Tak21766: Tapering off saphris

[Shep]

Is anxiety your only symptom now? The more you tell us what's going on, the more we may be able to help. 

[Tak21766]

Yes just anxiety, I wake up with it and it's throughout the day. I don't use xanax for sleep, but I take a .5 mg in the morning and one in the evening, but it doesn't seem to lessen the anxiety that much.  It seems like it gets worse as the day goes on for some reason

[Shep]

It sounds like you may be dealing with morning cortisol. Feeling worse in the morning and feeling better in the evening is a very common phenomenon for folks going through withdrawal. Please see:

 

Early-morning waking - managing the morning cortisol spike

 

Also, make sure you're eating a healthy breakfast when you first wake up. Foods high in protein and low in sugar are best. If you drink coffee or tea with caffeine, you may want to cut back and see if that helps. 

[Tak21766]

I'm ready to start tapering off saphris, can you help me do this, I take 10mg wafer sublingual.

[Shep]

Please see:

 

Tips for tapering off asenapine (Saphris)

 

From the first post in the thread:

 

  

On 8/9/2015 at 7:01 PM, Altostrata said:

Tapering method

These tablets are activated by saliva and cannot be dissolved in water or any other liquid for tapering. The only way to taper Saphris is by cutting up the tablets, weighing the fragments, and putting a measured dose in your mouth to dissolve in your saliva as usual. Do not eat or drink for 10 minutes after you take your dose.

 

Gridley gave specific instructions in an earlier post in your thread:

 

Gridley's post on how to taper

 

Please post if you need help with the math. I'll leave you with a video that goes through using a scale. This person is tapering a benzo not an antipsychotic, but the mechanics of the scale are the same for any drug.

 

Scale use video (6.5 minutes)

 

 

 

 

[Tak21766]

Hi, I've been tapering off saphris 10mg for about 6 months, im just at taking less than half a tablet now,  I use a scale and have been tapering at the recommended 10 percent every 30 days, but my last reduction I've been experiencing more anxiety than usual, should I go back up to a half a tablet. And is there any over the counter products on the market that can help with my high cortisol levels and anxiety, I don't want to go back to taking 10 mg because I'm determined to get off this medication come he'll or high water, any advice would be appreciated, thanks

[Shep]

4 hours ago, Tak21766 said:

Hi, I've been tapering off saphris 10mg for about 6 months, im just at taking less than half a tablet now,  I use a scale and have been tapering at the recommended 10 percent every 30 days, but my last reduction I've been experiencing more anxiety than usual, should I go back up to a half a tablet. And is there any over the counter products on the market that can help with my high cortisol levels and anxiety, I don't want to go back to taking 10 mg because I'm determined to get off this medication come he'll or high water, any advice would be appreciated, thanks

 

How many milligrams is "less than half a tablet"? How many milligrams were you on before your last reduction? What was the date of your last reduction? 

 

Also, are you taking another other drugs besides saphris? 

 

Going forward, you may want to reduce less than 10% a month. Your symptoms are likely telling you that you're tapering the lowering doses too fast. Many people find it's harder to taper the lower doses. Slowing down your taper can help. 

 

Please update your signature to bring us up to speed with where you're at. Here is a direct link:

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

[Saphriskill]

On 12/15/2022 at 1:46 PM, Tak21766 said:

Hi, I've been tapering off saphris 10mg for about 6 months, im just at taking less than half a tablet now,  I use a scale and have been tapering at the recommended 10 percent every 30 days, but my last reduction I've been experiencing more anxiety than usual, should I go back up to a half a tablet. And is there any over the counter products on the market that can help with my high cortisol levels and anxiety, I don't want to go back to taking 10 mg because I'm determined to get off this medication come he'll or high water, any advice would be appreciated, thanks

 

Hello, are you still tapering Saphris?

I've been on Saphris 5mg since February 2022, and I am okay for staying on 3/4 of tablet.

I'm also determined to stop it eventually and be psych-med free.

Are you using jewel scale?

[Tak21766]

Hi, yes im still tapering but I've stayed on half a pill or about 5mg, I struggle with anxiety, trying to find natural alternatives