to get my hair cut shorter in a day or so which would mean I don't need to tie it up. I've also had several migraine auras over the last several months, and late last week I had the worst one so far. Once the vision cleared up, I was very cold - apparently that's a migraine thing - and felt washed out.

 

I am slightly wondering if going to 0.7ml/mg was the right thing to do but probably just remembering to take it every day is more important. 

 

Mixed up a new batch of the suspension tonight so will let that sit for a day or two.

 

 

[ChessieCat]

You are getting there.

 

I found that when I got to the really low doses I started having trouble remember to take my dose.  Because I'm down to 0.005mg now I'm at the point that I don't really care.

 

However, I think with the dose you are currently taking you need to make sure that you do take it regularly.  And having a checklist definitely helps.

 

At least if you make sure that you don't miss any doses you will know that that isn't the cause of any issues you might have.

[bubbles]

Hi @ChessieCat

 

I have felt a bit "spacey" a few times, which has made me stop and think about the missed doses. I think it's separate from the headaches and migraines, and has had a distinctive feel that I associate with withdrawal. Mild, as one might hope at this end of a long taper, but there. I find my other tablets easier to remember as they're a tablet in a weekly pillbox - it is there, or not, when I look later. A reminder on my phone might help too.

 

You're so close! Are you doing okay with it now? Will go and visit your thread.

[ChessieCat]

1 minute ago, bubbles said:

I have felt a bit "spacey" a few times

 

That's interesting because I have had a similar thing happen but not sure of the cause.  You see my musing in my Intro.  The fact that it is spring in Australia doesn't help either, because hayfever might be a factor.

[bubbles]

Oh my the hay fever. The quercetin is helping, but adds to the food/tablet scheduling issue as it's best taken with a fatty meal.

[bubbles]

No further migraines, though in fairness it's been less than two weeks. I thought I had a flash of one starting yesterday but it didn't develop. When they start, it looks like I've looked at a light for a second too long. It got to this stage and then passed immediately.

 

I had my hair cut on the weekend. I think I was getting pony tail headaches, so my solution was to get my hair cut so I don't need to tie it back. I think it's helped, but if not my hair looks nice now.

 

The quercetin is helping with the allergies a lot. The bottle tells me I can have 1-3 tablets a day. I am taking one in the morning with my zinc supplement  (just for scheduling purposes, it isn't necessary for allergies - I'm just in a zinc supplementing phase) with breakfast as it is better absorbed with fatty food, apparently. Within half an hour the sniffles have passed. Usually by evening I'm still fairly good so I'm not bothering with a second one and have never had the full three. Best spring I've had for allergies in years.