SunderedStar: Long term antipsychotic effects

[SunderedStar]

Hello, I am new to this site. I have come here to hear of success stories and\or advice regarding recovery from Antipsychotics and SSRI's. At the beginning of July I took Risperidone 0.5mg and Prozac 20mg for 10 days and ceased it's use due to side effects such as Tachycardia, Emotional Blunting, Anxiety, blankouts and lowered cognition.

 

The withdrawal was not extreme, if I remember correctly, I had a period of severe depression which resolved itself over a few days. Followed by a slightly manic phase which stabilized itself. For the next 2 weeks after the initial withdrawal I had periods of anger and agitation. But now, at present times. There appears to be no withdrawal symptoms. But lasting damage and effects.

 

I now have hyperprolactinemia with no sign of a prolactinoma gathered from my MRI results. This is causing gynecomastia and other effects such aa fatigue and a lowered sex drive. This was not present prior to the drug combination. Ever since taking those two drugs, I now have these effects. I have read that Risperidone can cause hyperprolactinemia for 54 weeks which is 1 year and a month 1\2. Do you I truly have to wait that long to recover? Can I actually recover at all?

 

My GP sent a referral to an Endocrinologist and I am awaiting an appointment. Through the endo I can be treated with Cabergoline and Clomid to lower the Prolactin but I have my doubts that it will work.

Edited December 23, 2017 by Altostrata
added screen name to title

[Altostrata]

Welcome, SunderedStar.

 

It seems you had a severe adverse reaction to the psychiatric drugs.

 

We don't know much about endocrinology here. We do see people recover very gradually from withdrawal syndrome, which generally has noticeable symptoms other than hyperprolactinemia or other abnormal lab tests.

 

We can't advise you about cabergoline and Clomid. Please let us know how you're doing, other people visiting here might have similar symptoms and want to know how your treatment is working.

[Risilox]

Hello SunderedStar,

 

risperidone is the antipsychotic that most commonly causes hyperprolactinaemia.

 

You were lucky not to have a pituitary gland adenoma because risperidone often causes it (Atypical antipsychotics and pituitary tumors: a pharmacovigilance study).

 

Cabergoline is contraindicaticated in people with mental illness because can send you in psychosis or mania and has serious side effects. I would recommend you waiting for a spontaneous recovery although it may take some time.

 

Olanzapine gave to me hyperprolactinaemia.

I did a blood test last week and after 8 months I have prolactin in the normal range but my sexual dysfunction didn't resolve.

[SunderedStar]

I have read many stories on this site regarding recovery and those people have my sympathies.

 

Cabergoline has a chance of inducing withdrawal as it's dopamine agonizing effects can be addictive in comparison to drugs such as cocaine. Though I see it as a necessary step to undoing the damage done to my Hypothalamus - Pituitary axis.

 

I believe dysfunction in these two areas of the brain is what's causing most of my symptoms. It appears that Risperidone can affect the body to a genetic level as it alters mRNA transcription.

 

Clomid's negative side effects are negligible, it can be slightly cytotoxic and has an adverse effect on eyesight though it typically resolves upon cessation of use. With Clomid, you can increase your testosterone and\or estrogen, through that your prolactin will decrease. Clomid can break the inhibitory feedback system in the hypothalamus which is why the sex hormones are increased.

 

At the moment I'm relaxing with friends and family until my next appointment with my GP next year. I hope I shall see this treatment soon.

[SunderedStar]

@Risilox

 

I honestly hoped to have an adenoma as it would explain why I have hyperprolactinemia but my entire pituitary itself appears to be acting like one giant adenoma itself.

 

I do not suffer from Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder so my chances of psychosis and mania would be lower though I will be careful with the dosage. I may try the lowest dose possible and take it twice a week.

 

That is terrible, were you given an exact value in the range? Many specialists are ambiguous regarding what they consider to be nornal range. That is strange that your sexual dysfunction failed to resolve. I'm trying to think as to why it is. I unfortunately grew up watching high speed internet pornography. I started at a young age of 12 and continued to watch it until 19 which is my age now. I conditioned myself to only being attracted to porn. 

 

It's an entirely different issue but it is a growing phenomenon that is quite recent. I'm curbing it now however and it is difficult but I do feel better off it. However I can't tell if my sexual dysfunction is specific to being conditioned or caused by the AP's. Or both. I can still perform but only to porn, but something is off.

 

Time will only tell.

[Risilox]

On 23/12/2017 at 11:15 PM, SunderedStar said:

I honestly hoped to have an adenoma as it would explain why I have hyperprolactinemia but my entire pituitary itself appears to be acting like one giant adenoma itself.

 

Why do you hope to have a pituitary gland adenoma? Your hyperprolactinemia is explained by risperidone and it will take some time but you will heal.

 

On 23/12/2017 at 11:15 PM, SunderedStar said:

I do not suffer from Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder so my chances of psychosis and mania would be lower though I will be careful with the dosage. I may try the lowest dose possible and take it twice a week.

 

Why did they prescribe to you risperidone? Why did you take it? It is a very potent and dangerous drug and it should only be used for the most serious patients.

They prescribe to me olanzapine 10 mg only for insomnia and I was so stupid to take it... It's only my fault.

 

I would advise you to wait and use a dopamine agonist only as a last resort.

 

On 23/12/2017 at 11:15 PM, SunderedStar said:

That is terrible, were you given an exact value in the range? Many specialists are ambiguous regarding what they consider to be nornal range. That is strange that your sexual dysfunction failed to resolve. I'm trying to think as to why it is.

 

In the last exam I have 13,45 ng/ml of prolactin (max of 15 ng/ml). What is your value?

 

I don't know why my decreased libido and difficulty in sexual arousal failed to resolve. Could be a persistent side effect of olanzapine or PSSD from sertraline.

You also took a SSRI (Fluoxetine) but probably your low sex drive is caused by hyperprolactinemia.

 

 

On 23/12/2017 at 11:15 PM, SunderedStar said:

I unfortunately grew up watching high speed internet pornography. I started at a young age of 12 and continued to watch it until 19 which is my age now. I conditioned myself to only being attracted to porn. 

 

It's an entirely different issue but it is a growing phenomenon that is quite recent. I'm curbing it now however and it is difficult but I do feel better off it. However I can't tell if my sexual dysfunction is specific to being conditioned or caused by the AP's. Or both. I can still perform but only to porn, but something is off.

 

I became a porn addict at the age of 19. I did not go out of the house for watch HD porn video or read hentai and I usually masturbated 7 times per day but my sexual dysfunction are definitely caused by drugs and yours is too.

 

Regarding your gynecomastia do you need medical treatment or not?

[SunderedStar]

@Risilox

 

I hoped it was an ademona since it would give me an explanation. But it seems that my entire pituitary gland and hypothalamus have been thrown off balance, doctors can't explain it though they are not particularly useful imo.

 

To this day I have no idea why they prescribed me Risperidone, I think it was because I told them I suffered from Cannabis induced psychosis last year for 6 weeks and they assumed I was Schizophrenic, yet I haven't had symptoms in a year. I've also quit cannabis too. I took Risperidone because I mistakenly placed my trust in my Psychiatrist. I thought I knew what he was doing.

 

It's not solely yout fault for taking it. They prescribed you it with the expectation that you will take it. They are the ones who are supposed to know more than we do and whom should be careful with their actions but they are not.

 

My last blood test revealed a Prolactin value of 367 ng\ml. That was back in September I believe I do not know what it may be now. I was off the drug for a month and half by then. 

 

If you're still suffering from reduced libido with normalized prolactin it probably is indeed PSSD. If I remember there were videos on youtube about how to get rid of it but I'm not sure if they work or not, I will try to find them again. 

 

That's usually how Porn Addiction is like, you do not devote all of your time to it but devote yourself to it for a set time. I used to do it twice a day for years. Then went down to once a day. I get withdrawals off of it I'm not even joking. I feel irritable, angry, anxious, depressed etc. There are soo many withdrawal symptoms from a porn addiction I was surprised to see how rough they were.

 

I think I might have to undergo surgery for my gynecomastia. It got progessively worse since I stayed in that hyperpolactinemic state for a long duration of time. It might get better if this hyperprolactinemia resolves. Pregnant women often lose their breast size after pregnancy as prolactin levals return to normal. The same might be for me and I can only hope so when my hyperpolactinemia resolves. I don't think it has gone yet, I still have a low libido, puffier areola and missing patches of hair on my legs, apparently that is also a symptom of elevated prolactin, or reduced testosterone.

[Plshelp]

Sundered star. 

 

I think you'll recover. You were on such a low dose for a very short amount of time.