Please help me- micro taper?

Can anyone help me set up a schedule for a micro taper,

liquid taper?

I just failed my third attempt at being benzo free and NEED

HELP!!!

Just started seeing a new doctor. She's not particularly benzo

wise but seems open. I am holding at 0.5mg of k, not totally

stable but stable enough to begin tapering again soon I think.

I am in such a foggy, confused state of mind with my benzo

brain and really need some help with a schedule to begin

tapering off of this last 0.5mg of k.

Anyone? Thanks SG57, Clona21, Builder or anyone that might

be able to help. SG57-you have helped me in the past and I

hope you are still available as I am still fighting (going on 3 years now)

to be free!

Thanks! Please help! I don't know what I'm doing or how to do a

micro taper. I think it's the only way I'll be able to get off of this.

Sue 

Hi, I think the first step might be to liquify your current dose and dose that way without cutting for a while.

When you feel ready to cut my suggestion would be to begin with .0015mg per day since you are at .5mg K.

Hi, I think the first step might be to liquify your current dose and dose that way without cutting for a while.

 

When you feel ready to cut my suggestion would be to begin with .0015mg per day since you are at .5mg K.

Agree with SG.  If you have some specific questions just let us know.

Thank you both so much.

Between my benzo brain and my very black and white thinking

I need a clear step by step on just how to even get started.

I feel confused about the whole liquid/micro taper way.

Thanks for any help.

Sue

ps-SG thank you for still being around to help people out. You

helped me quite a few months ago but unfortunately, I've now

had 3 tries at getting off and the mental torture is just too much.

I'm thinking the micro taper might be the way to go.

You're welcome.  You need to get the K in liquid form.  There are several ways.  Make that choice first.

How many doses a day and what pill size do you have?

I have the 1mg tablets. Just cut them in half and take the 0.5mg

at night.

Okay.  You can liquify half a tablet if you use the other half the next day, but what I recommend is to liquify the entire 1mg tablet then split the liquid in half to make a two-day supply.  Splitting the liquid is more accurate than splitting a pill.

What liquid do you want to use?

A good thread you might want to check out is the daily microtaper support thread...

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=135284.msg1847253#new

Whole milk is a good choice, but not required.  There are other methods and liquids like alcohol/water or getting it compounded for you, even suspending it in Ora Plus.  I'm not sure if K has a prescription liquid in the USA, but might in other countries.

Thanks, SG! I will check out the thread.

Can I stay in touch with questions as I progress??

I'm pretty scared about all of this because I REALLY

thought I was going to succeed last time when I crossed

over from k to diazepam and tapered for six months.

But it didn't work.

Do you think I have a better chance with doing a micro taper?

I want to be off of this poison so bad and this will be my fourth

attempt.

Thanks again.

Sure.  I wasn't trying to put you off by mentioning the other thread.  Keep asking if you have more questions.

I don't know your history and what the last tapers were like, but in general yes, I think microtaper will get you there.

Thanks! I've been trying to get off since 2011.

Was CT'd which was a total nightmare. Reinstated,

and began an oil based? taper of k from a compound

pharmacy. This did not work out too well and

apparently I jumped off alittle too soon. Felt like a

tiny, tiny amount that I jumped from but the doctor

later told me it was actually equivalent to about 2 1/2 mgs

of valium.

Do you know if a liquid taper is different from an oil base?

I'm thinking the best thing would be if I could get a liquid

form of k already set. I feel so mentally challenged right

now in this benzo fog, I actually don't know how I'll

calculate and figure it all out.

Did that help you alittle with my history? Oh, sorry, but after

the failed compound taper, I was "guided" through the Ashton

method of crossing over from k to diazepam and tapered

from that for approx. 6 months. Jumped at 0.5mg of diazepam

but apparently that was too much of a jump for me because

the mental torture was too much so after 5 1/2 months have

just reinstated once again.

Thanks! Sue 

I am holding at 0.5mg of k and feel somewhat stable.

Got on an antidepressant which I was trying not to do

but it is helping some too. I figure I will worry about that

later but, for now, just need to get off the benzo first.

I feel stable enough that if I didn't get any worse I would

be okay tapering down. What do you think? I have read

where you need to be maybe totally stable before tapering

for best results but am hesitant to go up on dosage. After

3 reinstatements, there's no guarantee that I would stabilize

anymore. Can you tell me your thoughts on this?

My brother said he would help me figure out the math, etc. I have no idea how

you figure out ie .0015 etc and know how much to "pull out"

of the syringe, etc. 

Hope I don't sound too dumb right now 24 years on this drug

has done some damage but healing can and will happen!!

Thanks, SG

Will look to hear from you on this.

Sue

Whatever other drugs there are just keep them steady while you get rid of the benzo.

I think it is good to feel as best as possible before tapering, but I if you feel good enough to taper I would not go fishing higher for something better.  Updosing often does not change a thing.  Better to focus on keeping your dose steady and even and just wait until you think you are ready to taper.

Don't sweat the math, it really is easy you will see.  Right now just get the pill into liquid and begin dosing that way with no cutting.  It sounds like you chose whole milk?  Good choice.

Ok. I'm sorry but what syringe do I need and how much milk

into a jar, etc? Do you mind helping me alittle step by step just

til I get started and comfortable with it all?

Will the pharmacy have the syringes?

Thanks again.

ps-thanks for the advice about other meds. The only other things

are thyroid med and just the one AD.

Bare bones to do this is a 1ml and 10ml oral syringes and as many good sealing jars as you have doses.  From there a 50ml syringe might be more convenient but not needed.

Free oral syringes are around.  Your local pharmacy might give them away and also vets often have them, but not sure if they would be free.  They are also available online.

You could put it in as little as 50ml milk.  I would choose either 50 or 100ml.

sorry...so when I get the 1ml and 10ml syringes from the pharmacy,

then I'll put the 1 mg k in 100ml of regular whole milk? Divide that

into two jars. Before trying to even taper, to get used to it like you

said, draw from the first jar all the liquid completely right, so that

I get the full 0.5mg of k in me?

Sorry if this sounds pathetic but I need exacts right now to totally

know I'm doing it right. Sorry.

It sounds like you have it exactly right.  If you have 1mg K pills but your current dose is .5mg then just put the 1mg K pill into 100ml and split it in half and you have a two-day supply.  Then dose the full 50ml each day for a while.  It's not pathetic, you are all over it.

Be sure to use full fat whole homogenized milk.  The homogenized part is important and does not get mentioned much as it is a given that it will be homogenized.  But homogenization is what distributes the fat evenly in the milk.

THANKS, SG! I'm just so sad and so scared to be back on

this poison after three tries. I HAVE TO make it this time.

I need to stabilize alittle bit more on the AD that fortunately

(I guess) is helping me some for now. So maybe will give it a week

of diluting the k after I get the syringes to see how it goes and

then seek out more help to get

started with the taper. Does that sound ok? 

SG or anyone!

I'm having alittle set back and don't know if the 0.5mg of clonazepam isn't holding me

stable enough, or if the Prozac is starting to cause a problem. Any thoughts?

I having more anxiety the last couple of days, have gone from 10mg of Prozac

to 20mg about a week ago. But I have also had a new "feeling" of some type of

"inner" weakness, shakiness and an underlying feeling of a panic attack wanting

to kick in.

Don't want to go up on the clonzaepam if I can help it but did take an extra 0.5mg this

morning and it hasn't really done much. I also don't want to be unstable and start

going all over the place with things.

Was holding pretty good at 0.5mg of clonazepam for the past 2 months along with

taking cherry tart/melatonin and magnesium for sleep. That all seemed to be working

somewhat okay and keeping me somewhat stable.

Please any thoughts. SG-I called the pharmacy and am going there today to pick up

the 1ml and 10ml syringe that they did say they would give me. I just think I have to

start from a more stable point then from how I've been feeling at the last couple of days.

Thank you anyone for any thoughts on what I should do.   

I would be careful not to go chasing stability higher and higher on the K.  I am suspicious that the increase in Prozac may be the issue.  ADs are known to cause anxiety and benzos are sometimes given with an AD for that reason alone.

Are you by any chance a member of survivingantidepressants.org?  If not, it might be a good idea to join there as they can advise on AD effects.

I would be careful not to go chasing stability higher and higher on the K.  I am suspicious that the increase in Prozac may be the issue.  ADs are known to cause anxiety and benzos are sometimes given with an AD for that reason alone.

Are you by any chance a member of survivingantidepressants.org?  If not, it might be a good idea to join there as they can advise on AD effects.

Thank You both!

SG-I was SO looking forward to getting back to you to start

a micro taper and now this. I'm scared all over again with

the severe anxiety and am hoping and praying it's the Prozac

and I can just get off of that.

I'm seeing a doctor today.

Do you think it's more likely the Prozac then a "paradoxical"

effect of the benzo? I did stabilize somewhat on the 0.5mg

of k for over two months and don't think it would then become

paradoxical, do you?

Thanks again!

Can't wait to stabilize AGAIN and get ready for the micro taper

and be free of this once and for all. This will be attempt #4.