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Easier Way To Count Pellets?


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#1 Shakeybritches

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Posted 03 April 2008 - 12:19 PM

I'm stuck with having to use 60mg capsules in my weaning process. Is there an easier way to count those over 500 pellets, or is there another way to measure them? Right now I am using an extra capsule that is marked approximately 3/4 the way of a full capsule. Help!

#2 schmb01

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Posted 03 April 2008 - 01:14 PM

I wish I could help you here. I just eyeballed it by emptying some out. At one point, I thought about looking for a compounding pharmacy, and asking them to do it for me, but I never got around to it.

#3 Sarah J

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Posted 03 April 2008 - 01:30 PM

I have no idea if this is possible, but there are special "compounding" pharmacies.

A compounding pharmacy will make medicines in doses that are not commercially available. You need a prescription that is written that way, and of course, the prescription will cost more, but it is worth looking into for some of you.

You can search online with the phrase "compounding pharmacy your town" and call one to see if it is possible, if it is, get your doc to help you out.

Also, my old doctor was not even aware that Cymbalta came in 20 mg capsules, which could help some wean down.

#4 Shakeybritches

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Posted 03 April 2008 - 01:55 PM

I have no idea if this is possible, but there are special "compounding" pharmacies.

A compounding pharmacy will make medicines in doses that are not commercially available. You need a prescription that is written that way, and of course, the prescription will cost more, but it is worth looking into for some of you.

You can search online with the phrase "compounding pharmacy your town" and call one to see if it is possible, if it is, get your doc to help you out.

Also, my old doctor was not even aware that Cymbalta came in 20 mg capsules, which could help some wean down.


I have to have a prescription for a compounding pharmacy and I can't get one without a Rx, and I can't that because my dr. doesn't know I'm doing this. I KNOW, I KNOW, he is supposed to help me but he is bent on keeping me on these meds. I may have to resort to cutting a capsule half 3/4 of the way up and just leveling it off every morning. I don't know, but I really appreciate the replies......Shakey. ;)

#5 Sarah J

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Posted 03 April 2008 - 02:08 PM

I don't even know if they will compound Cymbalta because it is a capsule. If anybody finds out, share the love and let others know.

If you are counting on your own, I read somewhere that tupperware/rubbermaid containers for counting are not good because of static making the pellets stick to the container and it should be done in metal.

And, you can get gelatin capsules (empty ones) to make your own pills at health food stores, or even maybe the regular drug store.

This link is to a post of a woman whose doctor gave her a pellet count for weaning, it might help you:
https://www.cymbalta...c.php?f=15&t=55

#6 schmb01

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Posted 03 April 2008 - 04:41 PM

I tried counting on metal, and the damn things bounced all over the place. Since I have a dog, I didn't really want any of the pellets to hit the floor, and send her into Cymbalta shock!

I know that I also felt so crappy and irritable, that counting those things was torture. I just literally looked and emptied, so I'm sure I wasn't getting the exact amount each day.

Yes, shakey, you should be working with your doctor, and even though he is bent on keeping you on meds, you ultimately have the final say in your treatment, and he should help you. You don't have to share anything personal, but if he feels that strongly about you continuing meds, perhaps he has an alternative for you to try. Do YOU think you should still be taking an antidepressant? (Again, these are questions to ask yourself) If you do have clinical, or moderate to severe depression, don't place yourself at risk by refusing to take anything at all. There are other alternatives out there. I just want you to be safe.

#7 Shakeybritches

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Posted 03 April 2008 - 06:04 PM

I don't even know if they will compound Cymbalta because it is a capsule. If anybody finds out, share the love and let others know.

If you are counting on your own, I read somewhere that tupperware/rubbermaid containers for counting are not good because of static making the pellets stick to the container and it should be done in metal.

And, you can get gelatin capsules (empty ones) to make your own pills at health food stores, or even maybe the regular drug store.

This link is to a post of a woman whose doctor gave her a pellet count for weaning, it might help you:
https://www.cymbalta...c.php?f=15&t=55

That was awesome! Saved me some time and head aches. Thanks! ;)

#8 Shakeybritches

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Posted 03 April 2008 - 06:13 PM

I tried counting on metal, and the damn things bounced all over the place. Since I have a dog, I didn't really want any of the pellets to hit the floor, and send her into Cymbalta shock!

I know that I also felt so crappy and irritable, that counting those things was torture. I just literally looked and emptied, so I'm sure I wasn't getting the exact amount each day.

Yes, shakey, you should be working with your doctor, and even though he is bent on keeping you on meds, you ultimately have the final say in your treatment, and he should help you. You don't have to share anything personal, but if he feels that strongly about you continuing meds, perhaps he has an alternative for you to try. Do YOU think you should still be taking an antidepressant? (Again, these are questions to ask yourself) If you do have clinical, or moderate to severe depression, don't place yourself at risk by refusing to take anything at all. There are other alternatives out there. I just want you to be safe.

I have been checking on natural alternatives, not just the supplements. You are sooooooo right about them stupid little pellets! Grrrrr they won't go where I want them to....lol. The compounding pharmacy told me to go to 30 mg next but I can't handle that yet. I am going to try to come up with some kind of measuring device like a folded piece of dark paper and try to get 52 of them boogers in a straight line in the crease of th fold and measure that. I have a feeling this is going to be really trying on my limited patience. ;)

#9 1sickpuppy

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Posted 11 April 2008 - 01:59 PM

Oh my...

I have been trying to come off Cymbalta for a while now and I am soooo pleased I have found this forum! I thought I was the only one and going crazy! I have been taking out pellets by just guessing really, I take about half of them out (Shake them into another, empty one) and put the capsules into little ziplock bags marked 60 and 30 mg. Then i take the 30mg and another empty one and shake out half again, and put them in a bag marked 15mg. I put a 30 and 15 mg together to make 45mg capsules. I am on 30mg a day now. I'll go down to 20 next week, then to 15 the next, then 10 and then I am not sure yet. Once I get to 10mg I might do pellet counting, but right now it seems insane, I really don't understand why they don't make these tablets in all the different mg amounts! Not just for coming off them, but I think people starting on them should be weened ON! Actually, I would never reccomend this hell-drug to anyone but that's a whole other topic...

#10 schmb01

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Posted 11 April 2008 - 02:35 PM

Yes, pellet counting is not the easiest thing for people in withdrawal! It sounds like you have a pretty good plan of action, and even if you go from 10 to 7 to 5 then to zero, do whatever makes you comfortable.

Good luck, and keep posting with how you are doing, and know that we are all here to support each other!

#11 1sickpuppy

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Posted 11 April 2008 - 11:27 PM

Thanks! I will be spending most of the weekend readng this entire forum!

#12 Sarah J

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Posted 12 April 2008 - 09:49 AM

1sickpuppy - Cymbalta does come in 20 mg capsules commercially. I don't know if you are weaning with the help of your doctor, but if your doctor is in on this, there are compounding pharmacies that make doses of medication that are not available commercially - many people counting pellets are doing so on their own, so they can't ask their doctor, but it would be great to know if this crap could be made in lower doses.

My best to you, I saw you will be reading all of the posts, so you will find a variety of ways that people have come out of this.

To all - a safe and gentle return to health!

#13 1sickpuppy

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Posted 13 April 2008 - 02:57 AM

I am in the Netherlands, and here we only get 60mg capsules! I have fibromyalgia (which is why I was prescribed this) which gives me joint pain that's a lot like arthritis, so counting pallets is somehting impossible for me with my painful fingers.

Cymbalta is still in the trial stage here and I am filing in the trial forms every few weeks! Oh my, they won't like what I am going to be writing in the next form!

#14 schmb01

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Posted 13 April 2008 - 09:55 AM

Oh my!! You could be the voice for your country!! Heck, write this link on one of your forms and let the decision makers read for themselves about the ramifications!

I also can't believe that you only get the 60mg!! What does that say about their trials? Run, run fast! LOL All I could do was eye ball the pellets, when I tried to count them, they were bouncing all over the place, and I was afraid my dog would get some of them. Just what we would have needed, a woman and her dog, both on the edge due to Cymbalta!

Good Luck to you! We are here to offer whatever words of encouragement that we can.

#15 1sickpuppy

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Posted 15 April 2008 - 03:51 AM

Yes I will put the link on my form! Although I don't know if they will take notice, of course they are not going to be impartial...

I've been zonked out on the couch all weekend and just had my first brain zap :(

I am a single mother of a 4 yr old so it's really hard for me at the weekend when I am feeling like this!
All I want to do is hybernate...

My pellets jump around sometimes even when I am just pooring then into an empty capsule. I do it over the sink now. Imagine my daughter getting hold of them...

#16 Sarah J

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Posted 15 April 2008 - 07:29 AM

1sickpuppy - hope you are doing better today and seeing some improvement.

#17 1sickpuppy

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Posted 15 April 2008 - 02:19 PM

Thanks Sarah! I do feel a lot better today, except for a massive headache this afternoon. Not feeling too bad right now, might even get some work done! Oh, haha that was a lie... :::reclines to the couch with the remote:::

#18 vh1

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Posted 01 October 2011 - 05:35 PM

Paper works fine for me: I made myself a small 'paper box,' about 2"x1", which I taped on the outside and made sure was smooth and flat inside, especially on the corners. A small porcelain bowl works too, using tweezers to pick out the pellets (yes, you need patience). I pour the pellets into the small box/bowl everyday and count off that week's number of pellets: I take out 10 pellets per week, which is about 1 gram/week (I counted 10 pellets off the first week, 20 the second, 30 the third etc). This method takes over 5 months to get off the 20 mg dosage, but doing it any faster would be too fast, I think, given the awful withdrawal symptoms that led me into this site. A couple of things I read about: you need to put back the pellets/beads into the capsule for the slow-release effect, and the skipping-days method (taking the capsule every other day, etc) is not recommended. Also, SAM-e is a natural supplement which many say helps with depression... Let's stay away from the drug companies!

#19 Rico

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Posted 07 December 2011 - 04:56 PM

Why not buy a cheap powder scale that reloaders use to measure gundowder. Weigh the full dose and do the math. Just dump the pellets slowly till you get the correct weight.

#20 Hunter

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Posted 12 January 2012 - 05:16 PM

I decreased my dose from 60 mg to 30 mg to 15 mg to zero. Two weeks at each step (30 and 15).

I decreased the dosage by cutting off one end of a 60 mg capsule with small scissors. The capsules are only about a half to 2/3 full. Tapping before cutting will settle them down. I gently poured the little spheres onto a sharply creased piece of typing paper, divided the pellets roughly in half - I just pushed out the line of Cymbalta pellets - then pinned down half with my finger and poured each half into a separate day-box in one of those weekly pill containers. For 15 mg, I used a second division in half. This worked fine. I think adjusting the dosage can be more like cooking, ie, without the precision of a Mettler balance scale :) I had no withdrawal at all until the second day after I actually stopped, so I think my method was OK.

Right now, 5 days out from stopping, I have the zapping, mild ear ringing, mild insomnia. No noticeable mood swings. It's a little worse than when I would skip a dose for sex, but tolerable.



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