Short Term use of Antipsychotics

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

Hi guys, i was being prescribed antipsychotics for a month (3 weeks of treatment & 1 week of taper) and then off afterwards. The diagnosis was "brief psychosis", i was having delusions about a chip being planted in my brain because i felt people can read my thoughts. Once i had taken medication, all was resolved within 3 weeks and i took 1 week to taper. The side effects during the treatment were short term memory impairment (i took great effort to read because i kept on forgetting what i read), cognitive impairment, difficulty in socializing and Akathisia. The withdrawal symptoms after discontinuation felt worse and different and they are brain fog, short term memory impairment, cognitive impairment, Akathisia, Anxiety, Emotional numbness, difficulty in socializing, anhedonia and etc. 

Below is my progress of withdrawal symptoms (after 1 month and 18 days now)
 

1) Brain fog: 90% recovered 
2) Short term memory impairment: 60% recovered
3) Cognitive impairment: 60% recovered
4) Akathisia: 100% recovered
5) Difficulty in socializing: 70% recovered
6) Emotional numbness: 90% recovered
7) Anxiety: 80% recovered - i believe the biggest wave has past
😎 Anhedonia (Passion and movitation) - 50% recovered

 

The Anhedonia only started healing lately but it is slow. Ya, do kindly share your experience with short term antipsychotics treatment and withdrawal symptoms & recovery. Although, i did came across a few posts of successful recovery stories about short term antipsychotics treatment. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Emonda]

Welcome @ShortTermAntipsychotics

 

On 11/6/2024 at 7:05 PM, ShortTermAntipsychotics said:

Below is my progress of withdrawal symptoms (after 1 month and 18 days now)

 

I'm glad to hear you are feeling improvement after 3 weeks on medication and a one week taper.

 

I hope things continue to improve for you.

 

Do you have any questions at this stage?

 

Regards, Emonda

 

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

@Emonda Thanks for the approval. So far i am improving significantly by weeks. I hope this continue until i get back to my old self. Anhedonia is still persisting, but i have read successful stories that it can be one of the last withdrawal symptoms to fade. So i hope for the best. 🙂

 

I have read somewhere that psychosis will go away on its own (about a month or so) if it is not genetic like schizophrenia. I could have went for psychotherapy without meds. Just a thought..

 

I am actually pretty disappointed that my psychiatrist did not explain the side effect/withdrawal of the meds to me. Psychiatric drugs are very dangerous as it could pass through the blood brain barrier. 

[LukeUK]

3 hours ago, ShortTermAntipsychotics said:

So far i am improving significantly by weeks.

 

Focus on this. More weeks will pass, and hopefully this will lead to further improvements.

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

@LukeUK thank you, i really look forward to  the coming weeks. I have been taking medicine from doctors for all my life, never would i thought i would end up depersonalised from brain medicine. 
 

All the best in your recovery too. 😁

[zlatinb]

@ShortTermAntipsychotics it's very good that you were on APs only for a month - your brain has not had a chance to adapt to them.  If you were taking them for longer period of time coming off this fast would be very risky and the chance of original issue reappearing.

 

Btw the term for believing others can read your thoughts is "broadcasting".

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

@zlatinb Yes, you are right my brain has not adapt to APs. I am really counting my blessings that my psychiatrist did not ask me to continue them for long term. I was planning to go against my psychiatrist if he ask me to continue. I rather choose living with delusional thoughts than taking APs. Hope you are doing well too. 

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

Brief update, today is the first time after my meds i can enjoy and get excited about TV shows and Youtube videos (although partially). This could mean an improvement from Anhedonia. Tears roll down my cheeks. 

[Jane318]

@ShortTermAntipsychotics - I am rejoicing with you!!  

 

As you know, recovering comes in waves and windows so don't despair if you have what feels like a setback eventually - you are moving forward!

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

@Jane318 Thanks for the words of encouragement. Yeap i have read the waves and windows and it is exactly what i am going through now. I see improvements in weeks but this anhedonia really persist and improving very slowly. Everyday i wake up i asked myself what do i want to do or what can i do today to make tomorrow better. There's just no concrete answer/motivation in me. Things that i used to enjoy, having ambition and crazy about seems more boring now. 

 

Hope you are doing well Jane. I wasn't on antidepressant but i have read it here that it also cause persisting anhedonia. 

[Jane318]

Anhedonia is awful, I agree.  Yet it is a temporary withdrawal symptom...  we must cling to the hope that someday we will regain our ability to enjoy life / activities again.

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

@Jane318 I have read your intro and you will definitely recover and feel better too following the waves and windows. Just don't give up okay. Psychiatry is a mess even in my own country. I wonder why big pharma are still allow to sell these drugs that caused so much suffering (beyond words of explanation) to people. How is it possible that psychiatrists are not informed about the deadly withdrawals symptoms of these drugs? At least give patients a choice/alternative before prescribing to them. I have read and heard that psychiatric drug offer very minimal benefit or close to none to people. In fact, most of the diagnosis can be treated with psychotherapy or counselling. Big pharma wouldn't like this. 

[Jane318]

14 minutes ago, ShortTermAntipsychotics said:

Big pharma wouldn't like this. 

Yep...

 

Thanks for the encouragement!  We will get through this!

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

@Jane318 i have to climb myself out of this hole. This horrendous drug can't end me like this. I have been through so many obstacles in my life and i would say nothing is comparable to this. My mom keep telling me that she has anxiety and she is not enjoying this and that. I was like...come on mom, at least appreciate your emotions and your ability to feel pleasure. 

[Jane318]

I agree - I've been through tough times too, this is the worst ever.  But we will prevail, be stronger for having done so, and able to help others.

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

@Jane318 I heard you and i understand your situation. You will definitely get better as you already are. Life is worth living if recovery is possible. Tomorrow will be a better day, next month will be a better month, next year will be a better year. Recovery is ongoing and it is inevitable. I give you lots of love ❤️

[beeksweeks]

On 11/10/2024 at 12:05 AM, ShortTermAntipsychotics said:

Brief update, today is the first time after my meds i can enjoy and get excited about TV shows and Youtube videos (although partially). This could mean an improvement from Anhedonia. Tears roll down my cheeks. 

I'm so sorry you have had to deal with the Anhedonia. I experienced that as well, and it was really awful. I remember the first day after taking the medication when I was able to experience feelings of pleasure, and it almost made me want to cry, too. I think I had my first feelings of pleasure return after about 6 or 7 weeks. I'm sorry it's taken yours so much longer to return. Might be because you took the Cariprazine  for 3 weeks and I only took one pill. I guess it must be really strong medication for it to have effects for so long. That and the fact that is has such a long half life. Your feelings should keep coming back slowly over the next few weeks. That's what mine have been doing. Some days I'll just be able to feel a bit more. It's weird, it kind of comes in fits and spurts. Same with motivation. It's coming back slowly. But sometimes it goes away again, too. So just try to be patient. Sending you lots of love and big hugs. Hang in there! 

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

@beeksweeks Thanks for the care and visiting my intro. I can't believe it took you weeks to feel better from just one pill and it is great to know that you are improving significantly. May i ask you a favor to rate yourself in terms of recovery% for the below withdrawal symptoms? Do you feel you have gone back to being yourself pre Vraylar state? You may add more below if you have. 

 

1) Brain fog: 
2) Short term memory impairment: 
3) Cognitive impairment: 
4) Akathisia: 
5) Difficulty in socializing: 
6) Emotional numbness: 
7) Anxiety: 
😎Anhedonia (Passion and movitation)

9) Depersonalization & Derealization:  

[beeksweeks]

6 hours ago, ShortTermAntipsychotics said:

@beeksweeks Thanks for the care and visiting my intro. I can't believe it took you weeks to feel better from just one pill and it is great to know that you are improving significantly. May i ask you a favor to rate yourself in terms of recovery% for the below withdrawal symptoms? Do you feel you have gone back to being yourself pre Vraylar state? You may add more below if you have. 

 

1) Brain fog: 
2) Short term memory impairment: 
3) Cognitive impairment: 
4) Akathisia: 
5) Difficulty in socializing: 
6) Emotional numbness: 
7) Anxiety: 
😎Anhedonia (Passion and movitation)

9) Depersonalization & Derealization:  

 

1) Brain fog: 80%

2) Short term memory impairment: 100%

3) Cognitive impairment: 90%

4) Akathisia: 100%

5) Difficulty in socializing: 90%

6) Emotional numbness: 90%

7) Anxiety: 90%

😎Anhedonia (Passion and movitation) 95%

9) Depersonalization & Derealization: 30%

 

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

@beeksweeks Thank you for the scores. Looks like you are pretty much recovered except for Depersonalization & Derealization. Once that is cleared, your recovery will be a success story. God bless you.

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

Hi, an update that i developed a sudden/acute onset of tinnitus on 23/11/2024 last Saturday, it just happen immediately and it stays. I did had a couple of glasses of red wine during dinner that day and then tinnitus hit me 3 hours later. The ear ringing was loud when it started and it is also gradually decreasing. i couldn't sleep with it for the first 2 nights and only able to on the 3rd night (i am using white noise from apps, fans but only the sound from my fish pond enabled my sleep on the 3rd night). I am thinking could the cause of it came from the red wine or withdrawal symptoms from my antipsychotics (i am about 9 weeks off)? Or a combination of both? For example my central nervous system is more vulnerable now due to withdrawal where a couple of glasses of red wine can trigger it. 

 

Does anyone on antipsychotics withdrawal had this experience before? 

 

I did go through the tinnitus forum (link below) and most of it are antidepressants withdrawal induced. Members reported it is reversable and temporary once the withdrawal effects came off and that could take months or years. You can imagine one has to suffer from it that long. Others also reported the volume decreases over time during the withdrawal. 

 

 

This is totally terrifying..

 

 

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

bump

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

Hi, 

 

I went to ENT doctor to check the root cause of my tinnitus but he can't find anything wrong with my ear, such as ear wax, hearing loss, ear infection. The doctor did numerous test there to rule it out. And finally he said that it could be from my antipsychotic withdrawal. Definitely not the red wine he said. So now i am in the 3rd week of having tinnitus. I felt the tinnitus is somehow in a windows and wave pattern, there were days when the volume is low until it is tolerable (can watch tv) and there were days when it is very disrupting (high pitch sound). But it was never as bad as the first few days when it started. Currently the tinnitus has moved from my ears to the brain. So yes, it is making noise in the brain. Even within the brain, the tinnitus is consistently switching positions many times by the days. I guess some of us call it head buzzing at this point? And yes, some nights i can't sleep if the tinnitus flares up, even with the white noise. 

 

Besides the tinnitus issue, i am also recovering from other withdrawal symptoms but definitely still have some more months to go for a full recovery. Not sure when but sure it is. Hopefully the tinnitus be gone soon as well. 

 

I have also found some members below that has recovered/having progress from antipsychotics withdrawal induced tinnitus. Though ear ringing from antipsychotics use are kind of rare. 

 

@hdmiTable @Armorall @RedBunny @andy @Emily02 @carefulprayerful

 

 

 

 

[Pickamew]

Tinnitus is one of the last major lingering issues I have. It started for me about 3 weeks after stopping a very short term use of Lexapro. It is mainly in my right ear. But I also have this weird brain buzzing sound in my head that goes nearly all day. I have a lot of troubling being in silence right now as it causes me panic. 

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

@Pickamew I hear you and i truly understand your situation. The only way is through it. If you add another class of Psy drug, it may cause another withdrawal problem to sit through. It take as long as it takes, meanwhile one can use some coping strategies to survive it. There is light at the end of the tunnel as many has fully recovered. I think best is to look for someone who has recovered from the same Psy drug used as the recovery process could be much similar. 

 

I wish you all the best and never give up hope. Some say it is tougher than hell, which is true. But the fruit will be sweeter than the ones you had before meds once you reached the other side. 

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

Hi,

 

To update

 

Currently my 2 new symptoms are:

 

Tinnitus

It has improved a lot to a level where i can sleep without using white noise now. I hope this is a sign of healing. I will update if otherwise. 

 

 

Image stuck in head

It has moved to the back of my mind from my normal vision. The nature of the image is blurry. For example, i am always aware of this blurry image at the back of my mind. For this symptom, is anyone experiencing it or had experienced it? It is really annoying. It could be classify as a part of intrusive image. 

 

 

However, my pre existing symptoms below are improving as usual. Definitely a good gap to go.  

 

1) Brain fog - Recovered
2) Short term memory impairment
3) Cognitive impairment
4) Akathisia - Recovered
5) Difficulty in socializing
6) Emotional numbness
7) Anxiety
8 Anhedonia (Passion and movitation)

 

 

In summary, withdrawals are really scarry. New symptoms always come out of nowhere and some are not even well documented. The only thing we can rely on is time to heal. And hopefully it does. 

 

Message to Americans: Can we do our best to make Psy drugs withdrawal well known/recognize in America? If the withdrawals are this catastrophic, it should be ban/abolish. Other countries like my country (Malaysia) don't have much say about it.

 

 

 

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

Hi,

short update of my WD symptoms. Those without comments means it is progressing. 

 

1) Brain fog - Recovered
2) Short term memory impairment
3) Cognitive impairment
4) Akathisia - Recovered
5) Difficulty in socializing
6) Emotional numbness
7) Anxiety
8 Anhedonia (Passion and movitation)

9) Sexual dysfunction - Recovering/functional but not baseline yet. 

10) 24/7 Tinnitus - It is quiet until i don't realized it is there daily or even while sleeping. It is going in windows than waves. Even the waves are much less in intensity. 

11) Image/words/content stuck in head - Seems like it is progressing. Basically i feel like my brain likes to hold contents and keep it there for awhile. It is frustrating for me because content is not as easily deleted/fade away as it used to be. I guess something to do with memory. 

12) Minor Brain Zaps - Recovered 

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

Hi guys, i have just found out that the new symptom i am having "Image/words/content stuck in head" is a kind of earworm and it falls into that category. Mine has morphed from image stuck in vision > Image/words stuck at the back of my mind > bits of songs stuck in my head (it plays off and on). 

 

We have a thread here for it as below. 

 

 

 

It seems that it does go away for those who has completely stop meds. It appears as a withdrawal symptom or during taper. 

 

It is of course annoying. Mine seems to have subsided since it started for the past 1 week but it is still here. I hope it goes away completely one day. 

 

You know what? i go to doctor to get solutions but i end up getting even bigger problems from them. Many many times bigger than the initial problem i had. How can this even happen. 

 

It's okay, i will just focus on recovering for now. That is all that matters..

 

Only acceptance can move me forward at this point. 

 

 

 

 

[LukeUK]

22 minutes ago, ShortTermAntipsychotics said:

You know what? i go to doctor to get solutions but i end up getting even bigger problems from them. Many many times bigger than the initial problem i had. How can this even happen. 

 

It's okay, i will just focus on recovering for now. That is all that matters..

 

You're only 3 months off of medication, and are making progress. This is good. To be able to see consistent progress at 12 weeks off is quite rapid recovery, all things considered. This doesn't mean it is easy, I am not diminishing it at all, I'm simply pointing out that if you can say that at 12 weeks off, imagine how you might be in a further 6 months, or a year?

 

Relative to the rest of your life, another 6 months is not a long time, and my hope is that at some point soon this will be in your past and that there is a lot more life to live.

 

I think it's also good that you've learned that most doctors are totally unable to help you with this, and I'd add that any doctor looking at someone improving in time who seeks to interfere with that process is misguided.

 

 

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

@LukeUK thanks for the reply. Totally agree with what you'd said. Sometimes i am just down due to new symptoms keep coming up. Managing these symptoms sure takes a lot of energy and faith. The most frustrating thing here is that there's no magic pill for it. In other words, one is trap in his own body and going anywhere/new places won't help because the issue is with the body, not the external environment. This is the biggest challenge. 

[Pickamew]

3 hours ago, ShortTermAntipsychotics said:

"Image/words/content stuck in head" 

Hey, as you probably read on my thread, this was the issue that made me start Lex

in the first place — to address earmworms. I know it seems weird, but they became so severe and constant (nearly all waking hours) that it was interfering with my life and severely distressing me. I thought I had lost my mind.

 

I can’t say for certain what caused it, but it started right after I stopped Lyrica which I only used briefly used to manage spinal stenosis pain. I suspect it was the medicine but maybe it was a maladaptive stress response. I’ll never know.

 

They maybe have abated some, but I am still dealing with them. I just hope and pray I can go back to how normal I was in June.

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

@Pickamew That's great to hear that your earworms have abated. As long you are completely off meds all WD symptoms will subside. And yes, very probable that Lyrica caused it since once you stop and then the earworm starts. As i have read the earworm thread (pasted above), it mostly emerge during WD or Tapering. 

 

So yea, doctors always solve our problems/WD problems with more and more drugs (polydrugged) until it all manifest into bigger problems during WD. I am glad that you did not further took Mirtazapine to solve your WD problem, you could have fallen deeper into the hole. I have learned that Mirtazapine users WD are very severe and take very long time to heal. If you would have read Mirtazapine recovery journey from @LukeUK @SlowVeil @Remeron88 @RemeronHell @Chompoo thread.

 

The strategy now is to pass time until we are functional again. Psychiatrist will never fully understand/acknowledge WD symptoms until they take their own pills. They wouldn't understand it when you are explaining to them. It took me 2 months to explain it to my parents with the help of this site/forum. They thought i was fooling around with what i said. Life is already though, with WD symptoms it is 10 times tougher. 

 

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

Hi all,

 

I realized i had a new symptom called vivid dreams/racing thoughts whenever i sleep. As soon as i close my eyes, very random thoughts/memories just keep coming/flashing into my dreams. This is also one of the reason i have sleepless nights now. 

 

Below is the updated progress. Nothing has changed except i have added vivid dreams/racing thoughts. I have found that it is common for Risperdal/Antipsychotic user. @rupa has it during WD as well. 

 

1) Brain fog - Recovered
2) Short term memory impairment
3) Cognitive impairment
4) Akathisia - Recovered
5) Difficulty in socializing
6) Emotional numbness
7) Anxiety
8 Anhedonia (Passion and movitation)

9) Sexual dysfunction - Recovering/functional but not baseline yet. 

10) 24/7 Tinnitus - It is quiet until i don't realized it is there daily or even while sleeping. It is going in windows than waves. Even the waves are much less in intensity. 

11) Image/words/content stuck in head (Earworm/Mindworm) - Seems like it is progressing. Basically i feel like my brain likes to hold contents and keep it there for awhile. It is frustrating for me because content is not as easily deleted/fade away as it used to be. I guess something to do with memory. 

12) Minor Brain Zaps - Recovered

13) Vivid dreams/racing thoughts

 

Guess what? I started with 8 WD symptoms in the first post, now it has grown to 13 WD symptoms, while some have been resolved. I really hope that new symptoms stop showing up. 

 

 

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

Hi, 

 

Let's say if my earworms/mindworms are gone, my life would be pretty okay/good although still quite a gap to go for recovery. Provided no new symptoms show up. At least i can function throughout the day not thinking about my WD symptoms. This will be beautiful. 

 

Ofcourse anhedonia still sucks and my full range of emotions are not back yet. Still, i think it is quite livable temporary for now. At least a relief. 

 

I know it is unfair but god has mercy and will give all of us some relief/break time. 

 

I pray hard 🙏

 

 

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

Hi, I have tried not listening to songs afraid that my brain will repeat it in my head. Now, my brain is shopping for songs from my memory. 
 

 

[ShortTermAntipsychotics]

Hi, 

 

To update a new WD symptom came hit me today. It is called teeth chattering under the umbrella of Tardive Dyskinesia. I had this when on meds and that is why i decided to stop. It completely went away. But this afternoon it came back in a milder form. Maybe 10% of what it was. Partially annoying. 

 

Am i scared? Yes!

Is my psychiatrist an idiot without informing me about the withdrawals? Absolutely yes, a bloody idiot indeed!

But what can i do? Take some antidepressants to relief/kill myself? Hell no! I can only wait it out. It sucks real bad.

 

Psychiatry is the most useless and irrelevant in the medical profession, grooming innocent fools that act like doctors and then finally become doctors with license to fool. And yet, myriad of medical literatures again and again said they are doing great. What is going on folks? Until you see "funded by big pharma", at the bottom of the literature. Ah ha bingo! This is a madness. 

 

You know what? Big Pharma is also at the same time developing cholesterol pills that really helps people. The solution is simple, DON'T BE GREEDY and just abolish the production of brain meds. That's it, it is not rocket science. In fact, psy drugs withdrawal is even more complicated than rocket science. Don't you agree? My psychiatrist who is also a teaching professor and he propose to give a few weeks for my withdrawal to subside. This charlatan is preaching this level of complexity in universities? 

 

I really had enough but WD symptoms just don't give a damn and show up uninvited. They like to stay and torture. 

 

Below is the updated list of my WD symptoms. As usual i feel that somehow all are improving but i can't guarantee. This is what is the most challenging. 

 

1) Brain fog - Recovered
2) Short term memory impairment
3) Cognitive impairment
4) Akathisia - Recovered
5) Difficulty in socializing
6) Emotional numbness
7) Anxiety
8 Anhedonia (Passion and movitation)

9) Sexual dysfunction - Recovering/functional but not baseline yet. 

10) 24/7 Tinnitus - It is quiet until i don't realized it is there daily or even while sleeping. It is going in windows than waves. Even the waves are much less in intensity. 

11) Image/words/content stuck in head (Earworm/Mindworm) - Improving

12) Minor Brain Zaps - Recovered

13) Vivid dreams/racing thoughts - Improving

14) Teeth chattering (Tardive Dyskinesia)