TaperMate

Venlafaxine bead counting taper calculator

Some venlafaxine capsules can be opened and the beads counted out to make a smaller dose. Enter your numbers below to see how many beads to take — and the formula so you can check it yourself.

Venlafaxine · capsule beads

Single dose calculator

mg
One whole capsule's strength.
beads
Count the contents of 3–5 capsules and take the average.
mg
What you want to take today.
Beads to take
—beads
take this many of the 0 beads in one 75 mg capsule. Beads can't be split, so round below.
Formula beads = (target dose ÷ capsule strength) × beads per capsule
With your numbers (37.5 ÷ 75) × 0 = 0 beads
Round up · safer on withdrawal
— beads
≈ — mg — slightly higher, generally safer.
Round to nearest
— beads
≈ — mg — closest to your target.
Item 14L · Verify Validate this calculation
Capsule strength
75 mg per capsule
Beads per capsule
0 beads
One bead
— mg — strength ÷ beads
Target dose
37.5 mg — what you want to take
Beads to take
0 beads (before rounding)
Check
(0 ÷ 0) × 75 = — mg ✓
Every input and the formula are shown so you can verify the result by hand.
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Get the plain-English venlafaxine guide
How to taper venlafaxine safely — we'll email it and the occasional update.

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Counting beads, step by step

Method The maths above gives the number; these steps are the practical part. Adapted from the RELEASE Toolkit. Adjust the amounts to what your prescriber agreed.
  1. Open a capsule carefully over a clean plate, with clean, dry hands, so no beads are lost.
  2. Count the total number of beads — or use a verified average for your brand from 3–5 capsules.
  3. Use the calculator above to find how many beads make your target dose.
  4. Count out that number, then place the beads back into an empty capsule shell or mix them with a little apple purée and swallow without chewing — swallowing loose beads can irritate the throat.
  5. Prepare 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. Count with clean, dry hands. The beads are then placed back into an empty capsule shell or mixed with a little apple purée and swallowed without chewing — swallowing loose beads can irritate the throat.

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.

Pharmacy changed your brand?Bead counts differ between brands — work out the matching count on the new one →Read the venlafaxine tapering guidePlain-English steps and the full RELEASE reduction schedule for venlafaxine →
Next step

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.

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Sources to discuss with your prescriber