Can anyone help me create a titration plan for Xanax? Thanks if so!

[[bl...]]

Colin has a thread up about this but there's no way I could see to respond to it. I can't figure the math out to save my life and would very much appreciate a bit of help.

 

He asked "Please have the following information ready. I cannot create a schedule if any of these details are missing."

 

Start date: 2/25 would be great -- I have a refill to pick up and also, am hoping to start over a weekend

 

Dose: 3 mg per day (3 equal doses of 1 mg each total daily dose)

 

Tablet dose: 1 mg.

 

Number of tablets: 3 tablets

 

Taper rate: 5% per week sounds good since I've had past problems with trying to make cuts and am not in any hurry since my meds already aren't working well and causing a lot of withdrawal as is. If I get stuck, I can "hold" a few days at the dose, right?

 

Cylinder details: I can use 100 ML cylinder. I think I can buy this tomorrow from a local Science supply store, unless anyone knows if they're more readily available elsewhere in the U.S.?

 

Thanks if you can assist.

[[bl...]]

Actually, I read this thread: http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=43005.0

 

And it made so much sense to me.

 

It suggests not creating a plan per se, but just following your own body and reactions. I'm also mapping them on a spreadsheet so I don't mess any of this up.

 

Okay! So I started. I didn't have a milliliter syringe, but I did have a measuring cup, mortar and pestle. Wish me luck because I just did my first water titration with xanax using 100 ml water with with 1 mg. crushed Xanax, and then removed 1 tsp water (it's about 5 ml water from what I read online). I used a spoon which we have a bunch of here and double checked it first and low-and-behold, there were 25 spoonfuls of water in the 100 ml.

 

My math wasn't so great here, however, I think that is about a 5% cut. Since I'm on a kind of big dose, I think that's okay to start since I have, in the past, managed some cuts of up to 1/8th of a pill (must be 12%) without many symptoms at first.

 

I guess as it gets lower or my symptoms increase, I'll move down to taking out 1/2 teaspoon and then eventually buy one of those syringes.

 

Okay, I guess I've just taken the plunge here.

 

I plan to make my next cut in a week.

 

At this rate, I should be off in around six months or so, which is amazing for me since I've been on Xanax for 16 years. And if I have to go more slowly, that's okay too. I hear the lower doses are harder.

 

*nervous...

 

Oh! And was it okay to use water? It looked suspended to me. I read mixed things online about using water with Xanax vs. milk and wasn't sure.

[Guest [wi...]]

Is this a difficult process? i have kind of a hard time understanding it.

[[bl...]]

It makes a lot of sense, but I also had trouble understanding it at first even after watching the videos.

 

I've just started, but I like that it's a smooth, even withdrawal.

 

It seems there are a bunch of methods, but in short, you grind your medication in a mortar and pestle or with a spoon very finely, put it in with 100 ml of milk or water and mix well (the amount doesn't really matter, it just is easiest with that amount), and then take out a tiny dose every day or two or three. Usually, I see around 1% every few days. I didn't have a ml syringe, so I used a teaspoon and tossed that much xanax-water solution down the drain -- that's a bigger cut, but my dose is really high right now. I calculated that the cut was about 5%.

 

How most people do this is to prepare a whole days batch of the suspension and then divide it into even doses, and then take these the next day. Presumably, you take it to work with you in a bottle or thermos. I've seen a lot of methods.

 

See the sticky's and good luck. I don't know if I can do this but am going to try!

[[pr...]]

I have to run and don't have time to do the math right now to follow what you're saying exactly but just wanted to drop a couple of things in.

 

First, I'd recommend skipping the mortar and pestle business and just allow the pill to dissolve in the water.  You're going to lose more of the medicine when you grind it (it's just not possible not to, microscopic quantities of drug cling to any surface they are exposed to) and it's unnecessary.  The pill will dissolve in water into particles as fine as anything you could grind it into.

 

Second, I think you need to go to a more precise method of measuring instead of using measuring spoons.  They're way too approximate for this job.  They're not carefully calibrated or anything. If you got 25 spoonfuls in 100 mL then that's NOT 5 mL per spoonful, because 5 times 25 is 125. 

 

Best to go ahead and get an accurate syringe. 

 

I don't use syringes for my titration (I use pipettes) but if you ask around I think people can help you with getting a really good, precise 10 mL and 5 mL syringe.

 

Third, I recommend NOT making any cuts right at first when you first start taking your med dissolved in liquid.  The amount of med that you lose just by manipulating the med and putting it in liquid and measuring it out is actually a cut all by itself.  I recommend just start with dissolving it and then take the whole thing.  And of course rinse everything and drink the rinse water too.  Once you've done that for a few days you can make your first cut. 

 

I also recommend waiting a couple of weeks at least after that first cut before making the second one.  Often the symptoms have a lag time and don't really hit right away, and people who are new to titrating will think "oh I'm doing fine" and then cut again too fast, and then by the time it catches up it really kicks your derriere and by then you've already cut even more.  (I speak from sad experience on this one! but other people describe the same thing a lot.)  Once you've been tapering a while you'll get a sense of what pacing works for you.

 

Be careful with the math.  Benzos don't exactly help our brains with stuff like that.

 

Also, 3 mg of Xanax is a pretty high dose, so please be careful and don't be overly ambitious.  Tapering benzos is one place in life where willpower and courage don't help.  You can't just force your way through it.  It takes as long as it takes.  Patience is the virtue that's useful here.

 

Good luck! You can do this.

[[bl...]]

I have to run and don't have time to do the math right now to follow what you're saying exactly but just wanted to drop a couple of things in.

 

First, I'd recommend skipping the mortar and pestle business and just allow the pill to dissolve in the water.  You're going to lose more of the medicine when you grind it (it's just not possible not to, microscopic quantities of drug cling to any surface they are exposed to) and it's unnecessary.  The pill will dissolve in water into particles as fine as anything you could grind it into.

 

Second, I think you need to go to a more precise method of measuring instead of using measuring spoons.  They're way too approximate for this job.  They're not carefully calibrated or anything. If you got 25 spoonfuls in 100 mL then that's NOT 5 mL per spoonful, because 5 times 25 is 125. 

 

Best to go ahead and get an accurate syringe. 

 

I don't use syringes for my titration (I use pipettes) but if you ask around I think people can help you with getting a really good, precise 10 mL and 5 mL syringe.

 

Third, I recommend NOT making any cuts right at first when you first start taking your med dissolved in liquid.  The amount of med that you lose just by manipulating the med and putting it in liquid and measuring it out is actually a cut all by itself.  I recommend just start with dissolving it and then take the whole thing.  And of course rinse everything and drink the rinse water too.  Once you've done that for a few days you can make your first cut. 

 

I also recommend waiting a couple of weeks at least after that first cut before making the second one.  Often the symptoms have a lag time and don't really hit right away, and people who are new to titrating will think "oh I'm doing fine" and then cut again too fast, and then by the time it catches up it really kicks your derriere and by then you've already cut even more.  (I speak from sad experience on this one! but other people describe the same thing a lot.)  Once you've been tapering a while you'll get a sense of what pacing works for you.

 

Be careful with the math.  Benzos don't exactly help our brains with stuff like that.

 

Also, 3 mg of Xanax is a pretty high dose, so please be careful and don't be overly ambitious.  Tapering benzos is one place in life where willpower and courage don't help.  You can't just force your way through it.  It takes as long as it takes.  Patience is the virtue that's useful here.

 

Good luck! You can do this.

 

Really good advice, thanks! I'm on my fourth day now of titrating. Like you mention, I am dissolving them in the water directly. I definitely plan to get some kind of syringe or pipette, but am trying to figure out where to buy these? My math probably IS off. I was worried about that. So far, where I'm at, is that I've been taking 1 tsp. out of the 100 ml.

 

I'm starting to feel a little side effects today. Originally, I wanted to cut back today. Nuh-uh. I'm JUST feeling the real first impact that I've felt cutting in the past. So I will want to wait a bit longer and then cut a little slower. I've been on these things for ages. I am thinking six months to a year would be appropriate. If I go too slowly, I will find some reason to get back on them... there will be some bad day or whatever, some bad panic attack, and it will definitely get me back on the meds again. I have will power, but in withdrawal, my thinking isn't all that rational and anxiety can be overwhelming to me. If I go too fast, I know about protracted withdrawal and don't want to solicit that. This is truly a case of trying to feel it out, no doubt. I'm pretty determined here though. This site is showing me it is possible, at any rate. Also that the tiny cuts are normal to feel, something that I didn't know before. I thought it was just me.

 

It's such a tiny change from 3 mg to 2.85 mg over the day, spread out (at least if my math isn't off, this is what I think I'm taking now... PLEASE let me know if this is off, thank you. I can't do math well in any frame of mind).

 

Also, should have started by not cutting. The meds absorb differently a little when you drink them like this. No doubt. I usually feel them kick in just a little. Nope. Now they don't kick in. They slowly kind of come to settle in, I guess. Oh well. I've cut a little, so that's good. I can take where I'm at right now at least.

[[pr...]]

Definitely don't cut more now! You could even go back and just take the full dose without cutting any, because it's already a cut, just going to liquid.  Small amounts of the drug are always lost in the preparation and storage process.

 

From 3 to 2.85 is like going from 60 to 57 of Valium, definitely a cut that most people would feel.  On top of that, you've probably lost a small percentage, 1-5%, just due to the preparation.

 

Have you considered doing the crossover to Valium method?