Posted by blueberry on May 19, 2006, at 18:45:08
In reply to need help, posted by bluebottles on May 19, 2006, at 17:13:11
I am in pretty bad shape but can offer some ideas.
First, if you have depression that comes back again weeks or months after you taper off your meds, and it has happened more than once, then it is probably a good idea to stay on meds for a lot longer to prevent relapse from happening for as long as possible. If you keep going on and off meds, sooner or later they aren't going to work like they used to.
Tapering...it depends on what kind of med it is.
If it is extended release, you can reduce the dosage. You can also spread them farther apart. For example, instead of taking 1 every 24 hours, take 1 every 36 hours. After a week, 1 every 40 hours, and so on.If they are capsules (but not extended release) you can dump the contents onto a plate and take just portions. Reduce the portions you take over time.
If they are tablets, you can use a knife or razor blade to cut them into pieces. That way you can take smaller portions.
However you do it, the idea is to slowly reduce the dosage in tiny steps. With each new lower dose, stay there for 4 to 7 days before going down to another lower dose. The smaller the steps you take and the longer you take the easier the withdrawals will be.
poster:blueberry
thread:646008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060515/msgs/646043.html