math help

[Guest [...]]

@[ji...] Are you still reducing weekly? 

 

[[ji...]]

no @[Wi...].   ive had to slow down so much now that ive gotten lower.  my signature is in the "about me" in my profile since i had trouble as to how to do that as well lol.  im in my 3rd year taper off a 30 year use

[Guest [...]]

@[ji...]

I know how sensitive my scales are when it comes to weighing small amounts… I have to weigh and re-weigh by tipping it into a separate plastic dish after weighing and then tipping it back into the other again on the scale to check that it falls on the same number. I tip it back and forth 3 or 4 times (weighing 4 times) before settling. I also put a 5 cent piece (AU) weighing 2.833g on the scale so that it’s not weighing at its very bottom end where apparently it’s not as accurate. It’s more toward mid range. I simply sit my dish on top of the 5 cent piece and then ‘tare’ and weigh and re-weigh my dose.

@[Li...] may also have some other ideas or options for tapering at the lower end.   

[[ji...]]

@[Wi...]   i do the same when weighing.  i feel like the mad scientist every day with that scale.  i have like four different ways i do to make sure im getting an accurate weight.. i also heard others saying we are healing when our symtoms come back, so maybe my system is doing more adjusting at this low dose.   who really knows,  i never would have imagined this being so hard especially when i felt the best i have ever felt in my adult life, then this setback.   i feel like every part of my being is sick.   prayers for all of us.

[Guest [...]]

@[ji...]

I think we have to be healing to some degree on the way down, or there’d be no point tapering. The whole point is to avoid severe acute… where the brain is having to try to find equilibrium from a much more unstable chaotic state. 

The fact that you say you were feeling better than you ever have in your adult life speaks volumes, especially after already tapering so far down. 

Edited February 6 by Guest

[[Wa...]]

6 hours ago, [[j...] said:

@[Wi...]  one week ago.  i only went from .018 pill weight, to .017 pill weight. .  im so confused to why id even feel any difference.  the only thing i can think of is that even with crushing and weighing pills,  taking such a tiny amount of the powder is really a roll of the dice on how much is the medicine and how much is the filler.

Does anyone know the answer to this? As in how much is filler and how much is actually active ingredient?

[[...]]

Hi jillybean

you’re getting so close to the end, well done.it may be easier cutting from a .5 mg tablet instead of the 1 mg tablet. I don’t know if that’s available to you. .5 mg weigh the same as the 1 mg tablet. It should help working with your scale and making smaller cuts.

hope you feel better soon!

 

[Guest [...]]

Do you have 0.5mg clonazepam available where you live @[ji...]

Good call @[...]

That never even occurred to me. I just hope they’re available to @[ji...] in her area. 

[[ji...]]

i crush the pill and weight the powder.  what would be the difference in 1. mg or .5?  also  i have almost 200 pills stockpiled.  i dont get any refils anymore.  the last 2 years ive been using the pills i have saved up.   i avtually hate my doctor for telling me i could cut my pill in half and then do the same in two weeks.  thats how i ended up in my bed for 6 months only to go back and fourth to the emergency room.  i still dont know how i survived that.   so id do  anything to not have to discuss benzos with drs ever again.  still hoping to feel improvement soon.   i think this wave came on because im really not getting anything from this amount so i'll see how i feel in a week or so.   ~~~blessings~jill

[Guest [...]]

14 minutes ago, [[j...] said:

what would be the difference in 1. mg or .5? 

You would weigh double the amount of powder because the tablet would weigh basically the same but be half the potency. It’s unfortunate you can’t ask for a prescription for 0.5mg tabs @[ji...]

On the bight side… it’s a saviour that you stockpiled the 1mg tabs to get you through the taper. 

[Guest [...]]

I should ask… how old are some of these tablets @[ji...]?

They will lose potency once they age past a certain point. 

[Guest [...]]

@[ji...] I’m just wondering if you are randomly choosing tablets of all different ages… there could be a difference in the potency between packs. 

[Guest [...]]

15 hours ago, [[W...] said:

Does anyone know the answer to this? As in how much is filler and how much is actually active ingredient?

@[Wa...]

I assume you’re asking how evenly the API is dispersed through each tablet…

I’ve had this discussion a few times in the past, and I’m of the mind that the tablets come from a thoroughly mixed slurry and then pressed into individual tablets. All we can do is trust that these medications are mixed evenly following the strictest of protocols. 

[[Li...]]

Hello @[ji...].  @[Wi...] has asked an important question - how old are the tablets you’ve been using?  Also, where and how have they been stored?  Per the article below, tablets of many drugs can remain stable under the right storage conditions (e.g. in original form — not pieces or powder — and away from heat, light, moisture) for quite a while.  However, it is possible that the potency of some of your older tablets may have decreased slightly over time.

With low potency drugs like diazepam, small variations in potency (or pill weight for that matter) may not be an issue.  However, with high potency drugs like clonazepam, small variations can have an impact. 

Most Drugs Are Still Safe To Use Years After Their Expiration Date
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/07/18/537257884/that-drug-expiration-date-may-be-more-myth-than-fact

[Guest [...]]

@[ji...]

Do your scales weight down to 0.001 or 0.0001? 

[[ji...]]

my pills range from 3 years to 5 years old.  they have all been stored in a bottle in my desk drawer.  i have counted them several times in the past so they are all mixed together now.  im just going to have to deal with what i have.  im down to the final .1 mg.   i have to beleive that if there were a real issue with the pills, i wouldnt have gotten down so smoothly.  im also thinking that since its like im taking such a tiny amount of the powder now, that maybe my system is doing some more healing.  thats what id like to beleive anyway.~jill

[[ji...]]

@[Wi...]  0.001

[[Wa...]]

47 minutes ago, [[W...] said:

@[Wa...]

I assume you’re asking how evenly the API is dispersed through each tablet…

I’ve had this discussion a few times in the past, and I’m of the mind that the tablets come from a thoroughly mixed slurry and then pressed into individual tablets. All we can do is trust that these medications are mixed evenly following the strictest of protocols. 

Yeah @[Wi...] that’s what I was asking. Some days I get that relaxed calm feeling after dosing some days I don’t. Although I am a little under .15mg C so I guess there is also a chance I’m reaching the point where that calming effect is minimized because of the low dosage itself

[Guest [...]]

7 minutes ago, [[W...] said:

@[ji...]

Do your scales weight down to 0.001 or 0.0001? 

0.001 grams or 0.0001 grams?

If it’s the former, she might benefit from obtaining and using an analytical balance.  EllieM posted recently that she was able to obtain a used one via eBay for a reasonable amount. 
 

The above is a suggestion from @[Li...]

 

[Guest [...]]

8 minutes ago, [[j...] said:

my pills range from 3 years to 5 years old.  they have all been stored in a bottle in my desk drawer.  i have counted them several times in the past so they are all mixed together now.  im just going to have to deal with what i have.  im down to the final .1 mg.   i have to beleive that if there were a real issue with the pills, i wouldnt have gotten down so smoothly.  im also thinking that since its like im taking such a tiny amount of the powder now, that maybe my system is doing some more healing.  thats what id like to beleive anyway.~jill

I would say there is a very high likelihood that there are varying potencies between tablets based on the varying ages @[ji...]. The fact that they’ve been unsealed for so long only makes a stronger case. 

[[ji...]]

@[Wi...]..  they are sealed in a bottle.   do you still think that might be whats happening or that my dose is so low that my body is doing some more adjusting?

 

[Guest [...]]

I agree, @[ji...]

I didn’t say that to scare you, just let you know that this may be a reason… maybe you grabbed a 5 year old pill. 

I think Libertas suggestion is worthy of consideration in terms of better accuracy with weighing. 

[Guest [...]]

Just now, [[j...] said:

@[Wi...]..  they are sealed in a bottle.   do you still think that might be whats happening or that my dose is so low that my body is doing some more adjusting?

When you say sealed in a bottle, do you mean they haven’t been opened before? I would think that once the seal is broken (you mentioned counting them several times) there’s more chance they will begin to degrade faster. I would imagine. 

[Guest [...]]

I noticed my bottle of clonazepam only had a shelf life of 2 years (if I remember correctly) but would clearly last longer than that as long as they remained sealed. How much longer, I really wouldn’t know. But if I’m correct, yours have been unsealed. 

Edited February 7 by Guest

[[ji...]]

@[Wi...]  yes...  i open the bottle everytime i take out a pill.  that would make them loose potency?