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Rossho: Risperdal taper


Rossho

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Hi there I am coming off risperdal. I know its tough but is it possible. I was really hoping to hear from alto strata on the matter. What speed should I start my taper at? Guys is there any hope? All im hearing are nightmare stories and im desperate for hope...

Stilnox january 2014 - may 2014 10-20mg a day

Stilnox august 2016 one month use 10 mg a day 

Xanax 2 weeks september 2016 1.5 - 3 mg a day, viscious withdrawal.

Valium reinstated October 2017 - march 2018. Fast tapered.

Risperdal october 2017 to present 1.5 mg.

Celexa December 2017 to present 20 mg

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hello Rossho and welcome to SA.

 

There definitely is hope. There are many, many people who have successfully come off this and similar drugs. The key is to do so as slowly as possible. 

 

Altostrata is the founder of this site; she has the most knowledge, but other moderators and members can offer support and experiences. You are in a great place for support.

 

Please be aware that there are a lot of nightmare stories out there. These are almost entirely from people who have come off too fast. If you are anything like me, I encourage you not to seek out such stories if at all possible. 

 

A request: Would you summarize your history in a signature using this link: Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature. 

Please include ALL drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly.

  • Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses.
  • A list is easier to understand than paragraphs. 
  • Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago)

This is your own Introduction topic where you can ask questions and journal your progress.

Edited by SkyBlue

 

2020: After 18+ years (entire adult life) on Paxil, a dangerous doctor-led "taper" in 2015, and four years tapering off the last 1 mg thanks to SA and the Brassmonkey slide, 

I AM COMPLETELY FREE OF PAXIL! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Forever.

 

2021: Began conservative, proper, CNS-respecting taper of Zoloft, led by the only expert on me -- me. Making own liquid. 5-10% plus holds.

2022: Holding on Zoloft for now. Current dose 47 mg. Hanging in, hanging on. Severe protracted PAWS, windows and waves. While I may not be doing "a lot" by outside standards, things are graaaaadually getting better

 

Yoga (gentle to medium); walks; daily breath practice; nutrition, fruits/veg; nature; water; EastEnders (lol); practicing self-compassion, self-care; boundaries; connection; allowing feelings; t r u s t ing that I, too, will heal. (--> may need to be reminded of this.)

"You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story." - Baylissa

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  • Moderator Emeritus

 

2020: After 18+ years (entire adult life) on Paxil, a dangerous doctor-led "taper" in 2015, and four years tapering off the last 1 mg thanks to SA and the Brassmonkey slide, 

I AM COMPLETELY FREE OF PAXIL! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Forever.

 

2021: Began conservative, proper, CNS-respecting taper of Zoloft, led by the only expert on me -- me. Making own liquid. 5-10% plus holds.

2022: Holding on Zoloft for now. Current dose 47 mg. Hanging in, hanging on. Severe protracted PAWS, windows and waves. While I may not be doing "a lot" by outside standards, things are graaaaadually getting better

 

Yoga (gentle to medium); walks; daily breath practice; nutrition, fruits/veg; nature; water; EastEnders (lol); practicing self-compassion, self-care; boundaries; connection; allowing feelings; t r u s t ing that I, too, will heal. (--> may need to be reminded of this.)

"You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story." - Baylissa

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8 hours ago, SkyBlue said:

Hello Rosho and welcome to SA.

There definitely is hope. There are many, many people who have successfully come off this and similar drugs. The key is to do so as slowly as possible. 

 

Altostrata is the founder of this site; she has the most knowledge, but other moderators and members can offer support and experiences. You are in a great place for support.

 

Please be aware that there are a lot of nightmare stories out there. These are almost entirely from people who have come off too fast. If you are anything like me, I encourage you not to seek out such stories if at all possible. 

 

A request: Would you summarize your history in a signature using this link: Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature. 

Please include ALL drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly.

  • Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses.
  • A list is easier to understand than paragraphs. 
  • Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ago)

This is your own Introduction topic where you can ask questions and jo

 

 

Thsnk you skyblue I will do this. I have read that this site addvocates 10 % reductions a month or so. Is that considered slow enough? If I did 5% every 2 weeks would that be even safer? Im pretty scared to start this thing.

Stilnox january 2014 - may 2014 10-20mg a day

Stilnox august 2016 one month use 10 mg a day 

Xanax 2 weeks september 2016 1.5 - 3 mg a day, viscious withdrawal.

Valium reinstated October 2017 - march 2018. Fast tapered.

Risperdal october 2017 to present 1.5 mg.

Celexa December 2017 to present 20 mg

 

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Hi all. Imade a bit of a mistake with regard to trying to get off of risperdal. My doctor told me it is easy to stop and that I could drop by 0.5mg a month. I made a terrible mistake of doing this till I got to 0.5mg. I began to have a withdrawal effect 2 weeks after getting to 0.5. I panicked and jumped back up to just 1mg where I have held for about 2 months. I have some discomfort still after 2 months and found this webpage. Mainly I pace a lot and have heightemed anxiety. Would it be advizeable to jump back up to 1.5 mg to see if I settle before tapering the correct way or is that dsngerous? Should I just continue to taper where I am. The discomfort is definitely not improving. Although I do have windows every night and sometimes during day where I feel 100 percent normal.

 

Im really looking for hope. Have I now damaged my nervous system and ruined any chance of me successfully tapering off? If I go back up to 1.5 is there a kindling risk similar to updosing benzos. Please guys im really anxious about thisand just want off the risperdal.

Stilnox january 2014 - may 2014 10-20mg a day

Stilnox august 2016 one month use 10 mg a day 

Xanax 2 weeks september 2016 1.5 - 3 mg a day, viscious withdrawal.

Valium reinstated October 2017 - march 2018. Fast tapered.

Risperdal october 2017 to present 1.5 mg.

Celexa December 2017 to present 20 mg

 

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As a side note when updosing to 1 mg the symptoms did fade mostly. I had dp/dr and a rushing feeling in my chest which went away. Now considering a jump back up to 1.5.

Stilnox january 2014 - may 2014 10-20mg a day

Stilnox august 2016 one month use 10 mg a day 

Xanax 2 weeks september 2016 1.5 - 3 mg a day, viscious withdrawal.

Valium reinstated October 2017 - march 2018. Fast tapered.

Risperdal october 2017 to present 1.5 mg.

Celexa December 2017 to present 20 mg

 

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Rossho, you're welcome, and thanks for adding a signature. 

 

Yes, we suggest a maximum of 10 per cent per month, and slower can definitely be better and more gentle. People also find it valuable to hold at a certain dose for a while, to give their systems a chance to stabilize. 

 

It makes sense to be scared about doing a taper--it's a big deal. But it is doable, and you are in such a good position, preparing yourself ahead of time. Many or even most of us unknowingly went way too fast and are paying the price. Your prospects are good! 

 

You might find this helpful as a popular method devised by our own Brassmonkey, doing very small cuts to equal approximately 10% per month (similar to your thought of doing two 5% cuts): http://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/17671-the-brassmonkey-slide-method-of-micro-tapering/

 

Let us know what you decide, and keep letting us know how you're doing. : ) 

 

 

2020: After 18+ years (entire adult life) on Paxil, a dangerous doctor-led "taper" in 2015, and four years tapering off the last 1 mg thanks to SA and the Brassmonkey slide, 

I AM COMPLETELY FREE OF PAXIL! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Forever.

 

2021: Began conservative, proper, CNS-respecting taper of Zoloft, led by the only expert on me -- me. Making own liquid. 5-10% plus holds.

2022: Holding on Zoloft for now. Current dose 47 mg. Hanging in, hanging on. Severe protracted PAWS, windows and waves. While I may not be doing "a lot" by outside standards, things are graaaaadually getting better

 

Yoga (gentle to medium); walks; daily breath practice; nutrition, fruits/veg; nature; water; EastEnders (lol); practicing self-compassion, self-care; boundaries; connection; allowing feelings; t r u s t ing that I, too, will heal. (--> may need to be reminded of this.)

"You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story." - Baylissa

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  • mammaP changed the title to Rossho: Risperdal problem
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Rossho, welcome to SA. I have moved your topic to the introductions forum, this will be your  topic to update and ask questions about your taper. 

 

It is very promising that you are having windows when you feel 100% normal.  I would hold with 1mg, increasing could actually cause problems after being on a lower dose.  After all the drugs and changes it will not be just risperdal withdrawal that you are experiencing but benzo withdrawal too. Can you tell us about your symptom pattern?  When do you start feeling better, and worse. When do you take the risperdal, and the celexa?  This will help us to see whether it is withdrawal or reaction.  I do suspect benzo withdrawal is present, and increasing the risperdal will not help with that.  You could start a topic for yourself in the benzo section too. You need to get some advice on the benzo, and hold the risperdal. Ypour nervous system needs to settle down and holding is the way to do that. When you are stable you can then start to think about tapering slowly. We can help you with that but for now it's important not to change anything. 

 

Thank you for creating your signature, it is very helpful but it says you are taking 1.5 risperdal, could you change that to the 1mg for us, you can change it to 1.5 if you do updose. 

 

I will find some links for you that will help you to understand what is happening. 

 

What is withdrawal syndrome

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/603-what-is-withdrawal-syndrome/

 

Windows and waves pattern of stabilisation

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/82-the-windows-and-waves-pattern-of-stabilization/

 

This excellent post by Rhiannon explains perfectly how the drugs remodel your brain and what happens when we come off those drugs. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1160-how-psychiatric-drugs-remodel-your-brain/

 

And about tapering. When you are ready you can research the topics on tapering to find a wealth of information about the drugs you wish to taper

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/300-important-topics-in-the-tapering-forum-and-faq/

 

**I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge.

 

 

Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem)

1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat

2002  effexor. 

Tapered  March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads.

Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013

Restarted taper  Nov 2013  

OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015    :D 

Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014

 

Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg  

 July 2017 30mg.  May 15 2018 25mg

Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. 

 

My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33

 

Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible

 

 

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Hi there mammP. My symptom pattern is like clockwork. I wake up in the morning with extremely restless legs and anxiety/dread. Then I have to get out of bed and move around a bit. I take my risperdal and celexa at 8:45am. for the rest of the day the anxiety continues and I need to pace a bit, however on some days the pacing kinda cools down around 11. Normaly I feel pretty agitated and anxious till the sun goes down around 6 to 7 pm and then I begin to feel normal again. I then take my nightly risperdal dose at 8:45pm (thats 0.5mg in the morning and 0.5mg at night). Im fine for the rest of the night. Then I go to sleep at around 10 and wake up every morning around 3:30am with the restlessness and anxiety/dread. I also figure its not smart to updose but I cant tell what is from the big risperdal drop I made and what is benzo withdrawal. Keep in mind that i always felt like this to some extent even when on the benzos and risperdal because I was reinstated onto the benzos 8 months ago and never stabalized. However the pacing and anxiety I would say has increased. I fear that if I keep holding and the risperdal drop is the culprit that I might never stabalise if that drop was too big to begin with and I just want off this stuff. The risperdal itself im sure is contributing to the restlessness just from being on it.

 

Do people in my position even have a chance of succeeding? I feel so afraid and lost. And I feel like I wont stabalize as im definitely not improving, besides the window I have every single night where I feel absolutely perfect. I dont have the option of reinstating the benzo as I have had a previous withdrawal and am definitely kindled. Im also scared that I wont stabalize if its benzo withdrawal as the pther drugs might be interfering with healing.

 

Thank you for your response...

Stilnox january 2014 - may 2014 10-20mg a day

Stilnox august 2016 one month use 10 mg a day 

Xanax 2 weeks september 2016 1.5 - 3 mg a day, viscious withdrawal.

Valium reinstated October 2017 - march 2018. Fast tapered.

Risperdal october 2017 to present 1.5 mg.

Celexa December 2017 to present 20 mg

 

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  • Administrator

Hello, Rossho, I combined your topics into this main topic, where you can ask questions about your taper and track your progress.

 

On 5/14/2018 at 11:17 PM, Rossho said:

As a side note when updosing to 1 mg the symptoms did fade mostly. I had dp/dr and a rushing feeling in my chest which went away. Now considering a jump back up to 1.5.

 

^The symptoms faded, then got worse so you updosed Risperdal? When did this happen, what were the symptoms? Did the updose help?

 

How did you go off Valium? Did your symptom pattern change when you stopped Valium? How's your sleep?

 

What times of day do you take your drugs, and at what dosages?

 

Please put ALL your drugs in the Drug Interactions Checker https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php
and copy and paste the results in this topic.

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Hi alto,

I was reinstated onto benzos about 8 months ago but they did not work this time and the whole time I was on I had terrible anxiety, fear, and depersonalisation, I also hadto pace a lot but had no physical symptoms etc. I was also put on risperdal at the same time and later the celexa.

 

Because I wasnt stabalizing I decided I had to come off the benzos again and in a knee jerk reaction I entered a treatment faciliity where they first updosed me from 30 mg valium to 50 mg equivalent of a different benzo called urbanol. I just say valium because nobody seems to know urbanol but it also has a long half life. There they cut me down to about 20 mg valiumequivalent over 3 weeks and my suicidality and dp/dr got so bad they had to stop.

 

I stayed on the 20 mg equivalent for about 2 months and then dropped myself down to about 15 mg equivalent, then 10 mg. From there I was pressured into a medical detox where they then took me off the last amount over the space of 5 days. In other words I was on the benzos for about 5 montgs during which I very messily came off in a stepped fashion in a poorly planned way.

 

A little while before going into the final medical detox I decided I wanted to try come off the risperdal fast as possible before totaly coming off the benzos. My doctor said it would be easy so I first dropped the risperdal from 1.5 mg to 1 mg. Then while in the final benzo detox I quickly jumped down to 0.5 mg risperdal. It was at this stage while in the hospital I started to get bad dp/dr again as well as a rushing feeling in my chest.

 

Its important to note that prior to this during my few month hold of the 20 mg valium equivalent that the dp/dr had completely gone away until I tried to cut the risperdal.

 

Because I had bad symptoms cutting the risperdal I uped the dose back to 1mg risperdal 2 weeks after going to 0.5. This updose ocurred 2 months ago ight before tsking my last benzo.This cleared up the rushing feeling as well as the dp/dr.

 

What im stuck with now is essentially anxiety, depression, akathesia or need o move aroubbdnd (inner restlessness) and suicidal ideation still no physical symptoms from jumping off the benzos.

 

Although im bad I never went into a full on brutal benzo withdrawal and im 2 months out now. I can only imagine the other drugs im on are masking it but I do not know. Im not sure if its a good sign or a bad sign that I havent gone into a full blown acute withdrawal.

 

I am stilll on 1 mg risperdal I will change my signature to state this. My symptoms start early in the morning when I wake up at about 3:30. To 4 am with restless legs, anxiety, and the need to pace. It normaly stays this way all day sometimes easing up around 11am a little and getting worse again around 3 pm. By 6 to 7 pm the symptoms start to lift and go away completely when the sun is down and I feel 100 percent myself no symptoms. In this state I dont want to die anymore and get filled with hope. But when I wake up in the morning it all floods back in. I take the risperdal and celexa at about 8:45 every morning and I take only the risperdal again at 8:45 pm. Thats 0.5mg in the morning and 0.5mg at night. The celexa dose is 20mg.

 

My anxiety and pacing I think have been pretty consistent throughout being on the benzos and risperdal carrying on till after I jumped off the benzos. Perhaps just getting a little worse since jumping.I guess the best way to describe it is that towards the end of the benzo taper the need to walk around became a bit more of a compulsion, like an inner restlessness. Again I cant say I have gotten much worse even after jumping off the benzos and I dont know why. You know what its like with symptoms you forget if its gotten worse or better or whatever. All I know is im super uncomfortable most of the day. The need to walk around akathesia iin guess is not consistent throughout the day. It does ease up and change at different times of day no definite pattern besides everything getting slightly easier towards middle of day.

 

As far as symptom patterns changing since jumping from the benzos im not sure... there were times towards the wnd of the benzo cutting that I was being woken with the restlessness and need to pace. But id say that compulsion occured mostly towards end and has persisted.

 

Another symptom which started towards the end was sleep issues. I was waking up at 1:30 every morning and then agsin at 3:30 am. This all mostly started towards end and has persisted. It got better for a while shortly after jumping but is bad again. Thats not to say I never had sleep issues early on in this. I guess throughout being back on the benzos there were stages when this would happen for example when I went into the first treatment centre and they dropped me from 50mg valium equivalent to 20 I was waking up early hours and needing to pace. So maybe I should attribute this to the benzos rsther than risperdal im not sure. I probably get around 4 to 5 hours of sleep now. Last night I think I got 4 if im lucky.

 

Does any of this info even help, it seems confusing even too me because id say I have had pretty consistently confusing symptoms all while being back on the benzos and while being off. They have just changed and shifted slightly. One thing that has improved is the detschmwnt or. Dp/dr. This was bad from when I did my first big drops in the first treatment centre way back when I went from 50mg valium equivalent to 20 mg valium equivalent but got better from there and has gone away. I do wonder whether being put on the celexa helped with that as id say it started to get better from when I was put on that. When the dp/dr and suicidality got too bad in the treatment centre and they stopped my taper back in december thats when they put me on the celexa. I have no dp/dr now, besides the short burst I had when I tried to cut the risperdal which has gone due to updose. 

 

Is this just all too confusing? Interestingly I have wojen up this morning with no symptoms. Do I really have to be 100 percent stable before starting a very slow risperdal taper? I feel like I dont want to wait as I dont feel that I will stabalise and do wonder how much of my restlessness is from the risperdal. Sorry for the long pist. If its too confusing please ask me again as I am so desperately intrrested in your advice. Thsnks for being so patient.

Edited by Altostrata
added paragraph spacing

Stilnox january 2014 - may 2014 10-20mg a day

Stilnox august 2016 one month use 10 mg a day 

Xanax 2 weeks september 2016 1.5 - 3 mg a day, viscious withdrawal.

Valium reinstated October 2017 - march 2018. Fast tapered.

Risperdal october 2017 to present 1.5 mg.

Celexa December 2017 to present 20 mg

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus
12 hours ago, Rossho said:

Do I really have to be 100 percent stable before starting a very slow risperdal taper? I feel like I dont want to wait as I dont feel that I will stabalise and do wonder how much of my restlessness is from the risperdal. Sorry for the long pist. If its too confusing please ask me again as I am so desperately intrrested in your advice. Thsnks for being so patient.

 

I'm not able to read your entire post right now, but as far as being stable before a slow taper: it's really up to you. The idea would be to be as stable as possible (not perfect, but pretty stable) before starting, with tolerable, predictable symptoms, and go as slowly as possible. 

 

 

2020: After 18+ years (entire adult life) on Paxil, a dangerous doctor-led "taper" in 2015, and four years tapering off the last 1 mg thanks to SA and the Brassmonkey slide, 

I AM COMPLETELY FREE OF PAXIL! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Forever.

 

2021: Began conservative, proper, CNS-respecting taper of Zoloft, led by the only expert on me -- me. Making own liquid. 5-10% plus holds.

2022: Holding on Zoloft for now. Current dose 47 mg. Hanging in, hanging on. Severe protracted PAWS, windows and waves. While I may not be doing "a lot" by outside standards, things are graaaaadually getting better

 

Yoga (gentle to medium); walks; daily breath practice; nutrition, fruits/veg; nature; water; EastEnders (lol); practicing self-compassion, self-care; boundaries; connection; allowing feelings; t r u s t ing that I, too, will heal. (--> may need to be reminded of this.)

"You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story." - Baylissa

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  • Administrator

Hello, Rossho.

 

23 hours ago, Rossho said:

I take my risperdal and celexa at 8:45am. for the rest of the day the anxiety continues and I need to pace a bit, however on some days the pacing kinda cools down around 11. Normaly I feel pretty agitated and anxious till the sun goes down around 6 to 7 pm and then I begin to feel normal again. I then take my nightly risperdal dose at 8:45pm (thats 0.5mg in the morning and 0.5mg at night). Im fine for the rest of the night. Then I go to sleep at around 10 and wake up every morning around 3:30am with the restlessness and anxiety/dread.

 

Those early morning symptoms sound like you're sensitive to the natural jump in cortisol, which is triggered by sunrise. Keeping your bedroom very dark with blackout shades and curtains and wearing a sleep mask may reduce that reaction.

 

Why are you taking risperidone and Celexa at the same time in the morning? They could be conflicting. Please put ALL your drugs in the Drug Interactions Checker https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php and copy and paste the results in this topic.

 

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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Using citalopram together with risperiDONE can increase the risk of an irregular heart rhythm that may be serious and potentially life-threatening, although it is a relatively rare side effect. You may be more susceptible if you have a heart condition called congenital long QT syndrome, other cardiac diseases, conduction abnormalities, or electrolyte disturbances (for example, magnesium or potassium loss due to severe or prolonged diarrhea or vomiting). Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Your doctor may already be aware of the risks, but has determined that this is the best course of treatment for you and has taken appropriate precautions and is monitoring you closely for any potential complications. You should seek immediate medical attention if you develop sudden dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, shortness of breath, or heart palpitations during treatment with these medications, whether together or alone. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

Edited by ChessieCat
reduced font size

Stilnox january 2014 - may 2014 10-20mg a day

Stilnox august 2016 one month use 10 mg a day 

Xanax 2 weeks september 2016 1.5 - 3 mg a day, viscious withdrawal.

Valium reinstated October 2017 - march 2018. Fast tapered.

Risperdal october 2017 to present 1.5 mg.

Celexa December 2017 to present 20 mg

 

Link to comment

Alto I also want to ask you. When cutting my 5 or 10 percent each month or so, is that 10 percent of the starting dose? Or 10 percent of the latest dose. If it were to be latest dose then to taper 1 mg of medication could take me in excess of a year and a half to 2 years? That cant be right. I know you are probably very busy but could you maybe explain that to me? I just dont want to do this wrong. 

Stilnox january 2014 - may 2014 10-20mg a day

Stilnox august 2016 one month use 10 mg a day 

Xanax 2 weeks september 2016 1.5 - 3 mg a day, viscious withdrawal.

Valium reinstated October 2017 - march 2018. Fast tapered.

Risperdal october 2017 to present 1.5 mg.

Celexa December 2017 to present 20 mg

 

Link to comment
  • Moderator Emeritus

Hi Rossho, the 10% is the current dose. It does take time but it reduces the risk of withdrawal and sneaks the drug away from the brain, allowing it to adjust between drops. Don't be put off because of the time it takes, you have your whole life ahead of you. Tapering faster will see you  bouncing around on and off the drugs for many years, trying to stop withdrawal. Believe me I know, I did it for 20 years and could never understand why I was so sick. If you hold for a while now, then do a slow taper you will can feel better as the dose lowers.  Because of the changes and jumping off benzos I would hold your doses for a few months so you are more stable when you start tapering.  

It might be better for you to move the celexa dose away from the rispardal so they aren't taken together.    Do you have any heart problems? 

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/

 

Edited by mammaP
added link

**I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge.

 

 

Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem)

1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat

2002  effexor. 

Tapered  March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads.

Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013

Restarted taper  Nov 2013  

OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015    :D 

Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014

 

Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg  

 July 2017 30mg.  May 15 2018 25mg

Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. 

 

My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33

 

Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone has used the 300ml straight taper method for benzos or antipsychotics. This is when you dissolve your daily dose into 300ml of water and draw out 1ml a day for 300 days. Is this an effective taper method? Im looking for something fairly convenient as im not so great at math. What confuses me about this method is that to me the daily cuts would become too much as you get lower? Any dvice appreciated big time.

Stilnox january 2014 - may 2014 10-20mg a day

Stilnox august 2016 one month use 10 mg a day 

Xanax 2 weeks september 2016 1.5 - 3 mg a day, viscious withdrawal.

Valium reinstated October 2017 - march 2018. Fast tapered.

Risperdal october 2017 to present 1.5 mg.

Celexa December 2017 to present 20 mg

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

SA's suggested tapering method is no more than 10% of the current dose followed by a hold of at least 4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.  Some members make reductions of less than 10%.

 

Your 1ml every day for 300 days may be doable.  However my concern would be about making an error.  Reducing by 10% or less is easy once you get the hang of it.  There is a calculator here:  Tapering Calculator - Online

 

One easy way of doing the calculation to find your new dose for a 10% reduction is to multiply the current dose by 0.9.  So 300 x 0.9 = 270.  The next 270 x 0.9 = 243.

 

There will be some amounts which are more difficult to measure. The next reduction would be 243 x 0.9 = 218.7   For this reduction it might be easier to round the figure but always round UP not down.  So you could take 219.  The next reduction would be calculated on 219 not 218.7 so 219 x 0.9 = 197.1 which you would round up to the next easiest amount to measure, eg 197.5 or 198.

 

If you want to make smaller % reduction you would change to a different figure.

 

10% reduction multiply by 0.9

 

7.5% reduction multiply by 0.925

 

5% reduction multiply by 0.95

 

2.5% reduction multiply by 0.975

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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I have heard that my protocol of reducing by a little bit for each day is not suitable for antipsychotics and that I should rather reduce as you have said in chuncks. which i suppose would be easier. do you know anything about this? I am really struggling to find any info on this and dont seem to get many replies on SA. do you know of anyone who i could perhaps speak to in regards to this? any info greatly appreciated. thank you my friend.

Edited by ChessieCat
removed quote

Stilnox january 2014 - may 2014 10-20mg a day

Stilnox august 2016 one month use 10 mg a day 

Xanax 2 weeks september 2016 1.5 - 3 mg a day, viscious withdrawal.

Valium reinstated October 2017 - march 2018. Fast tapered.

Risperdal october 2017 to present 1.5 mg.

Celexa December 2017 to present 20 mg

 

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Hi all,

 

I am wanting to conduct a daily microtaper for an antipsychotic medication (risperdal). However I have heard that a daily microtaper is not suitable for this kind of drug but exclusive for benzos. Does anyone know about this or why it is? Id really like to know. Any info greatly appreciated.

Stilnox january 2014 - may 2014 10-20mg a day

Stilnox august 2016 one month use 10 mg a day 

Xanax 2 weeks september 2016 1.5 - 3 mg a day, viscious withdrawal.

Valium reinstated October 2017 - march 2018. Fast tapered.

Risperdal october 2017 to present 1.5 mg.

Celexa December 2017 to present 20 mg

 

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  • Administrator
On 5/14/2018 at 11:17 PM, Rossho said:

As a side note when updosing to 1 mg the symptoms did fade mostly. I had dp/dr and a rushing feeling in my chest which went away. Now considering a jump back up to 1.5.

 

If risperidone reduced your symptoms, why are you tapering risperidone now? Please stop tapering.

 

What effect does the Celexa have on you?

 

Please put dates to the events you describe in this post. It is quite dense. Just a list of important drug events, with their dates on the left, would be fine.

Please answer this question:

On 5/17/2018 at 12:00 PM, Altostrata said:

Why are you taking risperidone and Celexa at the same time in the morning?

 

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein

All postings © copyrighted.

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@Rossho People tapering of benzos is well more common I would guess because doctors don't really prescribe them long term.

 

Some receptors are similar some are different.  Benzos tend to have a drastic 2 week withdrawal.  Taking Xanax as an example.

 

xanax-withdrawal-timeline.png

 

Antipychotics are more complex and therefore have sometimes a much longer withdrawal depending on the drug.

 

Everyone has their success one way or another.  I would simply try both and see what works better for you.

My Intro FB Zyprexa 2015-September 2018

1st time I tried to come straight off of 10mg Zyprexa I was hospitalized for insane insomnia.

Current - Abilify Maintena & L Theanine(for akathisia)

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Alto I canto remember all the dates unfortunately. I am not tapering the risperdal right now. I want to start. I cant give exact dates but can give a general idea. About a month before completely stopping benzos I reduced the risperdal from 1.5 mg to 1 mg. A few weeks after that I reduced to 0.5 mg. At this stage I had stopped the benzos completely but decided due to severe symptoms I would updose the risperdal back to 1mg. This softened some of the symptoms. This was about 4 months ago. I take the celexa and risperdal in the morning because I am dosing risperdal twice a day and I dose the celexa in the morning because I was told not to dose it at night. So the dosing of celexa and risperdal together just happens that way. I dont want to dose all the risperdal at night because I want to start tapering it soon and want it spread out during day in case of interdose withdrawal as I taper. What I am scared of is that me being on 1mg of risperdal now it was still a 0.5mg cut and im scared iv damaged my nervous symptom permanently from that jump. And im too scared to updose it now 4 months later back to 1.5mg. The only symptoms I have right now are are anxiety, even the akathesia is gone. So I just have this intense anxiety in the mornings which goes away completely by the afternoon. For all I know that anxiety symptom could be only risperdal withdrawal from that jump and I have no way of knowing.  I could updose the risperdal again but after 4 months im not sure what effect that would have.

 

Also I dont have the anxiety every day all day. I have strings of good days.  I dont know if the anxiety is from risperdal withdrawal, benzo withdrawal or if the risperdal or even celexa is the cause. 

 

As far as the celexa is concerned im not sure what effect its having on me I cant say that its causing any problems but I cant tell either.

 

As I side note in the mean time I wont start tapering the risperdal now but is a daily microtaper suitable for antipsychotics and if not why? Iv heard it isnt.

 

I do wonder whether my symptoms are a mixture of everything and im wondering if I dont need to get off the risperdal completely for them to resolve? Alto I really really need your help so if this response still wasnt adequate please let me know and I will try again. Please my friend.

Stilnox january 2014 - may 2014 10-20mg a day

Stilnox august 2016 one month use 10 mg a day 

Xanax 2 weeks september 2016 1.5 - 3 mg a day, viscious withdrawal.

Valium reinstated October 2017 - march 2018. Fast tapered.

Risperdal october 2017 to present 1.5 mg.

Celexa December 2017 to present 20 mg

 

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15 Oct 2017 - reinstated back onto benzos 1.5mg klonopin and put on risperdal

 

14 Nov 2017 - switched from klonopin to urbanol 60mg

 

17 nov to 04 dec cut from 60mg to 20mg urbanol 

 

5 Dec 2017 - celexa 20mg added.

 

4 jan 2018 - cut from 20mg to 15mg urbanol

 

15 Feb 2018 - cut risperdal from 1.5mg to 1mg 

 

1 Mar 2018 - cut risperdal to 0.5mg. 

 

2 Mar to 17 march - urbanol cut from 15 mg to 0mg.

 

3 Mar 2018 - bad symptoms so updise risperdal back to 1 mg. Sone symptoms such as dp/dr and feelings of insanity fade.

 

Those are the dates as best I can do. 

 

See this is why im worried about what is benzo withdrawal and what is from messing with risperdal dosages. I hope this time line helps. As I say the only symptoms I have is anxiety and I only sleep 5 hours a night. I wake up very suddenly same time every morning. Im not sure whether to go back to the original 1.5mg risperdal ir if thats dangerous this far out. Lingering symptoms are not fading although I dont have them everyday and never have them at night. I feel so hopeless and lost and defeated and like suicide is my only option. I might continue to hold but there is no gaurantee that the remaining symptoms fade due to the large risperdal cut and that scares me because it means I can never taper the risperdal? This is why I kinda feel I need to do something and just tsper off of it. I dont know what to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stilnox january 2014 - may 2014 10-20mg a day

Stilnox august 2016 one month use 10 mg a day 

Xanax 2 weeks september 2016 1.5 - 3 mg a day, viscious withdrawal.

Valium reinstated October 2017 - march 2018. Fast tapered.

Risperdal october 2017 to present 1.5 mg.

Celexa December 2017 to present 20 mg

 

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  • 1 month later...
  • 7 months later...

Topic title:  Delayed or late onset withdrawal

 

 

Hi all. I have a simple question. I recently came off of citalopram and Risperdal. I came off really fast due to problems that I was having while on the drugs. I tapered off the citalpram in a month and the Risperdal over 2 months. I had been on both for a year. Now as I came off the drugs all of the problems I had been having went away for the most part (insomnia, agitation, akathesia, fear, anxiety, suicidal ideation etc). These were all problems I had while on the drugs and they were severe. Well after coming off I had some new symptoms like detachment and some dp/Dr I think it was, I felt dizzy and out of it and uncomfortable etc. But after a few weeks all of this went away and my life has just gotten so much better. 

 

I have been off of the citalpram for 4 months and off of the Risperdal for 3.5 months. My question is just how common is late onset withdrawal? I'm just in such a good space but I have this intense fear that it is too good to be true. I know that late onset withdrawal can happen months later but I just want to get an idea of how common it is and if I should be obsessing about this. I must note that although I am 100 times better I do still have boughts of symptoms. I can be fine for weeks and then I get waves of slight anxiety and some agitation, but nothing I cannot live with and nothing like I had while on the drugs. My sleep has gone back to normal though after only getting 3 to 4 hours sleep for like a year and a half. Is it pretty much a given that severe withdrawal will likely set in for me still? Do you see it often with citalpram and or Risperdal??please excuse my ignorance. 

 

Any response will be so greatly appreciated. I hope everyone is doing the best they can... Love you all. 

 

Edited by ChessieCat
added topic title

Stilnox january 2014 - may 2014 10-20mg a day

Stilnox august 2016 one month use 10 mg a day 

Xanax 2 weeks september 2016 1.5 - 3 mg a day, viscious withdrawal.

Valium reinstated October 2017 - march 2018. Fast tapered.

Risperdal october 2017 to present 1.5 mg.

Celexa December 2017 to present 20 mg

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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  • 4 years later...

Hi all. I am a person who survived benzo, antidepressant, and antipsychotic withdrawal. This was largely due to support in this group. Now I'm trying to help a friend taper prozac. She is stuck fast at 10mg and her symptoms are crippling when tapering even 10 percent. She is one of those with all the symptoms even though still on the drugs. I wanted to ask If there is a special way to taper to make it through. Could she use a 300ml water taper? Can you do that with Prozac? Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

 

Stilnox january 2014 - may 2014 10-20mg a day

Stilnox august 2016 one month use 10 mg a day 

Xanax 2 weeks september 2016 1.5 - 3 mg a day, viscious withdrawal.

Valium reinstated October 2017 - march 2018. Fast tapered.

Risperdal october 2017 to present 1.5 mg.

Celexa December 2017 to present 20 mg

 

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  • Moderator
2 minutes ago, Rossho said:

Now I'm trying to help a friend taper prozac. She is stuck fast at 10mg and her symptoms are crippling when tapering even 10 percent.

 

Once registrations open up on March 1st, would encourage your friend to join and start their own introductory thread so we can assist.

 

Pre- October 2022: Wellbutrin, Escitalopram, CitalopramSertraline, Adderall IR, Vyvanse, Propranolol, Buspar, Ativan, and Latuda

Oct 13, 2022 - Oct 24, 2022 and Oct 31, 2022 - Present: Zyprexa (2.5 mg). Jan 14, 2023 -> Began transition to liquid suspension. Jan 29, 2023 = 2.375mg -> Feb 12, 2023 = 2.25mg -> Feb 27, 2023 = 2.14mg -> Mar 12, 2023 = 2.025mg -> Mar 27, 2023 = 1.93mg -> Apr 10, 2023 = 1.82mg -> Apr 23, 2023 = 1.74mg -> May 7, 2023 = 1.64mg -> May 21, 2023 = 1.56mg -> June 4, 2023 = 1.48mg -> June 19, 2023 = 1.4mg -> July 2, 2023 = 1.33mg -> July 16, 2023 = 1.26mg -> July 31, 2023 = 1.2mg -> Aug 13, 2023 = 1.14mg -> Aug 27, 2023 = 1.08mg -> Sep 13, 2023 = 1.02mg -> Jan 22, 2024 = 0.97mg -> Feb 4, 2024 = 0.92mg -> Feb 19, 2024 = 0.87mg -> Mar 3, 2024 = 0.83mg -> Mar 17, 2024 = 0.78mg

Oct 14, 2022 - Present: Prozac (40mg) upped from 20mg on Nov 1, 2022.

Oct 31, 2022 - Present: Gabapentin (300mg 3x day) -> May 3, 2023 = 300mg 2x day -> Oct 1, 2023 = 570mg -> Oct 15, 2023 = 540mg -> Oct 29, 2023 = 510mg -> Nov 13, 2023 = 484mg -> Nov 27, 2023 = 460mg -> Dec 9, 2023 = 436mg -> Dec 24, 2023 = 414mg -> Jan 7, 2024 = 400mg

 

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