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Titration Help - Would like to try a Liquid Taper


[Di...]

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Hello All..

 

I'm not sure if I can post here, but I need help with a Liquid Taper!

 

I'm 8 months post from Xanax and weaning my Remeron (with dry cuts).  I've been weighing it with a Gemini Scale, but am now down to such a small dose that the scale isn't always accurate.

 

I am taking a 7.5 mg Remeron pill (it weighs 75 mg) and have cut it down to 18 mg (so realistically, that should be a 1.8 mg dose, correct?).  I tried to go with a compounded med at 1.8 mg, but it is off my current dose!  I can't tell if it's off too high, or too low...but it was enough that I stopped doing it and back to cutting.

 

Could I do my own liquid titration? I want to wean this slow with small decreases (5%) 

 

Any help would be sooo appreciated! 

 

 

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Since you're already so proficient in weighing your doses, what about adding a filler to your pill powder to add more measurable weight?  Bob7 made this video about making his own capsules but you can see how he mixes in the filler.  Bob7 Benzo Dry Taper Method 
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[a5...]

A fair number of people switching from solid to liquid feel like they get less medicine.  You may need to make an adjustment (increase) if you make that switch.  I'm pretty sure it's due to the sublingual absorption that occurs from pills and even more from pill pieces/shavings, but much less from liquids.  If your compounded med was a liquid, this may be why you felt the dose was wrong.

 

There's much info on-line regarding sublingual absorption and 'first pass' metabolism.

 

Adding some filler is a good approach.  You can use a lot of different things as fillers.  Mix well and you probably won't need to worry about switching to liquid.  If you pour the diluted powder into gelatin capsules, you'll also avoid sublingual absorption and may need to modify your dose somewhat. 

 

From what I've read in the forum, the adjustment is usually fairly small - 5 to 10% or so.  It's not really an updose.  You're just compensating for a reduction in bioavailability.

 

Hope this helps.

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Oh, thank you all SO much.  :)  I have been trying to do this on my own and it just hasn't been going well lately.  My hubby (God bless him), is my pill cutting master.  The miracle he's been able to do with 3 scales and razor blade is beyond compare...but it's just not working anymore.  It's time to try something different.

 

Such great information from both of you!  Thank you, Thank you!!  I am going to try Bob's method and adding filler for a more level approach (and help with my final taper of Remeron).  The spreadsheet is invaluable!    It's also good to know that my attempt to switch to liquid (and my dose feeling off) has a rationale behind it. 

 

Basocref, what other fillers can be used?  Is there any one in particular that is more easily tolerated for our post benzo self?

 

God Bless you both...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[a5...]
You can (for example) grind up an antacid pill (e.g. Tums).  It's just calcium carbonate - very well tolerated.  You can use starch or flour or corn meal.  You could use potato flakes, rice flour, pancake mix, psyllium fiber, bran, ...    Many things that you probably have in your pantry.
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You can (for example) grind up an antacid pill (e.g. Tums).  It's just calcium carbonate - very well tolerated.  You can use starch or flour or corn meal.  You could use potato flakes, rice flour, pancake mix, psyllium fiber, bran, ...    Many things that you probably have in your pantry.

 

That's so great! Thank you... :)   

 

So here's another thing I saw and would love your opinion on.  If we're going to crush a pill to put it into a formulation/pill form, could you crush a whole pill, weigh it out and just take the crushed pill? (In applesauce or something).

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[a5...]

It seems logical, but I'm not sure.  Problem is that the drug really doesn't like water (applesauce is mostly water).  So the drug might just clump together and not mix well.  I think I recall somebody trying applesauce before and not liking the result.

 

Ashton says whole milk works because of the high milk fat content, so I imagine you could mix the pill into something like yogurt if it was full fat yogurt.  Something like melted ice cream (not the Skinny Girl stuff) might also work.  However, this isn't so much extending the solid weight as it is making a liquid formulation.

 

Might want to put that question out in a separate thread (e.g. what weird things have you diluted or mixed your pill into).

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