Brand change dose calculator
If your pharmacy changes your your medicine brand, the beads per capsule or the tablet weight (in grams) can differ — even at the same strength. Enter both brands and this works out the amount to take on the new one to match your current dose.
Or just use the generic calculator below — the maths is the same.
Match your dose on the new brand
Counting beads on the new brand
- Open a few capsules of the new your medicine brand and count the beads in each, then take the average — brands differ, so don't assume the old count.
- Enter that average above to get the number of beads to take on the new brand.
- Count out that number of beads to take, and set the rest aside.
- Take the beads without chewing, and make each dose fresh.
About counting beads
Some capsules (venlafaxine XR, duloxetine and several others) contain small beads. Opening the capsule and counting out the number of beads that make up your dose lets you measure a smaller amount. The beads are then swallowed, without chewing.
Bead counts vary by brand — it's recommended to count the contents of 3–5 capsules then take the average. Beads can't be split, so you'll always be rounding to a whole number. The "round up" option is usually safer when reducing.
Weighing on the new brand
- Weigh a whole tablet or the full contents of a capsule of the new brand on a milligram scale — average a few for accuracy, as weight varies by brand.
- Enter that weight above to get the amount to weigh on the new brand.
- Weigh out that amount — by crushing a tablet, scraping small amounts off, or weighing capsule beads — and take it.
- If you measure doses in advance, put each weighed dose into an empty capsule shell or an airtight pill-container.
About the weighing method
You weigh a measured amount of the medication on a milligram scale — some people crush a tablet to an even powder, others scrape small amounts from a tablet or weigh capsule beads. It's the method to reach for when a medicine can't be made into a reliable liquid and doesn't divide cleanly with a cutter.
The key thing to understand: a tablet's physical weight is not the same as its drug content. A "50 mg" tablet might weigh 0.18 g (180 mg) once you include the binders and fillers — so the calculator scales by the tablet's measured weight, and shows how much active drug each gram holds. Weigh a whole tablet or the full contents of a capsule (or the average of a few) to get an accurate weight.
Accuracy depends on your scale and on the drug being evenly distributed through the tablet — which isn't true for every formulation. Use a scale that reads to 0.001 g (1 mg), weigh onto a small weigh-boat or paper, and don't use this method for modified-release or coated tablets. If you need very small doses, a compounded product is usually more reliable.
Plan your full taper in TaperMate
This calculator handles one dose. The TaperMate app calculates a full reduction schedule with hold periods, microtapering and symptom monitoring — so each new dose is one tap away, not a daily maths problem.
Sources to discuss with your prescriber
- Horowitz MA, Taylor D. The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines: Antidepressants, Benzodiazepines, Gabapentinoids and Z-drugs. Wiley, 2024.
- Sørensen A. Crossing Zero: The Art and Science of Coming Off — and Staying Off — Psychiatric Drugs.
- RELEASE Toolkit — Reducing & Eliminating LongtErm AntidepreSsant usE. releasetoolkit.com.au