carefulprayerful Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Login is required to the website (Medscape). I have a saved copy of the image, but it is over 40 kB so I can't attach it in this message. My psychiatric drug history goes back, on and off, to 1999. This is my taper chronology: Jan. 2018: 900 mg Lithium 1 mg Risperidone 250 mg Lamotrigine Jan. 2018: 0 mg Lithium* 1 mg Risperidone 250 mg Lamotrigine Jan. 2019: 0 mg Lithium 0.625 mg Risperidone 175 mg Lamotrigine Jan. 2020: 0 mg Lithium 0.260 mg Risperidone 175 mg Lamotrigine Feb. 2021: 0 mg Lithium 0 mg Risperidone 175 mg Lamotrigine August 2021 0 mg Lithium 0 mg Risperidone 0 mg Lamotrigine *I had to cold turkey lithium because of life-threatening side effects. Measuring doses: The Withdrawal Project at the Inner Compass Initiative website, which explains how to do the microtaper to make it as smooth as possible Nutrition: The Clean Gut Diet by Alejandro Junger, MD, and Viva Naturals Omega 3 Fish Oil Supplements. Psychological: "Dr. Bruce H. Lipton Explains How To Reprogram The Subconscious Mind" (on YouTube) and PSYCH-K (an alternative healing modality). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted February 18, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 18, 2019 You shouldn't post it anyway as it would be copyrighted. * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayUT Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 On 11/3/2017 at 8:09 AM, ZK2015 said: Hi Krasiyan, the equation for Paroxetine will be Occupancy% = 102*dose/(5.2+dose) so yes at 5mg you will be at 50% occupancy, however it is really a matter of trial and error you can try different percentages till you find the one that you can tolerate and start calculating your doses based on it. also as Gridley mentioned you can cut your pills or make liquid from them, personally I found it easier to measure doses from liquid solution. This SERT Occupancy graphs makes such a difference in my understanding of why a slow taper is so important. Especially towards the end of the taper. What would be the occupancy equation for Sertraline? I am giving this taper another go after being on the sidelines for 3 years. Three years ago, I had somewhat manageable withdrawal problems from 50 mg to 37.5 mg to 25 mg to 12.5 mg, but failed miserably when I CT'd at 12.5 mg. I reinstated and held at 12.5 mg for the past 3 years. It looks like 12.5 mg Sertraline is still around 55% occupancy. In Nov 2018, I decided to drop from 12.5 mg to 6.25 mg. I had some withdrawal, but it appeared to be manageable. Held 6.25 mg for 2 months. Then 6.25 mg to 0 mg was a fail. 6.25 mg is still appears to be around 40% SERT occupancy. I have reinstated at 5 mg 1 week ago and waiting to stabilize. 2006-2013: Amitriptyline 25mg QD at bedtime. Oct 2014: Clonazepam 0.5mg at night for sleep. Gabapentin 600mg x2 daily for pain. Dec 2014: CT Clonazepam & Gabapentin on doctor’s instruction, because it wasn't helping symptoms. Caused severe depression, anxiety, panic attacks. ER due to 3 days of no sleep. ER administered Lorazepam IV. Dec 2014: Lorazepam - 0.250mg AM, 0.125mg PM, 0.250mg Beftime; Zoloft - 50mg Feb 15 - March 11, 2015: Tapered Lorazepam at 0.125 mg ever 5 days. Too fast and very difficult. June 1 - Oct 12, 2015: Tapered Zoloft from 50mg at 12.5 mg every 4 weeks. Last 2 weeks I took 12.5 mg every other day. Then CT'd at 12.5 mg. Dec 4, 2015: Reinstated Zoloft 12.5 mg. Nov 2018: 12.5 mg to 6.25 mg. Held for 2 months then CT'd 6.25 mg on Jan 26. Feb 16, 2019: Reinstated Zoloft 5 mg Dec 2019: CT Zoloft 5 mg. Did okay until August 2020. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebas Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 On 4/24/2014 at 10:04 PM, Mario said: nice article ! the shapes of the curves also support the idea that the reduction speed should be reduced at lower dosages of SSRI, like it is suggested in the turtle protocol (http://ssrigr.altervista.org) Hi, read your history below. What does the turtle protocol mean? I'm currently at approximately 5,6 ml paroxetine and wondering if i should stop tapering at 5,0 ml. 46 years old male job in spatial planning into sports, animals and nature Started using 20 mg Paroxetine (Paxil) in 2004 for stressrelated anxiety/depression Attempted several times to stop, starting a few years after 2004 Found out in 2015 about paxil withdrawal symptoms and the 5-10% taper guideline Started using liquid paxil in 2015/2016 2018 --> 11.2 mg of paxil 2019-2023 developed severe food- and other sensitivities (anti imflammatory, anti oxidant, food colourings, oils, herbs, chemicals etc.) 12/2023 Had been building up for 4 years to Poop-out/tolerance, introducing brassmonkey slide method 0.1mg/week 26/1/2024 10 mg (journey halfway). 14/7/2024 8.4 mg No supplements, strict diet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted March 17, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted March 17, 2019 1 hour ago, Sebas said: Hi, read your history below. What does the turtle protocol mean? I'm currently at approximately 5,6 ml paroxetine and wondering if i should stop tapering at 5,0 ml. I will respond in your Intro topic. * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted April 21, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 21, 2019 I've added this simple explanation to Post #1 of this topic: 46 minutes ago, brassmonkey said: Most psych drugs work by changing the levels of a specific neurotransmitter in the body. They usually increase the amount of the neurotransmitter by shutting down the receptor that absorbs it. This is called "down regulating" and a receptor that is down regulated is referred to as being "occupied". These charts show the percentage of receptors in the body that are "occupied" at a give dosage of the medication. The percentage is on the left scale and the dose is across the bottom. Both charts are showing the same thing but the one on the left show the affects of the listed strength of the dose while the one on the right shows the affects of how much of the drug ends up in the blood from taking that dose. If you trace a line up from the 10mg mark on the bottom of the left chaft to where it hits the curve and then over to the left it shows that at a 10mg dose 55% of the receptors in the body have been down regulated (shut off). Do this again for 20mg and you will see that 75% of the receptors have been shut off. As you can see the higher the dose the more receptors are shut off, but because of the curve of the line the more you take the less affect it has. The curve tells us several things. For one thing it shows that the larger the dose the less cumulative affect it has, so in reality a very high dose is not much more effective than a lower one. But more importantly it shows that at the lower doses (10mg and below) a very small change in dose will result in a very large change in occupancy. A large decrease in occupancy means that there is a lot of healing to be done and a large increase in symptoms is most likely. The curve also shows why it is so important to go slowly at the lower doses as a very small change in dose causes a very large change in occupancy. These charts are one of the bases from which we worked out the 10% taper rule. The curve line for a 10% taper very closely matches the curve for occupancy. By removing the occupancy in a controlled manner we can allow the body to heal itself while the drug is still having an affect and keeping WD symptoms at a minimum. It's like playing Jenga and only removing blocks from the top of the stack. * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lakelander82 Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 So if low doses have the vast majority of receptors locked down, why bother tapering at a reduction of 10percent down from 50mg of Sertraline when you could just go straight from 50mg to 12mg in one step and then conduct a 10 percent taper from 12mg to 0.00. 1 May 2007 - October 2007 Citalopram 20 mg od. 1st Antidepressant ever taken. No problem with fast taper and no withdrawal effects. No antidepressants for over 5 years. January 2013 started Citalopram 20mg. March 2014 Switched to Sertraline 50 mg od. 23rd June 2016 started taper 45mg 23.07.16 40.5mg 23.08.16 36.45mg 27.09.16 34.65mg 24.10.16 32.90mg 28.11.16 31.26mg 04.01.17 32mg 25.02.17 31mg 22.03.17 30mg 14.04.17 29mg 09.05.17 28mg 07.06.17 27mg 08.06.17 26mg 13.07.17 25mg 07.08.17 24mg 24.08.17 23mg 13.09.17 22mg 12.10.17 21mg 10.11.17 20mg 04.12.17 19mg 01.01.18 17mg 25.01.18 15mg 22.02.18 13.5mg 25.03.18 12.15mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lakelander82 Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 Or indeed, if you wanted to be more cautious, went from 50mg to 25mg directly and then conducted a 10percent taper from 25mg because I can’t really see a great deal of difference in the occupancy between 50mg and 25mg. Basically what I’m saying is far too much time spent tapering needlessly at the higher doses when the graphs don’t really back it up. May 2007 - October 2007 Citalopram 20 mg od. 1st Antidepressant ever taken. No problem with fast taper and no withdrawal effects. No antidepressants for over 5 years. January 2013 started Citalopram 20mg. March 2014 Switched to Sertraline 50 mg od. 23rd June 2016 started taper 45mg 23.07.16 40.5mg 23.08.16 36.45mg 27.09.16 34.65mg 24.10.16 32.90mg 28.11.16 31.26mg 04.01.17 32mg 25.02.17 31mg 22.03.17 30mg 14.04.17 29mg 09.05.17 28mg 07.06.17 27mg 08.06.17 26mg 13.07.17 25mg 07.08.17 24mg 24.08.17 23mg 13.09.17 22mg 12.10.17 21mg 10.11.17 20mg 04.12.17 19mg 01.01.18 17mg 25.01.18 15mg 22.02.18 13.5mg 25.03.18 12.15mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted May 20, 2019 Administrator Share Posted May 20, 2019 It's likely that many people are taking dosages with excess capacity, i.e., they could reduce by 25% and still maintain full SERT saturation, then taper by 10% from there. HOWEVER, we don't know what your individual curve looks like. It could be that a quarter of your dosage saturates your SERT receptors, or it could be that you need 90% for saturation, and a 25% reduction might throw you into acute withdrawal. Admittedly -- we make this clear -- an initial 10% reduction is very cautious. But being that we only offer peer support over the Internet, we can't rescue you should you reduce by 25% and panic because you have severe symptoms. So we advise everyone to go the more cautious route of 10%, where if you do get withdrawal symptoms from tapering, they are less likely to be severe. 1 This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick1990 Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 @Altostrata, I presume that even though the SERT occupancy chart shows how rapidly things change below the 10mg range, it is only a theory that suggests that there will be an uptick in symptoms below the 10mg range and especially below 5mg? I have read quite a few accounts on here of people having a relatively consistent level of WD intensity throughout their tapers. There may be times where waves are more intense but from what I’ve observed, it seems maybe that there is alot of variability involved. Thinking back to @brassmonkey and the description of his taper, although there were dosages throughout that he described as being a bit more of a hurdle to get past, it didn’t seem to necessarily get more intense the lower he got ? Or have I been interpreting wrong ? There are also numerous other members who have said that the lower doses have been steady and relatively smooth with a slow taper. Not noticing a worsening in their symptoms. Im certainly not trying to create an argument here , more so im just interested in a discussion as to what other people’s takes are on this. Do we actually know that the SERT occupancy has a direct correlation with how WD symptoms play out ? Started Citalopram in 2005 (aged 15) for apparent "OCD" - 60mg July 2015 attempted 2 x 10% + cuts 4 weeks apart. WD symptoms intense at times. Need to slow down. November 2016 - Resumed taper. 1.25 - 1.5% decrease weekly approx. 44.5mg November 2016. Jan 2017 42.5 mg. March 2017 40 mg. June 2017 37mg. September 2018 22mg. Nov 2018 Holding at 22mg to stabilise from moderate wave. January 2020 - Holding, mostly feeling fine, but still having some waves at times. February 2020 - Resumed taper , 1.5% reduction weekly/every two weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor RachelSusan Posted October 1, 2019 Mentor Share Posted October 1, 2019 12 hours ago, nick1990 said: Do we actually know that the SERT occupancy has a direct correlation with how WD symptoms play out ? @nick1990 For me it has. The lower I have gone the harder it has gotten. I am not a health professional in any way. I do not give medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a professional medical practitioner. NEW INFORMATION FOR GABAPENTIN TAPER April 29, 2022 900 mg to 800 mg (11%), May 29, 2022 800 to 700 mg (12.5%), June 20, 2022 700 to 650mg (8%), July 20, 2022 650 to 575 (12%), August 20, 575 to 500 (13%), Sept 20, 2020 500 to 475mg (5%) Nov 7, 2022 475 to 425 (11%), Nov 21, 2022 500mg Medications: Gabapentin, Cortisol Inhaler daily. HISTORY FOR ZOLOFT TAPER Feb. 2016 to June 2016 - Was on 150mg Zoloft. Put on Gabapentin at 900mg a day in 2016 due to antidepressant withdrawal. Quit Zoloft (Sertraline) June 2016, reinstated 50mg of Zoloft July 2016. From July 2016 to October 2016 went from 50 mg down 2.3 mg. I up-dosed in November 2016 to 12.5 mg. Held there until January 2017 when I started a much slower taper. STARTING SENSIBLE ZOLOFT TAPERING USING GUIDELINES FROM THIS SITE Dec. 10 2016 - switched to Liquid Zoloft (Sertraline) @ 12.5 mg. Jan. 4, 2020 1.875 mg (6.3%). Jan. 25, 2020 1.75 mg. Feb. 29, 2020 1.625mg (7.10%). Apr. 4, 2020 1.5 mg. May 9, 2020 1.375 mg. June 6, 2020 1.25 mg. (9.10%). July 4, 2020 1.125 mg. (10%). August 15, 2020 1.0 mg. Oct 24, 2020 .875 mg. Nov. 28, 2020 .75mg. Jan 16, 2021 .685mg (8.7%). Feb 13, 2021 .62mg. March 12, 2021 .56mg. May 1, 2021 .375mg. May 29, 2021 .25mg. June 26, 2021 .0125mg. July 25, 2021 .065mg. August 22, 2021 .048mg. October 2, 2021 .043mg. October 10, 2021 .038mg. October 23, 2021 .035mg. October 30, 2021 .032mg. Nov. 13, 2021 .030 mg. Dec 4, 2021 .0285 mg. Dec 11, 2021 .0265 mg. Dec 18, 2021 .0246 mg. Dec 25, 2021 .023mg. Jan 1, 2022. 0 mg. OFF COMPLETELY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Gridley Posted October 1, 2019 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted October 1, 2019 13 hours ago, nick1990 said: Do we actually know that the SERT occupancy has a direct correlation with how WD symptoms play out ? Here's a discussion of the topic you might find of interest. Why taper paper: dose-occupancy curves One member wrote, "The study was groundbreaking in my opinion in terms of explaining patterns as it seems to corroborate the anecdotal evidence from people here experiencing a shock when they hit the low doses and zero." There are no doubt other factors that play into withdrawal (possibly explaining some members' differing experiences), but to me (no expert) this seems to be a big one. I definitely had more difficulty once I reached the lower doses, starting around 3.5mg. 1 Gridley Introduction Lexapro 20 mg since 2004. Begin Brassmonkey Slide Taper Jan. 2017. End 2017 year 1 of taper at 9.25mg End 2018 year 2 of taper at 4.1mg End 2019 year 3 of taper at 1.0mg Oct. 30, 2020 Jump to zero from 0.025mg. Current dose: 0.000mg 3 year, 10 month taper is 100% complete. Ativan 1 mg to 1.875mg 1986-2020, two CT's and reinstatements Nov. 2020, 7-week Ativan-Valium crossover to 18.75mg Valium Feb. 2021, begin 10%/4 week taper of 18.75mg Valium End 2021 year 1 of Valium taper at 6mg End 2022 year 2 of Valium taper at 2.75mg End 2023 year 3 of Valium taper at 1mg Jan. 24, 2024: Hold at 1mg and shift to Imipramine taper. Taper is 95% complete. Imipramine 75 mg daily since 1986. Jan.-Sept. 2016 tapered to 14.4mg March 22, 2022: Begin 10%/4 week taper Aug. 5, 2022: hold at 9.5mg and shift to Valium taper Jan. 24, 2024: Resume Imipramine taper. Current dose as of Aug 26: 4.0mg Taper is 95% complete. Supplements: multiple, quercetin, omega-3, vitamins C, E and D3, magnesium glycinate, probiotic, zinc, melatonin .3mg, iron, serrapeptase, nattokinase, L-Glutamine, milk thistle, choline I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice. It is information based on my own experience as well as that of other members who have survived these drugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giulietta Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 On 3/28/2014 at 12:20 AM, dcrmt said: If you find a paper, please post the both the name of the medication and a link to the paper, such as 2016-July-01, Cymbalta (duloxetine) MMarie Found this paper on dose and 5HTT occupancy of duloxetine. Takano, 2005 A dose-finding study of duloxetine based on serotonin transporter occupancy The site, academia.edu, requires login: Link to screen shot of dose-occupancy and dose-plasma concentration curves 2019-October-24, Cymbalta (duloxetine) Guilietta Found this paper on dose and 5HTT occupancy of duloxetine. Sho Moriguchi, MD, PhD, et al. Occupancy of Norepinephrine Transporter by Duloxetine in Human Brains Measured by Positron Emission Tomography with (S,S)-[18F]FMeNER-D2. The site, Researchgate.net, requires login Scroll to pages 959 and 960 of the article to see the dose-occupancy and dose-plasma concentration curves. Signicance Statement excerpted from the article: "The result showed approximately 30% to 40% NET occupancies in the brain by the administration of 20 to 60mg of duloxetine." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andie Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 On 2/6/2020 at 8:46 AM, Andie said: Here is the link to what I found on Desvenlafaxine The total daily dose required to provide 50% SERT occupancy was 24.8 mg for SEP-227162 and 14.4 mg for ODV. In vitro data suggests a ratio of 3.3:1 for binding at human SERT for SEP-227162 relative to ODV. Our study suggests a ratio of 1.7:1, highlighting the value of in vivo imaging in the drug development process. Current Dose 0.5mcg Clonidine and 1.25 Diazepam PRN for treatment of iatrogenic hypertension. 2010 .Prescribed Pristiq 100 mg in July by GP 2010 .Reduced to 50mg by splitting and weighing. Held at 50mg 2014. Reduced from 50-35 .Held at 35mg. 2017. Taper from 35mg commenced using compounded Desvenlafaxine 2018. 23/06 13.5mg. 21/07 12.5mg. 25/08 11.5mg. 09/2018 10mg. 14/11 11mg (updose) 21/11 -12mg (updose) 2019. Still holding at 12mg and stuck. 2020. January 2019 Prozac Bridge-- Prozac 2.5 to 10mg and Pristiq 23rd Jan 6mg/ 27th Jan 5mg/ 28th Jan 3mg/ 30 Jan 0 Prozac 6th Feb 9.5mg. Vitamin D3 5000iu with K2 Magnesium Glycinate with Glycine and Passionflower 600mg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus getofflex Posted April 24, 2020 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted April 24, 2020 On 8/7/2014 at 4:37 PM, btdt said: exponential decay in tapering is closer to the descending curve Maybe I am just flat out stupid I don't know but I don't get what your trying to say. I thought the graphs showed the amount the body/brain could use had a limit beyond that limit it was a waste of the drug and who knows that the excess does to the body. And that tapering is easy at the start because the drug was in excess anyway which was off the graph... so effects were not felt till tapering reached the graph where affects were felt. I do worry that maybe others here especially new folks in hard withdrawal will have trouble with this jargon... I could be stupid often think I am. Yes, I am one of those who are in significant withdrawal, and struggling to understand all of this scientific jargon. I've been trying to read this thread for over an hour, and am still on page 1. 😕. Please do not private message me. Only tag me for urgent questions about tapering and reinstating - thank you. ***Please note this is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a doctor who understands psych meds and how to withdraw from them, if you can find one. Lexapro Started Apr 15 2010 - 10 mg; started taper August 2017, recent taper info: Apr 2 '20 0.18 mg; Jul 16 0.17 mg, Aug 23 0.16 mg, Oct 7 0.15 mg, Nov 8 - 0.14, Jan 16 '21 - 0.13, Feb 7 - 0.12, Feb 22 - 0.11, Mar 26 - 0.10, May 21 - 0.09, June 15 - 0.08 Aug 16 - 0.07, Oct 6 - 0.06, Nov 21 0.05, Dec. 17 0.04, Jan 14 '22 0.03, Feb 19 0.02, Apr 18 0.01, May 15 0.005, Jul 8, 0.00. Psych Drug Free as of July 8, 2022!! Woohoo!!! other meds: Levothyroxine 75 mg magnesium in small amounts at 4 AM, before bed suppl AM: fish oil, flax oil, vit C, vit E, multivitamin, zinc suppl 8 PM: magnesium 350 mg, extended release vitamin C, melatonin 2 mg Paxil 2002 - 2010, switched to Lexapro 2010 Trazodone 50 mg. 2002 - 2019, fast tapered in 2019 Xanax 0.5 mg as needed 2002 - 2019, up to 3x weekly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted July 21, 2020 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted July 21, 2020 BrassMonkey posted this in a member's topic. I thought it may be helpful including it here in this topic: 11 minutes ago, brassmonkey said: Hi Nivsch-- Chessie sent you a link to what is called the SERT Occupancy chart. This is the basis for the 10% every four weeks that we recommend as a starting point. By following this hyperbolic curve it is possible to remove the medication at about the same rate that the bodies receptors require to heal. This keeps WD symptoms to a minimum during that period. If a person reduces too much or to fast there is unfinished healing that builds up in the background. When that unfinished healing gets to be too much the person "crashes" with an outbreak of acute symptoms. This requires an extended hold period at that dose lever to allow the body to catch up. If a person goes slower than the recommended taper there is much less of a problem. To a small extent the body can get ahead of the curve and do some healing before it is needed. Once a taper has been established, on some cases, the body can anticipate the upcoming changes and get a head start on them. In effect becoming habituated to the idea of tapering and having some momentum in a downward direction. But it is a delicate balancing act to maintain as there are so many different factors involved in a smooth taper. There are differing results for how easy a taper becomes over time. It is split between the taper becoming easier and it becoming harder. Because of the SERT Curve we can see that there is a bias toward it becoming harder. As you can see the lower the dose the move affect it has on the SERT loading so a small adjustment can lead to a large change. This is why we recommend people going slower and smaller changes toward the end of a taper. Frequently. if a person had fine tuned their taper, they will feel improvements the lower they go in dose. 2 * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nivsch Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 My feeing goes against those occupacy curves. 1. Every time I reduce my dose of cymbalta (today in 50.8) by 1% I feel well the reduce after 2-4 days. The cymbalta occupacy graph says: "Mast be from something else. you changed only 0.05% in serotonin occupaccy". (screenshot added). and 0.05% is 1/2000! Mutliply by 0.85 (assuming this is the max occupacy) and get 1700. Are you really going to tell me I have to feel this - medium in difficulty - simptom 1700 more times before I fully recover? This graph must be significantly wrong in my case. 2. In the past when I tried to reduce venlafaxine from 187.5mg to 150mg I felt very significant anxiety and had to updose back. The venlafaxine occupacy graph: "you did nothing". How can we explain that? In one side this upsetting when you reduce so little and feel significant change. But in the other side its also good news, because it says you are NOT in the saturation zone and the reduction holds in it a significant amount of healing points 😮 Note that only next week I will know for sure if the reductions in cymbalta cause these feeling and not other things. 2010-2015 Cipramil 20-40mg. half-year break in the middle which was tough. 2015-2020 Venlafaxine 150-225 mg. Venlafaxine duloxetine cross taper details 150 for half-year then 225 for a period than stabilized in ~187.5 (1.25 pills) for 2 years than reduced to ~168.5 (1.125 pills). 3.2020 - Duloxetine 60mg. 19.05.2020 - started to taper - 59! 20.5 - 58.5. June 2020: 57. end of June - 55.5 Summer 2020: 5.7 - 54, 9.7 - 52, 12.7 - updose to 53+, 19.7 - 52.3, 26.7 - 51.8, 4.8 - 51.3, 11.8 - 50.8, 15.8 - updose to 51.0, 17.8 - 50.5, 19.8 - 50.3, 19.9 - 49.3 Autumn-winter: 7.10 - 46.8, 1.12 - 45.8, 17.12 - 44.4, 30.12 - 42.4, 21.1 - 40.8. 17.2 - 40.1, end of feb - 38.6, spring: mid march updose to 40.1, 28.3 - 38.6, 15.4 - 37.5, 14.5 - 36.8, end of may 37.5+ and after a week 39 Summer 2021: mid of june again to 36.7, end of july 39.5. 11.10.2021 - 40.7 📌 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 13, 2020 Administrator Share Posted August 13, 2020 After a dose reduction, decline of the drug in your bloodstream is gradual. Because of Cymbalta's half-life, you are feeling the dose reduction when the change fully registers in your bloodstream. For most antidepressants, this takes about 4 days. Your experience matches the expected dose-response curve. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nivsch Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 12 hours ago, Altostrata said: After a dose reduction, decline of the drug in your bloodstream is gradual. Because of Cymbalta's half-life, you are feeling the dose reduction when the change fully registers in your bloodstream. For most antidepressants, this takes about 4 days. Your experience matches the expected dose-response curve. So the problem here is (probably) cymbalta's short half-life which makes significant symptoms regardless of the occupacy graph? Which means my body doesn't have time to smoothly-adjust no matter how small is the reduction (because of the 12h half life), which makes the gap to always be felt? 2010-2015 Cipramil 20-40mg. half-year break in the middle which was tough. 2015-2020 Venlafaxine 150-225 mg. Venlafaxine duloxetine cross taper details 150 for half-year then 225 for a period than stabilized in ~187.5 (1.25 pills) for 2 years than reduced to ~168.5 (1.125 pills). 3.2020 - Duloxetine 60mg. 19.05.2020 - started to taper - 59! 20.5 - 58.5. June 2020: 57. end of June - 55.5 Summer 2020: 5.7 - 54, 9.7 - 52, 12.7 - updose to 53+, 19.7 - 52.3, 26.7 - 51.8, 4.8 - 51.3, 11.8 - 50.8, 15.8 - updose to 51.0, 17.8 - 50.5, 19.8 - 50.3, 19.9 - 49.3 Autumn-winter: 7.10 - 46.8, 1.12 - 45.8, 17.12 - 44.4, 30.12 - 42.4, 21.1 - 40.8. 17.2 - 40.1, end of feb - 38.6, spring: mid march updose to 40.1, 28.3 - 38.6, 15.4 - 37.5, 14.5 - 36.8, end of may 37.5+ and after a week 39 Summer 2021: mid of june again to 36.7, end of july 39.5. 11.10.2021 - 40.7 📌 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted August 14, 2020 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 14, 2020 One of the former moderators was taking Cymbalta and created some graphs. Check these posts out: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/11950-☼-scallywag-cymbalta-skipping-doses-didnt-work-time-to-taper/?do=findComment&comment=228513 https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/11950-☼-scallywag-cymbalta-skipping-doses-didnt-work-time-to-taper/?do=findComment&comment=229036 * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nivsch Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 @ChessieCat Thanks. It drops so fast. no wonder. I start to think there is no future to keep tapering this absurd pill. I will give it one more try next week, if it keep be the same i will try 0.5% (~one bead) every 3 days and if IT also won't be good i will do a switch. 0.5% every 4-5 days will be too slow and I dont want to be in 30mg only in october 2021... there is also a limit to how SLOW I can tolerate (not only to how fast) 2010-2015 Cipramil 20-40mg. half-year break in the middle which was tough. 2015-2020 Venlafaxine 150-225 mg. Venlafaxine duloxetine cross taper details 150 for half-year then 225 for a period than stabilized in ~187.5 (1.25 pills) for 2 years than reduced to ~168.5 (1.125 pills). 3.2020 - Duloxetine 60mg. 19.05.2020 - started to taper - 59! 20.5 - 58.5. June 2020: 57. end of June - 55.5 Summer 2020: 5.7 - 54, 9.7 - 52, 12.7 - updose to 53+, 19.7 - 52.3, 26.7 - 51.8, 4.8 - 51.3, 11.8 - 50.8, 15.8 - updose to 51.0, 17.8 - 50.5, 19.8 - 50.3, 19.9 - 49.3 Autumn-winter: 7.10 - 46.8, 1.12 - 45.8, 17.12 - 44.4, 30.12 - 42.4, 21.1 - 40.8. 17.2 - 40.1, end of feb - 38.6, spring: mid march updose to 40.1, 28.3 - 38.6, 15.4 - 37.5, 14.5 - 36.8, end of may 37.5+ and after a week 39 Summer 2021: mid of june again to 36.7, end of july 39.5. 11.10.2021 - 40.7 📌 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 14, 2020 Administrator Share Posted August 14, 2020 5 hours ago, Nivsch said: So the problem here is (probably) cymbalta's short half-life which makes significant symptoms regardless of the occupacy graph? Which means my body doesn't have time to smoothly-adjust no matter how small is the reduction (because of the 12h half life), which makes the gap to always be felt? This is not a problem, it's the way your body reacts to the drug. You maybe a fast metabollzer. You might try a slightly smaller reduction. The occupancy graphs have nothing to do with the half-life of any of the drugs. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 14, 2020 Administrator Share Posted August 14, 2020 18 minutes ago, data17 said: A receptor occupancy curve is not the same thing as a dose- response curve. That is correct. If you look at Nivsch's symptom pattern, it matches the decay in dose-response after decrease. Aronson, J. K., & Ferner, R. E. (2016). The law of mass action and the pharmacological concentration–effect curve: Resolving the paradox of apparently non‐dose‐related adverse drug reactions. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 81(1), 56–61. https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.12706 As discussed somewhere above, the SERT occupancy data is only a very rough indicator of overall adaptation of the organism to the action of a drug. (Personally, I consider it to be a metaphor.) Hyman, S. E., & Nestler, E. J. (1996). Initiation and adaptation: A paradigm for understanding psychotropic drug action. American Journal of Psychiatry, 153(2), 151–162. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.153.2.151 This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nivsch Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 3 hours ago, Altostrata said: As discussed somewhere above, the SERT occupancy data is only a very rough indicator of overall adaptation of the organism to the action of a drug. (Personally, I consider it to be a metaphor.) Hyman, S. E., & Nestler, E. J. (1996). Initiation and adaptation: A paradigm for understanding psychotropic drug action. American Journal of Psychiatry, 153(2), 151–162. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.153.2.151 What this means is that although the occupacy graph slope is significant only in the first 10-20 mg, still because there are many other factors like cellular changes, genes etc which makes the real pictures much more complicated, it is still possible that reduction from 50mg to 40mg and the reduction from 20 to 10 can still be equally significant in the amount of healing they give (regardless of what the graph says)? 2010-2015 Cipramil 20-40mg. half-year break in the middle which was tough. 2015-2020 Venlafaxine 150-225 mg. Venlafaxine duloxetine cross taper details 150 for half-year then 225 for a period than stabilized in ~187.5 (1.25 pills) for 2 years than reduced to ~168.5 (1.125 pills). 3.2020 - Duloxetine 60mg. 19.05.2020 - started to taper - 59! 20.5 - 58.5. June 2020: 57. end of June - 55.5 Summer 2020: 5.7 - 54, 9.7 - 52, 12.7 - updose to 53+, 19.7 - 52.3, 26.7 - 51.8, 4.8 - 51.3, 11.8 - 50.8, 15.8 - updose to 51.0, 17.8 - 50.5, 19.8 - 50.3, 19.9 - 49.3 Autumn-winter: 7.10 - 46.8, 1.12 - 45.8, 17.12 - 44.4, 30.12 - 42.4, 21.1 - 40.8. 17.2 - 40.1, end of feb - 38.6, spring: mid march updose to 40.1, 28.3 - 38.6, 15.4 - 37.5, 14.5 - 36.8, end of may 37.5+ and after a week 39 Summer 2021: mid of june again to 36.7, end of july 39.5. 11.10.2021 - 40.7 📌 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nivsch Posted August 14, 2020 Share Posted August 14, 2020 4 hours ago, Altostrata said: The occupancy graphs have nothing to do with the half-life of any of the drugs. Yes I just thought that how can it be that a reduction of only 0.05% in occupacy will be felt at all? Because its so little. So maybe its strenghten the assumption that the occupacy graph is just a very tiny part of the picture. If the occupacy graph was a good indicator, I would suppose to barely feel or feel only weakly a reduction of 0.05% (1/2000) no matter how fast my metabolism, no? 2010-2015 Cipramil 20-40mg. half-year break in the middle which was tough. 2015-2020 Venlafaxine 150-225 mg. Venlafaxine duloxetine cross taper details 150 for half-year then 225 for a period than stabilized in ~187.5 (1.25 pills) for 2 years than reduced to ~168.5 (1.125 pills). 3.2020 - Duloxetine 60mg. 19.05.2020 - started to taper - 59! 20.5 - 58.5. June 2020: 57. end of June - 55.5 Summer 2020: 5.7 - 54, 9.7 - 52, 12.7 - updose to 53+, 19.7 - 52.3, 26.7 - 51.8, 4.8 - 51.3, 11.8 - 50.8, 15.8 - updose to 51.0, 17.8 - 50.5, 19.8 - 50.3, 19.9 - 49.3 Autumn-winter: 7.10 - 46.8, 1.12 - 45.8, 17.12 - 44.4, 30.12 - 42.4, 21.1 - 40.8. 17.2 - 40.1, end of feb - 38.6, spring: mid march updose to 40.1, 28.3 - 38.6, 15.4 - 37.5, 14.5 - 36.8, end of may 37.5+ and after a week 39 Summer 2021: mid of june again to 36.7, end of july 39.5. 11.10.2021 - 40.7 📌 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 15, 2020 Administrator Share Posted August 15, 2020 4 hours ago, Nivsch said: If the occupacy graph was a good indicator, I would suppose to barely feel or feel only weakly a reduction of 0.05% (1/2000) no matter how fast my metabolism, no? Probably. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator DataGuy Posted September 5, 2020 Moderator Share Posted September 5, 2020 Escitalopram vs Citalopram serotonin transporter occupancy available in this study, for those who are interested: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-006-0486-0 "In vivo imaging of serotonin transporter occupancy by means of SPECT and ADAM in healthy subjects administered different doses of escitalopram or citalopram Background: Escitalopram is a dual serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) approved for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. It is the S-enantiomer of citalopram, and is responsible for the serotonin reuptake activity, and thus for its pharmacological effects. Previous studies pointed out that clinically efficacious doses of other SSRIs produce an occupancy of the serotonin reuptake transporter (SERT) of about 80% or more. The novel radioligand [123I]ADAM and single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) were used to measure midbrain SERT occupancies for different doses of escitalopram and citalopram." Note this diagram is only after a single dosage. Daily dosages would result in greater occupancy of the SERT. Remeron - 2004-2005 (bad withdrawal) Clonazepam - 2005-2018 (jumped around March) Olanzapine - 2014- late 2017 Domperidone - 2008-2018 Many drugs in between including Lexapro, other benzos and z-drugs. Still suffering post-withdrawal from Clonazepam (Klonopin), Olanzapine and Domperidone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superwoman Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 On 10/28/2017 at 6:13 PM, ZK2015 said: fter going through the paper I found that the percentage for Prozac occupancy follows the following equation: Occupancy% = 86*dose/(1.94+dose) Does anyone know what the equation for Effexor xr (Venlafaxine xr), percentage occupancy is? 1993-2000: Zoloft few months CT, Prozac 1-2 yrs, Ritalin PRN 2002/2003: Wellbutrin, Paxil 25mg FT, and Xanax PRN CT (all 3 to 6 months), Adderal 40mg, Strattera 40mg 2003- 2016: Effexor XR 75 mg to 150 mg., Strattera (2002-2008) 2017: Effexor XR 225 mg. Gabapentin 300 mg. Elavil 25 mg. 2018: (Sept.) Effexor XR 187.5 mg, Zoloft 10 mg. (OCT.) FT off Gabapentin (NOV.) FT off Elavil (DEC) FT Effexor to 150 mg. 2019: (JAN.) D/C Zoloft, added Viibryd 10mg (FEB) CT Viibryd, (MAR) Prozac bridge, Effexor xr 112.5mg, (Sept.) Effexor XR 112.5 mg + 0.4 mg (1 bead), (Oct.) Effexor XR 112.5mg, (Dec.28) start 10% taper Effexor XR 101.25 mg, 2020: (Jan. 25) Effexor XR 91 mg., (Feb. 22) Effexor xr 82 mg., (Mar. 21) 75 mg. Supplements: Vitamin D 5000 IU topical, Probiotic 6 billion CFU, Epsom salt bath 1C 2 to 3 X week, California Poppy 2 droppers, various essential oils https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/21446-superwoman-effexor-taper/page/8/?tab=comments#comment-475779 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonial Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 From the "Amusing article from a psychiatrist" on page one of this thread: "higher doses aren't more, they are different.(2)" Which is why new symptoms can occur at any point in a taper. 1 Starting ds 2 (12.5 CR'S) = 25 MG PAXIL CR 1/21/15: 1 Pill + 10mg liquid (2 weeks) 2/4: 1 Pill + 9mg Lq (3 weeks) 2/25: 1 Pill + 8 mg lq (1 week) 3/4: 1 Pill + 6 mg lq (2 weeks) 3/18/15 1 Pill + 4 mg lq (2 weeks) 4/1/15 1 Pill + 3 mg lq (2 weeks) 4/14/15 1 Pill + 2 mg lq (2 weeks) 4/29/15 1Pill + 1 mg lq (16 days) 5/15/15 1 12.5 mg Pill ONLY (9 days) 5/24/15 12 mgs liquid (8 days) 6/1/15 11mg lq (12 days) 6/13/15 10 mg. 12/3/15 Drop from 8mg to 7.6 (24 days to) 12/27/15 7.2mgs 8/4/16 6.8mgs, 11/1/16 6.4mgs, 2/5/17 6 mgs 4/3/17 5.6mgs, 4/24/17 5.2mg, 6/13/17 4.8mgs, 9/20/17 4.4mgS, 11/23/17 4 mgs, 1/1/18 3.6 mgs, 2/15/18 3.2 mgs. 4/13/18 2.8mgs, 5/11/18 2.4mgs, 6/10/18 2.0 mgs, 8/4/18 1.6mgs, 9/27/18 1.2mgs, 12/24/18 0.8mg, 3/24/19 0.64 mg,(syringe change issue date?) 4/22/19 0.60 mg, 5/24/19 0.60 mg, 7/7/19 0.52 mgs, 8/4/19 0.44mgs, 11/4/19 0.36mgs, 2/1/20 0.28mgs, 3/1/20 0.24mgs (crash April 6) Compound started 6/28/21: 0.24mgs, 8/29/21: 0.22mgs, 10/31/21: 0.20mgs, 1/03/22: 0.18mgs, 3/5/22: 0.16mgs, 5/5/22: 0.14mgs. Original Wellbutrin Dose: 6 months from 9/14 to 3/2015, 300 XL 3/15/15: Half to 150 XL ( severe symptoms started on day 12) 4/16/15: 125mg for 20 days to: 5/6/15: 100mg for 15 days to: 5/21/15 75mg for 10 days to: 6/1/15: 56.25mg 13 days to: 6/13/15: 37.25mg 7 days to: 6/20/15 28.12mg 14 days to: 7/4/15 18.75mg, 7 days to: 7/11/15; RAISE BACK TO: 28.12 to 8/14/15: 18.75mg 20 days to :9/3/15 : 12.5mg, 8/4/16 9mg 1/9/17: 8.5mg 2/8/17 8mg, 3/9/17: 7.6 4/9/17 7.2 5/27/17 6.4 6/24/17 5.8, 8/1/17 5.0, 8/29/17 4.2mgs, 10/2/17 3.5mgs, 12/28/17 2.5mgs, 2/27/18 1.7mgs, 4/19/18 0.8 mgs, LAST DOSE: 6/11/18: 3 YEARS, 2 MONTHS, 27 DAYS... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus JanCarol Posted July 14, 2021 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted July 14, 2021 On 4/10/2021 at 10:04 PM, Go2zero said: Bases on calculations the SERT is about 53% at a dose of 3,2mg. These drugs are extremely powerful at low doses. If you look carefully at the graph on page 4, you can also see that the SERT is close to 50% at a dose of 3,2%. The SERT at each dosage can be calculated with the formula shown on page 4 (under the graph). Here is a chart of several dosages of Prozac, showing the SERT (calculated with the formula mentioned above). % of 1 pill(20 mg) Dosage in mg Prozac % blockage serotonin receptor (SERT) 100 20 78 50 10 72 25 5 62 12,5 2,5 48 10 2 44 7,5 1,5 37 5 1 29 4 0,8 25 3 0,6 20 2 0,4 14,5 1,5 0,3 11 1 0,2 8 0,5 0,1 4 0,25 0,05 2 0,1 0,02 0,9 0,05 0,01 0,5 1 "Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again. My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices. A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia. CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013. Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine). Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 - Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years on Lithium). Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made. The tedious thread (my intro): JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium The happy thread (my success story): JanCarol - Undiagnosed Off all bipolar drugs My own blog: https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/ I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus manymoretodays Posted July 18, 2021 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted July 18, 2021 On 5/24/2021 at 6:35 AM, Go2zero said: The formula to calculate the SERT for Prozac is: (86xdose in mg)/(1,94+dose in mg). I do not have the exact formula for calculating the SERT for escitalopram/Lexapro. But I do know that the SERT graph curves do not differ that much from Prozac. If you want to use the Prozac formula to calculate the SERT for escitalopram you should multiply the escitalopram dose by 2, since 10mg escitalopram is comparable with 20 mg Prozac. So the formula would be then (86 x dose in mgx2)/(1,94 + dose in mgx2). Please know that these calculations are not exact. Everybody reacts different in SERT to specific dosages. But this formula is giving an average. More important is that it calculates and shows clearly how extremely high the SERT still is at very low dosages. Many of us think that they can stop after they went 90% down in dosage. Not knowing that the SERT may around 30% (whereas the SERT was around 75% at the full dose of 100%) This thread says a lot about this subject: Please read everything to get a good understanding. However the SERT occupancy graphs say nearly everything at one glance, if you really understand them. https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/6036-why-taper-sert-transporter-occupancy-studies-show-importance-of-gradual-change-in-plasma-concentration/ More interesting information about this subject: https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp.161.5.826 More of Go2zero's explanation on calculating sert occupancy's. 1 Late 2023- gone to emeritus status, inactive, don't @ me, I can check who I've posted on, and I'm not really here like I used to be......thanks. Started with psycho meds/psychiatric care circa 1988. In retrospect, and on contemplation, situational overwhelm. Rounding up to 30 years of medications(30 medication trials, poly-pharmacy maximum was 3 at one time). 5/28/2015-off Adderal salts 2.5mg. (I had been on that since hospital 10/2014) 12/2015---just holding, holding, holding, with trileptal/oxcarb at 75 mg. 1/2 tab at hs. My last psycho med ever! Tapered @ 10% every 4 weeks, sometimes 2 weeks to 2016 Dec 16, medication free!! Longer signature post here, with current supplements. Herb and alcohol free since 5/15/2016. And.....I quit smoking 11/2021. Lapsed. Redo of quit smoking 9/28/2022, and again finally 5/25/24. Can you say Hallelujah?(took me long enough)💜 None of my posts are intended as medical advice. Please discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical provider. My success story: Blue skies ahead, clear sailing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeky Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 On 7/18/2021 at 10:30 PM, manymoretodays said: More of Go2zero's explanation on calculating sert occupancy's. Hi @Go2zero would it be a pain if I asked you what it would be for Seroquel, I’m currently taking 16mg and would really appreciate your help. 1995 started Paxil 20mg slowly increasing to 50mg 2014 I decided to tapper myself not knowing how too and crashed , DR added 50mg of Seroquel Through the years made many mistakes tapering Started Tapering Both drugs at the same time 7.5% per month Paxil 9% Seroquel doing daily micro-taper Guided by Mark Horowitz 31/3/24 Paxil 10.31mg 31/3/24 Seroquel 9.9mg current 11/4/24 10mg Paxil 7.5mg Seroquel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Go2zero Posted August 27, 2021 Moderator Share Posted August 27, 2021 6 hours ago, Cheeky said: Hi @Go2zero would it be a pain if I asked you what it would be for Seroquel, I’m currently taking 16mg and would really appreciate your help. I would love to help you there. But Seroquel (quetiapine) is something completely different than an SSRI. Seroquel is an antipsychotic drug and works completely different than antidepressants. I have hardly any knowledge from it. Maybe @brassmonkey can help you. Not sure if he knows more. I have no formula to calculate the blockage percentages. Not even sure if it exists. For lots meds these calculations or graphs are not available.... 1993 Anafranil (Clomipramine) for a few months. Later in 1993 Paxil for a few months 1993- 2006 No medication 2006 Effexor, Cymbalta, some Benzo’s. All for short periods. Later in 2006 Lexapro (escitalopram) 10 mg and shortly after Wellbutrin XR 150mg, against side effects Lexapro Since 2006 until end of 2015: Several times on and off Lexapro and Wellbutrin and several slight dosage changes. Mostly taken dosages: 5mg Lexapro and 150mg Wellbutrin 2016 Dosage change Lexapro from 5mg to 2,5 mg. Wellbutrin stayed om 150mg November 2016 – April 2017 Down from 2,5mg to 0,6mg Lexapro (in steps) without much problems. Wellbutrin down from 150mg to 66mg. Also without much problems. April 2017 – March 2019 Lexapro 0,6 mg April 2017 - August 2018 Wellbutrin in small steps down from 66mg in to 37,5 mg . Quite heavy WD after each step. March 2019 – May 2019 Lexapro down from 0,6 to 0,3mg then Prozac to 0,6 mg switch because severe discontinuation effects (may also have been from Wellbutrin..) Wellbutrin down from 37,5mg to 35,3mg October 2019 Seroquel 12,5 mg for 4 weeks because of extreme sleeping problems, then weaning off in 2 weeks Prozac up dosage to 1,2 mg March 2020 Wellbutrin in 2 steps down from 35,3mg to 33,3mg Extreme withdrawal effects during 8 months. Stopped tapering Wellbutrin until total off Prozac. February 2020 – November 2020 Prozac down in steps from 1,2mg to 0,57mg. Jan 2021 : Prozac down to: 0,55> 0,53>0,51mg, Feb 0,47mg , Mar 0,42mg, Apr 0,37, longer hold because of WD symptoms July 0,36 and hold again, Sept 19 0,35, Sept 26 0,34mg, Oct 3 0,33mg Long hold of 172 days until March 2022 January 20, 2022: Wellbutrin from 33,3 to 32,4mg March 22, 2022 Prozac down from 0,33mg to: 0,30mg, Apr 0,29, May 0,28, 0,27, June 0,26, 0,25, July 0,24, 0,23, 0,22, 0,21, Aug 0,20, 0,19 Sep 0,18, Oct 0,17. 0,16, 0,15, Nov 0,14 Jan 2023 0,13, 0,12, 0,11 Feb 0,10, 0,09 Mar 0,08 , June 0,07 , July 0,06, 0,05, Aug 0,04, 0,03, Sept 0,026, 0,024 Nov 0,022, 0,019, 0,016, 0,013 Dec 0,012, 0,011, 0,010, 0,009 Jan 2024 0,008, 0,007, 0,006, 0,005, 0,004, 0,003, 0,002, 0,001, Feb 0,0007. 0,0005, 0,0003, 0,0001, Feb 23, 2024: 0,00000 Wellbutrin resume tapering: Apr 2024 31,6mg, 30,8, 30,0 , May 29,1, 28,2, July 23,7, Aug 22,6, 21,4 Supplements: Fish Oil (3000mg), Magnesium 100 mg, 2 drops of Lavender Oil, only when feeling extreme anxiety. 50mg of L-Theanine only when severe discontinuation effects caused by Wellbutrin Please note this is NOT a medical advice. Discuss all your medical issues with a doctor who understands psychical drugs and really knows how to withdraw from them. I wish that you will find one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeky Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 Just now, Go2zero said: I would love to help you there. But Seroquel (quetiapine) is something completely different than an SSRI. Seroquel is an antipsychotic drug and works completely different than antidepressants. I have hardly any knowledge from it. Maybe @brassmonkey can help you. Not sure if he knows more. I have no formula to calculate the blockage percentages. Not even sure if it exists. For lots meds these calculations or graphs are not available.... Okay not a problem would you know Paxil, that is the other one I’m tapering off, currently at 20mg . There is no rush I understand your really busy helping people. Thankyou 1995 started Paxil 20mg slowly increasing to 50mg 2014 I decided to tapper myself not knowing how too and crashed , DR added 50mg of Seroquel Through the years made many mistakes tapering Started Tapering Both drugs at the same time 7.5% per month Paxil 9% Seroquel doing daily micro-taper Guided by Mark Horowitz 31/3/24 Paxil 10.31mg 31/3/24 Seroquel 9.9mg current 11/4/24 10mg Paxil 7.5mg Seroquel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Go2zero Posted August 27, 2021 Moderator Share Posted August 27, 2021 Yes, Paxil I do have. See underneath. Please understand that SERT levels give very interesting information. But there is much more to it.... For example, the SERT levels of Paxil and Prozac are pretty much the same. But tapering Paxil is much more difficult. Half life is also a very important factor. But there are more factors that determine whether tapering is easier or more difficult. And it can differ per person as well.... % of 1 pill(20 mg) Dosage in mg Paxil / Paroxetine/ Seroxat % blockage serotonin receptor (SERT) 100 20 78 50 10 72 25 5 62 12,5 2,5 48 10 2 44 7,5 1,5 37 5 1 29 4 0,8 25 3 0,6 20 2 0,4 14,5 1,5 0,3 11 1 0,2 8 1993 Anafranil (Clomipramine) for a few months. Later in 1993 Paxil for a few months 1993- 2006 No medication 2006 Effexor, Cymbalta, some Benzo’s. All for short periods. Later in 2006 Lexapro (escitalopram) 10 mg and shortly after Wellbutrin XR 150mg, against side effects Lexapro Since 2006 until end of 2015: Several times on and off Lexapro and Wellbutrin and several slight dosage changes. Mostly taken dosages: 5mg Lexapro and 150mg Wellbutrin 2016 Dosage change Lexapro from 5mg to 2,5 mg. Wellbutrin stayed om 150mg November 2016 – April 2017 Down from 2,5mg to 0,6mg Lexapro (in steps) without much problems. Wellbutrin down from 150mg to 66mg. Also without much problems. April 2017 – March 2019 Lexapro 0,6 mg April 2017 - August 2018 Wellbutrin in small steps down from 66mg in to 37,5 mg . Quite heavy WD after each step. March 2019 – May 2019 Lexapro down from 0,6 to 0,3mg then Prozac to 0,6 mg switch because severe discontinuation effects (may also have been from Wellbutrin..) Wellbutrin down from 37,5mg to 35,3mg October 2019 Seroquel 12,5 mg for 4 weeks because of extreme sleeping problems, then weaning off in 2 weeks Prozac up dosage to 1,2 mg March 2020 Wellbutrin in 2 steps down from 35,3mg to 33,3mg Extreme withdrawal effects during 8 months. Stopped tapering Wellbutrin until total off Prozac. February 2020 – November 2020 Prozac down in steps from 1,2mg to 0,57mg. Jan 2021 : Prozac down to: 0,55> 0,53>0,51mg, Feb 0,47mg , Mar 0,42mg, Apr 0,37, longer hold because of WD symptoms July 0,36 and hold again, Sept 19 0,35, Sept 26 0,34mg, Oct 3 0,33mg Long hold of 172 days until March 2022 January 20, 2022: Wellbutrin from 33,3 to 32,4mg March 22, 2022 Prozac down from 0,33mg to: 0,30mg, Apr 0,29, May 0,28, 0,27, June 0,26, 0,25, July 0,24, 0,23, 0,22, 0,21, Aug 0,20, 0,19 Sep 0,18, Oct 0,17. 0,16, 0,15, Nov 0,14 Jan 2023 0,13, 0,12, 0,11 Feb 0,10, 0,09 Mar 0,08 , June 0,07 , July 0,06, 0,05, Aug 0,04, 0,03, Sept 0,026, 0,024 Nov 0,022, 0,019, 0,016, 0,013 Dec 0,012, 0,011, 0,010, 0,009 Jan 2024 0,008, 0,007, 0,006, 0,005, 0,004, 0,003, 0,002, 0,001, Feb 0,0007. 0,0005, 0,0003, 0,0001, Feb 23, 2024: 0,00000 Wellbutrin resume tapering: Apr 2024 31,6mg, 30,8, 30,0 , May 29,1, 28,2, July 23,7, Aug 22,6, 21,4 Supplements: Fish Oil (3000mg), Magnesium 100 mg, 2 drops of Lavender Oil, only when feeling extreme anxiety. 50mg of L-Theanine only when severe discontinuation effects caused by Wellbutrin Please note this is NOT a medical advice. Discuss all your medical issues with a doctor who understands psychical drugs and really knows how to withdraw from them. I wish that you will find one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeky Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 Thanks so much, I appreciate it. 1995 started Paxil 20mg slowly increasing to 50mg 2014 I decided to tapper myself not knowing how too and crashed , DR added 50mg of Seroquel Through the years made many mistakes tapering Started Tapering Both drugs at the same time 7.5% per month Paxil 9% Seroquel doing daily micro-taper Guided by Mark Horowitz 31/3/24 Paxil 10.31mg 31/3/24 Seroquel 9.9mg current 11/4/24 10mg Paxil 7.5mg Seroquel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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