The ABC Homeopathy Forum
Effexor-Splitting Capsules Method
I came up with a pretty quick and relatively accurate way to split Capsules. Fold a piece of paper in half and then open it back up. Along the crease draw a line 3.75' long and draw little tick marks at each 1/4' (that's 15 increments). Lay the opened paper on the counter and open a capsule. Dump it into the crease of the paper. Using a toothpick, spread the contents evenly along the entire length of the line (the fold tends to keep the balls confined to the line if you let the paper 'curl' a little, like a book.) Be carful to square off the ends nicely at the zero and 3.75' marks.Now you can divide the contents at each tick mark and slide them onto a second piece of creased paper. Each 1/4' represents 5mg when you are splitting a 75mg capsule. BTW, these folded papers make it pretty easy to dump the contents back into the capsule at the reduced dose, so you can still take some in pill form. Just don't lose track of how much is on each paper or in each pile or pill. Get a separate pill container for each dosage. Use a clean work space, because sometimes the little balls pop off of the paper and land on the table. You don't want that stuff laying around for your kids or pets to find. Throw the paper away and use new ones next time. Wash you hands well before and after.
I came up with this when I opened my first capsule and saw that the balls are NOT uniform, so the counting method has LOTS of inaccuracy. This method should be accurate to within plus or minus 2 mg if you evenly distribute the contents along the entire length of the 3.75' line.
With a little planning, you can combine the leftovers from your reduced capsules to make an extra dose. Just don't lose track of how much you've accumulated into the leftover pile! Do a 'check' by counting the number of reduced capsule you've made and multiply that by the reduction.
Don't dispose of any extra into the sink. Use the trash. Hope that helps.
mikemo on 2007-01-26
This is just a forum. Assume posts are not from medical professionals.
I'm telling you, I got this taper thing figured out!
The 'low spike drop' day is so effective, you can drop 10 mg over the course of 6 days.
It goes like this: down 25, up 20, down 5, maintain for 4 days.
Let's say you've been at 55mg for a week or so and your ready for another step down. Here's how it would go:
55
55
55
55
55
30 headachey day, vivid dreams at night
50 No withdrawl at all!
45 No withdrawl at all!
45 No withdrawl at all!
45 No withdrawl at all!
45 No withdrawl at all!
20 headachey day, vivid dreams
40 No withdrawl at all!
35 No withdrawl at all!
35 No withdrawl at all!
35 No withdrawl at all!
35 No withdrawl at all!
15 Headachey day, vivid dreams
30 No withdrawl at all!
25 No withdrawl at all!
25 No withdrawl at all!
25 No withdrawl at all!
25 No withdrawl at all!
The low spike drop day shocks your body into adjusting. Then the next day, you avoid the crash by coming back up, just not all the way. 10mg drops for every 6 day cycle! That's pretty good! I don't know about you, but 1 day of MINOR headache is pretty good for a 10mg drop!
Now, it takes some time to get your body used to less and less effexor, so the 4 day maintenance time could be as long as 10-14 days when you are first starting out from 75mg or 150mg. But once you get your body to wake up and start working again, you can shorten the maintenance days each time until you get it down to the 4 days.
Note, to make these precise dose changes, I really recommend you follow the Effexor Capsule Splitting Method I outlined in the previous post.
I hope I've helped a few with all of this. If you try this method out, please post your comments and experiences, and include the schedule you followed, along with comments, like I did above. That helps others tweak the plan to fit their situation.
The 'low spike drop' day is so effective, you can drop 10 mg over the course of 6 days.
It goes like this: down 25, up 20, down 5, maintain for 4 days.
Let's say you've been at 55mg for a week or so and your ready for another step down. Here's how it would go:
55
55
55
55
55
30 headachey day, vivid dreams at night
50 No withdrawl at all!
45 No withdrawl at all!
45 No withdrawl at all!
45 No withdrawl at all!
45 No withdrawl at all!
20 headachey day, vivid dreams
40 No withdrawl at all!
35 No withdrawl at all!
35 No withdrawl at all!
35 No withdrawl at all!
35 No withdrawl at all!
15 Headachey day, vivid dreams
30 No withdrawl at all!
25 No withdrawl at all!
25 No withdrawl at all!
25 No withdrawl at all!
25 No withdrawl at all!
The low spike drop day shocks your body into adjusting. Then the next day, you avoid the crash by coming back up, just not all the way. 10mg drops for every 6 day cycle! That's pretty good! I don't know about you, but 1 day of MINOR headache is pretty good for a 10mg drop!
Now, it takes some time to get your body used to less and less effexor, so the 4 day maintenance time could be as long as 10-14 days when you are first starting out from 75mg or 150mg. But once you get your body to wake up and start working again, you can shorten the maintenance days each time until you get it down to the 4 days.
Note, to make these precise dose changes, I really recommend you follow the Effexor Capsule Splitting Method I outlined in the previous post.
I hope I've helped a few with all of this. If you try this method out, please post your comments and experiences, and include the schedule you followed, along with comments, like I did above. That helps others tweak the plan to fit their situation.
mikemo last decade
After some experimentation, I've found that it is even smoother when you go down 20, up 15, down 5. You get the same 10mg drop, but you'll hardly even notice any side effects.
150
150
150
150
130 (down 20)
145 (up 15)
140 (down 5)
140
140
140
150
150
150
150
130 (down 20)
145 (up 15)
140 (down 5)
140
140
140
mikemo last decade
For 150mg tablets, you should draw a line 7.5 inches long. All of the above then holds true: 5mg for every 1/4'.
If you are on 300mg a day, it gets tricky, because you may or may not be taking it all at once. If you take 150mg twice a day, then you could apply your taper schedule to BOTH doses until you get down to 150mg. At that point, you'll have to sit for a while at 150mg to get your body used to the single dose. That alone is a big change to your system.
OR you could apply your taper schedule to only the evening dose until it is zero, leaving the 150mg morning dose intact the whole time. I like the sound of this method better.
Anyway, a good schedule for a 150mg pill would be like this:
150
150
150
150
130 (down 20)
145 (up 15)
140 (down 5)
140
140
140
125 (down 20)
135 (up 15)
130 (down 5)
130
130
130
110 (down 20)
125 (up 15)
120 (down 5)
120
120
120
And so on. Sometimes, four days of rest isn't long enough for your body to settle down. Other times, the 10 mg drop is too easy! You want to feel it out and find what you can handle. But the IMPORTANT part to understand is how the steps work, and WHY they work.
If you are at 300 mg, and you start tapering down with this method, the first couple of steps might take a while. But then your body will understand and get quicker at recovery. So somewhere around 180mg you might want to try something like this:
180
150 (down 30)
170 (up 20)
165 (down 5)
160 (down 5)
160
160
160
The system is the same, just bigger jumps. You have to feel it out for how your body responds. If it is unbearable in ANY way, it was too much. Come back up 5mg and stay there until you level out. The LAST thing you want is to tailspin.
Now, I've got a little analogy to help you understand how this works. Though this isn't completely accrurate with what is actually going on, it is a great analogy to understand the taper method:
Your brain wants serotonin. So, effexor is like a valve at the base of your brain. At 300mg, the valve is closed. All of the serotonin stays in your brain. There is very little serotonin in your body. If you reduce the dose, the valve opens up a little. Some of the serotonin flows into your body, and your brain starts to complain that it isn't getting enough. So the glands react and produces more serotonin. Hopefully, the glands are capable of meeting the new demand. It takes a while. Eventually, the brain is satisfied and the valve has been opened slightly. You are all 'evened out' at the new dose. Now you can do it again.
What happens if you open the valve too much, by dropping your dose too quick? It's like opening up a 2' drain pipe. The serotonin flushes out of the brain, into the body, and you feel all kinds of horrible effects due to the lack of serotonin in the brain. Imagine that the glands are capable of producing enough to flow through a coffee straw, but the Effexor valve is like a 2' drain pipe. You have to open up that valve slow, because the little coffee straw will never catch back up, and you end up in depression again. Some people drop way too quick and then 'tough it out' for weeks and weeks waiting for the little coffee straw to fill up the whole body and brain. This, IMHO, is more damaging than being on effexor.
Now, the reason why the spike drop works so well is because the glands don't realize that you are dropping the dose if you just take out a bead here and there. You are opening the valve slowly, but the glands aren't really reacting to produce more serotonin. The glands need a wakeup call. So shock them with a big drop, and them close the valve back up, before your brain flushes out. Now your glands are working overtime to meet the new demand, and you can be comfortable, because you didn't lose any brain serotonin!
It takes time. But you have to eat the elephant one bite at a time!
BTW, when using the splitting method, use a flat toothpick to slide the beads around, not a round toothpick. You'll see.
If you are on 300mg a day, it gets tricky, because you may or may not be taking it all at once. If you take 150mg twice a day, then you could apply your taper schedule to BOTH doses until you get down to 150mg. At that point, you'll have to sit for a while at 150mg to get your body used to the single dose. That alone is a big change to your system.
OR you could apply your taper schedule to only the evening dose until it is zero, leaving the 150mg morning dose intact the whole time. I like the sound of this method better.
Anyway, a good schedule for a 150mg pill would be like this:
150
150
150
150
130 (down 20)
145 (up 15)
140 (down 5)
140
140
140
125 (down 20)
135 (up 15)
130 (down 5)
130
130
130
110 (down 20)
125 (up 15)
120 (down 5)
120
120
120
And so on. Sometimes, four days of rest isn't long enough for your body to settle down. Other times, the 10 mg drop is too easy! You want to feel it out and find what you can handle. But the IMPORTANT part to understand is how the steps work, and WHY they work.
If you are at 300 mg, and you start tapering down with this method, the first couple of steps might take a while. But then your body will understand and get quicker at recovery. So somewhere around 180mg you might want to try something like this:
180
150 (down 30)
170 (up 20)
165 (down 5)
160 (down 5)
160
160
160
The system is the same, just bigger jumps. You have to feel it out for how your body responds. If it is unbearable in ANY way, it was too much. Come back up 5mg and stay there until you level out. The LAST thing you want is to tailspin.
Now, I've got a little analogy to help you understand how this works. Though this isn't completely accrurate with what is actually going on, it is a great analogy to understand the taper method:
Your brain wants serotonin. So, effexor is like a valve at the base of your brain. At 300mg, the valve is closed. All of the serotonin stays in your brain. There is very little serotonin in your body. If you reduce the dose, the valve opens up a little. Some of the serotonin flows into your body, and your brain starts to complain that it isn't getting enough. So the glands react and produces more serotonin. Hopefully, the glands are capable of meeting the new demand. It takes a while. Eventually, the brain is satisfied and the valve has been opened slightly. You are all 'evened out' at the new dose. Now you can do it again.
What happens if you open the valve too much, by dropping your dose too quick? It's like opening up a 2' drain pipe. The serotonin flushes out of the brain, into the body, and you feel all kinds of horrible effects due to the lack of serotonin in the brain. Imagine that the glands are capable of producing enough to flow through a coffee straw, but the Effexor valve is like a 2' drain pipe. You have to open up that valve slow, because the little coffee straw will never catch back up, and you end up in depression again. Some people drop way too quick and then 'tough it out' for weeks and weeks waiting for the little coffee straw to fill up the whole body and brain. This, IMHO, is more damaging than being on effexor.
Now, the reason why the spike drop works so well is because the glands don't realize that you are dropping the dose if you just take out a bead here and there. You are opening the valve slowly, but the glands aren't really reacting to produce more serotonin. The glands need a wakeup call. So shock them with a big drop, and them close the valve back up, before your brain flushes out. Now your glands are working overtime to meet the new demand, and you can be comfortable, because you didn't lose any brain serotonin!
It takes time. But you have to eat the elephant one bite at a time!
BTW, when using the splitting method, use a flat toothpick to slide the beads around, not a round toothpick. You'll see.
mikemo last decade
Mikemo,
Thanks for posting your 'capsule-splitting' and 'tapering' methods. It looks like the most helpful thing I've seen so far with regard to kicking the effexor habit. I'm starting TODAY.
One observation: I seem to be able to decrease my dose with no ill effects; it's when I finally decrease to zero that I have problems. I went from 2 capsules (sorry- I don't have the mg./capsule in front of me) to zero... Ouch. So I took 1 capsule for a few days, and felt fine; then when I went to zero, once again- Ouch. So I went to 1/2 capsules for a few days, felt great, and again went to zero, and again, Ouch. I've continued this pattern with 1/4 capsules and 1/8 capsules: I seem to have no problems decreasing the dose, but inevitably when I go to zero, I feel horrible. (NOTE: I just went on welbutrin; maybe stopping effexor while starting welbutrin is different than just stopping effexor...?)
Three questions:
1) Does my experience sound similar to anything you've read or heard?
2) How do I know what dosage to take now? I've taken no effexor for about 3 days, but before that I had taken about an 1/8 capsule for a few days.
3) Any chance I should just 'tough it out' at this point? I mean, if there was some historical data to indicate that I'd be over this in a few more days, I could probably make it- but if I'll still feel as bad in a week as I do now, then there's no way I'll make it.
Ben
Thanks for posting your 'capsule-splitting' and 'tapering' methods. It looks like the most helpful thing I've seen so far with regard to kicking the effexor habit. I'm starting TODAY.
One observation: I seem to be able to decrease my dose with no ill effects; it's when I finally decrease to zero that I have problems. I went from 2 capsules (sorry- I don't have the mg./capsule in front of me) to zero... Ouch. So I took 1 capsule for a few days, and felt fine; then when I went to zero, once again- Ouch. So I went to 1/2 capsules for a few days, felt great, and again went to zero, and again, Ouch. I've continued this pattern with 1/4 capsules and 1/8 capsules: I seem to have no problems decreasing the dose, but inevitably when I go to zero, I feel horrible. (NOTE: I just went on welbutrin; maybe stopping effexor while starting welbutrin is different than just stopping effexor...?)
Three questions:
1) Does my experience sound similar to anything you've read or heard?
2) How do I know what dosage to take now? I've taken no effexor for about 3 days, but before that I had taken about an 1/8 capsule for a few days.
3) Any chance I should just 'tough it out' at this point? I mean, if there was some historical data to indicate that I'd be over this in a few more days, I could probably make it- but if I'll still feel as bad in a week as I do now, then there's no way I'll make it.
Ben
windyb last decade
Yes, there are some specific withdrawl issues that can't seem to be addressed by tapering, but they can be reduced. If you were taking 1/8th of a 75mg capsule, you were at about 10mg. I do know that 25mg to zero was not even close to tolerable. I also know that something like this:
10
10
10
10
2.5
5
5
5
5
0
2.5
2.5
2.5
0
0
0
0
0
still caused wihtdrawl, although much shorter and less severe.
What is important to know is that there is a big differenc between having it in your system, and not having it in your system, regardless of how small the dose.
So, since you have been toughing it out for three days now, the real question is:
Was today better or worse than yeterday?
If today was worse, then I'd take 3 or 4 days of 5mg. I know that sounds silly, but adding another week to getting off succesfully is worth it. There are many posts in the 85page main effexor discussion which complain of the same thing. Once you get to zero for good, there will STILL be some issues, sometimes for months. You just need them to be tolerable. So, imagine your symptoms gradually disappearing over the course of 45 days. Can you make it? If not, you should try and get your life back by dosing for a while at 5mg. Your goal is to accept the withdral as inevitable in the end. (it does go away, with time) If the withdrawl is too much for that, then go back and taper down some more.
Hang in there, and please reply with your plan---I want to know!
Mike
10
10
10
10
2.5
5
5
5
5
0
2.5
2.5
2.5
0
0
0
0
0
still caused wihtdrawl, although much shorter and less severe.
What is important to know is that there is a big differenc between having it in your system, and not having it in your system, regardless of how small the dose.
So, since you have been toughing it out for three days now, the real question is:
Was today better or worse than yeterday?
If today was worse, then I'd take 3 or 4 days of 5mg. I know that sounds silly, but adding another week to getting off succesfully is worth it. There are many posts in the 85page main effexor discussion which complain of the same thing. Once you get to zero for good, there will STILL be some issues, sometimes for months. You just need them to be tolerable. So, imagine your symptoms gradually disappearing over the course of 45 days. Can you make it? If not, you should try and get your life back by dosing for a while at 5mg. Your goal is to accept the withdral as inevitable in the end. (it does go away, with time) If the withdrawl is too much for that, then go back and taper down some more.
Hang in there, and please reply with your plan---I want to know!
Mike
mikemo last decade
Mike,
I wasn't getting anything done at work anyway (except researching effexor withdrawal and feeling sorry for myself) so I went home.
Now that I've checked my bottle of effexor, I see that I was taking eighths of a 150mg capsule- so nearly 20mg daily- before stopping completely.
I just took another 20mg before getting online.
To answer your 'real question', today (+/- 3 days w/o effexor) was WORSE than yesterday.
So, should I treat today as the first of several same-dose-days? -Or could I think of it as the last-day-before-a-drop-day?
By the way, my psychiatrist returned my call and said: 1) She's never heard of anyone having problems like this. 2) Maybe I should increase my welbutrin dose. 3) Maybe some benadryl would help.
Dude, thanks for helping me to hang in there.
Ben
I wasn't getting anything done at work anyway (except researching effexor withdrawal and feeling sorry for myself) so I went home.
Now that I've checked my bottle of effexor, I see that I was taking eighths of a 150mg capsule- so nearly 20mg daily- before stopping completely.
I just took another 20mg before getting online.
To answer your 'real question', today (+/- 3 days w/o effexor) was WORSE than yesterday.
So, should I treat today as the first of several same-dose-days? -Or could I think of it as the last-day-before-a-drop-day?
By the way, my psychiatrist returned my call and said: 1) She's never heard of anyone having problems like this. 2) Maybe I should increase my welbutrin dose. 3) Maybe some benadryl would help.
Dude, thanks for helping me to hang in there.
Ben
windyb last decade
No sweat. Ok. You took 20mgs for several days, took 0mg for 3 days, and today (afternoon) you took 20mg. start tomorrow like this:
15 Sat.
15 Sun.
15 Mon.
15 Tues.
15 Wed.
Typically, I wouldn't make you stay there that long, but you need to level out your WORSEness.
This is easy man. It just takes planning and time. Then on thursday start like this:
2.5 Thurs
10 Fri
7.5 Sat
7.5 Sun
7.5 Mon
0 Tues
5 Wed
2.5 Thur
2.5 Fri
0 Saturday
0
0
0
0
Done!
Because you are using 150mg pills, dividing them up into these small doses will be tough. Get some empty gelcaps from the healthfood store. Make a line 4 inches long, and split those suckers in half into 75mg pills, and make a whole bottle of them. Then, you can split from those using the above directions. Much easier to handle. ALso, you could take it one step further and take those 75s, draw a line 3 inches long, and split them into three pills (25 mg each) and make a bottle of those. From those you can make your doses. Smaller pills are easier to work with on the paper. Good luck!
15 Sat.
15 Sun.
15 Mon.
15 Tues.
15 Wed.
Typically, I wouldn't make you stay there that long, but you need to level out your WORSEness.
This is easy man. It just takes planning and time. Then on thursday start like this:
2.5 Thurs
10 Fri
7.5 Sat
7.5 Sun
7.5 Mon
0 Tues
5 Wed
2.5 Thur
2.5 Fri
0 Saturday
0
0
0
0
Done!
Because you are using 150mg pills, dividing them up into these small doses will be tough. Get some empty gelcaps from the healthfood store. Make a line 4 inches long, and split those suckers in half into 75mg pills, and make a whole bottle of them. Then, you can split from those using the above directions. Much easier to handle. ALso, you could take it one step further and take those 75s, draw a line 3 inches long, and split them into three pills (25 mg each) and make a bottle of those. From those you can make your doses. Smaller pills are easier to work with on the paper. Good luck!
mikemo last decade
I lost track of my schedule and stayed at 15mg longer than suggested. Then, yesterday, I forgot to take any at all.
So, I'll treat yesterday's zero mg dose as the 2.5mg day, and take 10mg today.
Then, I'll continue- being one day behind schedule.
Let me know if you have any better ideas.
By the way, my hunch is that if I took no effexor again tomorrow, it would be pretty rough- but right now I'm doing better than before.
Thanks for your help.
Ben
So, I'll treat yesterday's zero mg dose as the 2.5mg day, and take 10mg today.
Then, I'll continue- being one day behind schedule.
Let me know if you have any better ideas.
By the way, my hunch is that if I took no effexor again tomorrow, it would be pretty rough- but right now I'm doing better than before.
Thanks for your help.
Ben
windyb last decade
Going longer than planned at any dose is never a problem! SO I'd say you are on the right track!
You are right about 'day two' being rough. That's why I always suggest coming back up on day two of a dose change. Keep at it!
You are right about 'day two' being rough. That's why I always suggest coming back up on day two of a dose change. Keep at it!
mikemo last decade
mikemo ,
May seem like a dumb question, but does your method with the paper and the increments apply to splitting a 37.5mg capsule ? which I am on... thanks again
May seem like a dumb question, but does your method with the paper and the increments apply to splitting a 37.5mg capsule ? which I am on... thanks again
royalflush last decade
The easiest way to deal with 37.5mg capsules is to just dump TWO of them onto the paper line. That way you are still working with 75mg. Every 1/4' equals 5mg (if your line is 3.75' long)
The other option is to draw the line half as long
( 1-7/8'). Then just dump one 37.5mg capsule in. Every 1/4' equals 5mg. BUT there will be a leftover 2.5mg at the end (that's from an extra 1/8' segment.
The bottom line is, always know how much in total is on the paper. Then figure some way of dividing it up into the amounts that you need.
The other option is to draw the line half as long
( 1-7/8'). Then just dump one 37.5mg capsule in. Every 1/4' equals 5mg. BUT there will be a leftover 2.5mg at the end (that's from an extra 1/8' segment.
The bottom line is, always know how much in total is on the paper. Then figure some way of dividing it up into the amounts that you need.
mikemo last decade
mikemo,
I was wondering if you could recommend a schedule for me to come off my 37.5 mg dose. I saw my doctor yesterday , and he topped up my supply. I understand how to measure the dose as you outlined , your help is appreciated very much.. thanks again....
I was wondering if you could recommend a schedule for me to come off my 37.5 mg dose. I saw my doctor yesterday , and he topped up my supply. I understand how to measure the dose as you outlined , your help is appreciated very much.. thanks again....
royalflush last decade
Hi royalflush,
I've been out of town, so sorry I didn't respond sooner. Are you still at 37.5? If not, please tell me the last 7 doses you have taken.
Mike
I've been out of town, so sorry I didn't respond sooner. Are you still at 37.5? If not, please tell me the last 7 doses you have taken.
Mike
mikemo last decade
Hi Mike ,
I'm still at 37.5 ... I attempted to come off once already, before studying your capsule splitting method. I've also recently made some changes in my diet .. which have really helped my fatigue..but I'm still eager to start weaning asap/.. thanks again.... regards
I'm still at 37.5 ... I attempted to come off once already, before studying your capsule splitting method. I've also recently made some changes in my diet .. which have really helped my fatigue..but I'm still eager to start weaning asap/.. thanks again.... regards
royalflush last decade
Ok then! When you are ready, try this schedule and see how you feel around day 7.
10 day1
30
25
25
25
25
25
5
20
15
15
15
15
15 day14
Keep me posted on how it all goes.
Mike
10 day1
30
25
25
25
25
25
5
20
15
15
15
15
15 day14
Keep me posted on how it all goes.
Mike
mikemo last decade
I'm wondering if I should start splitting and if so, where to start. I was taking 75mg of Effexor for about 3 years. I told my doc I wanted to quit so he prescibed 37.5mg which I switched to for a couple of days with very little problem, just a little head fizzles when moving around. I went completely off and took no mg because things seemed to be going so well. It's been 4 days now and the withdrawl symptoms have come on and are becoming increasingly worse.
I just read the splitting method. It sound like a much better plan. I know there's no perfect answer. I'd just appreciate a good suggestion!
Thanks,
Napzalot
I just read the splitting method. It sound like a much better plan. I know there's no perfect answer. I'd just appreciate a good suggestion!
Thanks,
Napzalot
napzalot last decade
It sounds like you've done this:
75
75
75
75
75
75
75
37.5
37.5
0
0
0
0
Is that correct? If so, I would suggest you start tomorrow with 25mg for a week.
I'm really surprised that it took 6 days before it was noticably worse. Ususally day 2 gets ya when you drop that quickly.
If the 25mg for a week gets you leveled back out and feeling OK, then go like this:
5
20
15
15
15
15
and let me know how successful it was.
Mike
75
75
75
75
75
75
75
37.5
37.5
0
0
0
0
Is that correct? If so, I would suggest you start tomorrow with 25mg for a week.
I'm really surprised that it took 6 days before it was noticably worse. Ususally day 2 gets ya when you drop that quickly.
If the 25mg for a week gets you leveled back out and feeling OK, then go like this:
5
20
15
15
15
15
and let me know how successful it was.
Mike
mikemo last decade
Thanks Mike! I'll try it. I've been spilling tears for four days. I puddled up when I saw your quick reply just now. Of course my poor kids are on strict orders not to cross mom in any way after I assaulted and battered a slice of watermellon in anger yesterday.
Napzalot
Napzalot
napzalot last decade
Oh, wow! Well, you may want to take 37.5 for the week instead of the 25.
I'll tell you what, take 2 days of 25mg. If you don't feel much better by noon on the 2nd day, then plan on going up to 37.5. If you think you can continue to make it on the 25 at that point, then stick to what I wrote the first time. Otherwise, I'll get you going down from the 37.5 dose. I won't leave, OK?
I'll tell you what, take 2 days of 25mg. If you don't feel much better by noon on the 2nd day, then plan on going up to 37.5. If you think you can continue to make it on the 25 at that point, then stick to what I wrote the first time. Otherwise, I'll get you going down from the 37.5 dose. I won't leave, OK?
mikemo last decade
Mike,
I think I gave you the wrong idea. I just slammed my fist down on my piece of melon in frustration. Those seeds sure can fly! The kids are very mature and know what I'm trying to do. Everyone is safe. My husband is very attentive and monitering my behavior very closely.
I decided to take the 25mg right away today. I am already experiencing some relief. I split 75mg three ways. Put one in a dose cup and took it. The other two are back in capsules in my daily pill container for tomorrow and Sat. I marked numbers on the pill boxes to remind me how many mg to take. I will also mark my calendar.
I have amazing great support here and I thank you for your help.
Napzalot (Mary)
I think I gave you the wrong idea. I just slammed my fist down on my piece of melon in frustration. Those seeds sure can fly! The kids are very mature and know what I'm trying to do. Everyone is safe. My husband is very attentive and monitering my behavior very closely.
I decided to take the 25mg right away today. I am already experiencing some relief. I split 75mg three ways. Put one in a dose cup and took it. The other two are back in capsules in my daily pill container for tomorrow and Sat. I marked numbers on the pill boxes to remind me how many mg to take. I will also mark my calendar.
I have amazing great support here and I thank you for your help.
Napzalot (Mary)
napzalot last decade
Mike,
I'm down to 15mg this week! All is well. Occasional nausea and body aches though. What mg do you suggest after a week of 15?
Mary
I'm down to 15mg this week! All is well. Occasional nausea and body aches though. What mg do you suggest after a week of 15?
Mary
napzalot last decade
Mike,
I wish I had found this forum three months ago when I starting titrating. Your method is very sound. I had been taking 300mg/day of Effexor for over 10 years. I've taken three months to titrate off. Long story short, what I did find is that the end is the very worst, no matter how low you go? I've been completely 'clean' for eight days now and am having very slight side effects..negligible.
It's just too bad there isn't a way for your method to reach all of the people out there trying to get off of Effexor. I'm going to do my best to direct people to this forum!
Many thanks......
Coco
I wish I had found this forum three months ago when I starting titrating. Your method is very sound. I had been taking 300mg/day of Effexor for over 10 years. I've taken three months to titrate off. Long story short, what I did find is that the end is the very worst, no matter how low you go? I've been completely 'clean' for eight days now and am having very slight side effects..negligible.
It's just too bad there isn't a way for your method to reach all of the people out there trying to get off of Effexor. I'm going to do my best to direct people to this forum!
Many thanks......
Coco
cocogirl last decade
mikemo last decade
Mike,
I tapered all the way down to counting out individual beads; 20,20,20,20,20,10,15,15,15,15,15, 5, and so on down to zero today! I didn't feel any brain shivers today. That was the only withdrawal symptom that seemed to hang on. I do cry more easily than is normal but I tell myself it's chemical and dry up pretty fast.
Thank you again for your help!!! I hope everyone suffering from withdrawal finds the splitting method. What a blessing!!!!!!!
Mary/Napzalot(I have narcolepsy)
I tapered all the way down to counting out individual beads; 20,20,20,20,20,10,15,15,15,15,15, 5, and so on down to zero today! I didn't feel any brain shivers today. That was the only withdrawal symptom that seemed to hang on. I do cry more easily than is normal but I tell myself it's chemical and dry up pretty fast.
Thank you again for your help!!! I hope everyone suffering from withdrawal finds the splitting method. What a blessing!!!!!!!
Mary/Napzalot(I have narcolepsy)
napzalot last decade
Okay...I'm ready to give this weaning off thing a try. I unintentionally went 3 days without my daily 75mg dose since the pharmacy decided to lock it's doors early. Grrr That's another topic in itself.
So, mikemo....how do I go about this? I have been 75mg a day for 3 1/2 years. Been cold turkey for 3 days. Went to the doctor today and she gave me some 37.5mg to work my way down to. It was suggested that I take 75 mg every other day, then go down. I am interested in the splitting method so can you help me get started? I assume take 75mg in the morning then what do I do.
And thanks for the forum...knowing I'm not the only one misinformed about how dreadful this med is helps.
So, mikemo....how do I go about this? I have been 75mg a day for 3 1/2 years. Been cold turkey for 3 days. Went to the doctor today and she gave me some 37.5mg to work my way down to. It was suggested that I take 75 mg every other day, then go down. I am interested in the splitting method so can you help me get started? I assume take 75mg in the morning then what do I do.
And thanks for the forum...knowing I'm not the only one misinformed about how dreadful this med is helps.
wannafeelreal last decade
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