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Dry taper calculations.


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Hey all, I've been using the online titration calculator.

 

My alprazolam (0.5mg) pill weight average is 0.128mg (total weight of 10 pills was close to 1.288). 2 week cut and hold dry taper.

 

At 0.05 of starting dose, I am expected to finish in October, at a 0.10 of starting dose, I am expected to finish in June.

 

How does one decide this before starting a taper? I would like to present these charts for both options to try alprazolam first. I figure if I am stable enough just dosing 1mg a day at the same time, then I may not need a cross over (hard to tell unless the doctor decides longer acting is better).

 

Does 0.10 seem too fast? I managed to survive 1 week at 25% (although unbearable but I wouldn't say catastrophic), so I'm am expecting to try the 0.10 first and see how I react. If it's a no go, then I can try the 0.05 cuts.

 

Does that information seem sufficient for my appt?

 

Just looking for input, thanks again all.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi, I am fairly new to the dry taper myself, tapering off 2 mg Klonopin since November, but I found this YouTube video very helpful:

I decided to get a scale, and just go down by  6%-10% every 1-2 weeks as recommended by Professor Ashton in her manual. I am still working on adjusting my rate, as I personally want to get off ASAP, but I also want to minimize withdrawal symptoms as much as possible. (Sleep being the main concern, but also histamine and pain level issues.)

That said, as you will see in the YouTube video, you can 'microtaper' - which means just shaving off a bit more of the pill each day, and weighing it to be sure you're going down by an acceptable amount. You should  experience a smoother taper than cutting by a percentage every 2 weeks. This has been my experience, at least. My first cut, I decreased by about 6% (1/8 of a 1 mg. Klonopin tablet) and held for three weeks until all of my withdrawal symptoms subsided. (They were many - digestive, sleep, increased pain levels.) In contrast, I have been microtapering since early January, and have had less drastic symptoms, as I don't have that sudden drop.

Professor Ashton emphasizes that we are all different, and have many different factors that will impact our ideal withdrawal rate. I personally am very sensitive, so I am going with a slower rate than most. I have read that it's better to start out slower and increase your rate as you go if you find that you're tolerating the initial rate really well. I know that does not give you exact numbers, which we would all like to have, but I hope that helps.

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