commitmenttohope

[commitmenttohope]

hello, I've been on psych drugs since 2004 when I was diagnosed with bipolar. around three years ago I began the slow process of a slow taper withdrawal. things are becoming very challenging with the lamictal withdrawal. I have looked into a peer run respite house that I am planning on going to for two weeks while I do my next 10% taper of lamictal. I am feeling some discouragement because it takes so much energy to deal with communicating and educating my family, friends, support system and the doctor and still maintain my integrity for keeping to my goals and what I value for my own health. I get tired of constantly having to deal with the misguided information that everyone seems to believe and try and keep me from moving forward. the thing is, I still have a long way to go and I can't afford to waste my energy on people who are not interested in supporting me for better health. I feel tired and then I get so exhausted when I'm tapering on top of it. I am so thankful to have found this site because there is so much good information on how to taper more effectively. Really, I've been going too slow. I need to keep my momentum going.  I'm new to this site and I think I need to set up my profile, trying to figure out how to do that. I appreciate the support. 

 

 

 

 

2004 -Seroquel and Depakote. many changes of many drugs. cold abrupt stop. 

2007-abilify

2014- abrupt stop restart abilify.

2015- abrupt stop -- put on abilify injection.  then abilify oral. lamictal. Cogentin.

2016- began slow taper of lamictal 100mg, taper of Cogentin 10mg. taper of Abilify 5mg. 

2019- now 37.5mg of lamictal. 0 of Cogentin, 4mg of abilify.

 

 

[Gridley]

Hello, commitmenttohope, and welcome to SA.

 

Here is the link you can use to set up your drug signature.  Just copy the dates and information what you've written at the end of your post.  If you are taking any supplements, please include these in your signature.

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

Here are some links that should be helpful to you:

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Brain Remodelling 

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

Tips for tapering off Lamictal (lamotrigine)

 

Here is some information on withdrawal:

 

 

What is withdrawal syndrome.

 

Glenmullen’s withdrawal symptom list.

 

When we take medications, the CNS (central nervous system) responds by making changes over the months and years we take the drug(s). When the medication is discontinued, the CNS has to undo all the changes it made. Rebuilding the neurotransmitter production and reactivating the receptor and transporter cells takes time -- during that rebuilding process symptoms occur.  

 

This explains it really well:

 

   On 8/30/2011 at 2:28 PM,  Rhiannon said: 

When we stop taking the drug, we have a brain that has designed itself so that it works in the presence of the drug; now it can't work properly without the drug because it's designed itself so that the drug is part of its chemistry and structure. It's like a plant that has grown on a trellis; you can't just yank out the trellis and expect the plant to be okay. When the drug is removed, the remodeling process has to take place in reverse. SO--it's not a matter of just getting the drug out of your system and moving on. If it were that simple, none of us would be here. It's a matter of, as I describe it, having to grow a new brain. I believe this growing-a-new-brain happens throughout the taper process if the taper is slow enough. (If it's too fast, then there's not a lot of time for actually rebalancing things, and basically the brain is just pedaling fast trying to keep us alive.) It also continues to happen, probably for longer than the symptoms actually last, throughout the time of recovery after we are completely off the drug, which is why recovery takes so long.

 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system. 

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Please research all supplements first and only add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems.

 

This is your introduction topic -- the place for you to ask questions, record symptoms, share your progress, and connect with other members of the SA community.  I hope you’ll find the information in the SA forums helpful for your situation.  I'm sorry that you are in the position that you need the information, but I am glad that you found us.

 

 

 

 

[Altostrata]

On 4/14/2019 at 9:55 PM, commitmenttohope said:

hello, I've been tapering off of lamictal for 3 years. I have been going very, very slowly with long periods of resting from tapering in between.  I started at 100mgs and now I'm at around 37mgs.  I have also tapered completely off of Cogentin and I'm also working on tapering abilify, was at 5mgs and now i'm at 4mgs of abilify.  this has been a very challenging process.  I'm preparing to make another reduction of lamictal. I'm gathering my supports and preparing for what will come with the with drawl. I am recommitting myself to the process knowing that no matter how bad I will have to feel,  we must keep our eyes forward. better health is ahead. we must continue moving forward in the process and slowly by slowly my health will be restored. thank you for your support.

 

Hello, commitment, how are you doing?

[commitmenttohope]

Dear Surviving Antidepressants,

I am grateful to have started tapering again. I am so thankful that this forum exists, and I am grateful for your support and feedback. I hope to work more closely with you as I go through this tapering journey. I have begun drinking a green juice at night to boost my system as I taper and I'm on an eating plan that is nutritious along with exercise and drinking a gallon of water a day. I have made progress in my health with these actions and they seem to boost my mood also. my Doctor is the one who recommended I start tapering and I am thankful for that because I hope to work together with him as I continue to taper down on the psych medication.

I just tapered last week and so I hope this month goes well as I adjust. so far I'm sleeping well and feeling pretty good although I feel just a little depressed in the morning trying to start my day and a little less motivated to get started. I'm pretty sure this is just going through withdrawals and adjusting. I will hold if it becomes too difficult. 

just wanted to check in with you as I go through this taper.

sincerely,

Commitmenttohope

[ChessieCat]

Hi commitmenttohope and welcome back to SA,

 

SA's recommended tapering protocol is to reduce the current dose by no more than 10% with a hold of at least 4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.

 

Your decrease of Risperidone from 0.375mg to 0.3125mgs was a 16.6667% decrease.

 

I realise that because of what you have to work with you might not have any choice but to do larger reductions.  But it is a good idea to know what percentage you have reduced by because it means that you understand that there is a very good reason for the withdrawal symptoms.

 

However if there is a way that you can make smaller reductions, then it would be better to do that.

 

What I also wanted to make sure that you were aware of was that when we make larger reductions we will most likely need to hold for longer than 4 weeks.  In other words, do not make another reduction until your withdrawal symptoms are resolved.  It is nicknamed withdrawal normal or WDnormal.

 

Please read the following:

 

Stability

 

WDnormal

 

And Brassmonkey talks more about it here:

 

tao-of-the-brassmonkey

[commitmenttohope]

Dear surviving antidepressants,

thank you for your feedback about the need to hold for longer than a month because of it being a larger taper than 10%. that is very helpful and useful feedback, thank you.  I will apply what you have taught me. the pills are so small that I can't make smaller reductions. I am open to learning how to do this better. 

sincerely,

commitmenttohope

 

[ChessieCat]

You are welcome.  I'm glad that I was able to provide some helpful advice.

 

This is SA's topic:

 

tips-for-tapering-off-risperdal-risperidone

 

Please carefully read Post #1 which explains the various ways of getting non standard doses.

 

[commitmenttohope]

Dear Surviving Antidepressants, 

I am a week into my last reduction on my taper of risperidone and I'm feeling good. Last month I extended my time before reducing again as suggested because of it being more than a 10% reduction. with the extended time I made sure I was feeling good and functioning properly before continuing my taper journey. this reduction is also more than a 10% reduction because I am pill splitting and it's the best I can do with pill splitting. but my next doctor's visit is coming up next month and I'm going to ask him to change me to a liquid form of risperidone so that I can taper at a 10% reduction with more accuracy. this last taper I experienced having some trouble sleeping the second week of the taper. I got a rash that I've gotten before when I taper but then it went away towards the end of the month. I felt sluggish in the mornings about half the month but then it leveled off and I was able to continue with my normal activities. I am going slower on the taper than my doctor told me to do (but he is ok with the pace I'm going) because I'm really wanting to be cautious and safe but it is still more than a 10% reduction. when I get the liquid medication that will be helpful. I will plan on staying at this dose for at least a month and a half to make sure I I'm doing good. thanks for your support and your feedback. my akathisia from the medication has reduced a little because of the medication tapering but the akathisia is still bothering me as a side effect of the medication. I'm praying that it's not permanent damage. I'm grateful to be on this tapering journey, it's slow and challenging, but I'm wanting to see if the akathisia goes away and I'm looking forward to over all feeling and doing better and better as I reduce. 

sincerely,

commitmenttohope

 

[commitmenttohope]

Dear Surviving Antidepressants,

Today I picked up my new liquid form of Risperidone that my Doctor thankfully ordered for me.  I am very grateful for this opportunity to taper safely at a 10% rate which will be more consistent and reliable for me. I could use your help in calculating a 10% reduction though. how much would I take in the syringe if the medication dose is .25ml and I need to reduce it by 10%?  

sincerely,

commitmenttohope 

[ChessieCat]

Q:  What strength is your liquid?  Does 1mL of prescription liquid equal 1mg of risperidone?

 

Generally we suggest transitioning from tablet to liquid when possible:

 

cross-over-changing-form-eg-tablet-to-liquid-of-drug-or-changing-brand-of-same-drug

 

 

[ChessieCat]

To calculate a 10% reduction you multiply the current dose by 0.9 which will be the new dose to take.

[commitmenttohope]

thank you surviving antidepressants( ChessieCat) for your question and suggestion and for showing me how to find my right dosage.  yes, 1 ml liquid risperidone is equal to 1 mg tablet risperidone.  thank you for suggesting that I take time to transition from pill form to liquid form and thank you for the link explaining it . I will take this next month to transition before starting my next taper. 

sincerely,

commitmenttohope

[commitmenttohope]

could you help me figure out how to calculate 1/4 of .25ml I'm not sure how to do the math. 

[ChessieCat]

21 minutes ago, commitmenttohope said:

1/4 of .25ml

 

= 0.0625ml

 

To calculate this, divide 0.25ml by 4

[commitmenttohope]

thank you, I am so glad to have your support so that I'm not left guessing and on my own. thank you so much for your support. 

[commitmenttohope]

Hello Surviving Antidepressants,

 

I transitioned for a month this last month from pill form to liquid form of risperadone.25ml. The transition went well and smoothly. It took me a little bit to figure out a couple things with the liquid form like getting it out of the bottle with the syringe it would always spill so now I pour an amount into a small cup and withdraw the medication into the syringe from the cup and it doesn’t spill now. The other thing that helped was using a sharpie to mark the amount on the syringe for a more accurate and consistent amount. 

today I begin the next taper for this month from .25ml to .225ml risperadone. I still have shaking in my hands and face- a side effect from the medication -tardive dyskinesia, I’m hoping it goes away as I continue to taper. The 10%taper May take me longer than I expected to come off especially in the lower doses. I also have three other pills that I want to taper off of also. Seems like a long process, although it might just take that amount of time to learn new ways of implementing beneficial actions in my life. Even though the journey is long, I am grateful I’m not doing it alone. I’m grateful my doctor gave me risperadone in liquid form. I’m grateful for the tardive dyskinesia because that is the reason my doctor was willing to begin allowing me to taper. I’m grateful for all my failed attempts at trying to stop the medication on my own because it’s given me a new respect for my mind and my body and how careful I need to be with these medications. I’m grateful I have been given another opportunity to try again this time with more support.

 

thank you for all your help and guidance.

 

sincerly,

commitmenttohope 

 

Edited May 1, 2022 by ChessieCat
added spacing

[commitmenttohope]

hello Surviving Antidepressants,

I'm just checking in to let you know I'm tapering my liquid risperidone from.225ml to .20ml for this month. this last month I tapered from .25ml to .225ml and I got a rash that I normally get when I taper that lasts about a week during the 3rd week of my taper. I also experienced mild depression in the mornings trying to get out of bed. but overall, the month went well and I'm ready to taper for this new month. thank you for your help and support.  sincerely, commitmenttohope

[ChessieCat]

Please be aware that you latest reduction will be an 11.1111% decrease so you might need to hold for longer than 4 weeks.

[commitmenttohope]

thank you for making me aware of that, I will add longer time to hold as needed. 

[ChessieCat]

It's worth it to hold for longer.  You are so close to getting off!  Please don't get impatient.  I wanted to be off by mid October last year, but because I had other health issues (changing to low carb diet due to diabetes diagnosis) I decided to go longer and go lower in dose before jumping off.  It ended up only be 1 extra month but it was worth knowing that I had done my best and there was less chance of any issues being from jumping off too soon or too high.

[commitmenttohope]

wow! thank you Chessicat for your note on your personal experience and how it was worth going slowly and doing it well. thank you for sharing that with me, it is just what I needed because I was getting impatient because when I finish tapering off of risperidone I still have 3 other medications to taper off of.  thank you for the work you do to encourage us here and to give us information and to guide our journey, it is much appreciated! it meant alot to me to get your response of your personal note of experience.  it is good to hear how you are on the other side and made it through. sincerely, commitmenttohope

[ChessieCat]

2 hours ago, commitmenttohope said:

I was getting impatient

 

I had several times during my taper that I started getting impatient and I've seen it with other members.  I found it helpful to post when I became impatient and usually by the time I had finished typing the post I found that I was less impatient and realised that it would be silly to try to rush.  When I made these posts other members would encourage me to "hang in there" and it really helped.

 

I had really bad withdrawals right at the start when I reduced from 100mg to 50mg Pristiq which is when I found SA.  It was a horrible thing to go through but it was beneficial because I would remind myself about what might happen if I went too fast.

 

When members complain about their symptoms I suggest that they compare how they feel now with how they felt at their worst, not how they felt at their best or how they wish they felt.  I'm currently recovering for a very bad cold (not covid) and still feel awful on day 4, but I don't feel as bad as I did earlier on.  For example, at least now I can breathe more easily without the dry lung feeling.  But I still want to feel good again not just better than I did but I remember that I there has been improvement.

 

And remember that every reduction you make is less drug you are taking and getting you closer to being off it.  It took me about 4 or 5 months before I fully appreciated what I achieved, possibly because I was focused on my diet.

[commitmenttohope]

Hello Surviving Antidepressants,

today I plan to take the next step in my taper from .20ml risperidone to .18ml risperidone. the last taper went well and I'm feeling good and ready to taper again. I think this is just a little over 10% reduction but the difference is already very small amounts on the syringe and hard to do anything smaller. I will be aware that I can hold it longer at the end of the month as suggested. thank you for your support and guidance. thank you Chessiecat for your share and your personal experience. it sounds like you changed your eating and nutrition from what you said and I can relate with that because when I first started tapering in 2016 I was not worrying about what I ate and after awhile I had a very difficult time and ended up making the mistake of cold turkey again and went back on the medication again. but this time I've changed my eating habits and have been looking after my health much more closely and so my Doctor was the one who recommended that I begin tapering my medication again, of which I am very thankful. this time of tapering has gone easier because I am getting healthier physically because of my weight loss through eating more carefully which is making me have less syptoms of withdrawal.  I am very grateful for this. what did you find when you changed your eating habits, Chessiecat?

sincerely,

Committmenttohope

[ChessieCat]

1 hour ago, commitmenttohope said:

what did you find when you changed your eating habits, Chessiecat?

 

I changed my diet because I was diagnosed with diabetes in October 2022.  It was not to try to help with withdrawal.  I have posted about my result from low carb eating from this post:

 

Post 0 updates start here

[commitmenttohope]

wow, ChessieCat! I really enjoyed reading about how you finished your medication and ended your last dose, I look forward to that day for myself someday. I also really enjoyed reading about how your new nutrition was going and losing weight and I can relate with that good feeling of eating healthier because of my experience this year.  I'm sorry you were diagnosed with diabetes and that you have to deal with that. thank you for your service here and for sharing your story with me and all of us. it is really encouraging for me. 

 

I am definitely in a recovery stage in my life because with the medication taper and depending less and less on medication, the Tardive Dyskinesia  is slowing lessening with each lowering dose.  This is a very good thing and I hope that someday I will completely heal from it. I still have a long way to go because I have other medication that I need to taper off of, but step by step I am heading in the right direction. 

along with the medication taper, I have lost 100lbs this last year but I still have another 100lbs to lose this upcoming years of continued recovery, this has given me hope. I had gained so much weight from the medication that it felt completely hopeless to me to try and lose weight, but I'm gratefully now on my way to better health in many areas of my life.  I also drink a gallon and a half of water every day which really makes me feel good and helps with my health.  I am so grateful for this site that helps us safely taper off of medication. I tried so many years to figure it out on my own and had so much trouble, but I'm grateful I'm not alone now and that I can do this journey safely. 

sincerely,

commitmenttohope 

[commitmenttohope]

Dear surviving antidepressants, I'm going to extend this month for a week or so longer holding at this dose. it's been a good month, but I was slightly depressed this week and I want to see if holding another week will clear up those feelings that might be coming from the taper. thank you for your support.

 

[commitmenttohope]

Dear Surviving antidepressants, I'm going to taper my dose again today for this month. it's getting hard to do only 10% because the syringe grade is not small enough to lower that small, but I will hold at the end of the month for longer as needed. thank you for your support. .18ml risperidone to .16ml risperidone. 

[ChessieCat]

You might be able to dilute the liquid so it is easier to measure.

[commitmenttohope]

Dear Surviving Antidepressants, 

I'm tapering another time after a month and a week since last taper. the taper has been going well. this month I'm going from .16ml risperidone to .1ml risperidone, actually on the syringe it is less of a step because it's not as accurate. I also have a doctor's appointment this month and so I'll be able to update my doctor on my progress. I had very little to no side effects from the taper this last month so I will continue forward. thank you for your support with the checking in and thank you for allowing me to update with you every month.

 

how do you dilute the liquid accurately to measure the smaller doses? is that what people do as they get down to really small doses? what do you recommend as I get down to the lower doses before ending risperidone? I still have 3 other medications that I am still taking right now, so I still have a ways to go over all, but on this one medication I am getting down to the lower doses on it and looking toward the end of that one medication hopefully pretty soon. 

 

thank you,

sincerely,

Commitmenttohope

[ChessieCat]

The following confirms that risperidone prescription liquid can be diluted with water.

 

From https://www.drugs.com/pro/risperidone-oral-solution.html

 

Administration of Risperidone Oral Solution

Risperidone Oral Solution can be administered directly from the calibrated oral dosing syringe, or can be mixed with a beverage prior to administration. Risperidone Oral Solution is compatible in the following beverages: water, coffee, orange juice, and low-fat milk; it is NOT compatible with either cola or tea.

[commitmenttohope]

Hello Surviving Antidepressants,

It's time for my monthly taper again. This month went well and I'm ready to lower my dose again. I'll be going from .1ml risperidone to .07ml risperidone.  I'm getting to lower doses now, and I'm feeling grateful.

 

I had a doctors appointment this last month and he suggested that I come off of Lipitor the cholesterol medication because my cholesterol is in good range. I'm wondering if I will also need to taper Lipitor even though it is a completely different kind of medication. any experience or thoughts about other kinds of medication? my thought is that it is safer probably with any kind of medication that I've been on for awhile to reduce slowly to be kind to my body no matter what kind of medication it is. 

 

thanks for your support and guidance,

sincerely,

commitmenttohope

[commitmenttohope]

Hello Surviving Antidepressants, 

I am continuing to taper down on risperidone. last night I tapered from .07ml risperidone to .05ml. last month's taper went fairly well, although I did get a small itchy rash on my legs that I have gotten before when I taper as a reaction to the taper. I also notice that mornings have been a little difficult for me with some unwanted added emotions, but then throughout the day I felt better and mostly felt pretty good. for the most part I forget that I'm tapering because overall I'm feeling pretty good, but I am getting down to a small dose and hopefully be finished with this medication when I get there soon enough. after tapering off of this medication, I will have a couple other medications too. we will see how this month goes and if I will need to possibly hold at this dose longer or continue to come off. I'm grateful to have safely come this far and I'm grateful to check in with you guys every month for my progress. thank you,

 

sincerely,

commitmenttohope

[commitmenttohope]

Dear surviving antidepressants,

I’ve been not sleeping well and waking up really early with fear. Also I’ve been having this feeling of disconnect spiritually which really bothers me, I think there is a name for that, I don’t know much about it but it makes me worry about my relationship with God. I might need to go back up on my medication a little this month since I’m down in the lower doses. I’m feeling concerned. Also, my digestion has slowed and I’m wondering if that sometimes happens with tapering? I could use some support because although I’d like to continue forward with my taper this month, I’m spiritually starting to question myself and it might be affecting my perspective, I might need to go back up a little and hold through the rest of this month.

thank you for your supportive volunteering, I’m grateful I can come here and share.

sincerely,

commitmenttohope

[commitmenttohope]

Hello surviving antidepressants,

im checking in and updating. I held at my dose for an extra month through the Holidays and I’m ready now to lower my dose again. I am grateful I’m doing okay, it was a little rough this last month and my family was asking about my medication because they noticed I was more emotional. But I’m looking forward to progressing forward after holding this past month. Thank you for your support.

sincerely,

commitmenttohope

[commitmenttohope]

hello surviving antidepressants, 

my last taper wasn't successful I think because my syringe was faulty. I think they are disposable syringes and I had been using the same one for months and I didn't realize that it was not collecting a suitable nor accurate amount. when I figured that out and changed syringes, my mood got a lot better. I think I was having difficulty for several months because of my faulty syringe. now that I'm using a good syringe, I will use a fresh syringe every month to keep that from happening again. I feel like its been a set back because I haven't been able to taper properly in months. my goal was to be off of risperidone by January and now it's march, so I'm recalculating my goals. also, another thing that happened is that my psychiatrist suggested that I come off of Lipitor, so I talked to my primary care and he took me off for a month to see how my cholesterol was while off of it. but I just tested my labs yesterday and my cholesterol was high while off of the cholesterol medication. what I think is happening is that one side effect of antipsychotics is high cholesterol. it's possible that I need to wait to come off of Lipitor until after I come off of all the antipsychotics.  I was disappointed yesterday with the test results, but all along I never planned on coming off of Lipitor until after I tapered off of the antipsychotics, but I followed the psychiatrist recommendation. that also feels like a set back and that I have wasted some momentum and time. I'm grateful that I could tell you about the syringes and maybe help someone else not go through the same thing I went through. I'm grateful that I could tell you about my high cholesterol on antipsychotics because maybe someone else doesn't know about it. I'm grateful to be able to come here and share my journey because it helps me feel not alone on my path. I'm grateful that I get to recalculate my goals because that might encourage someone else to keep going and pick up again even if they have had some setbacks. I'm grateful that I'm on this journey moving towards more hope because there was a time when I had no hope of coming off of antipsychotics and now I am just taking the time to learn as I keep moving forward how to safely come off. 

 

thank you,

sincerely,

commitmenttohope 

[commitmenttohope]

Dear Surviving Antidepressants,

I'm grateful to update you with my progress since I last checked in.  after meeting with my psychiatrist last month he agreed that I could start coming off of propranolol  so I tapered down a 1/4 of the pill last month. it was a good taper with only 2 nights of having trouble sleeping a bit in the middle, but i went up for a night or two and then kept going with the taper and it resolved and I was able to complete the month of the taper of propranolol. tonight I'll begin this month by reducing again. I'm so grateful because even though I have held at .07 of risperidone and not been able to taper further there, I've come off of Lipitor with the doctor's suggestion and he says i'm okay to not go back on it, and then continued to also reduce my other medication of propranolol.  I also have another medication i'm on called rexulti that I also want to come off of too. but I am grateful for this journey of progress and healing from medication. things are getting better. grateful to be here, thank you for letting me share. 

sincerely, commitmenttohope