rispermeh: advice for tapering Risperdal after 1 month using only

[rispermeh]

Hello everyone, first post here on the forum

 

I was prescribed Risperdal for my schizoaffective disorder a little over a month ago and have decided to taper off of it for various reasons... Firstly taking it caused intrusive thoughts to occur which is a brand new symptom for me and never occurred before taking the meds... it feels like I may be diagnosed with OCD now because of the intrusive thoughts, and they are now way worse than any other symptom pertaining to my disorder. Withdrawal symptoms so far have been fatigue, insomnia, restlessness, more intrusive thoughts, low appetite, severe cognitive impairment, cant read or watch anything on tv, words are hard to put together, and really bad anxiety.

 

So I started taking 1.5mg on 6/29 for about 4 weeks(the month of July) and decided to taper.. and I bought a scale for the tapering process.(no idea how to use it properly)

By Aug 4th I tapered down rapidly to a quarter of a 3 mg pill (roughly .750mg) and have been taking that much since.

 

-My question is since i was only taking for a month at 1.5mg is it necessary to draw it out still for many more weeks or is a shorter taper recommended? If i do the 10% method it will take me many more months of being on the drug to finally quit it which doesnt seem logical to do considering my length of time on it. Unfortunately being on the Risperdal was never beneficial to begin with, as it was a bad fit and caused unwanted intrusive/disorganized thoughts, so the longer I stay on it, the worse I get it feels in that regard, not including withdrawal from the drug itself.. and so its just hard to tell what is withdrawal symptom versus what are the unwanted side effects from the drug.. 

 

 

Thank you!

[rispermeh]

advice for tapering risperdal after 4 weeks

 

Hi all

 

First post here in this forum

 

I have been taking Risperdal since June 29 and have been having really bad side effects that doesnt seem normal to have as bad as Im having so i decided to taper off the drug. The drug itself is causing massive  panic inducing intrusive thoughts, cognitive issues, cant watch tv or read for very long, problem with eyesight, some muscle stiffness(dystonia?), akathesia, that have all been really bad. Ive been tapering but the longer I stay on the drug I the more i have side effects that seem to be getting worse. I was only dosing at 1.50mg for 4 weeks, then at week 5 i decided to taper down to around .750 where Ive been at since aug 3rd. I feel like I may just be hyper sensitive to the drug as my pdoc said 1.5 is not enough to be therapeutic and is a "relatively low dose" and he also didnt think tapering was necessary. 

 

My question is 10% reduction rate every 4 weeks still necessary if i only was on for 4weeks on my max dose? I want to go faster than that because I feel like the longer i stay on the drug the more I have these unwanted side effect and want to get off this drug asap, as it seems it wasnt a good fit to begin with.

 

Thank you all, much love

 

Edited August 11, 2022 by ChessieCat
added Intro topic title before merging with intro topic

[rispermeh]

apologies for the double post. 

 

is my post pending for approval ?

 

i was hoping to get some info about tapering my meds here...

 

I dont know if I am going too fast and the symptoms are severe right now...

 

hoping someone will reply 

 

 

[Shep]

Hi, Rispermeh.

 

Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants.

 

On 8/9/2022 at 12:13 AM, rispermeh said:

I was prescribed Risperdal for my schizoaffective disorder a little over a month ago and have decided to taper off of it for various reasons.

 

Is risperdal your only psychiatric drug? Have you been on psychiatric drugs before? Or any other drug (including recreational drugs) that may have triggered odd behavior? Or did your odd behavior start because of insomnia? A lot of people with this so-called "disorder" have stopped sleeping, which can trigger odd behavior. Please note that odd behavior is not a "disease" or a "disorder." It's a symptom. Many times the odd behavior is caused by another drug (psychiatric or recreational) or stress, poor diet, trauma, etc. that cause you to stop sleeping. 

 

It only takes one month to become dependent on a psychiatric drug, so having been on risperdal since the end of June (6 weeks ago) means you may be dependent. If you're experiencing withdrawal symptoms, then likely dependency did set in. However, with this short a time of use, you'll need to weigh the side effects against any withdrawal effects. 

 

If you do decide you need to taper, here is the information: 

Tips for tapering off risperidone (Risperdal)

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Please let us know if there's more to your psychiatric drug history than this current drug.  Even certain antibiotics and steroids can cause odd behavior for some people. 

[rispermeh]

Hi Shep Thanks for the response

 

Yes, Risperdal is my only current medicine.

 

I was taking Prozac for 6 months in 2020 and stopped because I got as severe reaction from it, stiff muscles on whole body ended up almost paralyzed from it so I stopped CT. Thats it as far my history. Could there be some prolonged WD effect happening all this time later? I am also taking suboxone for my substance use disorder... it is a partial opioid agonist used for helping drug addicts to get sober, and Ive been on that drug for 4 years and have been doing well and clean as far as my sobriety.

 

To answer your question, I am pretty certain right now that the drug itself is causing some odd/intrusive/disorganized thought processes that could be seen as weird behavior outwardly... Before taking the drug I was able to manage my disorder without drugs pretty well since getting diagnosed 6 years ago(its mostly been mild, Ive never been hospitalized, or had a severe psychotic break/forced to take medicines against my will), and now the difference has been night and day. It has helped the hallucinations and delusions I have, but in return It has caused a severe flare up of cognitive symptoms that was never a problem before. The trade off has been awful and I just feel worse now more than ever. Fortunately, It hasnt affected my sleep (yet) and Ive been able to sleep at least 8 hours per night.. i  am very thankful for that. 

 

Last night i tapered down to .625 mg of Risperdal and my plan is to take this dose for another week, and go down to .50 mg. I am just wondering if there are any recomendations for a faster taper? perhaps one that takes into account short duration of use

 

I am kinda worried about the "rebound" psychosis also.. and I get that slowly is always best.. but these new side effects have made it impossible to want to take the meds daily!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Shep]

11 hours ago, rispermeh said:

I was taking Prozac for 6 months in 2020 and stopped because I got as severe reaction from it, stiff muscles on whole body ended up almost paralyzed from it so I stopped CT.

 

Please add this to your signature, along with suboxone. We need to see your entire drug history at a glance in your signature. This will help us give you the best advice we can, including possible drug interactions. 

 

11 hours ago, rispermeh said:

Could there be some prolonged WD effect happening all this time later? I am also taking suboxone for my substance use disorder.

 

There's a MAJOR drug interaction between suboxone and risperdal. Please see this report: 

 

Drug Interaction Report - Suboxone and Risperdal (risperidone)

 

It's good you stopped the Prozac because that drug also has a moderate drug interaction with suboxone.  The reaction can cause muscle spasm or stiffness, and as noted in that report, for some it can be severe. It sounds like you may have suffered from the combination. 

 

11 hours ago, rispermeh said:

Before taking the drug I was able to manage my disorder without drugs pretty well since getting diagnosed 6 years ago(its mostly been mild, Ive never been hospitalized, or had a severe psychotic break/forced to take medicines against my will), and now the difference has been night and day.

 

If you were using recreational drugs during the time of being accused of a "mental illness," it likely was the effects of the drugs or withdrawal from them. 

 

I really wouldn't buy into having a "mental illness." The same people who accused you of being "mentally ill" are the same people who've placed you on psychiatric drugs that have potential deadly drug interactions. 

 

Dr. Thomas Szasz referred to "mental illness" as a myth. What we struggle with isn't some sort of mind disease, but rather, what he called problems in living. I think there's a lot to that. 

 

When our stress exceeds are coping skills, we act irrationally and bother the people around us. That's what gets us into psychiatry. Or we feel so miserable, we seek out psychiatry for some relief. But all they do is give out dangerous drugs. Odd thing to do, isn't it? 

 

Many of us find that increasing our non-drug coping skills can be wildly effective in managing stress. Also, finding meaningful work, healthy relationships, getting enough exercise, eating a healthy diet, etc. all go into feeling good, physically and emotionally. 

 

Please see:

 

Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms

 

Learning mindfulness can be very helpful in reducing anxiety and ruminating thoughts. Guided sleep meditations can be helpful in learning to sleep without drugs. Having a daily routine can also be helpful in staying organized (including keeping your thoughts organized). I know I think more clearly when my apartment and my desk at work are clean and organized. Start with the small things and work your way up to organizing the big things in life. 

 

I had a so-called "psychosis" diagnosis and was told I'd be on drugs for life. But I've been off all psychiatric drugs (including antipsychotics) for over 7 years and feel a lot better than when I was drugged. 

 

11 hours ago, rispermeh said:

Last night i tapered down to .625 mg of Risperdal and my plan is to take this dose for another week, and go down to .50 mg. I am just wondering if there are any recomendations for a faster taper? perhaps one that takes into account short duration of use

 

I would get off this drug quick, not just because of the short duration of use, but also because of that MAJOR drug interaction. You may want to go faster than reducing once a week, perhaps as quickly as every 3 days. The drug interaction is potentially quite serious and may be much worse than whatever withdrawal symptoms you may have from 6 weeks worth of use. 

 

Make sure you're spacing the risperdal at least two hours apart from the suboxone to lessen the likelihood of a drug interaction. 

 

[rispermeh]

"I would get off this drug quick, not just because of the short duration of use, but also because of that MAJOR drug interaction. You may want to go faster than reducing once a week, perhaps as quickly as every 3 days. The drug interaction is potentially quite serious and may be much worse than whatever withdrawal symptoms you may have from 6 weeks worth of use. "

 

Thank you. I had some concerns about this already... Since taking the Risperal there have been several nights where I woke up in the middle of the night gasping for air/vomiting and choking because the Risperdal affected my breathing way too much on top of taking the Suboxone which because its an opiate, does the same exact thing. I told my pdoc about it and he said it likely had nothing to do with the Risperdal and said i may have sleep apnea.. but the obvious culprit would be Risperdal. Suddenly after taking this medicine I start having choking and vomiting fits at night and my pdoc doesnt make the connection sadly..

 

I am worried about rebound psychosis though. Though I do hope since Ive only been on for 6 weeks it isnt as pronounced as Im fearing...

So I need to get off the drug soon but dont want to risk the rebound psychosis that could come with abrupt cessation. 

 

A good thing to note however is that the night gasping fits only occured at 1.5 mg, and havent happened since reducing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ChessieCat]

22 minutes ago, rispermeh said:

said i may have sleep apnea

 

Yes, caused by taking two sedating drugs!

 

I'm glad you are being your own detective.

 

From https://reference.medscape.com/drug-interactionchecker

• buprenorphine + risperidone

  buprenorphine and risperidone both increase sedation. Use Caution/Monitor.

[ChessieCat]

24 minutes ago, rispermeh said:

A good thing to note however is that the night gasping fits only occured at 1.5 mg, and havent happened since reducing.

 

Yes, that is good.

[Shep]

10 hours ago, rispermeh said:

I am worried about rebound psychosis though. Though I do hope since Ive only been on for 6 weeks it isnt as pronounced as Im fearing...

 

What do you mean by "rebound psychosis"? What symptoms are you having that would lead you to think you might have this? 

 

Your time on this drug is minimal. I wouldn't catastrophize about this. A lot of symptoms that get labeled "psychosis" are because some people stop sleeping if they go off the drug too quickly. Also, long time use can lead to dopamine supersensitivity, which can have symptoms that get labeled "psychotic," but again, this is more for long time use. The prognosis for recovery from short term use is quite good. There's no reason to think you won't be able to get off this drug safely. 

[rispermeh]

Thanks Shep.

 

Very informative. Dopamine supersensitivity is I think what I was trying to get at by rebound psychosis. Meaning getting off the drug too quickly will basically make my psychotic symptoms worse than baseline and my new normal will be worse than it was pre-medication. Ive read that in time it gradually goes away after many months but the main fear being a second psychotic break (with gradual reduction minimizing the severity of it, though a relapse does happen eventually it seems)

 

"What symptoms are you having that would lead you to think you might have this?"

 

After every reduction there has been a few days where I just feel extremely sensitive and quick to feel triggers that deal with my delusions and hallucinations. And then there is a couple days after that where it somewhat balances off. My last reduction was 3 days ago and Ive been getting sudden heart palpitations almost every hour whenever I think of my voices. Like they are hitting way harder. They were hardly noticeable before. Now the frequency and severity has changed. Ill start pacing and dealing with intrusive thoughts that put me in a loop. Ive had bad head aches and Brain Fog, and have gotten really sensitive to noise, light, heat, cold, and have been needing airpods on 24/7 with soothing music to drown everything out because basically everything has been triggering my psychotic symptoms. (for example hearing sirens is extremely triggering now, and I have to close my window immediately before I start getting into a bad thought loop or feeling massive anxiety). There is a period every night right before dosing where I start panicking and having extreme intrusive thoughts and it goes away with re-dosing(this leads me to think Im already greatly dependent on the drug).

 

I really want to just get off the drug ASAP, like within two weeks, but the risk for super-sensitivity seems to weighing in against it.

 

It would be horrible to end up hospitalized and them just give me large dose of risperdal despite the side effects and risk involved. I know in the hospital they wont bother to look at any of this, and will just have me take 3mg(like my pdoc wanted). This is my worst case scenario I guess.. 

[Shep]

@rispermeh Thanks for these details. Using soothing music is an excellent non-drug coping technique. 

 

The fact that you know this is happening as related to your drug is good. It means you're connected to reality and you understand what's going on in the world around you. 

 

I think you may enjoy this video. It helped me a lot when I was dealing with dopamine supersensitivity:

 

Compassion for Voices: a tale of courage and hope video (5 minutes)

 

This is another video I listened to a lot during that time:

 

Nervousness, Anxiety & Fear ~ Spoken by Mooji video (10 minutes)

 

Continue to find ways of soothing your nervous system. 

 

Please let us know how you're feeling as you continue to reduce. If you're not having the drug interaction because you've lowered the dose enough, you may want to hold for a few days. 

 

Remember to tell yourself that this is temporary and you're going to be okay. Because it's true! 

 

[rispermeh]

Update . Down to .375mg

 

rebound symptoms hitting hard today

 

Major symptom is loss of insight with psychosis related stuff(voices, seeing things), it’s as if I am fearing losing my sense of self and reality 

 

it’s as I thought would happen, which is worse than i was before even taking meds, but still hoping it goes away in time

 

didnt think a month of use was long enough to cause symptoms this severe, leading to me questioning my sanity more than I ever have. Perhaps an extremely slow taper is necessary after all

 

at least off meds I could tell the difference between what voices are real, and what’s not real, now the line is blurry, as intrusive thoughts continue to get worse

 

 

[Shep]

@rispermeh Are you getting any relief from the drug interactions mentioned earlier in your thread? Are those symptoms decreasing as you decrease the Risperdal? 

[rispermeh]

Yes ,

 

I haven’t had that interaction since reducing the risperdal, but my Pdoc wants to introduce seroquel 200mg into the equation on top of risperdal and suboxone because of the rebound symptoms.. it doesn’t feel right. 
 

I know seroquel is extremely sedating and that’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid here, because of the partial opiate I’m taking 

There is a definite risk of my breathing getting slowed down too much which I experienced a few times already, and my Pdoc thinks the interaction is nothing to worry about 

 

[Shep]

13 hours ago, rispermeh said:

and my Pdoc thinks the interaction is nothing to worry about 

 

He or she isn't the one who suffers the consequences. Good thing you researched these drugs and are getting off them. 

 

13 hours ago, rispermeh said:

I haven’t had that interaction since reducing the risperdal, but my Pdoc wants to introduce seroquel 200mg into the equation on top of risperdal and suboxone because of the rebound symptoms.. it doesn’t feel right. 

 

No, that doesn't feel right to me, either. Seroquel and suboxone also have a drug interaction. I would avoid Seroquel. 

 

How is your sleep? 

[rispermeh]

Sleep has been getting worse, but its not the length of sleep, just having a lot of disturbances. Like waking up with electric sensations in whole body, similar to cold sweats where the body temperature feels disregulated but it feels more electric and sharper. Ive been having vivid nightmares frequently that leave me awake for hours, and having strange disorganized closed eyed visuals that feel almost like a bad acid trip but only around the time Im waking up or going to sleep. Its like when i close my eyes ill see a mess of shapes, figures, symbols, just bunched together swirling around and it causes a lot of disorientation. Feels like my head is spinning but only when eyes are closed.

 

I cant tell if some of these are rebound psychotic symptoms or just withdrawal from the drug, but whatever the case is, ive never had any of these symptoms before even mildy,.. and i feel like the drug is making me more crazy. Losing my sense of logic, or being able to rationally disassemble my paranoid thoughts is something I never really feared losing before, now I find myself questioning everything, scared of every sound, every slight disturbance, constantly on high alert, and there is a steady uneasiness... like i am close to a "break". 

 

I have been a week on .375 and not sure if i should hold here, for another week or jump down to .25. The last time i jumped down i had nightmares and barely slept for a few nights, and those electric burning sensations in the whole body were really bad. But really what Im more worried of is completely losing insight and "blacking out" into psychosis. 

 

Anyways.. At this point I think I was wrongfully diagnosed with schizophrenia, because the doctors have told me Im too self-aware to be schizophrenic. That sounds invalidating to others who deal with this illness, but I think it is a somewhat accurate thing to say for me at least. I kind of agree with it, but also just might have a mild psychotic disorder(no manic issues, no agression, no visual hallucinations, no problems with family, only very very quiet audible hallucinations, and some paranoia that I use logic to fight back against).  I have always felt my condition was either 1) brought on by my past opiate addiction or 2) a form of stressed induced psychotic depression and goes away on its own. Taking the drug was entirely an experiment and I said to myself "maybe its time to give it a shot", and I hadnt even seen my doctor for months, which is to say it wasnt out of necessity at all, and simply because I had been stressed out, not taking care of myself, I was a recluse for a while and never left home. There have always been mild symptoms... but I truly believe if I had just gone to therapy sooner, and gone to outpatient programs, started a better diet, etc, I wouldnt have had the idea to try APs in the first place. Sorry for the wall of text! I dont have anyone to speak with about this.

 

[Shep]

8 hours ago, rispermeh said:

Anyways.. At this point I think I was wrongfully diagnosed with schizophrenia, because the doctors have told me Im too self-aware to be schizophrenic. That sounds invalidating to others who deal with this illness, but I think it is a somewhat accurate thing to say for me at least.

 

I don't think you're "schizophrenic", either. And I don't think others with this label are -- many people go through difficult circumstances and act oddly because of those circumstances. And since most people with this label and most psychiatrists don't understand how these drugs cause the very symptoms that they claim is an illness, they continue on with this label and all of the mis-treatment that comes with it. By labeling someone with "schizophrenia," it allow doctors to lock up and drug people and by getting society to buy into it, it's a way of removing people from society who aren't able to cope. We never solve a lot of the structural problems in our society, such as poverty, child abuse, domestic violence, lack of meaningful work, etc. while we have a way of labeling people and either drugging them into submission or removing them from society. 

 

If you haven't already, you may want to read Dr. Loren Mosher's book Soteria: Through Madness to Deliverance. It's about a research project that ran for about a decade through funding from the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) and involved young people with this label living in a regular house, not locked away, and rarely using antipsychotics. Most of them recovered and went onto live full lives. The only reason it wasn't implemented as a treatment is because it posed a threat to psychiatry's power. It's a brilliant look at the subject.

 

 

9 hours ago, rispermeh said:

I have been a week on .375 and not sure if i should hold here, for another week or jump down to .25. The last time i jumped down i had nightmares and barely slept for a few nights, and those electric burning sensations in the whole body were really bad. But really what Im more worried of is completely losing insight and "blacking out" into psychosis. 

 

You may want to hold for a bit longer. You're in a very difficult circumstance because of the adverse reaction, but you don't want the withdrawal symptoms to be worse than the adverse reaction. 

 

Have you ever had what you call "black out" into psychosis without using street drugs? 

[rispermeh]

Okay i will do that then.

 

My psychotic disorder has been more gradual over time, with some periods where I was capable of working, and living a normal life. When I say black out I guess I am comparing to the experiences of others where they lose their grip on reality so much that they do things they dont remember or they get in trouble with their families and love ones, waking up from it after it passes, either because of being heavily medicated or institutionalized. I luckily havent had to deal with any of these things, but the fear of it happening can also be debilitating in itself. I also deal with a severe form of OCD.. and have been struggling to keep up with symptom after symptom for each diagnosis

 

Its been difficult to deal with all the labeling ,  and the anxieties that each label brings.

 

Today was pretty bad. I have been spending most of my time all day just arguing with myself, or writing about my disorder, telling myself "im not going crazy, my condition isnt even that bad, its mild" almost like im trying to convince myself of something. I also spend my time going on reddit, and other forums just so I can say "see at least im not like that". Its a horrible endless cycle.. leaves me feeling absolutely drained all day, which in turn makes psychotic symptoms worse.

 

I have been just blown away by all the kindness and support everyone has for eachother here. its truly been amazing to read everyones stories, and it gives me hope that I can get through this..

 

[Shep]

2 hours ago, rispermeh said:

I luckily havent had to deal with any of these things, but the fear of it happening can also be debilitating in itself. I also deal with a severe form of OCD.. and have been struggling to keep up with symptom after symptom for each diagnosis

 

If you feel that OCD and the "what if" anxiety is the root of the problem, you may want to work on ways of handling your anxiety. Do you also have anxieties around other aspects of health? Here are some links that may help with all of these worries and fears:

 

Health anxiety, hypochondria, and obsession with symptoms

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD: Repetitive, intrusive thoughts, compulsive behaviors

 

Withdrawal causing intrusive or repetitive thoughts, rumination, and increased panic?

 

Ways to cope with daily anxiety
 
Rebuilding self-confidence, accepting anxiety

 

Dealing With Emotional Spirals

 

Easing your way into meditation for a stressed-out nervous system
 
Mindfulness and Acceptance
 
Good links for anxiety/worry

 

 

[rispermeh]

I’m wondering if I should updose or stabilize on the current dose I’m on..

 

have been taking a little over .25mg probably around .28 to .30mg and I have been feeling a sharp increase In psychotic symptoms(I don’t think it’s full psychosis though just starting to hallucinate more, being more paranoid and have more negative thoughts, but still know they aren’t real)

 

ive been trying not to panic and have been trying not to think about going to ER but it might just be my health anxiety that’s causing me to think of the worst possible outcomes

 

Would it be better to go up to .375 mg or should I just stay put and hope they go away by stabilizing for a little bit?
 

Also Is it okay to take the meds earlier in the day? I usually dose at 11.30 pm but have to really try hard to wait that long to take it. The effects of the medicine have been wearing off earlier and earlier, by afternoon I’m already thinking about dosing again 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Shep]

8 hours ago, rispermeh said:

have been taking a little over .25mg probably around .28 to .30mg and I have been feeling a sharp increase In psychotic symptoms(I don’t think it’s full psychosis though just starting to hallucinate more, being more paranoid and have more negative thoughts, but still know they aren’t real)

 

What date was your last reduction? You have .625 mg on Aug 14 in your signature. Please update your signature. Updosing will depend on when you had your last reduction. 

 

8 hours ago, rispermeh said:

Also Is it okay to take the meds earlier in the day? I usually dose at 11.30 pm but have to really try hard to wait that long to take it. The effects of the medicine have been wearing off earlier and earlier, by afternoon I’m already thinking about dosing again 

 

 

We recommend moving a dose only an hour a day. So you could take it at 10:30 tonight and at 9:30 tomorrow night, etc., until you get it to where you want it. 

 

Does this dose help with your sleep? 

[rispermeh]

Last reduction was 10 days ago from .375mg. I am shaving off the .25mg pill so idk the exact dose. A whole .25mg pill of risperdone weighs .116g on the scale and half of it weighs about .060, and I am currently at .047(so .116 + .047) Is there any way to figure out exactly how much this is in mg? While using the shaving and scale method? I want to try to do 5% to 10% reductions but without knowing how much in mg each “shave” is idk how I would do that.

 

so basically I take one full .25 mg and shave off from another half of one (was last stable at .375mg for two weeks)

 

Since my last reduction 10 days ago I’ve been having rebound symptoms and they have been getting worse every day.  The insomnia, and depression, and body problems aren’t so bad, and so my severe wd symptoms are all purely psychological. 

 

intrusive thoughts have gotten insanely bad.. every minute I am closing my eyes and cringing excessively hard to them and can’t really escape them. They hit hard. It’s like an extremely unwanted thought. It feels like my brain is attacking me with things I don’t want to think about or that don’t make sense at all. I can’t tell if this is part of the “rebound” or just it’s own horrible symptom.

It also seems as if the rebound is manifesting as “disorganized schizophrenia” symptoms. Ie Thoughts that don’t make sense, hard to formulate ideas, or put words together that are complex(writing this post is taking me forever). All Behavior that is completely unlike me.. I feel scared that this won’t go away, and that my condition has worsened due to making the horrible mistake of taking this drug 

 

does it make sense to go back up to .375 mg or should I try to ride this out and see if the rebound improves?

 

Also i am taking NAC and it seems to help. I am going off a study that used 2g of NAC for OCD so I take this daily, along with 1200mg - 2g L theanine(helps pos. schizophrenia symptoms). 

 

[Shep]

16 hours ago, rispermeh said:

 

Also i am taking NAC and it seems to help. I am going off a study that used 2g of NAC for OCD so I take this daily, along with 1200mg - 2g L theanine(helps pos. schizophrenia symptoms). 

 

When did you start taking NAC? Please add the dates of when you started your supplements to your signature. 

 

That looks like a high dose. If you haven't already, you may want to read this thread:

 

NAC (N-acetyl cysteine or N-acetylcysteine)

 

 

16 hours ago, rispermeh said:

Last reduction was 10 days ago from .375mg. I am shaving off the .25mg pill so idk the exact dose. A whole .25mg pill of risperdone weighs .116g on the scale and half of it weighs about .060, and I am currently at .047(so .116 + .047) Is there any way to figure out exactly how much this is in mg? While using the shaving and scale method? I want to try to do 5% to 10% reductions but without knowing how much in mg each “shave” is idk how I would do that.

 

so basically I take one full .25 mg and shave off from another half of one (was last stable at .375mg for two weeks)

 

Please see this thread and if still have questions, feel free to post there: 

 

Using a scale to weigh and measure doses

 

Please note the videos linked at the top of the first post which may be very helpful. 

 

Since you're only 10 days out from the last reduction, you may want to updose a small amount. I wouldn't go back up to the full .375 mg, but maybe halfway. The reason I suggest not going back up to the full .375 mg is your nervous system has likely started adjusting to the lower dose. 

 

[rispermeh]

Update. 
 

I got off the risperdal successfully but switched to abilify right after. No serious additional withdrawal symptoms because of the cross taper.  Now 6 months later after starting abilify I have severe anhedonia, avolition, akathisia, severe anxiety and agoraphobia and other cognitive issues like can’t read, can’t focus for more than a few moments, headaches as well as bodily twitches, unwanted movements etc. I have started a new taper for the abilify. Also. I tried Zoloft for 3 months and have been on Wellbutrin for 2 so I think these meds may have contributed ultimately to how I feel now.

 

the anhedonia and avolition is hell. I don’t feel human anymore. This is no way to live. I can feel the suicidal ideation creeping in and I am trying to stay hopeful I can get through this.

 

the only thing keeping me going is the understanding that my illness was mild to begin with and it was a far cry away from being hospitalized or anything like that. I always had good insight and managed unmedicated for many years. I have hope I can return to this. Despite me being “ill”, that person was at least motivated to do things like self care and therapy, and exercise. And now? Nothing. Just lay in bed all day and watch the days go by. This is supposed to be “progress”?

 

[Shep]

Quote

-Aug 14-Sep 6 625mg>.375mg Risperdal.

-Oct-Nov .25mg Risperdal. Zoloft 25mg.

-Dec .125mg Risperdal. 50mg Zoloft.

-2023: Jan 2.5mg Abilify. 0mg Risperdal. 25mg Zoloft.

-Feb 5mg Abilify. 0mg Zoloft(rapid taper).

-March 7.5mg abilify.

-April 5mg abilify. Wellbutrin 100mg.

-May-June 5mg abilify. Wellbutrin 200mg.

 

 

@rispermeh from your signature, since you were last here in September 2022, you have come off risperdal and started taking Ability, made rapid reductions and come off Zoloft, added in Wellbutrin in April and than doubled the Wellbutrin dose last month. 

 

Why so many changes? 

 

 

On 6/13/2023 at 10:05 PM, rispermeh said:

I have started a new taper for the abilify. Also. I tried Zoloft for 3 months and have been on Wellbutrin for 2 so I think these meds may have contributed ultimately to how I feel now.

 

My fear for you is you're going to kindle your nervous system by continuing to make abrupt changes. It's not just the drugs you're taking that are causing these symptoms, but also the damage to the nervous system caused by the changes. Please see:

 

Hypersensitivity and Kindling

 

Are you looking for the "right" drugs to take? If so, we can't help you here. Please note - Again, chemical imbalance is a myth. Stop the lies, please.

 

Let us know if and when you wish to do a slow taper off this latest drug cocktail. If so, I would stop making any changes so your nervous system can stabilize, and then get off the most stimulating drug first, followed by the sedating drug. 

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

 

[rispermeh]

Basically Ive just been stuck in bed with the most severe avolition and can barely shower once a week and am going broke getting food deliveries because I dont cook so I had to do something about it. I told my doctor about my motivation problems  and he said the Zoloft and Abilify should help. When neither seemed to do anything and only made things worse he prescribed the Wellbutrin.. and it did help me get out of bed for a couple weeks but the effect wore off quickly. So thats why i doubled the dose. 

Im not sure if the Zoloft or the Abilify is causing this zombified anhedonic feeling but it is absolutely hell right now. That and my motivation has tanked once again since I dropped the wellbutrin back down to 100mg. 

Im holding off on the Abilify taper for now. I want to get off the wellbutrin first as its caused the most recent side effects which are

headaches
heart palpitations
chest pain
tingling sensations in hands and feet
anxiety

I am worried now that I have been kindling because of all the ups and downs, so would the best move be to stop tapering all of it and just hold off? 

[Shep]

I have no idea what to advise, @rispermeh. You've made too many changes.

 

The only advice I have is to stabilize for a few weeks before tapering unless you're having an adverse reaction. 

 

While you're holding, you may want to go on YouTube and look for some easy recipes so you can prepare your meals before you go broke ordering food deliveries. 

 

Make yourself take a shower every day and try to set up some sort of structured routine. It's important not to let your muscles waste away by staying in bed. It's difficult, but you can do it. It will get easier the more you force yourself to do healthy things that benefit you in the long run.