How to figure what Monthly % my DLMT is?

How do you know what percent your taper is each month of your total dose?  I started at 15 mg of Valium tapering by taking pills and liquid.  At 15 mg total, I tapered .03 mg each day in liquid form.  This took 33 days to taper approximately 1 mg, (.99 mg to be exact).  How do I do the math to find out what the monthly % decrease is of the total 15 mg by reducing .03 mg daily?  I am now at 14 mg (YEA), if I continue at reducing by .03 mg a day how do I do the math?  I need to keep track of the % each month.  My Dr. will want to know this at my next appointment.

 

Thanks everyone.

Starting dose - current dose/starting dose X 100

 

Ex:  assume 15mg starting dose and 13mg current dose

 

15mg-13mg = 2mg

 

2mg/15mg = .13

 

.13 X100 = 13%

So to figure each individual month reduction %, you would divide the mg reduction by the total monthly dose dose?

To calculate percentage change between any 2 values is always the difference between the starting value and the ending value, divided by the starting value.

I understand what you are saying, but I was probably not clear in what I was asking.  EX:  When I started at 15 mg and reduced 1 mg to 14 mg in 33 days, that was a .066 (6.6%) cut from 15 to 14 in that time frame from what I have been told.  I was not told how the math was done.  So, when I am at 4 mg and reduce to 3 mg, that would be a 25% cut just as when I get to 2 mg and reduce 1 mg to get to a total of 1 mg, that is a 50% cut.  The % will be different every 33 days after each 1 mg cut.

 

I guess what I am asking is if I cut 1 mg every 33 days, the cut % will rise after each mg is reduced.  I am trying to figure this out, because there will become a time I will have to slow my taper down.  Sorry for the confusion with the original question.  When I get to very low doses, I can do this math in my head as in the examples above.  It is when I am at 14 mg and reduce 1 mg in 33 days to get to 13 mg is where I have trouble.

 

I think I take the .03 mg I taper a day x 33 days which equals .99 mg.  Then divide the .99 mg by the current dose of 14 mg to get .07 (7%).  .03 x 33 = .99.  .99/14 mg = .07 (7%).  Next cut would be .99/13 mg = .076 (7.6%).  Does anyone think this is correct or am I doing something wrong?

There will be a percentage cut rate  that will be the limit at which you can reduce while maintaining a reasonable comfort level.  Everyone needs to determine what that rate is, and adjust the absolute (milligram) cut rate to avoid major sxs.

 

 

For me, it was about a max of 6%/14 days.  Anytime my rate of reduction approached that figure, sxs would begin to emerge, and I would have to slow my absolute (milligram) cut rate to stay below that 6%/14 day threshold.

 

 

Folks often report that their taper got more difficult as they got closer to the end.  Their taper did NOT get more difficult because they were closer to the end, it got more difficult because they tried to maintain the same absolute (milligram) cut rate but their percentage cut rate was going way up.

 

I believe we are talking about the same thing now.  How did you do the math to keep your 6%/14 days during your taper from going up?

The math will always be the same...the difference between beginning and ending values, divided by the the beginning value.

You could calculate a percentage each day, every 5 days, every 7 days, every 10 days, etc.  The calculations will always be the same.

I think I have got it according to your calculations (Maybe).  So say if I go from 11 mg to 10 mg, 1 mg is the difference between beginning and ending values, divided by the the beginning value of 11 mg, which gives .09 or 9%.

 

10 mg to 9 mg gives a difference of 1 mg divided by 10 mg gives .10 or 10% and so on.  So if you had to stay at 6% every 14 days, that means at around 10-11 mg, you had to reduce your DLMT to approximately .02 mg.

 

I know this is still probably not correct, so could you please demonstrate how you actually did the math from the mg amounts in your signature starting when you were at 8.5 mg?  It looks like you reduce .5 mg every three weeks or so.  May if I see it on paper it will sink in.

 

Sorry for all the trouble.

 

I think I have got it according to your calculations (Maybe).  So say if I go from 11 mg to 10 mg, 1 mg is the difference between beginning and ending values, divided by the the beginning value of 11 mg, which gives .09 or 9%.

 

10 mg to 9 mg gives a difference of 1 mg divided by 10 mg gives .10 or 10% and so on.  So if you had to stay at 6% every 14 days, that means at around 10-11 mg, you had to reduce your DLMT to approximately .02 mg.

 

I know this is still probably not correct, so could you please demonstrate how you actually did the math from the mg amounts in your signature starting when you were at 8.5 mg?  It looks like you reduce .5 mg every three weeks or so.  May if I see it on paper it will sink in.

 

Sorry for all the trouble.

 

Yes, you seem to have grasped how to calculate a percentage.

 

To apply a specific percentage to your dose, you just multiply.  Ex:

 

14mg X .05 = .7mg

STILL NOT UNDERSTANDING IT AND PROBABLY NEVER WILL...UG!!

I know you are trying to help me through this, and I very much appreciate it.

 

If your max was about 6% every 14 days during your taper as you stated, would you please endure me and write exactly how you figured the 6% every 14 days during your taper starting at 8 mg? (Just a mg figure I pulled out of the air for the sake of the math).  And then write how you figured 6% after the 14 days of tapering from 8 mg, which after 14 days would be less than 8 mg.  If I see it on paper I will probably understand it.  That has been my learning style since I was a child.

 

If you will do this, I think it will help me understand.  I am trying to figure out how to determine a daily % cut rate from a current dose as the dose decreases each cut.  This is the math I need to see to find out when I need to reduce my absolute (milligram) cut rate in order to avoid sx.  Right now I cut .03 mg each day, but I agree with you that this will have to reduce as my dose gets lower to lessen sx.

 

I hope you understand my frustration with my brain fog and cognitive inability at the moment, but if I see the actual calculations on paper I think I will understand.  I am so sorry for this taking so long for me to wrap around my head it.

8mg X 6% = .48mg

 

.48/14 days = .034mg/day

 

.034mg/8mg =.0043% per day

 

or, 6%/14 days =  .0043% per day

 

(but why do you even need to know that?)

My Dr. wanted me to show him that I was staying under 10% a month cut of my current month's dose.  He thought this was a safe cut %, but he did not show me how to do the math.

 

I am using your ratio of 1ml:1mg and the rest of the dose in pill form, except I changed it to 100ml:1mg, because more water was easier on my stomach.

 

I am taking pills and a DLMT starting at cutting .03 mg a day (33 days to cut .99 mg), so I know when I get to around 10 mg and reduce 1 mg at .03 mg a day, I will be fairly close to 10% for that current 33 days.  That math is simple, 1 mg out of 10 mg is 10%.

 

It is after I get past 10 mg is where I am having trouble doing the math to keep me below 10% cut for the month with liquid and pills.  So when I get to 10 mg, I will take 5 mg in the morning-4 mg at night, but I don't know how much to take in liquid form for the other 1 mg to stay under his 10% recommendation. And this will continue to change as my dose gets lower each month.

 

I do know that if I stay at .03 mg a day at that point, it will take me over 10% cut every 33 days.

I know this is a lot of information, but it is what the Dr. wants to see to keep giving me the valium.

 

Sorry again for your troubles.  I should have told you I was taking pills along with the DLMT.

My Dr. wanted me to show him that I was staying under 10% a month cut of my current month's dose.  He thought this was a safe cut %, but he did not show me how to do the math.

 

 

 

Then you don't need to calculate a daily %.

 

Current dose(mg) X 10% = reduction(mg).

 

Stay below that number.

Thanks so much, that makes it easy for me to understand.

 

I can stay at .03 mg cut per day for 30 days each month all the way down to 9 mg before I get above a 10% cut for the month.  (9mg x 10% = .9 divided by 30 days = .03 mg a day reduction).  Then at 8 mg I would have to adjust my daily mg cut rate down from .03 mg to stay below 10% for the month.

Thanks so much, that makes it easy for me to understand.

 

I can stay at .03 mg cut per day for 30 days each month all the way down to 9 mg before I get above a 10% cut for the month.  (9mg x 10% = .9 divided by 30 days = .03 mg a day reduction).  Then at 8 mg I would have to adjust my daily mg cut rate down from .03 mg to stay below 10% for the month.

 

At 8 mg, how would I take my two doses by pill and liquid?  4 mg pill morning-3 mg pill night, but how much of the 1 mg solution would I drink each day?

 

I understand if you are getting tired of this back and forth, so when I get down to 9 or 10 mg, I may just ask you to make me a schedule for dosing 2 x daily with pills and liquid.

 

Thanks for all you trouble,