3 replies to this topic

[whimzi1]

I was having a difficult time and didn't think going from 20 to zero would be helpful. So.... I emptied each 20mg capsule, threw away approximately half of it, and took a "10" mg. Last night was my first night without taking any of it. I was prescribed the med for neuropathy...and it truly helped the pain in combination with another med. But I became so "foggy" that I was not functioning very well at all. Best wishes to all of you......

[rogerwilco]

Found around 180 granule pellets of varying sizes contained in each 20 mg cap. Divided the pellets into two groups, distributing the big and small pellets more or less equitably, ending with two piles of around 90. That took the dose size down to around 10 mg per cap ... and, repeating then, for 5 mg doses for example.

I suspect the accuracy suffers badly compared with utilizing liquid doses. Can't get the granules to dissolve in hot water. Don't want to boil pharma. :twisted:

[schmb01]

How in the world do you manage to count them? I tried, and either they bounce all over the place, and I terrified that my dog will get one, or they stick to the knife while I'm trying to count! Also, I tried to get them to dissolve, and even in hot water, I couldn't get them fully dissolved. So, I'm kind of guessing at the dose I'm taking my eyeballing it.

[Donna]

Thanks to Catherine's site, Catherinefightsback.com, I learned that a 20 mg capsule contains 174 little beads; therefore one mg is 8.71 beads. I followed Catherine's chart and began removing 10% per week. So the first week, I removed 17 beads each day, leaving 157 beads in the little green capsule. The second week, I removed 36 beads from the 174. The plan was to remove 33 beads in the second week (17 plus 10% of the 157); but I rounded up to 36 because it was hard to be exact -- so I was taking 138 beads. I felt no brain zaps the first week unless I was about 5 hours late in taking it; but did a little bit in the second week. I am in the third week now and am sticking with the 10% reduction. So anyway, in week three I am removing a total of 46 beads per day (the previous weeks quantity of 138 beads less another 14 beads to make a 28-bead dose). I gently pour from the green capsule into an empty size 00 clear capsule from the healthfood store. Then I close both capsules and with strong reading glasses and bright light, I count the little devils and sometimes need to add a few or subtract a few. As the reduction quantity is greater, I'm putting the capsules in little ziplock snack packs and marking the outside with a Sharpie pen, the quantity that is in the capsules in that bag. Here's my schedule:
Week one: 174 less 17 = 157 beads per day
Week two: 174 less 36 = 138 beads per day
Week three: 174 less 46 - 128 beads per day
Week four: 174 less 59 = 115 beads per day
Week five: 174 less 71 = 103 beads per day
Week six: 174 less 81 = 93 beads per day (42 days will have passed at the end of this week)
Catherine later was reducing 6 beads per day.... so here's my plan after week six:

Day 43: 174 less 87 beads = 87 beads (finally at half)
Day 44: 174 less 93 beads = 81 beads
Day 45: 174 less 99 beads = 75 beads
Here is when I will have used my last green capsule and I need to start
using the clear capsules by putting the correct amount of beads into them:
Day 46: 69 beads
Day 47: 63 beads
Day 48: 57 beads
Day 49: 51 beads
Day 50: 45 beads
Day 51: 39 beads
Day 52: 33 beads
Day 53: 27 beads
Day 54: 21 beads
Day 55: 15 beads
Day 56: 9 beads
Day 57: 6 beads
Day 58: 0

What's also helping is additional vitamins and other supplements and going for brisk walks in the a.m. I admire those of you who can go cold turkey or taper at a faster rate, but I tried periodically for two years and can't do it. I can't stand the brain shivers and have to work everyday. I kept reading that I shouldn't try to divide up the contents of the capsule.... which I find (and hope to continue to find) is a bunch of hooey. I feel lucky that I was only on 20 mgs. I was switched from Prozac to Cymbalta about 2 1/2 years ago - what a mistake.
Anyway... I'm hoping this schedule will work. If it does, I'll be off the stuff completely by December 9! If anyone has any tips on the next few weeks, let me know.

I don't know if Catherine still reads this site, but I want to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!