Micro tapering with Jewelers scales

[[bu...]]

It's concerning how many doctors have egos and act like their patients are sheep that should do whatever they say no matter what.  Yeah they're the ones who went to medical school but they obviously don't know everything, and you as the patient are the other half of the doctor/patient relationship.  My doctor has a HUGE ego and I'm very lucky he was willing to prescribe me Valium.  First he wanted me to take phenobarbital which was basically like cold turkeying (not to mention is interacted with other medications I take), and then he wanted me to taper off of Xanax because "It has a short half life which equals a shorter detox."  What?!    So when they tell you stay off the internet I would do the opposite.  Like Etown mentioned everything is AOK when you're going in every month, paying your bill, but then when you need some help actually getting off of these insidious pills they all of a sudden act like you're some pain in the ass.  It's bad enough that people get hooked on these things because of doctors' neglegence, then you get treated like some idiot when you try and put your two cents in, and finally I think it's ridiculous how they have no idea how much you're suffering.  Plus they are never get accountable by the medical board or justice system.

[[bu...]]

One question I forgot to ask about the daily micro tapering.  How hard is it to actually shave off say .002g from a pill daily?  I know it's not super important for it to be completely accurate but I'm just curious if it's going to be a struggle to stay somewhat in the range each day.

[[bu...]]

One question I forgot to ask about the daily micro tapering.  How hard is it to actually shave off say .002g from a pill daily?  I know it's not super important for it to be completely accurate but I'm just curious if it's going to be a struggle to stay somewhat in the range each day.

  Well, your tablet probably weighs about .150g, so your trying to take off about 1.3%.  Kinda tricky.

[[dp...]]

One question I forgot to ask about the daily micro tapering.  How hard is it to actually shave off say .002g from a pill daily?  I know it's not super important for it to be completely accurate but I'm just curious if it's going to be a struggle to stay somewhat in the range each day.

 

It can be a pain, sure.. but I've made it work for most of my taper. What I've been doing is shaving .003g every other day and going a tad bit slower than .02/day for that very reason.. in the end, I'm not sure it matters too much.. things will cancel out with Valium's halflife and it shouldn't be an issue.

[[GA...]]

It's concerning how many doctors have egos and act like their patients are sheep that should do whatever they say no matter what.  Yeah they're the ones who went to medical school but they obviously don't know everything, and you as the patient are the other half of the doctor/patient relationship.  My doctor has a HUGE ego and I'm very lucky he was willing to prescribe me Valium.  First he wanted me to take phenobarbital which was basically like cold turkeying (not to mention is interacted with other medications I take), and then he wanted me to taper off of Xanax because "It has a short half life which equals a shorter detox."  What?!    So when they tell you stay off the internet I would do the opposite.  Like Etown mentioned everything is AOK when you're going in every month, paying your bill, but then when you need some help actually getting off of these insidious pills they all of a sudden act like you're some pain in the ass.  It's bad enough that people get hooked on these things because of doctors' neglegence, then you get treated like some idiot when you try and put your two cents in, and finally I think it's ridiculous how they have no idea how much you're suffering.  Plus they are never get accountable by the medical board or justice system.

 

 

I've been seeing my family doctor for 30 years. He's the one who prescribed me the Ativan and the Ambien. But he's also the one who suggested that I stop using Ambien a few years back and I balked at that idea, so he kept prescribing it.

 

I don't know how it is in other countries or even in other states, but I have to see him once a month to get the prescriptions and we talk about other things, too. The last few times, I've mentioned my desire to stop using these meds, and he didn't seem too interested. He didn't volunteer too much information. But when I saw him yesterday, we talked for a good 5-10 minutes about tapering and benzo withdrawal.

 

He's heard of Benzo Buddies and of the Ashton Method. He agrees that yes, it is best to taper off, but he could offer no set tapering plan. I mentioned Valium! He said that he doesn't like prescribing one addicting drug for another. Until I explained about half-lifes and lower available doses to taper from.

 

He suddenly paid rapt attention to every word I said. It was like he realized what I was saying was true, only he had never really thought about it that much. He said he's had problems before with patients abusing medications. But he understood what I was saying, that Valium might make for an easier taper. He agreed to switch me if I needed it. So far, I'm kind of leery about switching over, but if I need to, I have him on my side.

 

Realize that these doctors have a lot at stake when it comes to writing prescriptions for controlled substances. He actually was sanctioned a few years back because a partner of his got busted for writing some kind of illegal prescription. It reflected back on him because the other doctor was on his staff.

 

Your average GP, his job is mainly diagnosing disease and dispensing medications. You go to one and you complain of anxiety or insomnia, they think they're helping you by giving you these meds. And maybe they actually are if you take it for the 7-10 days or 4-6 weeks limit, but when you go back and say, hey, that stuff is great and I feel fine, the tendency might be to continue helping the patient feel better.

 

Anyway, he finally admitted that these drugs were addicting. He's been in practice for 40 years so I don't know exactly when he found that out. He never forced anything on me, as long as I kept going in, he kept prescribing. He gave me what I wanted.

 

Another thing, unless you've been through withdrawal or tolerance withdrawal, or worked in a hospital or detox with withdrawing benzo users, how would you ever know what it's like? You might hope that your patient is one of the few who stop benzos with little or no problem.

 

There is a list of benzo-wise doctors floating around the internet, but they are few and far between. We can help to educate our doctors, but remember that they sometimes encounter drug-seeking patients who are looking for an "easy" doctor to prescribe them controlled substances, and every so often you read about these easy doctors getting busted, sometimes sent to jail. So when you go into your doctor talking about drug-taking and withdrawal and wanting Valium, don't be surprised if they seem a bit reluctant or hesitant.

 

 

[[et...]]

One question I forgot to ask about the daily micro tapering.  How hard is it to actually shave off say .002g from a pill daily?  I know it's not super important for it to be completely accurate but I'm just curious if it's going to be a struggle to stay somewhat in the range each day.

 

I don't know what the hell Builder is talking about. I use a metal nail file and it is fast and easy

etown

[[bu...]]

One question I forgot to ask about the daily micro tapering.  How hard is it to actually shave off say .002g from a pill daily?  I know it's not super important for it to be completely accurate but I'm just curious if it's going to be a struggle to stay somewhat in the range each day.

 

I don't know what the hell Builder is talking about. I use a metal nail file and it is fast and easy

etown

  No offense etown, but if your really believer you can maintain <2% accuracy with a $25 Amazon/ebay scale, your kidding yourself.

 

But I agree with dpier...it really won't make any difference.  Consistency is  much more important than accuracy.

[[et...]]

One question I forgot to ask about the daily micro tapering.  How hard is it to actually shave off say .002g from a pill daily?  I know it's not super important for it to be completely accurate but I'm just curious if it's going to be a struggle to stay somewhat in the range each day.

 

I don't know what the hell Builder is talking about. I use a metal nail file and it is fast and easy

etown

  No offense etown, but if your really believer you can maintain <2% accuracy with a $25 Amazon/ebay scale, your kidding yourself.

 

But I agree with dpier...it really won't make any difference.  Consistency is  much more important than accuracy.

 

This is a scale thread Builder. I don't sell scales on the liquid threads. No offense either. I read tons of pages all over BB where you and the rest of the liquid supporters work tirelessly to educate people on how to liquid taper. I never try to "sell" anything as the right way.

Case closed

 

[[bu...]]

I'm really not anti filing/weighing.  I didn't tell burfm that his plan wouldn't work, I only told him trying to maintain a < 2% error would be difficult.

 

When most folks start a scale taper, they typically weigh 10 or so pills to establish a standard and average.  And based on the many post I have seen they almost always vary 5-10% from pill to pill, within the same batch. How are you going to maintain a < 2 % error when your product already has a 5-10% error?

 

Daily tapering of V works because 1) even with day-to-day disrepancies, you are still gradually lowering your dose, and 2)  the long half-life makes the day-to-day discrepancies self-cancelling.

 

When I started my liquid taper, like most BBs, I was obsessed precision.  I measured every thing multiple times, with different instruments.  Over time I began to realize that kind of precision was not necessary. The real reason it was working was not because I was making  a precise .025mg cut each day, it was working because at the end of 10 days,  I had cut .25mg.

 

Consistency is more important than accuracy. 

 

Folks should choose the method that works for them.  Keep up the good work, etown!  :thumbsup:

[[et...]]

I'm really not anti filing/weighing.  I didn't tell burfm that his plan wouldn't work, I only told him trying to maintain a < 2% error would be difficult.

 

When most folks start a scale taper, they typically weigh 10 or so pills to establish a standard and average.  And based on the many post I have seen they almost always vary 5-10% from pill to pill, within the same batch. How are you going to maintain a < 2 % error when your product already has a 5-10% error?

 

Daily tapering of V works because 1) even with day-to-day disrepancies, you are still gradually lowering your dose, and 2)  the long half-life makes the day-to-day discrepancies self-cancelling.

 

When I started my liquid taper, like most BBs, I was obsessed precision.  I measured every thing multiple times, with different instruments.  Over time I began to realize that kind of precision was not necessary. The real reason it was working was not because I was making  a precise .025mg cut each day, it was working because at the end of 10 days,  I had cut .25mg.

 

Consistency is more important than accuracy. 

 

Folks should choose the method that works for them.  Keep up the good work, etown!  :thumbsup:

 

Agree to disagree but mainly agree

You too Builder

etown

[[GA...]]

I got my Gemini-20 scale in the mail today. I read half of the instructions and then went to work.

 

It wasn't until I got through experimenting with different pills and different cuts that I finished reading the instructions and saw that you are not supposed to use it near electronic equipment such as computers - and I had it set up right in front of the working desktop computer. Also I noticed that when I put one of the ten gram weights on it I got a weight of 10.017. Then I read about calibration and will do that tomorrow.

 

I see how it can be very useful. Instead of thinking in terms of one-fourth, one -eighth, etc. I will think in terms of weight, and reductions of 5-10%. I weigh several full pills and find the weight varies so slightly as to not make a practical difference. I will need to get a razor blade, as thin as possible; I'm now using a kitchen knife, sometimes I've made cuts with that and I can see a slight variation with the naked eye.

 

I'm now starting further reductions in the Ambien and once that is done will continue on tapering the Ativan.

[[bu...]]

One question I forgot to ask about the daily micro tapering.  How hard is it to actually shave off say .002g from a pill daily?  I know it's not super important for it to be completely accurate but I'm just curious if it's going to be a struggle to stay somewhat in the range each day.

  Well, your tablet probably weighs about .150g, so your trying to take off about 1.3%.  Kinda tricky.

 

I weighed out 10 of them and actually got an average of .172  Still could be a little dicey.

[[bu...]]

One question I forgot to ask about the daily micro tapering.  How hard is it to actually shave off say .002g from a pill daily?  I know it's not super important for it to be completely accurate but I'm just curious if it's going to be a struggle to stay somewhat in the range each day.

 

It can be a pain, sure.. but I've made it work for most of my taper. What I've been doing is shaving .003g every other day and going a tad bit slower than .02/day for that very reason.. in the end, I'm not sure it matters too much.. things will cancel out with Valium's halflife and it shouldn't be an issue.

 

That's a good idear!  And it's pretty feasible to do .003g accurately most of the time?

[[bu...]]

It's concerning how many doctors have egos and act like their patients are sheep that should do whatever they say no matter what.  Yeah they're the ones who went to medical school but they obviously don't know everything, and you as the patient are the other half of the doctor/patient relationship.  My doctor has a HUGE ego and I'm very lucky he was willing to prescribe me Valium.  First he wanted me to take phenobarbital which was basically like cold turkeying (not to mention is interacted with other medications I take), and then he wanted me to taper off of Xanax because "It has a short half life which equals a shorter detox."  What?!    So when they tell you stay off the internet I would do the opposite.  Like Etown mentioned everything is AOK when you're going in every month, paying your bill, but then when you need some help actually getting off of these insidious pills they all of a sudden act like you're some pain in the ass.  It's bad enough that people get hooked on these things because of doctors' neglegence, then you get treated like some idiot when you try and put your two cents in, and finally I think it's ridiculous how they have no idea how much you're suffering.  Plus they are never get accountable by the medical board or justice system.

 

 

I've been seeing my family doctor for 30 years. He's the one who prescribed me the Ativan and the Ambien. But he's also the one who suggested that I stop using Ambien a few years back and I balked at that idea, so he kept prescribing it.

 

I don't know how it is in other countries or even in other states, but I have to see him once a month to get the prescriptions and we talk about other things, too. The last few times, I've mentioned my desire to stop using these meds, and he didn't seem too interested. He didn't volunteer too much information. But when I saw him yesterday, we talked for a good 5-10 minutes about tapering and benzo withdrawal.

 

He's heard of Benzo Buddies and of the Ashton Method. He agrees that yes, it is best to taper off, but he could offer no set tapering plan. I mentioned Valium! He said that he doesn't like prescribing one addicting drug for another. Until I explained about half-lifes and lower available doses to taper from.

 

He suddenly paid rapt attention to every word I said. It was like he realized what I was saying was true, only he had never really thought about it that much. He said he's had problems before with patients abusing medications. But he understood what I was saying, that Valium might make for an easier taper. He agreed to switch me if I needed it. So far, I'm kind of leery about switching over, but if I need to, I have him on my side.

 

Realize that these doctors have a lot at stake when it comes to writing prescriptions for controlled substances. He actually was sanctioned a few years back because a partner of his got busted for writing some kind of illegal prescription. It reflected back on him because the other doctor was on his staff.

 

Your average GP, his job is mainly diagnosing disease and dispensing medications. You go to one and you complain of anxiety or insomnia, they think they're helping you by giving you these meds. And maybe they actually are if you take it for the 7-10 days or 4-6 weeks limit, but when you go back and say, hey, that stuff is great and I feel fine, the tendency might be to continue helping the patient feel better.

 

Anyway, he finally admitted that these drugs were addicting. He's been in practice for 40 years so I don't know exactly when he found that out. He never forced anything on me, as long as I kept going in, he kept prescribing. He gave me what I wanted.

 

Another thing, unless you've been through withdrawal or tolerance withdrawal, or worked in a hospital or detox with withdrawing benzo users, how would you ever know what it's like? You might hope that your patient is one of the few who stop benzos with little or no problem.

 

There is a list of benzo-wise doctors floating around the internet, but they are few and far between. We can help to educate our doctors, but remember that they sometimes encounter drug-seeking patients who are looking for an "easy" doctor to prescribe them controlled substances, and every so often you read about these easy doctors getting busted, sometimes sent to jail. So when you go into your doctor talking about drug-taking and withdrawal and wanting Valium, don't be surprised if they seem a bit reluctant or hesitant.

 

I don't see how doctors should be so concerned with you asking for a different benzo when you're already hooked on them anyway.  If a person was really trying to cop a buzz they'd go for something that acts fast and hard, like Xanax.  Valium has almost no recreational value.  And I think it's really pathetic that we the patients have to do all this research on the proper way to taper and get off these pills when the doctors cluelessly dish them out to us in the first place.  I think if you're going to be able to prescribe benzos then you need to be educated on them and how long someone should take them.  And there should be a standard protocol on how to treat benzo dependency because as of now it seems like it's every person for themself. 

[[GA...]]

It's concerning how many doctors have egos and act like their patients are sheep that should do whatever they say no matter what.  Yeah they're the ones who went to medical school but they obviously don't know everything, and you as the patient are the other half of the doctor/patient relationship.  My doctor has a HUGE ego and I'm very lucky he was willing to prescribe me Valium.  First he wanted me to take phenobarbital which was basically like cold turkeying (not to mention is interacted with other medications I take), and then he wanted me to taper off of Xanax because "It has a short half life which equals a shorter detox."  What?!    So when they tell you stay off the internet I would do the opposite.  Like Etown mentioned everything is AOK when you're going in every month, paying your bill, but then when you need some help actually getting off of these insidious pills they all of a sudden act like you're some pain in the ass.  It's bad enough that people get hooked on these things because of doctors' neglegence, then you get treated like some idiot when you try and put your two cents in, and finally I think it's ridiculous how they have no idea how much you're suffering.  Plus they are never get accountable by the medical board or justice system.

 

 

I've been seeing my family doctor for 30 years. He's the one who prescribed me the Ativan and the Ambien. But he's also the one who suggested that I stop using Ambien a few years back and I balked at that idea, so he kept prescribing it.

 

I don't know how it is in other countries or even in other states, but I have to see him once a month to get the prescriptions and we talk about other things, too. The last few times, I've mentioned my desire to stop using these meds, and he didn't seem too interested. He didn't volunteer too much information. But when I saw him yesterday, we talked for a good 5-10 minutes about tapering and benzo withdrawal.

 

He's heard of Benzo Buddies and of the Ashton Method. He agrees that yes, it is best to taper off, but he could offer no set tapering plan. I mentioned Valium! He said that he doesn't like prescribing one addicting drug for another. Until I explained about half-lifes and lower available doses to taper from.

 

He suddenly paid rapt attention to every word I said. It was like he realized what I was saying was true, only he had never really thought about it that much. He said he's had problems before with patients abusing medications. But he understood what I was saying, that Valium might make for an easier taper. He agreed to switch me if I needed it. So far, I'm kind of leery about switching over, but if I need to, I have him on my side.

 

Realize that these doctors have a lot at stake when it comes to writing prescriptions for controlled substances. He actually was sanctioned a few years back because a partner of his got busted for writing some kind of illegal prescription. It reflected back on him because the other doctor was on his staff.

 

Your average GP, his job is mainly diagnosing disease and dispensing medications. You go to one and you complain of anxiety or insomnia, they think they're helping you by giving you these meds. And maybe they actually are if you take it for the 7-10 days or 4-6 weeks limit, but when you go back and say, hey, that stuff is great and I feel fine, the tendency might be to continue helping the patient feel better.

 

Anyway, he finally admitted that these drugs were addicting. He's been in practice for 40 years so I don't know exactly when he found that out. He never forced anything on me, as long as I kept going in, he kept prescribing. He gave me what I wanted.

 

Another thing, unless you've been through withdrawal or tolerance withdrawal, or worked in a hospital or detox with withdrawing benzo users, how would you ever know what it's like? You might hope that your patient is one of the few who stop benzos with little or no problem.

 

There is a list of benzo-wise doctors floating around the internet, but they are few and far between. We can help to educate our doctors, but remember that they sometimes encounter drug-seeking patients who are looking for an "easy" doctor to prescribe them controlled substances, and every so often you read about these easy doctors getting busted, sometimes sent to jail. So when you go into your doctor talking about drug-taking and withdrawal and wanting Valium, don't be surprised if they seem a bit reluctant or hesitant.

 

I don't see how doctors should be so concerned with you asking for a different benzo when you're already hooked on them anyway.  If a person was really trying to cop a buzz they'd go for something that acts fast and hard, like Xanax.  Valium has almost no recreational value.  And I think it's really pathetic that we the patients have to do all this research on the proper way to taper and get off these pills when the doctors cluelessly dish them out to us in the first place.  I think if you're going to be able to prescribe benzos then you need to be educated on them and how long someone should take them.  And there should be a standard protocol on how to treat benzo dependency because as of now it seems like it's every person for themself.

 

 

I agree that doctors should be more educated on benzos and benzo withdrawal. It could also be said that they should be more educated on ALL the drugs they prescribe, but that's asking a lot.

 

That being said, there are some that specialize in benzo tapering but they are few and far between. A list circulating on BB gave me the name of one in my area, and when I went to his website, there was a lot of information regarding benzos and tapering. It was almost like Benzo Buddies! But guys like that, that actually advertise that they specialize in benzo tapering are rare.

 

Considering all the people that take benzos, you'd think that more doctors would get into the field of benzo tapering, advertise, and bring in a lot of patients. Maybe there's some stigma attached to drug withdrawal. Such doctors might get increased attention from the DEA. And I'm sure they wouldn't want that!

 

I've also read that a lot of doctors in the U.S. at least don't like to prescribe Valium, because it has been around for a long time and thus has built up a bad reputation for being addictive. As if the other newer ones are not! Maybe there is some perception among doctors that the newer, shorter-acting benzos are safer than that horrible Valium that has gotten so much bad press over the many years it has been available. Maybe if they do write prescriptions for Valium to replace Xanax or Ativan, that is admitting that Xanax and Ativan are bad or dangerous. And they don't want to do that!

 

 

[[bu...]]

One question I forgot to ask about the daily micro tapering.  How hard is it to actually shave off say .002g from a pill daily?  I know it's not super important for it to be completely accurate but I'm just curious if it's going to be a struggle to stay somewhat in the range each day.

  Well, your tablet probably weighs about .150g, so your trying to take off about 1.3%.  Kinda tricky.

 

I weighed out 10 of them and actually got an average of .172  Still could be a little dicey.

 

...which actually makes your .002 cut only about 1.1% 

 

But really, it will be OK.  As long as you're taking a little more off each day, even it its not exactly .002, you'll be fine.

[[bu...]]

One question I forgot to ask about the daily micro tapering.  How hard is it to actually shave off say .002g from a pill daily?  I know it's not super important for it to be completely accurate but I'm just curious if it's going to be a struggle to stay somewhat in the range each day.

  Well, your tablet probably weighs about .150g, so your trying to take off about 1.3%.  Kinda tricky.

 

I weighed out 10 of them and actually got an average of .172  Still could be a little dicey.

 

...which actually makes your .002 cut only about 1.1% 

 

But really, it will be OK.  As long as you're taking a little more off each day, even it its not exactly .002, you'll be fine.

 

Cool, that's the plan.  Just take a little less each day as opposed to dropping large amounts every now and then. Thanks!

[[et...]]

I got my Gemini-20 scale in the mail today. I read half of the instructions and then went to work.

 

It wasn't until I got through experimenting with different pills and different cuts that I finished reading the instructions and saw that you are not supposed to use it near electronic equipment such as computers - and I had it set up right in front of the working desktop computer. Also I noticed that when I put one of the ten gram weights on it I got a weight of 10.017. Then I read about calibration and will do that tomorrow.

 

I see how it can be very useful. Instead of thinking in terms of one-fourth, one -eighth, etc. I will think in terms of weight, and reductions of 5-10%. I weigh several full pills and find the weight varies so slightly as to not make a practical difference. I will need to get a razor blade, as thin as possible; I'm now using a kitchen knife, sometimes I've made cuts with that and I can see a slight variation with the naked eye.

 

I'm now starting further reductions in the Ambien and once that is done will continue on tapering the Ativan.

 

Metal nail file works the best.

etown

[[GA...]]

I got my Gemini-20 scale in the mail today. I read half of the instructions and then went to work.

 

It wasn't until I got through experimenting with different pills and different cuts that I finished reading the instructions and saw that you are not supposed to use it near electronic equipment such as computers - and I had it set up right in front of the working desktop computer. Also I noticed that when I put one of the ten gram weights on it I got a weight of 10.017. Then I read about calibration and will do that tomorrow.

 

I see how it can be very useful. Instead of thinking in terms of one-fourth, one -eighth, etc. I will think in terms of weight, and reductions of 5-10%. I weigh several full pills and find the weight varies so slightly as to not make a practical difference. I will need to get a razor blade, as thin as possible; I'm now using a kitchen knife, sometimes I've made cuts with that and I can see a slight variation with the naked eye.

 

I'm now starting further reductions in the Ambien and once that is done will continue on tapering the Ativan.

 

Metal nail file works the best.

etown

 

 

Great, I already bought the emery boards but they cost me only 75 cents.

 

Just two weeks ago I was worried that I wouldn't to be able to weigh really small cuts on this scale. Today I did a little experimentation such as calibration, weighing different pills. Right before I put it away, I took a tiny pinch of benzo dust that was left over from a previous cut and got a weight of .005. It was so small I didn't think it would even register.

[[dp...]]

One question I forgot to ask about the daily micro tapering.  How hard is it to actually shave off say .002g from a pill daily?  I know it's not super important for it to be completely accurate but I'm just curious if it's going to be a struggle to stay somewhat in the range each day.

  Well, your tablet probably weighs about .150g, so your trying to take off about 1.3%.  Kinda tricky.

 

I weighed out 10 of them and actually got an average of .172  Still could be a little dicey.

 

...which actually makes your .002 cut only about 1.1% 

 

But really, it will be OK.  As long as you're taking a little more off each day, even it its not exactly .002, you'll be fine.

 

 

1500 million %.... I tried over thinking the possibilities and every single thing that could go wrong with micro cutting and weighing with a scale (pretty sure builder can attest to that lol).. and in the end it doesn't matter... keep it simple... the variances will balance out. Just stay consistent with it.

[[bu...]]

One question I forgot to ask about the daily micro tapering.  How hard is it to actually shave off say .002g from a pill daily?  I know it's not super important for it to be completely accurate but I'm just curious if it's going to be a struggle to stay somewhat in the range each day.

  Well, your tablet probably weighs about .150g, so your trying to take off about 1.3%.  Kinda tricky.

 

I weighed out 10 of them and actually got an average of .172  Still could be a little dicey.

 

...which actually makes your .002 cut only about 1.1% 

 

But really, it will be OK.  As long as you're taking a little more off each day, even it its not exactly .002, you'll be fine.

 

 

1500 million %.... I tried over thinking the possibilities and every single thing that could go wrong with micro cutting and weighing with a scale (pretty sure builder can attest to that lol).. and in the end it doesn't matter... keep it simple... the variances will balance out. Just stay consistent with it.

 

I think you nailed it right there.  It'd be nice if everything was completely accurate but that's just not the way the cookie crumbles.  As long as you're going down that seems to be the main thing, especially with Valium.

[[bu...]]

By the way is the general consensus that files work best for shaving off pills?  I have razor blades and was thinking those would work better.

[[GA...]]

By the way is the general consensus that files work best for shaving off pills?  I have razor blades and was thinking those would work better.

 

 

Some say a metal file is best, but I bought a pack of emery boards at the dollar store for 75 cents and they work just fine!

[[et...]]

I think it's cool you guys are keeping this thread going. It is interesting to read your experiences. I used emery boards too and found they worked great but clogged up fast. The metal file could be cleaned out easily.

etown

[[GA...]]

I keep a "remnant" bottle containing scraps from cuts; all different sizes, some just crumbs. I can get a weight on my Gemini-20 scale from a tiny pinch of dust that I can barely squeeze between my fingers and pick up. This will be invaluable when I taper down to very small doses.

 

It's ironic; it been only a couple months since I started tapering, I have much, much more benzo now than I ever had when I was using the pre-taper full dose. There were a lot of times I wished I had this much extra.