ceeelyns titration thread

[[Sa...]]

I have consulted with my doctor and yes I want to titrate, I want to start with 12.5 mg.  dr. says stay where I am. I understand your position, just get me the schedule and I will do it...I thank you and completely understand...

love, Lynn

 

Lynn,

 

I'm confused.  Your doctor is telling you to stay where you are but you still want to cut 12.5mgs of Seroquel?

 

Sandy

[[el...]]

any mods have input?

eljay you say you tapered alll the way  with 25 mg cuts? ? All I have is 50 and 100 mg tabs which will be too small to cut, I will have to titrate. are you on anything else?,, I still need a schedule...for titration. thank you and NO I aam not mad, Anxiety I could handle, it was true panic that wouldnt stop even when I was in the hospital, It was so great I slit my wrists to get into the hospital.... sighhhhh sorry to admit it

thank you for listening...

 

 

Hi there Lyn,

I actually didn't say I tapered all the way. I'm still at 50mg. I have 100mg pills that I quarter, using a pill cutter. I have been reducing by 1/4 of a pill every few weeks. I'm currently at 50mg. I completely understand how awful the panic is for you. I also understand the attempt you made. I myself had some serious suicidal thoughts in the depth of my severe insomnia, and also ended up in a psych unit. So I understand you. But you say the only thing that helps your panic attacks is the seroquel. Is that what you are saying?

I know why and how much  you would like to be off of seroquel, but what is going to help you if you do go off? I"m sure Colin will give you a titration schedule so you can go ahead and do this at a slow rate, and see if your panic returns. Maybe you could just get to the lowest dose that works and stay there.

 

Colin, I think what she wants to do is reduce by 5% of 250mg.  So a 12.5mg. taper. She has 100mg and 50mg pills, but I don't how many. I realize it's against her doctors orders, but if she really wants off, it's her decision. 

 

lyn, if you say the valium didn't work for your panic, maybe you ought to taper that first, before the seroquel which actually helped.

We really do want to help you

[[el...]]

Lyn,

If you feel suicidal when you are in severe panic attack mode, wouldn't it be better to stay on seroquel? I just don't want you to taper off this drug, and find yourself back in suicidal mode. The trade-off just isn't worth it. Yes, Seroquel has some fairly serious side effects, but I think it beats the possible alternative.

Also, let me tell you, the side effects you hear about are usually at higher doses. You are still somewhat in the safe range of this drug. Like i said before, maybe you could just taper down to 200mg or so, and see if that still works for you. 

[[ce...]]

Sandy  yes my doc wants me to stay where I am

 

- I want to titrate as far as I can on the serequel

- then start titrating on the valium

- rate of seraquel= 5% of the 250 mg.

I think that is what I want.Eljay? or other input?

 

[[bl...]]

Ceelyn,

 

    Your doctor is NOT GOD, ok?  If you feel comfortable tapering off the meds then that is what you should do.  Make out your schedule, tape it somewhere you can see it every day and stick to it.  You do not have to be on psych meds if you really want to get off of them. You do not have to be on valium if you want to get off of that.

 

  I understand that you are on all of these meds for panic?  No one EVER died from a panic attack ok?  You might feel very uncomfortable, but you will not go crazy and you will not die.  I know because I used to suffer panic attacks when I was younger.  I ended up in the ER several times because of it.  No Dr. at the time could diagnose them as panic attacks and I was left to GET OVER them on my own. I did it, and never had another one until I went into detox to get off the valium a year ago.  I have panic attacks almost every day now and have had for the last year.  I am STILL here.  I will not go on psychmeds for the panic, and I will get off the valium.  The panic will eventually go away on its own. These kind of meds will not help you with your panic problems.  If they did, you would not be posting here asking for help. 

 

  So please, start tapering off your meds.  Pick the one you think is giving you the most problems and get off of it.  Tackle the valium first or last, it is up to you.  But I promise you, you will feel much better as you taper off your medication. 

 

  Take care and know that we are here for you.

 

  XXXXXX

  Christine/BlueMoth

[[ce...]]

thank you for everyones input, the panic attacks were weird, they stopped when I went to the ER, this went on for about a month july into Aug. There were a few times when a crisis would come up and they would stop.  otherwise they wouldnt, I did all the deep breathing

CBT etc. I didnt want to really die, I just had to have some help. I had lost 30 pounds, gained back about 8 right now which is where I should be. I was switched over from xanax to the wrong amount of valium(20 insteaad of 40) when I started tapering. I truly believe this contributed to my problems.I am MUCH better, started tapering valium at 80 mg and am now at 62, seraquel at 300 and now at 250 and cant seem to get any further. Want to start tapering when my daughter is here on Dec. 21. so need a schedule and detailed plans, which I also have a contact who will talk me through it on the phone. DO I HAVE ALL THE EQUIPMENT I NEED?

(previous posts)

[[ce...]]

I have:

1.Mortar and pestle

 

2.med dropper ( spoon type for children) marked in tsp. and ml, will hold 10 ml

 

3. 50 ml grad cylinder, and a huge 250 cylinder.

 

4, small battery operated mixer

 

do I have everything?

[[bl...]]

Ceelyn,

 

  Ok, I understand where you are with your meds.  You have to understand that TAPERING is different from TITRATION.  Tapering means to do a cut, that is say cut a milligram or 1/2 a milligram every two to three weeks. Titration means small daily reductions.  I am tapering myself and I believe Silver did too.  You need equipment for titration, I believe you have everything you need.  If you want to do a 10% reduction every week, some of our math whizzes will be along to calculate that for you.

 

  I cannot help you with the conversion from mgs to mls.  But I can tell you how I did my own titration.  I did and am making small cuts from the valium pills directly.  I do it once a month.  I am going slowly.  You are on 62 mg of valium?  I assume that you are chunking tiny bits off from the 10 mg pills and guessing that you are at 62?  You can continue to do this until you get down to the lower doses.  If you want to do it this way, eventually you will need to insist that your doctor give you 5mg and then 2 mg pills. Or you can begin a regular titration schedule.

 

  As to the tapering off the other meds.  I understand it is hard to get off psych meds.  I have taken several over the past year and I think they only made me feel worse.  We cannot help you with a tapering schedule there.  Go to paxilprogress and ask them to help you.  They are set up to help people off their SSRIs and will probably be able to help you with tapering off the Seroquel too.  

 

   Take Care,

 

   XXXXXX

   Christine/BlueMoth

[[ce...]]

I am definitely going to have to titrate, cuz doc wont give me any other dosage.

 

I want to titrate the serq. first and see how far I get at 5%. I need someone to help me figure that out, please make sure I have evrything I need.[/font]

 

Then I will start on the valium I NEED HELP DOING THE MATH

thank you everyone.

[[Co...]]

Hi Ceeelyn,

 

The problem we have is that we are a support group, helping people to help themselves. I don't feel comfortable with posting up a titration schedule for you, as you seem too fogged to handle it. Also, we are a benzo forum, we have very little knowledge of Seroquil.

 

What I am willing to do is give you an explanation of the basic process involved in titration. With this, you, or someone you trust, will be able to work a schedule for you. There is nothing mysterious about it, and is pretty straightforward.

 

1) Fill your measuring cylinder with water to the desired amount.

 

2) Crush one of your tablets from your daily dose into a fine powder.

 

3) Add the fine powder to the liquid and whiz it up using one of those small small electric blenders.

 

4) Immediately upon whizzing up the liquid, pour out the amount you require. You can drink this at any time over the day (you can spread it out over the day if you wish, but do whiz it up prior to each dose).

 

OK, a little about the numbers. You will have to decide by how much you are cutting your dose. With benzos, we might decide to cut 10% over 10 days, but I have no idea of a suitable rate for Seroquil - you will have to find that out!

 

You've indicated that you wish to cut 5% of your dose, but you failed to indicated over what period of time. If, for example, you were to cut by 5% over 10 days, you are titrating a 50mg pill, and your total daily dose is 250mg per day, then the numbers would be as follows:

 

50mg from 250mg is 20%, so 5% is just a quarter of the 50mg pill. This means that if you start off with 40ml of liquid, you would gradually reduce the amount of this liquid you drink down to a level of 30ml over a 10 day period. The schedule would look like this:

 

Day 1 - make up 40ml of liquid, and drink 39ml of it. Discard the remaining 1ml.

 

Day 2 - make up 40ml of liquid, and drink 38ml of it. Discard the remaining 2ml.

 

Day 3 - make up 40ml of liquid, and drink 37ml of it. Discard the remaining 3ml.

 

Day 4 - make up 40ml of liquid, and drink 36ml of it. Discard the remaining 4ml.

 

Day 5 - make up 40ml of liquid, and drink 35ml of it. Discard the remaining 5ml.

 

Day 6 - make up 40ml of liquid, and drink 34ml of it. Discard the remaining 6ml.

 

Day 7 - make up 40ml of liquid, and drink 33ml of it. Discard the remaining 7ml.

 

Day 8 - make up 40ml of liquid, and drink 32ml of it. Discard the remaining 8ml.

 

Day 9 - make up 40ml of liquid, and drink 31ml of it. Discard the remaining 9ml.

 

Day 10 - make up 40ml of liquid, and drink 30ml of it. Discard the remaining 10ml.

 

The above means that you have titrated your dose down by one-quarter of that one pill; you will be taking your other pills as usual. You have reduced your total dose by 5% over a ten day period.

 

Please understand, the above is an example, you (or someone from the real world) will have to help you adjust it to a suitable taper rate for you and your particular medication. Also, you need to determin if your pills are suitable to be dissolved like this - I cannot do this for you. Please understand, I cannot take responsibility for you are or your taper. I strongly suggest that you find help from a doctor or a close friend that you trust.

 

Ceeelyn, are you sure you should be quitting Seroquil? You are certainly taking a lot of meds; it might be worth asking your doctor if your drug regimen could be simplified, but your situation goes way beyond us helping and supporting those wishing to quit benzos safely. I am not meaning to push you away, but you need to understand the limitations of our support forum.

[[Co...]]

Ceeelyn,

 

It has just been mentioned to me that Seroquil is indeed unsuitble for titration. If this is the case, you must find an alternative to titration - dry cutting might be suitable, or you will have to approach your doctor again.

[[ce...]]

zI am fairly comfortable in titrating the seraquel as my daughter will be here and I have a friend in Indiana who will talk me through it over the phone. I thank you for all your work. will be back shortly.

[[ce...]]

I have met several onlne who are tapering seraquel, but not titrating, the main problem as I understand it is: Is it dissolvable....  I checked and it seemed to dissolve just fine.

 

Colin, I understand where you are coming from, and I want to mention that my sedation is coming way down and I am feeling more confident, especially with my daughter and my friend to talk me through it.  I DONT know how far I will be able to go down on serq. but I am willing to try,, then start the valium.....

you mentioned the SSRI group, do you have a link to a reputable one?

I am thinking of tapering  the valium again before my daughter gets here. ( maybe on the 14th, 14 days since last taper) I take a total of 65 mg valium now.... and would like to taper 2.5 mg around the 14th at least I willl  make a little progress.

 

I am feeling great except for the confusion and that seems to be getting better. went to church christmas prog tonite and after dinner afterwards.  making floral arrangements for christmas and helping in the antique store.

 

thank you so much for sticking with me.

excuse me, are you male or female, blue moth sounds female to me, thanks to all blue moth, and colin especially.

love Lyn

[[bl...]]

I have met several onlne who are tapering seraquel, but not titrating, the main problem as I understand it is: Is it dissolvable....  I checked and it seemed to dissolve just fine.

Ceelyn, if it the seroquel is dissolvable, then go ahead and start your titration via Colin's insturctions.

 

Colin, I understand where you are coming from, and I want to mention that my sedation is coming way down and I am feeling more confident, especially with my daughter and my friend to talk me through it.   I DONT know how far I will be able to go down on serq. but I am willing to try,, then start the valium.....

It is good that you are feeling less sedated and more in controll of your situation.  I am so happy to hear that you will have some help from your friend and daughter.  Don't be afraid Ceelyn, this is do-able, you just have to make the first step!

you mentioned the SSRI group, do you have a link to a reputable one?

Ceelyn, we don't post links to other websites because of spam and troll issues. I mentioned in my post to you to go to paxilprogress.  Put a .org behind the word paxilprogress, ok?  They are a very safe and sane site devoted to helping people off not only paxil, but other SSRI's and other psych meds.

I am thinking of tapering  the valium again before my daughter gets here. ( maybe on the 14th, 14 days since last taper) I take a total of 65 mg valium now.... and would like to taper 2.5 mg around the 14th at least I willl  make a little progress.

If you think you can tolerate a cut that large, you can try.  I would caution you to only try 1mg at a time, until you get to the lower doses, then you will have to slow down and make smaller cuts.

 

I am feeling great except for the confusion and that seems to be getting better. went to church christmas prog tonite and after dinner afterwards.  making floral arrangements for christmas and helping in the antique store.

Ceelyn, that is wonderful news.  It is good for you to go out, go to church and do all the normal activities you can. Being around other people is great for taking us away from our problems and getting us back into the world. Do as much of these kind of things as you can.  You will soon be on the way to a full recovery!

 

thank you so much for sticking with me.

excuse me, are you male or female, blue moth sounds female to me, thanks to all blue moth, and colin especially.

love Lyn

LOL Lyn, yes, I am a girl, I don't think I would call myself BlueMoth if I were a guy!   I am glad to help you and we should give Colin a big thanks for making up a schedule for you.  Get started on your taper, remember, that today is the first day of the rest of your life.  Resolve to get off your benzos and make it a good one.  Hugs :smitten:

XXXXXXX

Christine/BlueMoth

[[Co...]]

Ceelyn, we don't post links to other websites because of spam and troll issues. I mentioned in my post to you to go to paxilprogress.  Put a .org behind the word paxilprogress, ok?

 

Links are fine, it is just spammy promotional links that are outlawed. If you are in any doubt, do as you did above, and omit the http: and www parts, as that will produce an inactive link. The address can be then copy/pasted to your web browser address line instead.

[[el...]]

Ceeelyn,

 

It has just been mentioned to me that Seroquil is indeed unsuitble for titration. If this is the case, you must find an alternative to titration - dry cutting might be suitable, or you will have to approach your doctor again.

 

I am dry cutting with no problems.

 

Colin, could you let me know where/how you found this info about not titrating seroquel? It kind of makes sense, since it has quite a coating on it.

Ceelyn, even if it dissolves well, it doesn't necessarily mean it's safe to dissolve and titrate. It may be designed to dissove further down the digestive system, hence the coating. Maybe it shouldn't even be cut, though like I said I am not having problems doing that. Then again, maybe that's what's causing all my probs!

It is sooooo expensive, so I have no choice to cut, rather than get 25mg pills. 

[[Co...]]

Hi,

 

One of the team mentioned that it probably isn't a good idea to titrate Seroquil - I've not looked into it myself at all. Hence, I posted generic instructions about titration, but with no suggestion that Seroquil is suitable for titration.

 

If the pill is scored for splitting, then it should be safe to split. If it is unscored, it needs to be checked out with your doctor or pharmacist.

[[el...]]

No, it's not scored, and the coating is very heavy, almost plastic-like, so when you cut it you can almost peel the coating off! LIke enteric coating. I will call the pharmacist today and find out some info about this.

[[ce...]]

Eljay, THANK YOU so much for your help. please let me know what your pharmacist says about titrating... doc told me it was ok to split,  I noticed the 200 mg pills seem like they might have a coating but the smaller ones dont.  I will try to dissolve a 50 mg. but please let me know what you find out.  Plus, I am so sorry   I forgot how to find others' blogs, if you give me directions I will write it down this time,  I may have written it down before but cant find it  I have notes all over my house and desk, i am so forgetful. but smart and determined.

[[el...]]

Hi Lyn,

I forgot to call the pharm today. Spaced it off. I think they they might be closed today anyway. ;-)

I will call or drop by tomorrow. I will ask about cutting or crushing, and the taper rate.

Good night! 

[[el...]]

The ones I have are 100mg., and they have that coated-like exterior, I once had 25mg pills, and they too looked coated.

I'll let ya know what I find out.

[[ce...]]

Thank you eljay , blue moth and everyone else.....

question.

I want to taper the 14th, so you are thinking only 1 mg? from nite or morning?

[[el...]]

Cee,

 

What happened to your merged threads?!

 

Hope you got my post about pharmacy call, wherever that's posted, lol! 

 

1mg of what?

 

 

[[ce...]]

Hi eljay,

didnt see the one about the pharmacy, did you talk to them? post on this thread please?

had a good day, only my back hurts, has been off and on, going to chiro who is not charging me,, He has treated me for about 8 years now. and today he couldnt get my hip adjusted. taking a tylenol couple of times a day.

see ya,

[[ce...]]

hey blue moth, I never did find out if you had  a blog, is it on a certain page number?