Bear1975: reducing risperidone / Risperdal

[Bear1975]

I have been on respiridone for about 10 years.  Been reducing over list 12 months.  It's so hard.  Has anybody else successfully come off it?

[Gridley]

Hello, Bear1975, and welcome to SA.  I'm sorry you're having a hard time. What are your symptoms?

 

Please add a drug signature, including drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements in the last 12-24 months. Also include supplements. This will help us give you the most accurate advice we can. Please include the date you started tapering the respiradone and the rate at which you've been tapering.

• Any drugs and supplements prior to 24 months ago can just be listed with start and stop years. 
• Please use actual dates or approximate dates (mid-June, Late October) rather than relative time frames (last week, 3 months ag 
• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. 
• A list is easier to understand than one or multiple paragraphs. 
• This is a direct link to your signature:  Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

We recommend tapering no faster than 10% of your current dose every four weeks.

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

This link is specifically about tapering Risperidone.

 

Tips for tapering off Risperdal (risperidone)

 

This link is to one of the Risperidone success stories.  For others, please Google "SurvivingAntidepressants.org Risperidone success stories" or "SurvivingAntidepressants.org Risperdal success stories"

risperdalhater I recovered from risperdal aka risperidone - Success ...

If you've been tapering faster than 10%, very likely the reason you're having a hard time is you are suffering withdrawal symptoms from the drug.  We can tell you more after you complete your drug signature.

 

What is withdrawal syndrome.

 

Glenmullen’s withdrawal symptom list.

 

 The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

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.  

 

These explain it really well:

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

   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, where you can ask questions, post updates and connect with other members.  We're glad you found your way here.

 

 

[swordiebrom]

risperdalhater had a relapse into his psychosis after he went off his antipsychotics. Do taper slowly if you want to make a full recovery

[hayduke]

Hi Bear1975,

 

I was started on olanzapine but put onto risperidone after a few years when I gained a ridiculous amount of weight.  I stayed on it for maybe 10 years then cut back over to olanzapine after a brief spell on aripiprazole which didn't work well at all.   Since then I've tapered from 10mg of the olanzapine down to 1.675mg and counting.  As you'd know it's fairly unpleasant and challenging but doable if you go slowly and know when to hold (with apologies to kenny rogers).

 

Not suggesting you swap out to another drug, but it should be a comparable AP to withdraw from.  For me it's been a case of letting my body catch up as I make the cuts, and resolving the underlying trauma that got me put on this unpleasant drug in the first place (I carefully sought professional help with the latter and happily got it).  I'm confident it's gonna be ok.  It's frustrating that it will probably take me another couple of years to get off completely but better than having avoidable life problems in the meantime.

 

Plenty of wisdom on this site.

 

Cheers and all the best with your taper

[Bear1975]

Thanks for reply.   I was put on respiridone 0.5mg twice a day about 10 years ago.   I have tried to reduce many times and failed.  12 months ago I went down to half a tablet in morning with 1 tablet at night.  3 weeks ago I went down to half at night too, so taking half at night and half in morning.  Felt fine for 2 weeks but last week has been hell.  Fatigue, flu like and severe anxiety, bad stomach and head ache

[Bear1975]

I am tapering respiridone.  I only take 0.5mg twice a day (morning and night).  12 months ago I reduced to half in morning, then tried to do half in evening in October which failed, so I went back to full in evening.

 

Since then had good weeks and some bad but overall ok so reduced again to half at night 3 weeks ago.  Was great for 2 weeks and then bang this last week has been awful.

 

How do I reduce on such small tablets, it's difficult to do 10% of a small half a tablet?

[ChessieCat]

Two introduction topics merged.

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Bear.

 

If you feel poorly from the dosage reductions, you are tapering too fast. Please stop changing your drug dosage for the time being.

 

At what times of day do you take risperidone, and at what dosages currently? What are your symptoms?

 

Please read the link Gridley so kindly gave you Tips for tapering off Risperdal (risperidone)

 

[hayduke]

On 7/8/2019 at 6:32 AM, Bear1975 said:

How do I reduce on such small tablets, it's difficult to do 10% of a small half a tablet? 

 

I make a liquid suspension as Rhi on here has advised.  Crush the tablet and put it in a known quantity of clean water (say 50 ml you measured out with a syringe) or just let it disintegrate.  Then agitate the mixture by drawing it in and out with the syringe.  Then promptly remove the unwanted portion (10% of 50ml is 5ml, so drawing out 5ml will leave you 45ml) and consume the remainder.  Best to just chuck anything left over rather than try and store it. 

 

Pipettes are also available on fleabay and might be more convenient later on but I got a long way with just oral syringes from the chemist.

 

I use a spreadsheet to plan and keep track of the process.  You can keep notes in there as well.  Lately I've been happiest using https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/17671-the-brassmonkey-slide-method-of-micro-tapering/?tab=comments#comment-347786 as a guide.

 

Cheers