math help

[[ji...]]

hey guys...hope you're all doing as well as expected. i have a percentage questions since i am no longer good at math.   i went from .022 pill weight to .018 in a month.  can someone tell me what percentage this is?  im getting 15 % and i know that cant be right.  if it is , then it would explain my very recent crazy symptoms...  thanks ~~~~jill

[[El...]]

@[ji...] I have calculated it to actually be 18.1%.  That does seem like a large cut!

[[ji...]]

@[El...]   oh wow..  well that does explain things but i probally should have reduced more in the beginning of mt taper..    i never figured the percentage when i reduced until today when i was trying to figure out why when i get to this amount the same thing happens.   it will take another year to finish at this rate =(  thank you for responding  .  health &  healing to you ~~~~jil

Edited June 20 by [ji...]

[[ji...]]

@[El...], what percentage a month do you think is a safe amount to reduce when you are at the end of your taper?

 

Edited June 20 by [ji...]

[[Li...]]

Hello @[ji...].  Good to see you on the forum.

In case @[El...] isn’t around when you need math help, here’s a calculator you can use to determine percent reductions:

Percentage Change Calculator
https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/algebra/percent-change-calculator.php

Using the values given in your opening post, you would enter 0.022 in the top box of the calculator and 0.018 in the bottom box, then click the Calculate button.  The result will be presented in the Answer box (a 18.1818% decrease).

[[El...]]

@[ji...] I looked at Dr. Mark Horowtiz's Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines. For Clonazepam, he indicated that if you are doing a medium-paced taper you could reduce by 0.02 mg increments every 1-4 weeks (guided by your symptoms) until you reach 0-0.02 mg. If you are doing a slow-paced taper you would reduce by 0.01 mg increments every 1 -4 weeks (again guided by symptoms) until you reach 0-0.01mg.

If your 1 mg pills still have an average weight of 0.170 grams, you are presently at about 0.106 mg. So, if you are following a slow-paced taper, you would first reduce from 0.106 mg to 0.1 mg; then to 0.09 mg; then to 0.08 mg; etc. If your scale is a 0.001 gram scale, this would translate to 0.001 gram reductions every 1-4 weeks (either cut and hold or microtapering). Your percentages will increase with each 0.001 gram reduction, so it may be that you will be able to go slightly faster initially but need to slow as you get toward the end of your taper.

Hope this is helpful!

 

Edited June 20 by [El...]
Correction

[[ji...]]

@[Li...] & @[El...]~  thank you so much for all the very helpful information. this community and people like you are a true blessing~~~  health & healing to you~~~~  jill

[[Ct...]]

11 hours ago, [[E...] said:

@[ji...] I looked at Dr. Mark Horowtiz's Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines. For Clonazepam, he indicated that if you are doing a medium-paced taper you could reduce by 0.02 mg increments every 1-4 weeks (guided by your symptoms) until you reach 0-0.02 mg. If you are doing a slow-paced taper you would reduce by 0.01 mg increments every 1 -4 weeks (again guided by symptoms) until you reach 0-0.01mg.

If your 1 mg pills still have an average weight of 0.170 grams, you are presently at about 0.106 mg. So, if you are following a slow-paced taper, you would first reduce from 0.106 mg to 0.1 mg; then to 0.09 mg; then to 0.08 mg; etc. If your scale is a 0.001 gram scale, this would translate to 0.001 gram reductions every 1-4 weeks (either cut and hold or microtapering). Your percentages will increase with each 0.001 gram reduction, so it may be that you will be able to go slightly faster initially but need to slow as you get toward the end of your taper.

Hope this is helpful!

@[El...] Thank you for this easy to understand explanation of the Maudsley Guidelines. I have the book but was unable to understand how to apply it. I am nearing 0.5 mg of Clonazepam and will soon be using 0.5 mg tablets. My average pill weight for the 0.5 mg tablets is 0.173 g. When I start making cuts to this pill, what is the equation for converting my reduced pill weight into mg? Ctlady

[[Ct...]]

@[ji...] Thank you for asking guidance in calculating percentages. I really appreciate reading the responses from @[Li...] and @[El...]. Ctlady

[[El...]]

@[Ct...] Congratulations for moving along in your taper!

To calculate your reduced pill weight in mg you would do the following:

Assuming a 0.001 gram reduction: (0.5 mg/0.173 grams) = (×/0.172 grams) = 0.4971 mg 

Entered into your calculator it would look like this: 0.5/0.173×0.172.

For a 0.002 mg reduction: 0.5/0.173×0.171 = 0.4942 

Just keep reducing your 0.173 (weight of the pill) by however many grams you plan to reduce.

Hope that is clear.  If not, I will try to explain it better!

[[Ct...]]

24 minutes ago, [[E...] said:

@[Ct...] Congratulations for moving along in your taper!

To calculate your reduced pill weight in mg you would do the following:

Assuming a 0.001 gram reduction: (0.5 mg/0.173 grams) = (×/0.172 grams) = 0.4971 mg 

Entered into your calculator it would look like this: 0.5/0.173×0.172.

For a 0.002 mg reduction: 0.5/0.173×0.171 = 0.4942 

Just keep reducing your 0.173 (weight of the pill) by however many grams you plan to reduce.

Hope that is clear.  If not, I will try to explain it better!

Thanks so much, @[El...]! My algebra hasn’t been used in some time. The Maudsley information you gave to jillybean for a medium paced taper (reduce by 0.02 mg every 1-4 weeks) does that apply to anywhere in my taper? Or does it apply to jillybean toward the end of her taper?

[[mo...]]

Hello, im struggling with math too. My Dr is doing compounding taper starting from .5mg to .45 for 2 weeks then .4 for 2 weeks and so on. Wants me done in 5 mths. What percentage cut is that and too fast? Don't feel good. Another  question how do I figure mg to liquid (ml). Which is safer pharmacy compounding or do my own water taper

 

[[El...]]

@[Ct...] Yes, the 0.02 mg I quoted before was for the end of the taper.  Dr. Horowitz suggests the following drops every 1-4 weeks:

4 - 2 mg...0.25 mg reductions

2 - 1.25 mg..0.125 mg reductions

1.25 - 1.05 mg...0.1 mg reductions

1.05 -0.4 mg...0.05 mg reductions

0.4 - 0.2 mg...0.04 mg reductions

0.2 - 0 mg...0.02 mg reductions

Hope that helps.

@[mo...] I can respond on your other thread, OK?

[[Ct...]]

20 minutes ago, [[E...] said:

@[Ct...] Yes, the 0.02 mg I quoted before was for the end of the taper.  Dr. Horowitz suggests the following drops every 1-4 weeks:

4 - 2 mg...0.25 mg reductions

2 - 1.25 mg..0.125 mg reductions

1.25 - 1.05 mg...0.1 mg reductions

1.05 -0.4 mg...0.05 mg reductions

0.4 - 0.2 mg...0.04 mg reductions

0.2 - 0 mg...0.02 mg reductions

Hope that helps.

@[mo...] I can respond on your other thread, OK?

@[El...] Thank you for providing this information for each stage of the taper. I bought the book but was unable to interpret the graphs and find easy to understand information to apply to my taper. Ctlady

[[...]]

[[ji...]]

wow @[...], i wish i had this when i began my taper. it would have made things so much easier.  im at the last .1     2 times a day now.   and i am using the 1.0 mg pills that i had stockpiled when i thought my doctor was going to suggest a fast taper.  i donot have access to a prescription to get a liqiud compound.  i am just chipping away at this 1.0 pill.  im down to the smallest chip.  to look at it, you would think it would be nothing to just not take it.   its unbeleivable what the tinist amount of the  pill can do.  thank you for your help.   how are you doing. i hope your taper is moving along & you are well ~~~~jill

[[...]]

Hi @[ji...] it must be getting really tough to chip away that 1 mg tablet. you’re doing really great, just slow it down a little bit and don’t worry how long it takes. You’re going to walk off and walk away from this drug forever, and I suspect that your recovery will be short and mostly symptom-free.
 

my taper has been pretty rough as of late, I’ve been doing a cut and hold and reduce down to 3% every three weeks. I thought I was starting to get my legs underneath me And symptoms were easing when my pharmacy no longer stocks Teva brand. had to switch to Aurobindo brand. The difference and active ingredients in generic brands can be up to 25%. And I’m cutting at 3%

last three days starting to feel better, after the weekend I’m going to start daily micro tapering. I guess if we just keep heading in the down direction will eventually get there.

You’re almost theresoon you’ll be off living a happy and healthy rest of your life!

 

[[ji...]]

thank you @[...] for all the confidence you have in me. i definatley need it.  this last bit is really tough.  i am starting to notice a pattern of symptoms lasting for about 3 days and then im good until my micro cuts begin to add up again.   if this pattern continues, then i think i can handle it. just knowing that it subsides in 3 days is very helpful.  my symptoms are like nothing ive experienced thoughout my whole taper.  very scary. but today is a good day, so im happy for that.  sorry to hear about the change in brands.  ive read a lot of people have a rough go at making the switch.im glad the past few day have been getting better for you.  maybe hold for a bit before you start reducing again.  i think thats what im going to do.  good to talk with you again gene.  we both will get through this.  like you once told me,  this too shall pass~~~  jill

[[st...]]

 

Those tiny chips of a pill do add up in our bodies, unfortunately, due to drug’s long half life. For example, clonazepam is said to have a half life of 20-50 hours.

So let us say that in 48 hours or 2 days there will be 1/2 of one dose remaining in the body. After 4 days it’ll be 1/4 remaining and after 6 days it’ll be 1/8 remaining. That means it might take close to 2 weeks for the body to get that one dose totally out.

Now, since we’re taking a new dose daily, each one overlaps and adds to the remainders of all the other daily doses. I did some rough math and for clonazepam, if our daily dose is somewhat steady, this accumulation of all remaining doses might be somewhere around 3.5 times of one dose.

So, if one is taking 1mg daily, one’s body contains about 3.5 mg at any point in time. This is why it’s important to taper that last little bit gradually, to give the accumulated values more time to decrease and give the body a softer landing.