General Liquid Taper, Requesting Advice!

[[Ho...]]

Hi,

I have a liquid compound and a trying to understand a hyperbolic method vs a straight line method. (I have a 1 mg dropper.) Is it best to titrate down a set percentage, say 5%, and hold until I stabilize? Or is a daily taper advisable, where I titrate down a small amount of the percentage until I hit the 5% mark, and then hold until I stabilize?

I've been reading and noticing mentions of a Maudesly method. Honestly, math is not my strong suit and I'm challenged!

I'm just trying to minimize the backlash. Does anyone have an answer a ten year old can understand? 

Thank you!

HCHC

[[Fa...]]

Hi, @[Ho...].  I don't believe there has been enough research conducted on 'hyperbolic tapering', and associated receptor occupancies, with different psychotropic medications at this time.  Not to mention everyone is so unique in their makeup, and individual situations, that I highly doubt anything 'concrete' is ever established.

In essence, based on my understanding, and if I were explaining it to a 10 year old - hyperbolic tapering is essentially a combination of both linear and exponential tapering regimens.  It generally follows the suggested exponential tapering guidelines of 5-10% reductions of current dose, until at low enough dose the taper goes purely linear (or you would never finish the taper).

To directly answer your questions - I do not believe there is a 'best way to titrate down'.  If not overly sensitive, I would assume a simple 'cut and hold' would be easiest.  If more sensitive to this size of reduction at once (like myself), I would taper down 5-10% of my current dose per month, via daily reductions, and include some 'mini holds'.  

If at a very low dose of your respective psychotropic medication, through trial and error, you will have to determine what a 'slow enough reduction in dose, on a gradual enough schedule' looks like for you.  Feel free to ask more specific questions regarding the particular liquid medication in question, and I am certain someone will have personal experience to share (or can help with your math/numbers if needed).  Wish you the best!

[[Ho...]]

I really appreciate your response! I've been titrating down on mirtazepine. I jumped from clonazepam 20 months ago, and it was of course rough. I went way too fast. Mirtazepine is similarly difficult. I was feeling so much better but titrating down on the mirt has ramped up symptoms both physical and emotional until I feel the way I did a year ago. So I'm trying to figure out how to damp symptoms down while still titrating. 

I only have about .425 mg left, but at .5, 77% of histamine receptors are affected so dropping a tiny bit has a big impact. Because my prescribing doctor is not Benzo-wise and prefers that I just stop taking the mirt, I've been trying to get off of it probably too fast, even though I've been going at a snail's pace!

The whole hyperbolic discussion seems to hold a lot of promise for future sufferers, so I hope it becomes easier for people to implement. 

I spend a LOT of time distracting via streaming shows. Two new websites, HIMS and HERS are promising to help people access whatever pharmaceuticals they need quickly and easily, including antidepressants. If it becomes as easy as it looks, I anticipate many more protracted withdrawal sufferers in the future, which is an awful thing to contemplate. 

Thank you for making it so easy for me to understand! I really appreciate your help!

Warmly,

HCHC

[[ki...]]

 

Hello sorry to jump on your thread, I hope that's okay. 

 

I'm also getting a bit baffled by the maths and what to do in terms of how to measure out the dose, because the numbers quickly get longer and I can't find any info on what figure people decide on. Do you round it up / down. Or just to the nearest 0.01ml.

I'm tapering from 0.5ml clonazepam. 

These are the first few calculation for reducing 10% of the current dose

 

1st taper - 0.45ml

2nd taper - 0.405

3rd taper - 0.3645

4th taper - 0.32845

5th-   0.295605

 

Would you just go and do 0.45, 0.40, 0.36,0.32. Is the difference negligible? 

Or Would it be a silly idea to reduce by 0.01 everyday and just hold whne things feel weird. 

 

 

 

[[Ho...]]

Such good questions! 

I think the percentage method is recommended from what I've read. I think sometimes rather than reduce the percentage method just one time a month or week or whatever the length of time, some go down gradually. I THINK that's the case!

The idea of reducing by 0.01 every day, well, I guess some people do that. I tried reducing my mirt by .25 mg every six days and landed in the soup. I'd have done better with 0.01 mg a day, that's for sure.

Glad you jumped on the string and I hope some kind soul hops on and gives some advice!

HCHC