Taper Question

When you are lower in your taper, do you stick with the same percentage cuts or go higher? If I go with 10% from .072mg for 14 days and continue with 10% for 14 days it is as follows:

 

.072mg to .065mg (Week 2)

.065mg to .058mg (Week 4)

.058mg to .052mg (Week 6)

.052mg to .047mg (Week 8

.047mg to .042mg (Week 10)

.042mg to .038mg (Week 12)

.037mg to .033mg (Week 14)

.033 to .029mg (Week 16)

and on and on and on....

 

I am going to stop because you see how this just keeps continuing. I honestly don't know if I'd even be prescribed for that duration. Can this be sped up at the end? I'm not wanting to drag this out forever and can percentages a bit over 10% still be considered okay? Thank you.

A number of people find they can speed up toward the end of their taper. Others have to slow it down a bit, but at some point, you have to make some linear cuts to reach zero. You can even combine a tiny linear cut with each percentage cut so you can reach zero. If your symptoms aren't too bad, you can always try speeding up a little. If they're rough, it's probably not worth it, but you never know. This is why I like the daily micro taper, because if you try tweaking your rate, you can adjust it back quickly if it doesn't quite work.

You asked me how I'm doing my taper so I'll just explain it here. At some stage you have to go linear. As you figured you can't keep doing percentages because you'll never finish. Think about the day you jump, it will be a 100% cut.

 

The thing is WHEN to go linear is up to you. Here is my story. I have been tapering very slowly since the beginning of the year i.e. 5% every two weeks. So for an entire year I have been very stable and symptoms have been manageable. It's important to say this because I've set myself up for a comfortable jump.

 

At 0.125mg I decided to go linear. No specific reason, it just felt right for me. I wanted to taper at 0.001mg per day for 30 days and then have a two week hold. It didn't work, it was too fast and I felt symptoms after 3 weeks. I held my dose for about 2 weeks. Then I switched to tapering 0.001mg per day for 7 days and holding for three days. It worked. My symptoms are consistent and manageable. Here and there they'll be slightly more intense but not consecutive days.

 

If you're struggling you might just want to hold for a bit. I know it's not what you want to do but it might just make jumping a little bit easier. You'll get there!

Thank you! I feel a connection to you and you've always reached out to me. I appreciate it. When you have had symptoms, can I ask what they are please? I think I will hold here a tad and then scoot down. I hope the fact that I have a good degree of symptoms right now doesn't mean I am in trouble from here on out. 

You are welcome. 

 

I just have to say I have symptoms all the time, but it's manageable. It's not like I don't have any symptoms. 

 

My main symptoms are brain fog (really bad), head pressure, headaches and insomnia. My brain just feels like it's hurting/burning all the time. I have memory issues and sometimes my brain just feels "off".

 

Other symptoms are very low motivation to do anything (but not depressed), irritability, depersonalisation and a general feeling of being unwell (almost like having a head cold and having to lay down).

 

I also have pretty bad jaw pain but this was a pre-existing condition which was the reason I was prescribed benzo's.

You are welcome. 

 

I just have to say I have symptoms all the time, but it's manageable. It's not like I don't have any symptoms. 

 

My main symptoms are brain fog (really bad), head pressure, headaches and insomnia. My brain just feels like it's hurting/burning all the time. I have memory issues and sometimes my brain just feels "off".

 

Other symptoms are very low motivation to do anything (but not depressed), irritability, depersonalisation and a general feeling of being unwell (almost like having a head cold and having to lay down).

 

I also have pretty bad jaw pain but this was a pre-existing condition which was the reason I was prescribed benzo's.

 

Your symptoms are pretty similar to mine, jelly baby. Your description of how your brain feels is just about spot on to what I'm feeling these days. It feels like it's full of helium and stuffed with cotton and sometimes on fire. This K sure is awful stuff. Do you get any windows? I tend to have one in the morning until a certain point where a symptom hits and then late in the evening once things calm down.

 

Congratulations to both of you on getting down as low as you have. I just hit .150 mg today. I am also going to try and move at .001 mg per day starting tomorrow after doing 8.5%/14 for a bit following two strep infections and two courses of different antibiotics. I like the idea of tapering 7 days and holding for a few, if needed. That's a good approach. I'm hopeful I can keep moving on this. I can definitely tolerate a faster speed than I used to be able to. I was at 5% all summer, and I finally decided I had to try speeding up as I was doing really badly. I'm hopeful to be off by March at the latest.

 

Let's all keep in touch. The two of you are some of the closest to me on K dose-wise.

I don't feel like I'm getting windows. Sometimes if I properly distract I won't notice my symptoms. There was only one day in the past 10 months when I had a window.

 

Sounds like you're moving along just fine! 

I don't feel like I'm getting windows. Sometimes if I properly distract I won't notice my symptoms. There was only one day in the past 10 months when I had a window.

 

Sounds like you're moving along just fine! 

 

I hope you have more windows soon. You're getting very close to being off.