carefulprayerful: switch to drug with longer half-life before tapering?

February 18, 2021

Wow!! Great job @carefulprayerful!!! So proud of you!!💗

February 19, 2021

Thank you so much @glosmom! I am getting solid sleep, though it's not quite the normal rhythm. I have a slight headache and body tension, but overall things are good. Going to bed for the first time without having to take a dose of risperidone was so freeing.

The method on SA works: stabilize, taper very slowly, listen to your body, do a hold when called for. Believe the brain heals with time. I am so glad to see word is starting to get out to the public.

You have done an amazing job helping others as you helped your daughter and sharing support with others. You are a pioneer.

I am still so grateful for when you suggested that I be leery of any medications in the emergency room that one time I passed out and started puking momentarily. Not many people would venture to say that, but we really do need to be leary about Rx. Can you still make that type of suggestion now that you are a moderator?

My philosophy is now: I will take the prescription, I may get it filled, but I will exercise my judgment in taking it. Western medicine is fabulous for emergency care. "Lifestyle" drugs --> be cautious!

My very best,

CarefulP 🌈

February 19, 2021

Thank you @Erell ! I took it as slow as I needed to go, and I reached the end sooner than I thought I would. You will be there, too, before you know it.

Still one more drug to go for me, but I am savoring being done with risperidone. It was not easy! 🌷

February 19, 2021

You are very welcome, @carefulprayerful, I am glad it helped at the time.

I, unfortunately, had to pull back from being a mod almost as soon as I started due to many work and life issues that popped up. I was getting overwhelmed and had to say 'no' somewhere...so it was here. I hope one day to be able to be much more active and help out more. Right now, I just hop on for short spurts. I plan to post a 2 year update for Glo in the next couple weeks.

Glo had a taper that should probably be considered a CT considering how long she is taking to heal. She has continued to have waves and windows the entire almost 2 years since jumping to zero. However, the good cycles are moving in the right direction and the bad cycles are moving in the right direction too :). It was impossible to do your very accurate assessment of the recommended way..."The method on SA works: stabilize, taper very slowly, listen to your body, do a hold when called for. Believe the brain heals with time. I am so glad to see word is starting to get out to the public."

The good news is that she is continuing to heal and in the past couple months we have seen some really nice improvements.

You may want to plan for some waves and windows to continue for you , too, now that you are off completely (so wonderfu!!) You did a great job with your taper but as @brassmonkey states in his "it doesn't end at zero" post...your body will need to time to adjust with ZERO medication. I am sure you will continue to feel great, but just don't be surprised if you have continuing symptoms/spells that could pop up and cycle in and out for awhile. I will make sure to keep you in my thoughts as you navigate the wonderful world of not being tied to taking this medication anymore!!

Hugs, Glosmom

February 26, 2021

Congratulations, you made it through.

I am very proud of you.

February 27, 2021

Thank you, @saeed! It feels good to be on the other side of risperidone. Now I just have to taper off lamotrigine. I thought it would help me to stay on lamotrigine until I tapered off risperidone, so I saved it for last.

I'm glad I stabilized before beginning a microtaper. All along, it felt as though the day would never come, but at the end of the taper, oddly enough, it felt like it was over before I knew it.

Take good care of yourself!

Best wishes,

CarefulP

February 28, 2021

When Tump lost reelection, I thought, "This must be what it's going to feel like to get off risperidone!" LOL. (I can see the similarity: a looming threat always over your head, and in the back of my mind the thought: "What's going to happen next with ...?") Honestly, though, getting risperidone out of my body was better than getting Trump out of office. (But both were good!)

I've been off risperidone for ten days, and I'm feeling steady so far. I'm sleeping well, but I'm burnt out. I decided to lighten up my commitments to enable myself to heal. Even after 8 hours of sleep, I look pale with bags under my eyes. I also noticed my Reynaud's syndrome is acting up. I asked my practitioner, and she recommended consulting a neurologist or cardiovascular doctor. I'm going to consult the cardiovascular doctor since I've already got a good idea what the neurological factors might be (psych drugs, of course). I also notice myself less able to handle anger than before I was on risperidone. I have noticed that for a while. I rarely felt anger when I was on the full cocktail, so it continues to be an adjustment.

I had a really great day today. Two down (lithium and risperidone), one to go (lamotrigine).

With gratitude,

CarefulP

March 2, 2021

How are you doing?

March 10, 2021

Hi @Momof2,

I'm doing well three weeks since the jump to zero! Thanks for asking.

Sometimes I feel my brain click back into place, and I feel so much more steady. I realize how over-reactive I have been to stressful situations. When your brain is reacting to WD, it makes sense, doesn't it? Your nervous system would be more susceptible to stress.

I am happy. I sleep 6-8 hours every night. I have a tiny bit of twitching and jaw clenching, but you will not hear a complaint from me! (You are reading this, not hearing it, after all! 😀)

I'm still in a little woozy as I begin my lamotrigine microtaper, but overall I am in a good phase. I also get a touch of nausea, but I think that could be the lamotrigine.

I am hugely grateful.

This is not medical advice:

You might want to check out some books by Dr. Breggin. In one of his books, he recommends reducing by 10% and waiting a few weeks to see what happens. He says it is probably not safe physiologically to taper faster than 10%/week. For many of us on here, that would be too fast. However, if you have been on the drug only a couple of months, you probably will be able to taper off the drug comfortably in less time than someone who has been on the drug for years. (I had been on the drug for about 5 years, and my taper took 2 years and 10 months.) There is no guarantee about any of this, so it is best to start slow.

Dr. Breggin also states that within the first 2-4 weeks of using a drug, the drug begins to cause the changes in brain structure that lead to WD symptoms.

The cool thing about risperidone is that it comes in liquid form from the manufacturer. The liquid allows you to make tiny reductions in dose easily and conveniently using an oral syringe that comes with the packaging. (You can just ask your doctor to write you a prescription for the liquid form.)

When I found this website, I spent some time looking for people who had been on risperidone as long as I and successfully tapered off it. There was no one.

The most helpful tools I have found:

SA recommended: fish oil, clean gut diet, sleep hygiene.

Recommended by me: Psych-K and the placebo effect.

I describe these in other posts.

Good luck to you!

All the best,

CarefulP

March 11, 2021

Just to keep it real, I do still have a handful of mild symptoms which do not interfere with my daily life. Of course, I am working from home, so I am able to manage these symptoms fairly easily.

tiredness, pale complexion, bags under my eyes, abdominal discomfort, nausea, headache, ears ringing (momentary), facial twitching, tension in the body, irritability, slight insomnia (sleep 6+ hours every night), Reynaud's disease flaring up, irregular appetite, woozy, brain fog, intolerance to rigorous exercise

My usual approach is not to dwell on symptoms, just let them pass and keep positive. However, I want to keep an accurate account for anyone in the medical community who might read this.

I am looking at my signature and thinking h*** yes!

April 6, 2021

To the moderators,

Good morning. Thank you for being here. I am having a little trouble with my lamotrigine taper. At the end of Feb., I began the lamotrigine taper.

According to the drug information for lamotrigine, the oral contraceptive pill reduces its blood levels by 50%. (I am actually taking an oral contraceptive that is a little less potent, so it might be 35% or 40%, but that is just a wild guess.)

End of Feb. to mid March: What I decided to do was CT the birth control and guess how much to reduce the lamotrigine. I reduced the lamotrigine to 125 mg at the end of February. Then over a 2-week period, I reduced from 125 mg to 100 mg via a daily microtaper. After that, I experienced a handful of symptoms: insomnia, anger (for several days, probably about the angriest I've seen myself), low mood for a couple of days, significant brain fog for most of the day with clear thinking for a couple of hours following each dose, emotionally flat. That was mid-March.

I also got tests in the past month by a rheumatologist and a vein specialist to determine the cause of my blue/purple feet. There is no underlying cause, which I am so grateful for. The symptom was diagnosed as peripheral cyanosis. (I had thought it was Reynaud's.)

Then I continued tapering but at a slower pace. All the doses below were divided in two--half in the morning and half at night.

3/17: 99.8 mg

3/18: 99.8 mg

3/19: 99.6 mg

3/20: 99.6 mg

3/21: 99.4 mg

3/22: 99.4 mg

3/23: 99.2 mg

3/24: 99.2 mg

3/25: 99 mg

At this point, I was doing very well. I had almost no symptoms and slept 7+ hours.

I think the pace above was safe and easy: 1% reduction over 8 days. This would be about 4%/month. I think this was very reasonable given that I had just made a big reduction over the period end of Feb.-mid March.

Then I increased my taper rate by too much:

3/26: 97 mg

3/27: 95 mg

3/28: 94 mg

3/29: 92 mg

3/30: 91 mg

3/31: 90 mg

This was a 7.2% reduction over 5 days. Up to this point I was basically okay, experiencing:

Sleeping well 6-7 h
normal appetite
focusing much better, some mild brain fog
sharp pain in abdomen, momentary, right side, mid to lower abdomen, on 2 occasions
chest tightness on one occasion
intolerance to exercise, which is normal for me
peripheral cyanosis
feeling cold
bruise easily, which is normal for me

I also began to be inconsistent in whether I take

25 mg in pill form and the remainder in liquid suspension
or all of it in liquid suspension (i.e., 2 pills in 50 mL liquid, removing the appropriate amount of mL to get the day's dose)
or (as of Mon. 4/5): all of it in pill form

Thurs. 4/1: 88 mg. Ears ringing, headache, neck ache, slight akathisia, tiredness, 5 h sleep Th. night.

Fri. 4/2: 88 mg. Spaced out/zoned out, nervous/jittery, cold, unable to concentrate, forgetful, disoriented, took Friday off work to go shopping, which is out of the ordinary for me. I took the dose in the middle of the night Fri. night, and by then I was jittery. I stayed with a friend Fri. night. Slept 3 h Friday night.

Sat. 4/3: 93 mg (?). Took 43 mg (liquid suspension) in the morning and 50 mg pill at night. Still slightly disoriented, took a nap in the afternoon and went home from my friend's house. Moody, weepy. Slept fairly well Sat. night.

Sun. 4/4: 96 mg: Feeling better during the day Sun. Took a nap Sun. afternoon and woke up irritable. Took dose late, resulting in insomnia. Awake and kept talking to partner while he wanted to sleep. Stayed in bed for 7 h, but I was not sleeping soundly.

Mon. 4/5: 100 mg Took a sick day and got Pfizer vaccine (dose 1) at 8:15 a.m. Just had a little soreness in my arm. Evening: had poor ability to concentrate, drowsy, a bit disoriented. Took both doses totally in pill form (i.e., 2 x 25 mg pill in the morning and 2 x 25 mg pill at night). Prior to this I had been taking half or all the dose in liquid suspension form.

Tues. 4/6: Morning: Woke up with muscle aches, head ache/pressure, stomach ache, mental sluggishness, irritability, nausea, feeling 'drugged', slightly anxious. (100 mg on Monday was definitely too much.) I think I am feeling the increases in dose as the lamotrigine builds up in my body.

I am getting my thyroid checked today to make sure none of these symptoms could be the result of an incorrect dose of Synthroid.

I may also get other tests, i.e., a blood count, kidney test. Anemia, which is associated with kidney disease, can cause confusion (rarely).

In summary, my doses as of yesterday, Mon. 4/5:

Synthroid 100 mcg

Lamotrigine 50 mg pill (9:20 a.m.)

Lamotrigine 50 mg pill (8:45 p.m.)

Current supplements: Fish oil, Vitamin E, Multivitamin w/ B Vitamins, Vitamin D, Alpha Lipoic Acid, CoQ 10

Since Lamotrigine causes some drowsiness, I often have to take a 15-20 min nap around noon.

Do you think I should divide up the dose so I take more of it at night?

I think I should reduce the dose to 40 mg at 9 a.m. in the morning and 50 mg at 9 p.m. at night. I'm not sure where to stabilize at dose-wise. I also have to decide whether to take all liquid or partial liquid form.

I need to figure out the right dose for this morning to hold at for a couple of weeks, or until the symptoms subside. Please advise if you can. Thanks.

April 10, 2021

Here a quick update of where I am now:

I am taking all doses in the form of a liquid suspension.

Morning dose Evening dose Total

Tues. 4/6: 47 mg 49 mg 96 mg

Wed. 4/7 49 mg 49 mg 98 mg

Th. 4/8 49 mg 48 mg 97 mg

Fri. 4/9 48 mg 48 mg 96 mg

Sat. 4/10 47.8 mg

It's been hard figuring out where to settle this past week.

at 49 mg (AM and PM), I had nausea, brain fog, drowsiness, etc.

I lowered it to 48 mg morning and night, and now I have:

good mood/feeling internally (Lamotrigine has been reported to have an antidepressant effect according to some ppl)
ballon brain/airhead feeling
unfocused
memory issues (Lamotrigine is known to cause memory problems as a side effect. I am also experiencing this as a WD reaction, it apears.)
slight nausea, mainly when I eat

The WD reactions above are those I associate with too high a dose, based on other's experience that I have read and my own.

Tapering at 0.2 mg every two days seems like a doable pace. I was functioning pretty well at that pace. I basically was not thinking about WD - the symptoms were minimal and did not distract me.

Timing and pacing are so tricky! I have read of a few approaches:

CT (cold turkey) - not doable
FT (fast taper) - doctor's advice, not doable
Dr. Breggin - recommends 10% every few weeks; no faster than 10%/week (he thinks this is the fastest pace that is safe physiologically)

I think that 10%/week would be for someone who has minimal commitments and can curl up in bed when needed.

OR

It is for someone who has fully harnessed the placebo effect. Most people--in my opinion--will not fully harness it. However, when I listened to my guided medication first thing in the morning and last thing at night, the brainwashing was automatic and effortless. The brain is very trainable at those moments. I need to get back to that. It worked very well for me - although I was not completely 100% free of WD reactions. I also sped up the taper toward the end - so it might have been that I was on a very tiny dose, and the placebo effect was not the main factor. Who knows? My feeling is that it did help.

The SA approach: No more than 10%/month. One drug at a time.
The ICI approach: 5-10% per month. A daily microtaper is recommended. Some people may wish to taper multiple drugs simultaneously.

It's so important to take a few minutes for self-care and re-set. I always have more focus and energy when I do that before taking on whatever I have to do during the day. Writing this out is helpful to me.

On the other hand, in this experience, I sometimes find that there is a window of sharpness and focus during my day that should be used for the most mentally demanding tasks. After dinner, that window has basically passed. Doing challenging work during the daylight hours is key.

Right now, I am thinking about tapering 0.1 mg/day, which will take 960 days. This would probably be easy. However, it's not the hyperbolic method - it's just a constant daily reduction. It's tempting to look for the easy button. Using the hyperbolic method would probably take less than 960 days. I just have to write the taper chart each month.

I also just want to get past this and move on with my life. When I began this, I followed the advice in the ICI Withdrawal Project Guide. One of the pieces of advice was to make sure you had someone to fill in for any responsibility you have. For instance, make sure at least one person at work knows how to perform each task that you are responsible for. It's a very good guide.

April 11, 2021

I have had some tinnitus (ears ringing), but on the whole I am doing very well. My ability to focus is improving. It's a little hard to get my brain in gear, but it's still getting better. These past few weeks with ups and downs in dose have had a brain-numbing effect, but it's on the mend. I decided on a daily microtaper this month for a total 6% reduction by the end of 30 days. I got outside today and enjoyed the fresh air, which always helps.

I wish everyone healing and enjoy the weekend.

Best,

CarefulP

August 16, 2021

I just finished tapering off my last Rx on August 5, 2021.

I was not as careful as I should have been with the lamotrigine taper. I jumped off at 4 mg, and I think I should have tapered down to 0.1 mg.

Thank you so much for the support through this chapter of my life.

With gratitude,

CarefulP

August 19, 2021

Wow this is big news @carefulprayerful!! I will be sending you positive thoughts for a smooth transition. Hopefully your body can handle the jump from 4mg okay. If things get bumpy, time seems to be the great healer, so hang in there.

All my best, Glosmom

August 28, 2021

@Glosmom thank you for the encouragement. I hope you and Glo are doing okay and enjoying the summer. Looking forward to the next update.

All the best,

CarefulP

September 6, 2021

As of today, I am grateful to be off all psychiatric prescriptions for one month.

After jumping off lamotrigine at 4 mg, the first week was difficult (insomnia, sensation of burning, neuroemotions). I experienced improvements in digestion and joint discomfort immediately after ending the taper. My memory and creative thinking are basically back to normal. My insomnia and mental sluggishness are continually improving. The anger and depressed mood I experienced during the lamotrigine taper have greatly subsided.

I would describe neuroemotions in the following way:

intense feelings with a chemical feel
sometimes arising from a situation but way out of proportion
other times arising out of nowhere without relevance to the situation

It's obvious that waves of neuroemotions are hard for family members to interpret. An outsider might not understand an inexplicably downcast mood. I also wonder if windows are hard to interpret. At times when I feel relief from neuroemotions or physical WD reactions, I might display a more positive attitude about a situation that has not changed.

I have also now experienced moments of a return to my natural state. For example, I feel a burst of joy when I wake up or hope and optimism for the future that are unaltered and pure. These feelings return me to 10 years ago before this experience, which inspired some bitterness in me it goes without saying. I momentarily feel 10 years younger. The awakening is truly unique.

I have also had a couple of moments of a kind of peace of mind (when things clicked into place) that I have not felt since before the Rx. I imagine this was my normal brain equilibirium.

Looking back at the years I was on the Rx, I believe they affected my emotional reactions to events in my life in the moment as well as my ability to process emotions over time.

Fortunately, I have found a lot of healing from trauma and my original issues. My favorite modalities/resources are: psych-k.com (#1), placebo effect (Bruce Lipton), Marie Kondo, EMDR, DBT (The Stress Response by Matta), CBT (Google grounding techniques), Claire Weekes, The Body Keeps the Score by van der Kolk, Trauma and Recovery by Herman, Home Page | Inner Compass Initiative (theinnercompass.org), Mindvalley | The Premier Personal Growth Learning Platform.

A million thanks and best wishes to everyone for healing,

CarefulP

October 8, 2021

On 9/6/2021 at 5:11 PM, carefulprayerful said:

As of today, I am grateful to be off all psychiatric prescriptions for one month.

After jumping off lamotrigine at 4 mg, the first week was difficult (insomnia, sensation of burning, neuroemotions). I experienced improvements in digestion and joint discomfort immediately after ending the taper. My memory and creative thinking are basically back to normal. My insomnia and mental sluggishness are continually improving. The anger and depressed mood I experienced during the lamotrigine taper have greatly subsided.

I would describe neuroemotions in the following way:

intense feelings with a chemical feel

sometimes arising from a situation but way out of proportion

other times arising out of nowhere without relevance to the situation

It's obvious that waves of neuroemotions are hard for family members to interpret. An outsider might not understand an inexplicably downcast mood. I also wonder if windows are hard to interpret. At times when I feel relief from neuroemotions or physical WD reactions, I might display a more positive attitude about a situation that has not changed.

I have also now experienced moments of a return to my natural state. For example, I feel a burst of joy when I wake up or hope and optimism for the future that are unaltered and pure. These feelings return me to 10 years ago before this experience, which inspired some bitterness in me it goes without saying. I momentarily feel 10 years younger. The awakening is truly unique.

I have also had a couple of moments of a kind of peace of mind (when things clicked into place) that I have not felt since before the Rx. I imagine this was my normal brain equilibirium.

Looking back at the years I was on the Rx, I believe they affected my emotional reactions to events in my life in the moment as well as my ability to process emotions over time.

Fortunately, I have found a lot of healing from trauma and my original issues. My favorite modalities/resources are: psych-k.com (#1), placebo effect (Bruce Lipton), Marie Kondo, EMDR, DBT (The Stress Response by Matta), CBT (Google grounding techniques), Claire Weekes, The Body Keeps the Score by van der Kolk, Trauma and Recovery by Herman, Home Page | Inner Compass Initiative (theinnercompass.org), Mindvalley | The Premier Personal Growth Learning Platform.

A million thanks and best wishes to everyone for healing,

CarefulP

Thank you for sharing your story. I recent came off lamictal as well, with my last does on 7/7. I wanted to see how you were doing 2 months out. I've been having issues with insomnia and anxiety lately along with a lot of other symptoms. It's coming in waves, and I seem to feel better after and in between.

I can also relate to that feeling like you're alive for the first time in many years. Those feelings come and go during the windows and the it seems like I kind of get used to the new sensation.

November 26, 2021

@lithiumnomore Thank you for your message! It's been 3.5 mos. since I came off lamotrigine. I'm doing much better. Basically, I have just lingering anxiety and mild insomnia.

I wish you the best with your lithium WD. I'm so glad to hear you are tapering carefully.

Keep getting your blood work done to make sure your kidneys are ok. Permanent kidney damage is a common side effect of lithium. A few years ago, I read online that the blood work should be ordered every 6 mos., but my doctor did not keep on top of it. (Double check on the recommended time frame. It might be every 4 mos. I'm really not sure.)
I would also suggest familiarizing yourself with how to read the lab work results so you know what to look for in case the medical staff overlook it. (Creatinine is one of the most important results for the kidneys).

November 26, 2021

Hi @lithiumnomore,

Also, I wanted to suggest to you to find out what signs to look for. Patients on standard doses of lithium often experience lithium toxicity; this happens without overdosing--just by taking the prescribed amount. I personally experienced trembling hands, thirst, frequent urination, pale skin tone, and episodes of vomiting. (I was so out of it on lithium, that I didn't notice all of these symptoms, but my partner did.)
Rhiannon (one of the members on this site) explains: when you are tapering, the doses are continually going down, and as a result, the risk of adverse effects may be going down, too. I think a lot of people here on this website decide to get regular lab work to monitor the side effects and continue to taper at a comfortable pace as long as the body is healthy. That is what I did after I got off lithium, for the other drugs I tapered after that.
I also experienced a lot of benefit from positive thinking. I think that helped me get through it. You should check out the YouTube video in my signature and the other resources I mention in my story, if this interests you.

All the best to you and happy Thanksgiving.

November 27, 2021

@lithiumnomore

This is not standard wisdom, but I wanted to share the following experience I had with lamotrigine:

When I had to cold turkey lithium, I took an extra dose of lamotrigine. It helped calm my nervous system. (I later read that lamotrigine was originally a seizure medication.)
Consider keeping the remaining lamotrigine supply that you have left, if you're not sensitive to it, just in case.
See what Alto has written about this. She actually used a small amount, maybe just 5 mg or so, and found it helpful.
In general, I noticed that Alto cautioned against adding prescriptions to the mix, but she did suggest in one of her posts that this drug might be helpful in tapering off other drugs.
I haven't read anything on this in a few years, so you might come across new or different information.

November 28, 2021

Retrospective at 3.5 Months Drug-Free:

On Thanksgiving, I had a wonderful day. I thought, "I remember who I am in my essence." I felt whole.

Today, I looked back on the lost years. I began listening to sad songs for comfort, but then I realized there probably isn't a song that captures it.

I remembered all the months (or years, rather) when I was in antidepressant WD as a teenager and didn't know it, when I would spend hours listening to sad songs. At the time, I thought it was me. In retrospect, with all I now know, I doubt I'd be capable of that degree of sadness if not for psych drug WD. I ended up in extreme states of mind that are outside of my organic range of emotions.

I'm grateful to be back on solid ground. I am also using Psych-K and other techniques, which have enabled me to heal from the original problems that I faced and the hurt of being processed through the psychiatric system.

Best wishes to the SA community,

CarefulP

January 23, 2022

Hello,

Just thought I would post a little update. It has been almost 6 mos. since the drop to zero.

I realize 4 mg of lamotrigine was too high for a jumping off point. I ended up on a two-steps-forward, one-step-back pattern. I had a hard landing, but I am looking forward to a full recovery.

I had an allergic reaction to mold where I was staying for a few months late last year. Also, the PMS/period wave came back. I still have anxiety, anger, mild insomnia, headaches, body aches, and some focus issues.

This year has been particularly stressful on a personal level, so I am trying to prioritize healing. I am working on generating more positive emotion in my life and following the clean gut diet more closely.

I am looking forward to reading more updates. It feels freeing to be off all psych. drugs, so thank you again to the site moderators and members.

CarefulP

March 7, 2022

Hello, SA. I am at the 7-month point drug-free, and things are gradually improving.

I came off lithium via cold turkey in 2018 b/c of serious side effects, and I was lucky it went well.
I tapered off risperidone over 2 y and 10 mos. (Apr. 2018-Feb. 2021). This is a rocky drug to come off, conceivably because of the short half-life, so I paced it very slowly to keep the symptoms at a low hum. Most of the taper, I had symptoms I would describe as mild. (Occasionally, I dealt with moderate or severe symptoms.)
I squeezed the bulk of the lamotrigine taper into about 6 mos. (approx. Feb.-Aug. 2021). This one had a steadier (less jarring or rocky) but on average higher intensity of symptoms. I speculate that because of the long half-life as well as the excellent coping tools I have found, the lamotrigine WD symptoms have been in the mild-moderate zone. Because of the cognitive symptoms, it has been a blur. My functioning has been impacted the most, overall, from this last one.

Coming off lamotrigine has been significantly different from coming off risperidone.

What has been so challenging about lamotrigine WD is that there are significantly more cognitive WD symptoms.
My perception of the WD symptoms has been altered / delayed. I need to observe what actually happens over time, since I don't seem to notice it quickly. I had a much better grasp of what was happening during the risperidone taper as it took place, compared to my grasp of things during the lamotrigine taper. I had been hoping that things would return to the way they were with the risperidone taper, but I have realized that the nature of the WD is distinctly different.
The lamotrigine taper is generally less predictable. After coming off lamotrigine, I often experience waves of symptoms that last days, not hours. It seems to be different every time and much more of a blur.
With risperidone, there were a handful of distinct symptoms that repeated over and over when I was managing the pacing well. Start to finish, I experienced a wider range of WD symptoms while coming off risperidone, some of them on a rare basis, nearly all of which I could perceive in the moment.
A key difference is that the risperidone WD symptoms were more jarring. I tapered more carefully accordingly. As a result, the pacing was something my system could handle, and I experienced improved mental sharpness over time. The improvement in my brain function was smooth.
With lamotrigine, I pushed the pace and ended up with a consistently higher load of symptoms (though they are not jarring or acute for the most part).
Now that I have come off lamotrigine, I am working with a blunt instrument overall as far as my brain is concerned. Lamotrigine has left me blurrier. My work productivity is lower, and I cannot see myself taking an online course in the near-term. However, on the positive side, I have experienced a return of my creative energy, and my sense of humor is sharper.
Regarding neuro-emotions, the lamotrigine WD brought on an increase in my daily level of negative emotion (anger, anxiety, feeling down), but I have plenty of positive emotions, too.
The healing trajectory post-lamotrigine has not been a straight path. For the first three months (Aug.-Nov. 2021), I improved the most. I was staying with relatives. I did a lot to improve, such as putting a chunk of time into meditation, while working remotely part-time. Then the home I was living in developed a mold problem, which I reacted to. I returned to my house, a supportive but more stressful living environment, and I returned to working remotely full-time (approx. Dec.). I noticed around then that a two-steps-forward-one-step-back pattern had developed. After that, I took on some personal projects on top of the healing endeavor and burned out by Feb. 2022. Last week, I noticed significant indications of healing, pushed myself to be more productive, and crashed and got angry about the situation.
At this point, I am grateful that I do not have the burning / pressure cooker sensation on a daily basis anymore. I have other sensations in the body (particularly the head, neck, and torso) such as a prickly pain, a pulling / stretching sensation, muscle spasms, and what I will describe as a ripping / tearing sensation. I still have a slip-and-slide feeling with regard to emotional stability and mental focus. In various parts of the body (mostly legs and abdomen) I get momentary shooting pains.
In the risperidone taper, I needed to avoid arguments in my interpersonal relationships, which were over-stimulating. Coming off lamotrigine, I have been more impacted by stress, generally speaking. I get over-stimulated easily by a wider range of activities.
With risperidone, I had mostly physical WD symptoms and neuro-emotion WD symptoms. I had more insomnia, but my brain function nonetheless steadily improved. For example, my memory got progressively better. My concentration was better than it had been on maintenance, even given the distractions posed by the physical WD symptoms and neuro-emotion WD symptoms.
During the risperidone taper, I could keep my mind busy to distract me from the WD. During the lamotrigine taper, over-exerting my mind is an issue. This means that I cannot distract myself from the WD experience by engaging my mind, beyond a point. I think that means that trying to sooth my body's systems and taking things slowly is the best option. In a nutshell, with the risperidone taper, I could keep up with a lot of healthy distractions, and with the lamotrigine taper, I benefit from taking it easy.
To clarify this, during the risperidone taper, I was able to keep busy, which kept me encouraged. I worked from home, which allowed me to take naps and use coping techniques such as EFT without looking funny in an office setting. In addition, I took an online class which I worked on at night. I had a little bit of a personal life. I modified my activities, for example, I did 20 min of light exercise instead of the gym class I used to go to. I could keep up with the same lifestyle, and meanwhile my mind was getting sharper!
On the other hand, during the lamotrigine taper, if I over-use my mind, then I am less able to regulate myself emotionally. This is a consistent challenge. The reverse is also true: if I get over-worked emotionally, it takes a long time to calm down, I will be exhausted, and I may be totally uninterested in focusing on any mentally demanding tasks. It's like a see-saw effect. The lamotrigine healing is like a total body workout!
Post-lamotrigine, I also get over-stimulated by too much physical challenge, i.e., exercise, intimacy, intermittent fasting, and so on. I was practicing intermittent fasting for a few months, but I have realized that following a strict schedule is a significant challenge right now. I decided to preserve my energy, go with the flow, and do what I can on that. My digestion is much better post-taper compared to during the taper, but my appetite is not consistent.
The cognitive component has improved slowly and steadily. Whereas a 30-minute work phone call left me exhausted a few months ago, I can concentrate on a book for a couple of hours now without as much tiredness. I am not describing the exact same task here, but suffice it to say, I have observed an improvement.
My sleep recently improved a lot. I thought about just getting in extra rest to heal, the way you would recuperate from the flu. I feel as if I am near the end of the healing and more rest would make the difference.
To close on a positive note, I will add that I perceive the patterns as they have emerged over time, though my perception was delayed, and I have a better idea of what I am dealing with and how to approach healing from it.

It has been a journey. I have seen a significant range of WD reactions at this stage. I hope you're hanging in there and wish everyone a smooth recovery, health, healing, and happiness.

Best,

CarefulPrayerful

March 8, 2022

@carefulprayerful I am thinking of you!! You have been through so much and are still staying strong and sharp (your post shows it, though you might not feel it!) Keep on hanging in there....time is the healer. Glo hit her 3 year post zero at the end of February. She is still healing. Getting better and better but still not close to who she used to be. Don't under estimate that you are still healing from your risperidone taper and Iamotrigine taper. She continues to cycle through good times/bad times....happy/angry times. But the cycles still get shorter and shorter and her base level continues to rise. I continue to hope, that this 4th year, will be a year she may start to get closer to normal and maybe....just maybe get a simple job again. You are not alone......hang in there. It is wonderful, in and of itself....that you are off all of these poisons. Hugs, Glosmom

March 28, 2022

@Glosmom,

Thank you for the reminder to be grateful to be safe and done with the taper. It's only up from here. This past day or so I'm finding slow breathing helps enormously with the angry energy.

Hoping to hear more good news as Glo continues her healing! Thank you both for being an inspiration.

CarefulP

April 4, 2022

Just updating my journal...

Last month (in March 2022) I had an improvement in cognition. It's been very interesting to reflect on this, in retrospect. One of the ways my cognition was affected was: my perception and pace of thought were slower. I experienced a reduced ability to notice symptoms as they took hold, from a thought pattern to a wave of anger coming on. I might swerve off topic and not necessary regain my train of thought. I was not experiencing delusions or hallucinations, but I did not always sustain a linear thought process. My thought process was like a slip and slide ride. I might actually go on a tangent for a long time and focus on something for hours, but I was more likely to swerve all over the place. This lasted for some months, following the drop from 4 mg to 0 mg lamotrigine (in August 2021). It made it hard to follow through on my day's agenda, since I typically got off track. I was more creative during this period of time. I wonder if the altered state was in a way related to the creative burst.

I'm continuing to see more hopeful signs. I've been taking better care of myself, using PSYCH-K and resuming eating the clean gut food plan again and not worrying about perfection.

With gratitude and best wishes,

CarefulP

December 13, 2023

On 4/4/2022 at 1:32 AM, carefulprayerful said:

Just updating my journal...

Last month (in March 2022) I had an improvement in cognition. It's been very interesting to reflect on this, in retrospect. One of the ways my cognition was affected was: my perception and pace of thought were slower. I experienced a reduced ability to notice symptoms as they took hold, from a thought pattern to a wave of anger coming on. I might swerve off topic and not necessary regain my train of thought. I was not experiencing delusions or hallucinations, but I did not always sustain a linear thought process. My thought process was like a slip and slide ride. I might actually go on a tangent for a long time and focus on something for hours, but I was more likely to swerve all over the place. This lasted for some months, following the drop from 4 mg to 0 mg lamotrigine (in August 2021). It made it hard to follow through on my day's agenda, since I typically got off track. I was more creative during this period of time. I wonder if the altered state was in a way related to the creative burst.

I'm continuing to see more hopeful signs. I've been taking better care of myself, using PSYCH-K and resuming eating the clean gut food plan again and not worrying about perfection.

With gratitude and best wishes,

CarefulP

Hi Carefulprayerful,

I hope you are well. I’m another fellow withdrawl sufferer.

Your journey has been a courageous one.

I was reading through one of your latest posts where you provided an update on your physical symptoms.

I noticed you mentioned about a pulling, tearing sensation in muscles. Did this symptom improve for you?

I have the same and it cycles round.

Peace and healing vibes.

Giuly88

carefulprayerful: switch to drug with longer half-life before tapering?

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