What's the rule of thumb again for taper rate?

[[bl...]]

I know that I've read a sort of rule of thumb somewhere about a reasonable taper rate for a high dose, but I can't recall what it said now. My memory has been suffering as part of my w/d, sorry.

 

I'm in my tenth taper day. I'm using water titration to cut. I've gone from 3 mg Xanax slowly to 2.77 mg per day. I'm feeling tolerably well.

 

If I make a cut tomorrow, I'll be at 2.7 mg per day. I'd like to try it but want to make sure that's not too fast. Is that a 10% cut? Is that a reasonable taper rate? I think it's like 10% for every two weeks for high doses. But now I'm wondering if it was for every week. I cannot remember now.

 

I can't do math to save my life either, sorry!

[[Be...]]

Hi, blueorchardlady. 

 

Don't be so hard on yourself.  You can't remember "the guideline" because it varies with the benzo, the dosage and situation.  Since you are titrating, are you removing a little bit more every day or so?  If you use a 100ml cylinder, dissolve your entire daily dose in it, and withdraw 1ml, you would be tapering 1%.  If you did that every day for 10 days, you would have tapered 10% in 10 days, a perfectly reasonable taper.  It's kind of up to you whether you go slower or even faster.  Does that help?

[[bl...]]

Yes Beeper, thanks! I'm removing a bit more every few days. So far, so good. I have some symptoms but better than with dry cuts. My memory is messy though; it's one of my worst symptoms at present.

 

This helps! I'm doing it right for me, I think.

 

I can't believe I've cut 10%! If you had told me a month ago I could do this, I'd have laughed. I was often double-dosing and barely hanging on with my full dose. Whoooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!  :yippee:

[[Be...]]

WooHoo is right, lady!   Sometimes just getting started with the tapering is the hardest part because of all the fear.  Once you start and see it isn't so awful, the fear dissipates.  BTW, you might want to write down how much you are removing on what date so you never have to worry about how much to remove or when.  I actually created an Excel Spreadsheet for myself but a piece of paper and a pencil works just as well. 

[[Ch...]]

Hi BlueOrchidLady,

I have been tapering from (.5 four times a day for many years) over six months now...slow tapering is the key.  You're doing great!  My own experience was that dry cut tapering every two weeks went relatively easily and you're going slower than I did.  For me it's the end that's been more difficult and I tried to quit at too high a dose~~ .25 after only a few days at that level.  Severe w/d and had to go back to .25 for two weeks, which is where I'm at now and considering a cut to .065 very soon. 

 

As I tapered, if I had bad symptoms of w/d I held there or went up in dosage just a tiny bit, usually just for a day.  When things settled I tapered again and it was a lot smoother.  Compared to a lot of people here, my taper has been easy.

 

  Challis

[[Be...]]

Blue,

 

.... I think the recommendation is 5-10% from the dose at the start of your taper. That said, people handle things differently. I actually dry cut by 1/8 of a pill the last time (with one 1/16 I believe at the end). I did it, but I'm looking for a smoother ride this time, so I'm water tapering and ...... so far so good.