Please help with calculating monthly % cuts, I have forgotten how.

I had written down how to figure my monthly % cuts, but I have forgotten where I put the paper (benzo brain).  Can anyone out there please explain to me again the monthly % cut math?

I currently have been cutting .03 mg a day which takes 33 days to cut .99 mg of valium.  I started at 15 mg and am nearing 11 mg.  I do remember at 15 mg I was at a cut rate of 6.6% every 33 days.  I know the lower my dose gets my % rate increases.  I want to be able to keep my monthly % cut down to a manageable number so my w/d s/x don't explode on me.

Thanks to anyone who can explain this to me again.  I may need to have it tattooed on my hand so I don't loose it.

JoJo

I had written down how to figure my monthly % cuts, but I have forgotten where I put the paper (benzo brain).  Can anyone out there please explain to me again the monthly % cut math?

 

I currently have been cutting .03 mg a day which takes 33 days to cut .99 mg of valium.  I started at 15 mg and am nearing 11 mg.  I do remember at 15 mg I was at a cut rate of 6.6% every 33 days.  I know the lower my dose gets my % rate increases.  I want to be able to keep my monthly % cut down to a manageable number so my w/d s/x don't explode on me.

 

Thanks to anyone who can explain this to me again.  I may need to have it tattooed on my hand so I don't loose it.

 

JoJo

You take your current dose, and either multiply it by .1 or divide it by 10 (TO GET 10 PERCENT)

Either way works.

While 10 percent of any amount is the amount multiplied by 0.1, an easier way to calculate 10 percent is to divide the amount by 10. So, 10 percent of $18.40, divided by 10, equates to $1.84.

Pick one

I had written down how to figure my monthly % cuts, but I have forgotten where I put the paper (benzo brain).  Can anyone out there please explain to me again the monthly % cut math?

 

I currently have been cutting .03 mg a day which takes 33 days to cut .99 mg of valium.  I started at 15 mg and am nearing 11 mg.  I do remember at 15 mg I was at a cut rate of 6.6% every 33 days.  I know the lower my dose gets my % rate increases.  I want to be able to keep my monthly % cut down to a manageable number so my w/d s/x don't explode on me.

 

Thanks to anyone who can explain this to me again.  I may need to have it tattooed on my hand so I don't loose it.

 

JoJo

The amount of the reduction divided by the original dose, X 100

15mgs - 11mgs = 4mgs  (amount of reduction)

4/15 = .26 X 100 = 26%

And yes, its a good idea to keep track of your percentage reduction as your dose falls, but if you're doing a daily microtaper, your sxs will NOT "explode" on you.  If your rate gets to fast, sxs will slowly emerge, and you will be able to make adjustments before the become significant.

Builder or anyone else who wants to reply,

I am doing a DLMT by taking pills and liquid and thanks for explaining how to figure my % reduction (26%) from my original dose of 15 mg-11 mg.  I still have a question of how to figure what the % cut is from ex: 11 mg to 10 mg in 33 days by reducing .03 mg a day?

In other words it takes me just a little over a month to reduce 1 mg, so common since tells me that at 10 mg I would be reducing 10% in that time at the same reduction rate of .03 mg daily and at 9 mg the monthly % cut would be even higher.  The reason I ask is that I felt my best at around a 7% monthly cut.  This information would help me in making those DLMT adjustments as needed.  I hope I am making since, because my brain is in a wave fog at the moment.  Tomorrow I may be thinking clearly again, as we all know this brain fog comes and goes.

Thanks again to all,

JoJo

The calculation will be the same, regardless of the time frame.  Amount of reduction/starting dose:  1mg reduction. / 10mg starting dose = 10%.  The fact that you spread that over a little longer time frame only means you went a little slower.

If you want to calculate a 30 day reduction, multiply your daily reduction (.03) X 30 days (.9) and do the same calculation.

There really is not much value in trying to figure a daily percentage.  Choose a time frame like 14 days or 30 days, choose a percentage for that time frame, and then calculate the daily reduction in milligrams.

The calculation will be the same, regardless of the time frame.  Amount of reduction/starting dose:  1mg reduction. / 10mg starting dose = 10%.  The fact that you spread that over a little longer time frame only means you went a little slower.

 

If you want to calculate a 30 day reduction, multiply your daily reduction (.03) X 30 days (.9) and do the same calculation.

 

There really is not much value in trying to figure a daily percentage.  Choose a time frame like 14 days or 30 days, choose a percentage for that time frame, and then calculate the daily reduction in milligrams.

 

I am sorry if I mislead.  I am not looking for a daily percentage, but a 30 day % as you suggest.  I think I understand it for a 30 day reduction % at .03 mg daily reduction.  At 11 mg:  .9/11 = .081 = 8.1% for that 30 days.  At 7 mg:  .9/7 = .128 =12.8% for that 30 days.  And so on, correct?

 

Thanks

Correct.

Thanks for the info builder, it has helped a lot.

When you were reducing at .02 mg daily, did you find that your s/x were less severe or did you still have struggles?  I am thinking of slowing to .02 mg daily instead of .03 mg that I taper now.  My s/x at .03 mg daily are not unbearable as I close in on 11 mg a day, but they are beginning to become more uncomfortable. 

The ringing in my ears had stopped when I c/o to valium, but unfortunately it has returned after tapering only 4 mg of valium along some other past s/x while on ativan.  I am assuming more past ativan s/x will keep popping up the lower I get in my taper of valium.

Just curious of your experiences at a .02 mg daily reduction.  Again, thanks for all the help and information on the math calculations. 

Correct.

 

Thanks for the info builder, it has helped a lot.

When you were reducing at .02 mg daily, did you find that your s/x were less severe or did you still have struggles?  I am thinking of slowing to .02 mg daily instead of .03 mg that I taper now.  My s/x at .03 mg daily are not unbearable as I close in on 11 mg a day, but they are beginning to become more uncomfortable. 

The ringing in my ears had stopped when I c/o to valium, but unfortunately it has returned after tapering only 4 mg of valium along some other past s/x while on ativan.  I am assuming more past ativan s/x will keep popping up the lower I get in my taper of valium.

 

Just curious of your experiences at a .02 mg daily reduction.  Again, thanks for all the help and information on the math calculations.

Folks get upset with me for saying this, over and over, but its NOT about the absolute (milligram) cut rate, its about the percentage cut rate.  A cut of .02mg a day for someone on 2mgs dose is a lot different than a .02mg/day  cut rate for for some one at 10mg daily dose.

Every taper plan I have ever suggested for folks here on BB has started with a suggested percentgge reduction over some specific time frame

Regardless of the milligram cut rate during my taper, I was always OK as long as I stayed below about 6%/14 days.

Correct.

 

Thanks for the info builder, it has helped a lot.

When you were reducing at .02 mg daily, did you find that your s/x were less severe or did you still have struggles?  I am thinking of slowing to .02 mg daily instead of .03 mg that I taper now.  My s/x at .03 mg daily are not unbearable as I close in on 11 mg a day, but they are beginning to become more uncomfortable. 

The ringing in my ears had stopped when I c/o to valium, but unfortunately it has returned after tapering only 4 mg of valium along some other past s/x while on ativan.  I am assuming more past ativan s/x will keep popping up the lower I get in my taper of valium.

 

Just curious of your experiences at a .02 mg daily reduction.  Again, thanks for all the help and information on the math calculations.

 

 

 

Folks get upset with me for saying this, over and over, but its NOT about the absolute (milligram) cut rate, its about the percentage cut rate.  A cut of .02mg a day for someone on 2mgs dose is a lot different than a .02mg/day  cut rate for for some one at 10mg daily dose.

 

Every taper plan I have ever suggested for folks here on BB has started with a suggested percentgge reduction over some specific time frame

Regardless of the milligram cut rate during my taper, I was always OK as long as I stayed below about 6%/14 days.

I am glad that you keep stating this over and over. That is where I got into trouble in previous attempts. I wasn't focusing on the % rate. So very important for a successful taper!