Astrid: Stopped Risperidone cold turkey 8 weeks ago

[Astrid]

i was given 6 mgs intravenously of risperodine for 20 days and then was told to take 4 mgs orally but it was giving me insomnia and constipation so i decided to stop, cold turkey. A week later i started to feel anxious and started to sweat so i started taking it again, but it then gave me the bad side effect where i could no sit still, day or night, so i again stopped cold turkey.

 

It's been 8 weeks since then, i started to get anxiety right away but was able to deal with it, and also insomia, but that instead of getting better with time got worse, where i don't sleep at all, have the anixety where i cant even stay in bed, that also got worse, instead of better with time andnow i also have irritable bowel syndrome which i read is also a withdrawal symptom and yesterday my arm moved involuntarily, which i also read is a withdrawal symptom.

 

Is there anything i could do at this point? and why are the symptons getting worse with time and new ones are showing up with time, instead of everythning going away, it was only for 20 days after all!!

 

i'm scared!! any advice would be highly appreciated!!

 

Thanks

 

Edited May 29, 2017 by scallywag
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[Altostrata]

Welcome, Astrid.
 
I've moved your topic to the Introductions section as your Introductions topic, where you can track your progress and any questions you have about your particular situation.
 
It does sound like you have withdrawal syndrome from risperidone. Tell us more about your arm moving. Did it twitch once and stop?
 
Do you have any tablets left? If you take even 0.5mg, it might help the insomnia. You would take this for a month or so and when your nervous system has stabilized, taper off very slowly.
 
Here is a topic that describes how to take a very small amount of risperidone and then taper off:

Tips for tapering off Risperdal (risperidone)

 

Also see About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

[Astrid]

thank you so much for your response!!! no, my arm did not twich after wards, it just sort of lifted and that was that....but i tell you this is hell, what im going through..i have an agitation that does not let me stay in bed....

 

when i first started getting the risperodine i stopped sleeping already....even though i wasnt anxious or anything but i wasnt able to first stay asleep and gradually i stopped being able to sleep altogether...this while still getting the full 6 mgs...do you think with that i should still try the .5 mg, i do have some pills left....

 

i so wish i had looked this up before stopping cold turkey, it has been something so bad that i think im not able to go on living like this....after 2 months, instead of getting better i get worse....

[Astrid]

and also,  do you think taking that small amount will help with all the withdrawal symptoms im dealing with? when a week after i had stopped i started taking the pills again, the full 4 mgs but i got the bad reaction where i couldn't sit still and had to move all the time...do you think such small amount can cause that again?

[Altostrata]

I don't know what the 0.5mg will do. We suggest reinstatement at a very low dosage because it often helps. Higher dosages often cause bad reactions.

[Astrid]

ok!!!! thanks again...having advice on this horrible situation im going through means the world to me

[Astrid]

hi, i would like to know how do know what is 10% when you only have tablets and have no way

of making them into liquid!! i have 5mgs pills of olanzapine

 

thanks

[Altostrata]

Hi, Astrid. I moved your post here. The reply gets a little complicated.
 
Here are our Tips for tapering off olanzapine (Zyprexa)
 
Did you recover from going off risperidone?

[Astrid]

Thanks!! they gave me zyprexa to recover from that but that drug has soooo many side effects that i need to stop it!!!

i will read through the info!! thanks again

[Astrid]

i will add that i have been trying to get off of it for 4 months but dong it to fast i think....i started doing 5mgs every other day for a month and then 2 days in between and that's where i am right now but the insomnia is just too much....so i'm gonna start all over again following the 10% tip....i really hope that will solve the insomnia problem!!

[Plshelp]

How is your tapering going now Astrid? Are you still having insomnia and twitching?

[Astrid]

hi....i stopped tapering for 2 weeks to gain my sleep back,since i was doing it too fast & tonight i'll start again, with 10%...i'm just gonna cut off what i consider 10% of the pill  ...ufff it is scary to start again....

How is your tapering going now Astrid? Are you still having insomnia and twitching?

[SkyBlue]

Hi Astrid, I think there may be more exact ways than just estimating what looks like ten percent. Maybe do a search on this site. It seems that precision is key; it's not something we want to estimate. Good luck to you and I hope it goes well. 

[Astrid]

i'm in a country where is really hard to come by anything like what i would need to make a liquid form of olanzapine  ...but i hope  i will do ok...thanks for the well wishes 

[Plshelp]

i'm in a country where is really hard to come by anything like what i would need to make a liquid form of olanzapine ...but i hope i will do ok...thanks for the well wishes

Astrid.

Are you still on the olanzapine? What are your symptoms now? Has anything resolved?

[Gridley]

Astrid, is there any kind of shipping service that would deliver a Gemini 20 precision scale to your country? The Gemini 20 is great for precision tapering, which is very important.  We have these services in Ecuador.  We buy the product on Amazon and have it sent the the shipping service in the U.S.  They then deliver it to Ecuador.   Or this there anyone coming to your city from the U.S. that could bring the scale.  It is very light and small.

[Astrid]

hii

 

 

i'm in a country where is really hard to come by anything like what i would need to make a liquid form of olanzapine ...but i hope i will do ok...thanks for the well wishes

Astrid.
Are you still on the olanzapine? What are your symptoms now? Has anything resolved?

 

hi!! i've tried 3  nights with 10% off and i have't been able to sleep!!! i don't know what to do....if keep going because i will eventually sleep or just give up on stopping that pill!!!

[Astrid]

Astrid, is there any kind of shipping service that would deliver a Gemini 20 precision scale to your country? The Gemini 20 is great for precision tapering, which is very important.  We have these services in Ecuador.  We buy the product on Amazon and have it sent the the shipping service in the U.S.  They then deliver it to Ecuador.   Or this there anyone coming to your city from the U.S. that could bring the scale.  It is very light and small.

thanks for the tip!!! i will look into that  

[Astrid]

has anyone who stopped the olanzapine suffered from insomnia at first but then it got better? it is weird coz when i went from 5 to 0 i would sleep some but now just reducing 10% makes me not sleep  at all...

[KarenB]

Astrid, you may need to make smaller cuts than 10%.  Some of us are just more sensitive to changes.  A scale would help a lot if you can get one. 

 

Can you write a signature, so we can see the helpful details easily?  Perhaps you need to go back to what you were on 4 days ago, stabilise again and then try smaller cuts. 

[Donkey]

i will add that i have been trying to get off of it for 4 months but dong it to fast i think....i started doing 5mgs every other day for a month and then 2 days in between and that's where i am right now but the insomnia is just too much....so i'm gonna start all over again following the 10% tip....i really hope that will solve the insomnia problem!!

 

Did the doctors advice you to tapper in that way? what the doctors are saying about the situation?

Do you only have a problems to say a sleep or you have other symptoms like anexity?

[Astrid]

Astrid, you may need to make smaller cuts than 10%.  Some of us are just more sensitive to changes.  A scale would help a lot if you can get one. 

 

Can you write a signature, so we can see the helpful details easily?  Perhaps you need to go back to what you were on 4 days ago, stabilise again and then try smaller cuts. 

Hii! i  then cut the 10% in half & didn't sleep as well..i find it odd coz i was sleeping not taking the 5mgs...so for now i have stopped tapering and I'm taking the 5 mgs 

[Astrid]

 

i will add that i have been trying to get off of it for 4 months but dong it to fast i think....i started doing 5mgs every other day for a month and then 2 days in between and that's where i am right now but the insomnia is just too much....so i'm gonna start all over again following the 10% tip....i really hope that will solve the insomnia problem!!

 

Did the doctors advice you to tapper in that way? what the doctors are saying about the situation?

Do you only have a problems to say a sleep or you have other symptoms like anexity?

 

yes & he's reply was that i should just keep taking it, if i wasn't sleeping....i just have  the insomnia problem, no other symptoms

[Donkey]

Maybe you need to speak with other doctor that will help you with stopping the pill... 

Did you try long acting melatonin ?

[simack]

Hey Astrid, I'm also trying to taper olanzapine. If your having trouble tapering with the cutting method another way to make a it into a liquid is to use the Orodispersible tablets, mix them with water and measure that way.

[Astrid]

Maybe you need to speak with other doctor that will help you with stopping the pill... 

Did you try long acting melatonin?

yes, ive thought of that!! ...and i have melatonin here, 5mg....did it work for you?

[Astrid]

Hey Astrid, I'm also trying to taper olanzapine. If your having trouble tapering with the cutting method another way to make a it into a liquid is to use the Orodispersible tablets, mix them with water and measure that way.

i haven't been able to find those here! how are you doing with your insomnia and how far down on your dosage are you?

[Plshelp]

I didn't know about dissolving tablets. Also, are we allowed to be taking melatonin for sleep when withdrawing?

[simack]

 

Hey Astrid, I'm also trying to taper olanzapine. If your having trouble tapering with the cutting method another way to make a it into a liquid is to use the Orodispersible tablets, mix them with water and measure that way.

 

i haven't been able to find those here! how are you doing with your insomnia and how far down on your dosage are you?

Sorry to hear that you can't find them where you are. I've been doing an extended hold recently and my insomnia had mostly been resolved, however I tried to cut down from 3.75mg to 3.625mg last Friday and only managed two hours last night

[Astrid]

On 5/23/2017 at 0:51 AM, Plshelp said:

I didn't know about dissolving tablets. Also, are we allowed to be taking melatonin for sleep when withdrawing?

i think yes....i tried it but it didnt help...i got an adverse reaction to it

[Astrid]

On 5/24/2017 at 5:49 AM, simack said:

Sorry to hear that you can't find them where you are. I've been doing an extended hold recently and my insomnia had mostly been resolved, however I tried to cut down from 3.75mg to 3.625mg last Friday and only managed two hours last night

wow bummer!!! how are you doing now? 

[Plshelp]

On 6/6/2017 at 10:59 PM, Astrid said:

i think yes....i tried it but it didnt help...i got an adverse reaction to it

I heard that taking melatonin while on antipsychotics can cause serotonin syndrome. So hopefully that's not the reaction that you had.