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Put The Symptoms In Charge


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#1 thismoment

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Posted 21 August 2014 - 05:55 PM

During withdrawal (tapering off, bead-counting etc) symptoms emerge and we naturally recoil. We tolerate what we can and try to reduce the symptoms by slowing down the weaning or by going back up a milligram or two. Sometimes we buy supplements and vitamins to see if that will help reduce the symptoms.

 

The symptom is always the bad guy, the devil at your door. But I think there's another way to look at it-- the symptom is the good guy, the bright angel that appears to help you! The symptom has but one message, and it's meant to guide you-- "You're going too fast!" It's not trying to mess you up, it's simply saying it can't keep up with the repairs at the rate you're removing the drug. And the faster you remove the drug the louder the symptom will shout "You're going too fast!"

 

Therefore, put the symptoms in charge, and adjust the dosage reduction accordingly. When symptoms appear, listen to them. Go slow; if more symptoms appear, go slower. There's less thinking, less planning, less strategizing, and less stress. If just a few symptoms or indeed NO symptoms whatsoever appear, it's an indication that the repairs are going fine.

 

Sometimes somebody has to get off the C right now for a variety of reasons, so this isn't for them. The low-symptom or symptom-free withdrawal is long-term- like a year or more, and the 10% Solution is probably the best strategy for this method (more on this later).

 

Surely a longer, stress-free withdrawal is more healthful and beneficial than a short-and-terrifying, debilitating, and symptom-filled withdrawal.


#2 Carleeta

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Posted 21 August 2014 - 06:54 PM

Thismoment. Very well put....thank you for sharing this process and giving a brighter outlook to others....

#3 TryinginFL

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Posted 21 August 2014 - 09:22 PM

TM...

 

I wish I had found this months ago - thanks for posting to help so many.


#4 buntbean2

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Posted 22 August 2014 - 06:53 PM

Exactly TryinginFL!!  I went too fast.  Excellent advice, thismoment.  Hope others read it before they go too fast too.


#5 FiveNotions

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Posted 24 August 2014 - 12:11 PM

Yep, same here .. from 60 to 0 in one day .. the "crash-test dummy" approach to withdrawal .. :o :unsure: :wacko: :blink:  :huh:


#6 butterfly854

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Posted 01 September 2014 - 02:12 PM

I love this! Thank you for putting it in perspective.

#7 Tinker

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 07:07 AM

Has anyone tried tapering over the course of a year and was it a success?

#8 FiveNotions

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 10:50 AM

Tinker, yes, I think so ... but I can't remember who ... still posting, or posted recently ?? It's in one of my "memory holes" ... others will have to help out here ...


#9 thismoment

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Posted 02 September 2014 - 12:41 PM

Has anyone tried tapering over the course of a year and was it a success?

 

See the notes from Stuart Shipko M.D. from madinamerica.com. There is good evidence that long-term weaning can be virtually symptom-free!

 

The 5% Solution is the strategy used for this long-term symptom-free weaning. Here is a quote from that article:

 

"It was the withdrawal symptoms that convinced the patient that the drug is toxic and that stopping it was essential.  We used the bead tapering strategy, where 5% of the beads from a 150 mg capsule are  removed per month until 75 mg was reached. At 75 mg the tapering schedule was changed to 2.5% per month.  Some months when things were particularly stressful the patient elected not to decrease the dosage. We are at 54 mg and the tapering continues at this time. To date there have been almost no withdrawal related symptoms.  We are optimistic at this point.  This is a good experiment in ultra conservative tapering, and may answer some questions about the value of tapering ultra-slowly in preventing both acute and late onset withdrawal symptoms."

 

Here's the link to that article: http://www.madinamer...odds-revisited/

 

There is also a 10% Solution where 10% of the dosage is removed each month, but the 10% relates to the immediately preceding dosage. If you start at 60 mg, you remove 10% for a month = 54 mg. Then after a month you reduce the 54 mg by 10% for a month and so on. When you reach half the original dosage (30 mg), reduce by 5% per month of the immediately preceding dosage until 15 mg is reached, then reduce by 2.5% per month thereafter until zero. It takes about a year and a half.
 
Of course there is the tried-and-true method of removing 2 or 3 extra beads per day (brand name) and adjust as necessary to keep symptoms at bay. If the symptoms are strong, stop bead counting for some days until you feel you can continue.

#10 Limbo

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Posted 03 November 2014 - 09:38 AM

This article is so true....thank you this moment.

I needed this today. Weaning can be sooooo slooooooow.

Although, when I put it in perspective - most of the time has been ok. I need to remember, five months in, that it's ok - that my symptoms are warning me to slow down - not speed up.

 

Thank you thank you for this reminder and shift in perspective.

 

V.





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