Tapering "Time delay" alternative taper style (?)

[Jabberwocky]

I've had this idea in my head for awhile and I'm thinking about trying it out. I'm not sure how well it would work.

The idea is gradually increasing the time between doses instead of gradually reducing doses to taper.

So, for example, if you dose once per day, add a little more time in before dosing again
Day 1: 6am (24 hr since last dose)
Day 2: 7am (25 hr since last dose)
Day 3: 9 am (26 hr since last dose)
Day 4: 12pm (27 hr since last dose)

(just as an example, this is probably too fast, too quick)

assume withdrawal hits at 24hr mark

the dose isn't changing, only time in between dose

gradually you would start experiencing a little more time of withdrawal per day, over time this would lower your tolerance, and theoretically lower dependence (??)

not sure how practical this is, just curious what others think

 

[bongdong]

I would think that this highly depends on the substance we are talking about, you didn't actually mention, or am I missing something? The purpose of tapering is to gradually (as opposed to going cold turkey) come off a substance one has become accoustomed to, for various reasons, right?

Theoretically speaking, I think this would work. But I see a number of issues and questions here...

Say you space out the dosing interval to a point where tolerance goes down significantly, wouldn't that also mean that you won't be able to handle a 'full' dose anymore? Again, highly depends on the substance! So why keep a steady dose? Your example shows intervals in hours, rather defined I would say; what do you do when its bed time? Interruped sleep to dose?

Generally I'm wondering, what's the aim or the novelty of such a time schedule approach? Does it afford less discipline than conventional tapering and who says that latter does not include spacing out the doses as well at some point or another? I think customizing a routine to ones needs (e.g. what substance is it?, how severe / dangerous is WD, like are seizures a possibility? etc., your pain tolerance, your determination / motivation etc. etc.) is more relevant than the proposed 'alternative' schedule.

Like with kratom, when we are not talking of crazy high doses, I would suggest skipping a whole day right away for example. Sleep might be possible (which is important), the next day is probably shit but you can then catch yourself with a redose and chances are that you might not even want a full load (whatever that was) again. You will get the same effect with less, just because of the 48h intervall.

If you were 10 years on benzodiazepines or antidepressants, it's a completely different story I would say and you would have to keep up a rigit time schedule for month and month probably. Keeping up the initial (high) dose would be nonsensical resp. impossible or dangerous when tolerance becomes more and more diminished. You know what I mean? What do you think is the benefit of going about it this way?

 

[SpiralusSancti]

This method is not something to be dismissed easily. Think about how you got addicted? Dosing higher and more often. Depending on a drug, sometimes doing just one of those would not lead to, if not overall at least not to strong physical addiction. Let’s take example of doing some opiate once a week, rising dose a bit every week would sooner bring you to dose that makes you sick than it would hook you up more (well with something that has really long duration and half-life it would be different). Another example would be taking some opiate once a month and than upping to few times a month would still not make you an addict. If you would have will strong enough to keep it that way in either case years would pass and you would still be using it recreationally rather than being (at least not physically) addicted.

Now let’s consider “time delay” or, I would call it “erase n rewind” method. Thing is you have to stop with idea of pain free tapper cuz it’s just making it harder rather than easier. Is it easier to stop after month of usage or a year of usage? Obviously a year and so after a month of using some drug, it’s better to just stop cold turkey, make an ultra rapid tapper or switch to something less damaging and addictive for a period of time because if you chose a slow tapper you are in fact getting yourself more addicted day by day even if you are lowering dose and jumping to zero use after months will be almost certainly worse than if you have just stopped altogether months ago.

So even with keeping it stupid simple by just spacing time between usage more and more without adjusting dosage and/or supplementing with something less harmful and less addictive what will happen? If you manage to keep spacing your doses (enduring some withdrawal from time to time), first you’ll get high again on the same dose you started tapering from and eventually you’ll space your doses so much that you’ll start lowering them so you wouldn’t od.

Think about it, simply as reversing process that got you addicted. Don’t think it’s that bad to experience any wd. If you got to go to work, depending on substance you could start spacing it more and more during weekend, supplementing with lighter stuff and sooner or latter you’ll get to the point where you find yourself taking dose that’s too big to work on, than you either chose to lower it, supplement it with lighter stuff, taking your drug during weekend and time off instead when you work and eventually stop being junkie and becoming a recreational user again.

 

[Eligiu]

I've used this method with Suboxone and it's worked great for me. But many people also use alternative day dosing for buprenorphine regardless of tapering.

 

[PtahTek]

Personally I feel this is a legit exercise that bolsters ones resolve and lowers tolerance.
I use this method of "skipping" doses and lowering the quantity of intake. They both seem to be effective at tapering, IME. After all it is the lowering of dose that tapering is all about, no?

 

[SpiralusSancti]

Along that I find this method can motivate a person to lower dose so much and spread them so much to again be able to enjoy certain substance or a group of substances responsibly unlike perpetual circle of coming to very high dose of something and than lowering it over too long stretch of time just to end up on it or something similar not long after reaching 0 amount.

Some people get irrational fear of WD's, think any bad feeling they get during abstinence or lowering dose is WD even go so far to convince themselves that they could die from a WD even if it might be so unrealistic that to die/get health complications from substance (ab)use is far more likely than to fuck themselves by going cold turkey (I’m not saying you should stop huge dose of gabanerics cold turkey). But when I see examples where people advise someone on, by any realistic standard taking rather small dose , to starch tapering over months or years I wonder do they not understand that all in all over those years (with some substances even in low therapeutic doses, hell even in subtreshold doses with some) they will in fact by the end of tapering and by jumping to 0 in fact be more fucked up from years of use than if clutching teeth and enduring months but having far less chance of long term problems and far bigger chance of enjoying life again rather than being semi-miserable for years or decades as what more or less is considered normal by standards of far too many doctors who find success when someone stops using his drug of choice, his medicine and gets on some sub-par substance which more often than not, causes as much health problems and is as addictive or more.