Posted by JohnL on October 24, 1999, at 4:48:34
In reply to Get ready for splitting headaches., posted by Rick on October 23, 1999, at 18:50:48
Hi Rick. I've often wondered the same thing. I don't know the answers to your questions.
With that in mind however, I really don't think small inaccuracies in dosage are going to make any difference. Say for example the 5mg Pindolol breaks unevenly into a 2mg piece and a 3mg piece. Both of those doses are so small I don't think it's even relevent.
I sometimes vary the dosage by small amounts on purpose. I have alway felt it simulates real life better than a pure steady state. For example, I used to take Zoloft. I found it worked better when I took 100mg one day, 125 the next, then 100 the next, and so on. It worked better than 100 everyday or 125 everyday. I do the same now with Prozac and find it makes a positive difference when the dosage has subtle ebbs and flows rather than a continuous steady state. As long as the fluctuations are at or above the therapeutic level.
If exact dosages are important though, there are very accurate weight scales (like a triple beam) that could be used. That's how drug dealers measure out the tiniest fragments of a gram or less of whatever illegal drug they're peddling. I think those scales are expensive though. Not worth what I think are irrelevent discrepencies in dosage accuracies. The inaccuracies of concern here seem too small to make any difference to me. Don't get a splitting headache over it. :)
poster:JohnL
thread:13721
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991016/msgs/13748.html