Emmi

[Emmi]

 Hi, about the digital scale what kind of digital scale is best used for weighing dosages, is it something special meant for medicine or a digital kitchen scale? Thank you. 

[ChessieCat]

Hi Emmi,

 

Welcome to SA.  I've moved your post and created your own Introduction topic where you can ask questions about your own situation and journal your progress.

 

So that we are better able to assist you, please create a drug signature.  Please list all drugs, dates and doses.  Do not list symptoms and/or diagnoses.  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

There are links in this topic to Tips for tapering different drugs.  Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

 

Here are some links which you might find helpful:

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Brain Remodelling

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

1 hour ago, Emmi said:

what kind of digital scale is best used for weighing dosages

 

This is a link to this information:  using-a-digital-scale-to-measure-doses

 

 

 

[Caspur]

Hi Emmi,

I have used the following scales for weighing cut pills etc.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smart-Weigh-Precision-Milligram-Calibration/dp/B00ESHDGOI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1536310426&sr=8-5&keywords=jewellery+scales+0.001g.

There are lots of other models available.

They work reasonably well up to a point. The problem I found was when I reached lower doses, they are not that accurate. I am talking about trying to weigh less than 5mg. The problem is partially solved by putting the scales into a box where air movement has less influence on their ability to weigh small amounts. Even my breath was affecting the accuracy!!

I am currently using them to weigh small amounts quetiapine, and they work OK. However when I get down to levels where I feel they are not accurate enough I will switch to a liquid instead.

Hope this helps

Caspur

[Emmi]

@Caspur Thank you. 🙂 I have had to put my tapering on hold for like a year and just now got back to this site and back to tapering. 

[Emmi]

@Caspur how can you switch to a liquid? 

[ChessieCat]

Welcome back Emmi,

 

So that we are better able to offer suggestions please create your drug signature using the following format.   Keep it simple.  NO diagnoses or symptoms please - thank you.

• details for last 2 years - dates, ALL drugs, doses
• summary for older than 2 years - just years and drug/s

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

[Emmi]

Topic title:  Buprorion Hydrochroride 75mg tapering start

 

Does anyone know whether it is advisable to start to do every other day a starting  dosage and every other day a lower dosage (10-12% of the starting dosage) before then after a month getting to the lower dosage daily?  Meaning if this would help with the withdrawal symptoms. Or does the yoyoing make it worse? 

 

Or better to start tapering straight with the lower dosage and continue that for a month? 

 

Thank you. 

 

Edited March 8, 2019 by ChessieCat
added topic title

[ChessieCat]

I've moved the new topic you created and combined it with your Introduction topic.  Please continue to post here in your Introduction topic.  Doing this keeps your history in one place.  Thank you.

 

Skipping days, or alternating doses, to taper is not recommended.  The brain likes consistency.  If you skip days to taper then you might get interdose withdrawal.  Skipping Days vs Every Day Dosing Graph

 

SA recommends tapering no more than 10% of the current dose followed by a hold of about 4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.   Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

If we try to go off the drug too quickly we might get withdrawal symptoms.  Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

This topic gives information about how to get the dose you need:  Tips for tapering off Wellbutrin, SR, XR, XL (buproprion)

 

Please ask any questions you have here in this topic.

[Emmi]

@Chessiecat thank you very much for your answer. Greatly appreciated!

 

And I tried adding the medicine info in the signature by saving it. It does not work by just typing the info in the box and saving it. Does it work as an attached document only? 

 

 

[ChessieCat]

You're very welcome.

 

If you are viewing the site from a phone you will not be able to see signatures.

 

This is what I can see below your posts:

 

2001-2010 Zoloft 

2011-2012 Venlafaxine

2013:Buproprion Hydrochroride 150mg Extended release. Once am. 

2016: Buproprion Hydrochrolide. 100mg immediate release. Cut to 3 times daily: am 50mg, pm 25mg, pm 25mg. 

2017-2018: Buproprion Hydrochloride 75mg immediate release. Cut to 3 times daily: am 37.5mg (half the pill) , pm 18.75mg (1/4 of the pill), pm 18.75mg.

2019 - Now started tapering this cutting appr. 1/4 by eye of the morning dosage. 

[Emmi]

@Chessiecat ok, yes. So it worked. 👍 Yes, I am viewing this and made editions from my cell phone. 

 

Its been not even a week and I am in a very bad place and think I cannot continue with this tapering. Perhaps I made a mistake cutting the pill by eye estimate only using a pill splitter. I do not have the scale yet. Need to order that. I just did not want to wait starting to decrease taking these poisons (antidepressant) any longer! And a Doctor sure cannot help me any better. By best and only chance is the advice from this forum! 

[Altostrata]

Emmi, how are you feeling? What times of day are you taking your drugs, at what dosages, now?

 

If you are feeling poorly, please stop tapering. The symptoms may go away.

[Carmie]

Hi Emmi, 

 

Please don’t start tapering again until you stabilise. Tapering too soon won’t get you any further along as your waves can be more intense and last longer. That means you will have to hold even longer, it could take months to stabilise. I’ve done that in the past before I knew about tapering. 

 

You can get off these meds, you just have to go really slow. 12% is too quick. We should taper no more than 10% a month. I can only do around 4% to 5% a month myself now. I actually water titrate my meds. I originally used a pill cutter, but then when I learnt about tapering I decided to water titrate, as it’s the only way I could taper by tiny doses.That, or using a scale. I’ve never used a scale, but a lot of people on here do. 

 

Wishing you all the best with your continued tapering💚

 

 

[Emmi]

@Altostrata @Carmie

Thank you for checking up on me and your advise. I stopped tapering yesterday because I could not take it anymore. Was feeling dizzy, out of it like a zombie, not able to get up from bed. And I only reduced for 4 days! These drugs are so powerful. There should be a law that warns about developing a serious dependency. 

 

Thank goodness for this site! I truly appreciate this exists. I will educate myself more on the subject matter more before I ever try another tapering. I wonder how long it takes to stabilize again? I hope not long. I have had what I call "pyjama days" where I go nowhere and get nothing done, just lounge around like a zombie all day at home. well, tomorrow is a new day again. 

 

I do not know what the water tiltrating means or liquid forms. I will have to read about that. 

 

What I tried with the tapering that I did was actually adviced by a Psychiatrist. I believe that was maybe 4th time and a different Psychiatrist. Proves to say how clueless these doctors are about tapering. 

 

Thank you so much. 🙂

[Emmi]

@Altostrata

 

I went back to where I was before. Buproprion Hydrochrolide 75mg immediate release.I take 37.5mg in the morning, 18.75mg in the afternoon and 18.75mg in the evening. 

 

This pill is ordered special order prescription drugs from the US as it is not even available in the European Union area. In Europe the available is only 150mg and 300 mg buproprion Hydrochrolide, extended release.

 

Well, at least I have came down from 150mg. That has been a very long process and had to take long breaks in between. 

 

[Emmi]

@Carmie

 

How are you able to taper only 4-5% of the med? Do you estimate the cut by eye or how do you do it? I guess I will need to do something like that too in the future. But for now it will be a long break again staying with the dosage I was at before. 

 

Thanks. 

[Carmie]

On 3/13/2019 at 4:51 AM, Emmi said:

@Carmie

 

How are you able to taper only 4-5% of the med? Do you estimate the cut by eye or how do you do it? I guess I will need to do something like that too in the future. But for now it will be a long break again staying with the dosage I was at before. 

 

Thanks. 

 

Hi Emmi, 

 

I taper by water titrating. I crush my 25mg tablet and add 20ml of water, which makes every ml 1.25mg. At the moment I’m tapering by just over 3%. I’m still using a 5ml syringe and each ml of that is divided into five, so for the next five tapers I just go down by a fifth every month. At the end of five months or more I’ll be down from 7.50mg to 6.25mg. I went from 7.50mg to 7.25mg about five days ago or so.

 

When I get to the lower doses I’ll have to use smaller syringes and/or up the water percentage as well. Water titrating can help you get down to teeny tiny doses, I won’t be jumping off my meds until I’m down to 0.0something. 

 

I’ll get ChessieCat to send you some links. If you decide to eventually go to liquid though, you will have to do a bit of a crossover, otherwise the change of formula could put you into waves. Let us know what you decide to do. Any change we do can put us into waves. 

 

We will always go through windows and waves when tapering, as it’s our brain’s way of healing. We just have to make sure we continue to go slow and have long holds so that the waves don’t end up so severe. Withdrawals aren’t linear though, they are all over the place. You need to put some coping skills into action to get through the waves. My coping skill has always been distractions. I’ve got millions of distractions, arts and crafts, and all sorts of creative projects, word games, watching DVDs and Netflix, music, concerts, going out in nature etc etc etc. It won’t get rid of the waves, but it’s a good idea not to put all your focus on the symptoms, because stressing about the symptoms can make them worse. 

 

It’s a good idea for you for now to have a long hold, it’s important never to taper or make any changes until we have stabilised.

 

Wishing you all the best in your healing journey 💚

[ChessieCat]

Tips for tapering off Wellbutrin, SR, XR, XL (buproprion)

 

how-to-make-a-liquid-from-tablets-or-capsules

 

questions-and-answers-about-liquid-medications-use-by-date-expiry

 

using-an-oral-syringe-and-other-tapering-techniques

[Emmi]

@Carmie thank you for your answer. I have been and I am in bad shape. So it will be a long time before I try tapering again. I need to educate myself on the subject matter first very well. 

 

Did you get any of these instructions from a doctor? Or they are totally clueless? What I got from my doctor was to abruptly just end the dosage at  25mg am, 25mg pm and do this for a month and then stop. Completely ignorant and irresponsible. Thank goodness I found this forum!

[Emmi]

@Chessiecat  thank you very much for posting these t apering instructions. 

[Carmie]

On 4/4/2019 at 4:49 AM, Emmi said:

@Carmie thank you for your answer. I have been and I am in bad shape. So it will be a long time before I try tapering again. I need to educate myself on the subject matter first very well. 

 

Did you get any of these instructions from a doctor? Or they are totally clueless? What I got from my doctor was to abruptly just end the dosage at  25mg am, 25mg pm and do this for a month and then stop. Completely ignorant and irresponsible. Thank goodness I found this forum!

 

Hi Emmi, 

 

I’m so sorry you’re in bad shape. I’m going through waves myself at the moment. I’m glad you’re holding, we should never taper until we stabilise. I go through waves with every taper, that’s how one heals, windows and waves. It’s quite a rollercoaster ride.🎢🎢. I always stabilise again after each taper.

 

No, the doctors were totally clueless. I figure out my own calculations. I’m not great at math, but I’ve somehow managed to get myself down from 300mg to 7.25mg. Miracles still happen.😁 

 

Definitely don’t stop your medication abruptly like the doctor said. You could end up in withdrawals for a really long time. 

 

Keep us updated on how you’re doing. You can use this thread like your journal, you can write your ups and downs, and ask any questions. 

 

Sending hugs🤗