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Just Need Next Step in Figuring Out Where I Am and Where I'm Going


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Hi folks,

 

So the following is an Example of Tapering using Weight and Scale;

 

Determine the average weight of your pills.  Weight 10 pills and divide the result by 10 to get the average.  Let's imagine the average pill weight of your 0.5 mg pills is 0.220 grams (220 mg).  A 10% reduction would mean that you would want to keep 90% of that average pill weight.  90% of 0.220 grams is 0.198 grams (198 mg).  So you'd shave off a little of an intact pill until you had 0.198 grams (give or take a little).

 

BUT HERE IS MY QUESTION; How do you convert the Weight of that dose to the Medication mg amount your taking now, and continue to proceed tracking it.

 

So, in the example above, the 90% of the pill equals .220 grams, but how does that convert to the actual dose of the medication?

 

I'm really sorry if there is an obvious answer that I'm missing, but I think it's important to know and be able to keep you log straight, etc. 

 

Someone must understand what I'm asking or tell me what I'm asking doesn't make sense.

 

Thank you ! :o

 

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Hello Oneday!

 

I am going to answer you using tablet weights that are a little closer to what my partner's 0.5 mg clonazepam tablets weigh, and I will use a 10% cut in this example.

 

Say your two 0.5 mg tablets together weigh 343 mg (avg of 171.5 mg each), OR the average weight of 10 tablets is 1715 mg (= 171.5 mg each).  You would need to cut your total daily dose to

 

2 * 171.5 mg * 0.90 =  308.7 mg  (but let's round that to 309 mg) 

 

Now decide which dose (or doses) you want to cut.  If, for the sake of convenience, you want to keep your 0.5 mg nighttime tablet intact, maybe you'll want to cut your midday dose. 

 

So cut one of your two 0.5 mg tablet in half (as evenly as possible).

 

Put the two halves, plus the whole 0.5 mg nighttime tablet, on the scale.  Altogether, they should weigh about 343 mg. 

 

Take one of the halves and carefully, gradually begin shaving off tiny amounts of it.  After each cut, return it to the weigh pan with the whole and half tablet.  Keep track of which tablet piece you are cutting.  You are shooting for a total of 309 mg for the day's total dosage. 

 

When your combined tablets/pieces weigh 309 mg, you're done! 

_____________________________________

 

Now if, on the other hand, you're striving for 3 equal doses each day, you will want to begin whittling down your largest (evening) dose until it's eventually the same as, or close to, your other doses.

 

In this case, you'd do as before by putting two half tablets and a whole tablet on the scale.  This time, you will gradually cut your whole tablet, then return it to the pan with the two half tablets to check your progress.  Keep cutting and shaving the whole tablet until you reach 309 mg total on the scale.  Then you're done.  (If it's easier to cut the whole tablet by first cutting it in half, you can do that.  Just keep track of which tablet piece you're cutting.)

 

When you're all finished, you can record in a notebook the weight of each separate dose you're taking for the day.  Keeping records of your calculations and measurements is helpful in case you suspect you made an error. 

 

Understand that the scale will drift a little, but your total target weight should be 309 mg, give or take a couple of mg (in this example anyway--depending on the average tablet weight that you determine, your target weight for the day may be slightly different.)

 

I assume you will hold this cut for at least a few weeks, so you will repeat this exact process for each day during that period. 

 

If you need help with the next taper step, please check back in on this same thread and we'll go over what you need to do.

 

 

Good luck,

Koko Lee

 

PS--To answer your question, 309 mg / 343 mg  = 0.90087 mg of clonazepam for the day (for the purposes of this example).

 

 

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Finally, a light bulb goes off and I think I get it now  :thumbsup:

 

I need to remember not to over think it.

 

I hope other folks needing to understand this (unless I'm the only dummy), can read this too.

 

Thank you!

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Hi all

 

Could oneday3693 prepare all the doses she would need for her hold time like 3 week’s worth at once?put them In a divided pill box?

 

I am also getting ready to do a dry taper of lorazapam and that’s what I was going  to do. If I thought I needed to hold longer then I would prepare some more. 

 

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