Goofball: risperidon

[Goofball]

Hi. I'm a pretty healthy one except for having my emotions and libido greatly reduced by risperidon. I also gained 15-20kg (33-44lbs) weight when started it and had a mixed bag of minor side-effects. It was prescribed for psychosis. My current prescription is 5mg a day of which I'm currently eating only 2mg a day because I want to quit taking it. I recently dropped it to that from 3mg and had just some headache that lasted for a day, but that could be also from experiencing strong emotions that day. It was the first time since starting medication after two years that I've managed to have strong emotions.

 

I have read about safe tapering and that you should not take risperidon every other day or so but every day due to its half-life and making you too sensitive to it if you take daily breaks from it, so my only option is to find a doctor who understands and won't put me on closed ward for trying to quit but will instead prescribe smaller tablets so I can do at least some kind of tapering instead of going cold turkey from my 2mg daily doze. I just don't know what to say to appeal to the doctor's goodwill, would appreciate any tips there.

I'm probably gonna tell the truth, the side-effects I've been having and that I now have solid strategies I've already tested to cope with psychosis, so I'm ready to get off. I could also lie and say I forgot to renew my recipe and need it done fast, I actually forgot that once and it worked, but that way I would only get the standard size pills and tapering would be much rougher than the 10% a month approach. So split between the two.

 

I will keep this updated for the tapering process and symptoms as requested so someone might find a bit of relief from this ordeal.

[manymoretodays]

Hi Goofball and welcome to survivingantidepressants.org,

 

I'm going to give you a lot of links to information today.  Try to take a look at some of them, especially to some of the information that is often in the first post of each link.

We also need you to create a signature for us.  This is the portion that you see below other members posts, unless viewing from a phone device.  You can still, however create a signature from a phone device. 

Please put your withdrawal history in a signature

Read through the first post there, so you understand what is asked for, and then follow the link there, to your Account Setting, to create your signature.

 

Before you begin tapering-what you need to know

 

Here at Surviving Antidepressants, it is recommended that a person taper by no more than 10% of their current dose with at least a four week hold in-between decreases.  The 10% taper recommendation is a harm reduction approach to going off psychiatric drugs.

 

*Why taper by 10% of my dose

We generally recommend a slower taper than what you have been doing.  A 10% reduction based on each previous dose.  You've gone down by more than 50%.  For now......if I were you......I would just HOLD at your present daily dosage until we have a little more information, and know a bit more about you as well.

 

*What is withdrawal syndrome

Brain remodeling

When we take medications, the CNS (central nervous system) responds by making changes over the months and years we take the drug(s). When the medication is discontinued, the CNS has to undo all the changes it made.  The CNS likes stability. Rebuilding the neurotransmitter production and reactivating the receptor and transporter cells takes time -- during that rebuilding process symptoms occur.

The effects of your medication decreases may not always appear immediately.

 

The windows and waves pattern of stabilization

 

*Tips for tapering off Risperdal(risperidone)

^This is going to be really helpful to you I think.

 

This is your introduction/journal page where you have now introduced yourself to the community, you can ask questions here regarding your tapering, give updates, and just keep a record of your journey.

Again, welcome.  Let us know if you have any difficulties with the signature.

 

Love, peace, healing, and growth,

manymoretodays

 

 

 

Edited November 25, 2018 by manymoretodays