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Lynnardgirl: can’t stabilize - it's been 7 months


Lynnardgirl

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  • Moderator

That's a good way to do things as long as you have a set dose weight you are trying to get. It's like getting "free doses". Once you start tapering all the pills do is become a supply pile that you take what you need from. I use to crush several pills at once and then weigh from the pile of powder and when it got low just crushed some more and added it to the pile.

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

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9 minutes ago, brassmonkey said:

That's a good way to do things as long as you have a set dose weight you are trying to get. It's like getting "free doses". Once you start tapering all the pills do is become a supply pile that you take what you need from. I use to crush several pills at once and then weigh from the pile of powder and when it got low just crushed some more and added it to the pile.

Perfect thanks ! 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey @Lynnardgirl, how are you doing? Hopefully you're having a window xxx

January 2008 to April 2015 Citalopram 20mg to 5mg, reducing in 50 per cent leaps. Jumped off at 5mg

March 2016 used MDMA triggered setback

April 2016 Citalopram 10mg October 2016 cut to 5mg, May 2017 cut to 2.5mg

May 2018 used MDMA triggered setback

June 2018 Citalopram 2.5mg up to 10mg, then back to 5mg

July/ August 2018 7.5mg, then 10mg

June 2019 updosed to 20mg Citalopram

August 2019 cold switch to Venlafaxine 75mg XR

Supplements; 1100mg fish oil daily; also 100mg Magnesium Glycinate. Tried Vagifem 10mcg from mid May 2021 to mid June 2021; caused depression, so stopped.

 

 

 

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8 hours ago, sunnysideup69 said:

Hey @Lynnardgirl, how are you doing? Hopefully you're having a window xxx

Doing better thank you! Sounds like you are really doing better . So happy for you!

thanks for staying in touch your a very 

thoughtful person 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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On 6/3/2020 at 12:11 PM, brassmonkey said:

That's a good way to do things as long as you have a set dose weight you are trying to get. It's like getting "free doses". Once you start tapering all the pills do is become a supply pile that you take what you need from. I use to crush several pills at once and then weigh from the pile of powder and when it got low just crushed some more and added it to the pile.

@brassmonkey

look what I found on a fb site! Wow

kindA scared I have been crushing


If the medication is slow release then the drug will be assimilated quicker when crushed and may cause high levels of toxicity. So it can be dangerous.

 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator

That is worded rather poorly, but we have similar warnings here on our how to taper pages.

 

Crushing slow release or extended release tablets is not recommended for several reasons. Some extended release medications are designed to pass through the stomach and be absorbed in the small intestine. Stomach acid can alter the medication and render it ineffective. The other reason is that powdered medication can be absorbed much faster than it should be, causing a spike in blood plasma concentration and a more rapid half life.  This leads to large fluctuations in the amount of medication in the blood and can lead to large swings in symptoms/side effects. Worst case is for someone who is poly drugged and crushing all their medications, it could lead to dangerous spikes in blood plasma concentration.

 

According to your signature you are working with standard release Effexor, there shouldn't be any problem with that.

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

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13 hours ago, brassmonkey said:

That is worded rather poorly, but we have similar warnings here on our how to taper pages.

 

Crushing slow release or extended release tablets is not recommended for several reasons. Some extended release medications are designed to pass through the stomach and be absorbed in the small intestine. Stomach acid can alter the medication and render it ineffective. The other reason is that powdered medication can be absorbed much faster than it should be, causing a spike in blood plasma concentration and a more rapid half life.  This leads to large fluctuations in the amount of medication in the blood and can lead to large swings in symptoms/side effects. Worst case is for someone who is poly drugged and crushing all their medications, it could lead to dangerous spikes in blood plasma concentration.

 

According to your signature you are working with standard release Effexor, there shouldn't be any problem with that.

Thank you for the information ! I just seem worse, after I have been crushing and weighing 

my tables! I know it’s more accurate but I can’t seem to stabilize, any ideas why? 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator

Your signature isn't clear as to what dose you are currently taking and the dates the different moves happened with the Effexor. Would you please up date 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

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On 6/20/2020 at 1:03 PM, brassmonkey said:

Your signature isn't clear as to what dose you are currently taking and the dates the different moves happened with the Effexor. Would you please up date it.

Ok update my signature ! 
@brassmonkey I’m getting really nervous 

started to crush my tablets and my waves are 

worse than ever ! Can’t stabilize 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Do you find that you feel better at certain times of the day on a regular basis?

 

It might be that you are a fast metabolizer and you are experiencing interdose withdrawal, even though you are taking it twice a day.  I suggest that you keep a diary of when you take your dose and when the symptoms come and go.  If the diary shows a pattern you might need to split your dose and take it 3 times a day.  I can recall that we had another SA member who found it better to take her Effexor several times a day.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • Moderator

No need to panic LG. CC has a good idea there. Make some notes for a few days and let's see if a pattern develops.

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

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30 minutes ago, ChessieCat said:

Do you find that you feel better at certain times of the day on a regular basis?

 

It might be that you are a fast metabolizer and you are experiencing interdose withdrawal, even though you are taking it twice a day.  I suggest that you keep a diary of when you take your dose and when the symptoms come and go.  If the diary shows a pattern you might need to split your dose and take it 3 times a day.  I can recall that we had another SA member who found it better to take her Effexor several times a day.

Ok I will give this a try 

thank you so much 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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3 minutes ago, brassmonkey said:

No need to panic LG. CC has a good idea there. Make some notes for a few days and let's see if a pattern develops.

Thank you brassmonkey! Ok good idea 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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@brassmonkey

ok today after I took my morning dose 

my anxiety is at it’s worse and I feel like total

 crap! Been getting worse sense crushing my

tablets ‘ Maybe try and take it 3 times a day !

I thought I Was starting to stabilize before I started  crushing 


! HELP

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator

Before we try to work out 3 time a day dosing I think we should try something. I read back through you posts and it really shows that your body doesn't like having the pills crushed.  We have run into this before. If you have some whole tablets could you try cutting some up and chipping off little bits to get the correct weight for your dose.  Try to leave things in as big of pieces as possible. Best if it can be one piece, but two or three big chunks in a gel cap would work. Try taking your doses that way for several days and see if it helps.

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

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  • Moderator Emeritus
49 minutes ago, brassmonkey said:

If you have some whole tablets could you try cutting some up and chipping off little bits to get the correct weight for your dose.  Try to leave things in as big of pieces as possible.

 

Good suggestion.  If things improve it would most like be crushing causing the issues.

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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11 hours ago, brassmonkey said:

Before we try to work out 3 time a day dosing I think we should try something. I read back through you posts and it really shows that your body doesn't like having the pills crushed.  We have run into this before. If you have some whole tablets could you try cutting some up and chipping off little bits to get the correct weight for your dose.  Try to leave things in as big of pieces as possible. Best if it can be one piece, but two or three big chunks in a gel cap would work. Try taking your doses that way for several days and see if it helps.

Ok this sounds like a good plan! Thank you so much @brassmonkey 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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10 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

 

Good suggestion.  If things improve it would most like be crushing causing the issues.

Yes I think crushing is causing the problem!

One day this hell will be over ugh 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Lynnardgirl said:

Yes I think crushing is causing the problem!

One day this hell will be over ugh 

 

It will, @Lynnardgirl. Hang in there ❤️ 

January 2008 to April 2015 Citalopram 20mg to 5mg, reducing in 50 per cent leaps. Jumped off at 5mg

March 2016 used MDMA triggered setback

April 2016 Citalopram 10mg October 2016 cut to 5mg, May 2017 cut to 2.5mg

May 2018 used MDMA triggered setback

June 2018 Citalopram 2.5mg up to 10mg, then back to 5mg

July/ August 2018 7.5mg, then 10mg

June 2019 updosed to 20mg Citalopram

August 2019 cold switch to Venlafaxine 75mg XR

Supplements; 1100mg fish oil daily; also 100mg Magnesium Glycinate. Tried Vagifem 10mcg from mid May 2021 to mid June 2021; caused depression, so stopped.

 

 

 

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@brassmonkey 

ok not crushing but just weighing ! Had a good day but ugh back to horrible horrible week!

I think I need to start tapering again my symptoms are getting worse! Cutting was not very accurate but seems like I was getting better or least could tolerate the symptoms! 
I feel horrible so do you think I should start tapering again it’s been almost 2 years?

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator

You should probably let your body stabilize from the powder episode before trying to taper.  Work on getting the chunky doses as accurate as possible.

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

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8 hours ago, brassmonkey said:

You should probably let your body stabilize from the powder episode before trying to taper.  Work on getting the chunky doses as accurate as possible.

Ok thank you 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment

@brassmonkey 

Did I do this wrong ! 
I read I need to know the difference between the milligrams of pill weight and milligrams of active ingredient  
I just weighed the pills to get my dosage ‘ 

how the heck would I know the milligrams 

of active ingredients 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
  • Moderator

Milligrams pill weight  (mgpw) is the actual weight of the medication that you weigh on the scale for each dose. It will be larger than the milligrams active ingredient because the manufacturers add fillers to the tablets to make them bigger and easier to  handle.

 

Milligrams Active Ingredient (mgai) is the strength of the dose. For a whole tablet it is the amount listed on the package. 

 

Use your scale to weigh ten of the whole tablets. Divide that weight by 10 to get the average weight of one tablet.

Find the strength of the tablets on the package. Divide this number by the average weight of one tablet. This will tell you how much medication there is in 1mg of tablet and is referred to  as the AIC (Active Ingredient Concentration).

Multiply the weight of the dose you are taking by the AIC and that will tell you the strength of the active ingredient in the dose you are taking.

 

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

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12 hours ago, brassmonkey said:

Milligrams pill weight  (mgpw) is the actual weight of the medication that you weigh on the scale for each dose. It will be larger than the milligrams active ingredient because the manufacturers add fillers to the tablets to make them bigger and easier to  handle.

 

Milligrams Active Ingredient (mgai) is the strength of the dose. For a whole tablet it is the amount listed on the package. 

 

Use your scale to weigh ten of the whole tablets. Divide that weight by 10 to get the average weight of one tablet.

Find the strength of the tablets on the package. Divide this number by the average weight of one tablet. This will tell you how much medication there is in 1mg of tablet and is referred to  as the AIC (Active Ingredient Concentration).

Multiply the weight of the dose you are taking by the AIC and that will tell you the strength of the active ingredient in the dose you are taking.

 


Does the AIC need to be calculated in with somehow me weighing my dosage ! 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ok kinda scared going back wards and only weighed my tables and found my dosage 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator

The AIC is used to help calculate where you are in a taper when you only know one of the components either the mgai or the mgpw.  Once those two numbers have been established there is a simple calculation applied to both that is used to determine the next dose in a taper.

 

If you want to do a 10% reduction and you know both the mgai and the mgpw you woild calculate it like this:

 

mgpw X .9 = new dose as weighed on the scales

mgai X .9 = new dose strength, which is what we record and talk about

 

The latest dose listed in your signature is 112.5mgai  using the above formula 112.5 X .9 = 101.25mgai. This would be the strength of your next reduction and you would cut it in half for the twice a day dosing.

To calculate how much you would weigh out you would calculate starting with the weight of the dose you are currently using and use the same formula. You can use the weight of the total daily dose and divide it by 2 to get am and pm dose weights, or you can use the weight of just the am or pm doses to get them separately. 

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

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@brassmonkeyinstead of dry cutting. We measured out 3/4 of a tablet by weight! 

So you are saying when I start to taper I need to figure out my AIC? 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator

It may be necessary to make things more accurate. The best thing would be when you are ready to start tapering to let us know and we will help with the calculations. We would need to know:

the weight of a whole tablet from your scales,

the strength of a whole table from the package,

the weight of the dose you are currently taking

the percentage you want to reduce by.

 

From there we can figure out just what you are currently taking and what your new dose would be. Plus we can give you the formula so you can continue to calculate your reductions on your own. We want you to get it right so we are always glad to help with the math.

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

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8 minutes ago, brassmonkey said:

It may be necessary to make things more accurate. The best thing would be when you are ready to start tapering to let us know and we will help with the calculations. We would need to know:

the weight of a whole tablet from your scales,

the strength of a whole table from the package,

the weight of the dose you are currently taking

the percentage you want to reduce by.

 

From there we can figure out just what you are currently taking and what your new dose would be. Plus we can give you the formula so you can continue to calculate your reductions on your own. We want you to get it right so we are always glad to help with the math.

Thank you so much! This has been HELL

 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, brassmonkey said:

The AIC is used to help calculate where you are in a taper when you only know one of the components either the mgai or the mgpw.  Once those two numbers have been established there is a simple calculation applied to both that is used to determine the next dose in a taper.

 

If you want to do a 10% reduction and you know both the mgai and the mgpw you woild calculate it like this:

 

mgpw X .9 = new dose as weighed on the scales

mgai X .9 = new dose strength, which is what we record and talk about

 

The latest dose listed in your signature is 112.5mgai  using the above formula 112.5 X .9 = 101.25mgai. This would be the strength of your next reduction and you would cut it in half for the twice a day dosing.

To calculate how much you would weigh out you would calculate starting with the weight of the dose you are currently using and use the same formula. You can use the weight of the total daily dose and divide it by 2 to get am and pm dose weights, or you can use the weight of just the am or pm doses to get them 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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@brassmonkey

So if I wanted to taper at 10% from my current

dosage I would take 225x.9= 202.5

my scale is calculated in grams 

Thanks you have been so so much help

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator

If 225 is what you are currently weighing on the scale then yes.

 

We use the gram mode on the scales, but pay attention to the decimal point. The scale will read 00.000 or 0.000 with nothing on it. The numbers to the left of the decimal point are grams while the numbers to the right are milligrams. So a reading of 0.225 would be 225 milligrams.

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

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  • 2 weeks later...

@brassmonkey 

I own a business Cryo Therapy 
I have never used the chamber because of my withdrawals ! 
Have you heard of Cryo Therapy where  you basically freeze for 3 minutes ? Helps with circulation, inflammation, muscle soreness depression anxiety! Scared to try it !

What are your thoughts ? Maybe try for a minute 

see how I feel
 

1997 regular Effexor  150 mg2016-2017 up dosage to 225 tried several times to taper no luck fast taper Back on  panic attacks anxiety Insomnia 2017 doing ok after a year but then insomia doctor put me onTrazodone 

was on Trazodone for 6 months or longer 

did a fast taper getting panic attacks 
2018 Doctor switched me to Effexor XR an 

reduced my dose to 225 - down to 150 felt worse went back on regular Effexor  Venlafaxine

2018 taper again, To fast tapered down to 112.5 from 150 take half twice a day 56.25 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Moderator

This sounds very interesting. I’ve never heard of it.

It really helps with anxiety? 
Could you tell me a little about it?

 

Thanks!

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.

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hello 

I would be very careful : in WD, it seems our CNS are hypersensitive and need rest and calm rather than radical experiences.

 

Have you taken a look on SA to see if others report testimonies with cryo ?

 

Take care 

2006 : 20mg Paxil+Bromazepam. 2008 : cold turkey of both. 2010 : Reinstatement 20mg Paxil + Bromazepam.

2014-June2017 : Switch from Bromazepam to Prazepam, slow taper to 0mg.

2018 to August 2019 : Paxil 20mg taper (3% every 15 days). 22 Aug 2019 updose to 10mg (was at 8.4mg).

25th Sept 2019 To April 2020 : found SA, holding at 10mg Paxil. 

April 2020 : Paxil 10mg to Prozac 7mg bridge. Details topic/21457

 

Current Supplements : magnesium citrate + fish oil

Current medication :

* 7pm Diazepam  : 0.85mg (15 Aug 2022) / 0.95 mg (24 April 2022) / 1mg Diazepam (since 29 Aug 2020)

* 8am Prozac : 6.16mg (25 oct 2022, feel awful, slight updose) / 6.08 mg (9 oct 2022) / 6.24mg (11 July 22) / 6.44mg (22 May 22) / 6.64mg (4 Nov 21) / 6.72mg (8 oct 21) / 6.8 mg (15 Sept 21)6.88mg (14 Aug 21)/ 6.92mg (23 Jun 21)

 

I am not a professional, I don't give medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

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