1. Weigh several intact tablets from the same bottle and lot. This gives an average mass per tablet, which is more reliable than weighing only one.
What “proportional” means
A linear taper removes the same number of milligrams at every change. A proportional taper removes a percentage of the current dose, so each absolute reduction becomes smaller.
The term “hyperbolic tapering” describes a related, pharmacologically informed approach intended to make changes in medication effect more even—especially at low doses. A percentage schedule is an approximation, not a universal prescription.
Do not treat this calculator as medical instructions.
Withdrawal can be serious. Benzodiazepines can cause dangerous withdrawal, including seizures. Never stop suddenly or alter a formulation unless your prescriber or pharmacist confirms the medicine, dose form, timing, and measurement method are appropriate.
The schedule should respond to the person
If a reduction feels too aggressive or withdrawal symptoms become distressing, do not force the next step. Discuss making smaller reductions, holding the current dose for a week or longer, or returning to the last well-tolerated dose with the prescriber. Continue only after symptoms have resolved or become tolerable. Some medicines have delayed withdrawal, so one week may not always be long enough.
Slower is still progress. The printed schedule is a proposal for review, not a deadline. Write pauses and changed targets in the notes column and have the revised plan checked.
Understand pill mass before doing the math
A tablet’s total scale weight includes the active medicine plus fillers, binders, and coating. A tablet labeled “50 mg” can weigh much more than 50 mg. If—and only if—a pharmacist confirms that this exact immediate-release tablet may be crushed and measured, the mathematical proportion begins with an average tablet mass.
2. Only if approved: crush completely and mix thoroughly. The purpose is to measure a proportion of the powder and estimate its medicine content even though the tablet also contains fillers and binders. Uniformity is not guaranteed.
3. Use the proportion to calculate how much powder corresponds to the taper target. A checked scale measurement is more repeatable than splitting a tablet by eye.
Never crush based only on this page.
Do not use this method for extended-, sustained-, controlled-, delayed-, or modified-release products (XR, ER, SR, CR, XL, DR, MR), enteric-coated tablets, coated beads, capsules, sublingual products, hazardous medicines, or any product your pharmacist has not specifically cleared. A pharmacy-compounded liquid or manufacturer liquid is often more reliable.
Separate example: if a 50 mg tablet has an average total mass of 230 mg, then a 25 mg medicine target is one-half of the labeled dose. The powder calculation is 230 × (25 ÷ 50) = 115 mg of powder. The red worksheet below performs this same proportion for every taper row.
What “reliable measurement” requires
A display reading of 0.001 g means 1 mg resolution; it does not prove 1 mg accuracy. Accuracy, repeatability, calibration, minimum sample mass, air movement, vibration, static, an off-center load, and the weighing container all affect the result.
- Use a level, stable, draft-free surface and the same clean weighing container.
- Verify repeatability and calibration with appropriate certified check weights.
- Tare correctly and confirm that the target mass is comfortably above the scale’s minimum reliable sample weight.
- Record every result and stop if repeated readings do not agree.
Consumer scales are not automatically medical devices.
Pocket scales from brands such as Smart Weigh are commonly sold online, including Amazon, at modest prices. Brand, price, and displayed digits do not establish medical-grade accuracy or suitability for a particular medicine.
Common medicine reference entries and formulation cautions
These broad example daily dose ranges are only for orientation. They are not taper targets, dosing advice, or proof that a formulation may be crushed or measured.
| Type | Medicine | Broad example daily dose | Important note |
|---|
YOUR WORKSHEET INPUTS
Build the schedule you will print
Everything inside this dark-red section is connected. Every field below is used in the calculated schedule, graph, or pharmacist-review printout. The explanatory examples above are not used.
1Schedule inputs
“Weekly” means the dose remains the same each day for that week and changes once at the next weekly step. “Daily” changes the target every day.
Automatic ending rule—The ending percentage is half of the reduction percentage. The graph and print sheet continue automatically until that level is reached.
2Tablet inputs used for powder calculations
Enter the labeled medicine strength and the total scale mass of several intact tablets. These values are used to calculate the powder-mass column for every schedule row.
Average used for every powder calculation: —
Enter every tablet weight above.
Enter every tablet weight above.
3Calculated results
Next mathematical target—
Powder mass for next target—only if approved—
Automatic ending target—
Displayed duration—
Proportional targetLinear comparisonHover, focus, or tap for values
4Printable discussion sheet
The print sheet uses the schedule inputs, labeled tablet strength, and average tablet mass entered above.
Preview calculated print sheet
Double-check the calculator
To be absolutely safe, ask a technically capable person to inspect the page’s JavaScript and verify every calculation independently before relying on it. The source is intentionally commented and readable through your browser’s View Source or developer tools. A correct equation still cannot establish that a medicine is safe to alter or that a consumer scale is accurate.