do not reduce by more than 10 percent a month. you need a slow tapering schedule. i use a scale.
so i started at 150mg
step one: i opened the capsule and weighed the grains. i took an average or the grains from several pills as not each capsule will have the same exact weight and average was 463 mgs per pill weight.
step 2: so i then calculated 10 percent of 463 which is 416.7 and that was the dose id weigh foe the next month which would put you at 135mgs.
NOTE: I know its confusing but basically since the actual capsule does not contain 150mgs of the medication but has a different weight, you make your percentage reductions based on the weight inside the capsule not a percentage of 150mg or whatever you actual medication dose is. AGAIN to get the weight of your starting dose you weigh the contents 4 or 5 capsules separately then getting an average weight.
And in order for you to know what that all translates too in miligrams down from 150mg you can also plug 150mg into the calculator with a 10 percent reduction per month and then you can see where you are at with each reduction.
PHYSICALLY WEIGHING THE BEADS IN A CAPSULE For the physical part or doing this:
basically you can open the capsule pour it into a little cup onto the scale and then use a tweezer to remove beads until you are at the correct weight then pour those beads back into the capsule.
once you are reducing my more you can open a capsules and pour a bit of the grains into a jar yoy designate for discarded grains/beads. Then pour the rest of the beads onto the little tray on the scale. if it weight less than the desired weight i use my fingers to take beads out of the discard jar and pour them onto the tray on the scale until i get the correct weight. then i carefully pour the beads from the tray back into the capsule.
if you would like a video of how i do it let me know and i can find a way to send it to you.
i am attaching 2 photos of what a taper schedule would look like for 150 mgs at 10 percent reduction a month and what it would look like if your 150mg capsule content (not including the capsule shell) had an average weight of 463 mg. note that both photos will have the same start date, the same percentage reduction for a cycle of 30 days. one photo will show your actual mg dose example 150mg and the other photo will show a chart for the weight of the 150mg dose which is my case is 463 mg and the 463 js what i rely on to base my reductions off of as i am measuring and making reductions using that start weight.
It all seems complicated but it becomes easy. i never thought id be reducing effexor but thanks to help from folks at survivingantidepressants.org and the tapering calculators they provide ive made progress