Musiclover: would really like to find my way off meds but hard to imagine it

[FindRest]

9 hours ago, Musiclover said:

However I have read here that using a nail file is not recommended.

 
I believe nail filing ALONE is not recommended, but filing and weighing together is perfectly fine. Any method you use to shave off a bit is ok, as long as you weigh it. So cutting with a razor blade, filing with a metal file, and even crushing (most pills) is ok as long as you weigh the final dose. I save all of my shavings or bits of cuttings (Ambien) to use for additional doses.

Edited June 25 by FindRest

[Erimus]

10 hours ago, Musiclover said:

Ok thanks for that. I’ll give it a few more days before reducing. 
 

I have another question about cutting the pills. The 2.5 mg Olanzapine tablets are very small. At this stage I am taking only a small amount off them so I have been using a metal nail file and weighing the tablet after every few passes. This seems to have given me pretty accurate results, according to the scales. However I have read here that using a nail file is not recommended. I have a pill cutter but it only cuts into halves and at this stage I need to make smaller cuts. Would a razor blade be better than the file method? I’d be a bit afraid of cutting too much off whereas I feel I actually have more control with the file. 

If you are weighing after filing it will be okay. The problem arises with people filing "a bit more" each day, where they have no guage of how much they're removing other than their own estimates. The main thing is that your method is consistent each day.

[Musiclover]

Thank you both for that. Good to hear. No, I'm being quite careful about consistency and accuracy, within reason.

 

I now have a pill bottle with all my shavings in it from the last month. I wasn't planning on using them on the assumption that they would lose their potency or 'go off' in a powdered state but maybe I will revise that.

 

Thanks again!

[Erimus]

1 minute ago, Musiclover said:

Thank you both for that. Good to hear. No, I'm being quite careful about consistency and accuracy, within reason.

 

I now have a pill bottle with all my shavings in it from the last month. I wasn't planning on using them on the assumption that they would lose their potency or 'go off' in a powdered state but maybe I will revise that.

 

Thanks again!

I keep my excess powder in a container until making the next batch, which is a month later. Not noticed any problems. As long as you're not grinding up tablets with slow-release coatings, or keeping it in direct sunlight, it will be fine.

[Musiclover]

Ok great, I'll keep the powder so. I will have to work out how to reduce the time-release Venlafaxine tablets when the time comes but that is a long way away so I'm not too concerned about it. So far I have received those capsules with 3 different forms of the drug: multiple tiny beads, many larger but still small tablets, and 3 large-ish tablets. The first two types I can probably count but the last type I will have to cut. I have read here that it's ok to do that, not ideal but the only real choice with larger time-release tabs. Here in Ireland we have little control over which form is dispensed as it depends on availability but I will try and request one of the first two types at that stage.  

[Musiclover]

I’ve just made the third jump down on my Olanzapine dose. I’ll see how it goes over the next few weeks but I’m thinking of trying the faster taper as suggested in the ‘Why taper by 10% of my dosage?’ thread:

 

‘If you think you can taper faster than 10% per month, follow this harm reduction approach to starting your taper:

• Initially, make a 10% reduction and hold there for a MONTH. It can take several weeks for withdrawal symptoms to emerge. Do that again the second month.
• If you have very minor or no symptoms from these 2 reductions, you can try reducing by 10% (calculated on the last dosage, the amount of decrease keeps getting smaller) every 3 weeks. Do that twice. If no problems, you might be able to reduce by 10% every 2 weeks.
• Be prepared to adjust your rate of taper. When you get down to a lower dose, often you will have to taper SLOWER, or by even smaller percentages.’

Anyway, I’ve been very careful with the taper so far and that won’t change whatever I decide. 

 

[Musiclover]

Just checking in here. I’m in the middle of my 4th reduction of Olanzapine and doing ok so far🤞. I’m away at the moment so I intend to speed things up a bit in terms of the above-mentioned approach when I get home in a week. I wish I could reduce more than one drug at a time because it’s going to take ages to get off all 3 but I accept that’s just how it is. At least I am going in the right direction and that is a wonderful feeling - hope at the end of the (long) tunnel!