Edted Son tapering Abilify

[Altostrata]

Edted, you might be able to help this person http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4450-sorrowexpert-damaged-for-life/

[Edted]

Alto:

I'm not sure how much my post might help, but I did post. Hopefully he/she will open a dialogue with those here who know more than I do. I will follow the thread and add what I can.

Be well,

Ed

[Edted]

Today was not a good day for Cal. He drank coffee (several cups a day) for the last four days, and he had delusional thinking while trying to take a nap today. The caffeine made for a couple of nights of poor sleep, but this was a more profound effect than just short term sleep loss has caused in the past. Although he had gotten past the caffeine withdrawal from when he quit coffee several weeks ago, he was with a friend on Wednesday, and going out for coffee seemed like a nice thing to do. Initially, the coffee had a very positive effect on his intellectual acumen, but the second day of coffee did not. After drinking coffee the third day (today), he became very drowsy and it was in going in and out of sleep that the delusions crept in. He is not going to drink coffee anymore and see how he is doing over the next three days. He also had a moderate amount of alcohol on Wednesday, so he will keep an eye on that as well. He is not going to reinstate the prior dosage yet, but if the delusions persist beyond Tuesday, he will. We were really surprised that coffee could have so strong an effect, both the initial increase in mental acuity (it wa a dramatic improvement), and the subsequent delusions.

Regards,

Ed

[Narcissus]

Sounds a bit scary Edted, trying a few days without the coffee sounds like a good plan.  Unfortunately we see people develop all sorts of unusual sensitivities after withdrawal kicks in.  Let us now how your son fares. 

 

[Edted]

Thanks Narcissus. It is scarey, particularly because every failed withdrawal has thrown him into psychosis (never delusional or psychotic before meds).

All the best,

Ed

[Edted]

Well Cal is now three weeks into the second .2 Mg reduction (currently at 4.6 Mgs). He is seeing improvements in both intelligence (he beat me at chess yesterday ( ) , in energy, and in the capacity to translate intention into action. He re-instated coffee, but at a reasonable level (he has one 16oz glass of ice coffee in the mornings...with the ice and the cream, it's about the equivalent of one 8oz cup. He is drinking more alcohol than he should (two large glasses of wine or more each evening). He intends to reduce the alcohol, but on drugs (not true before drugs), sticking with a plan comes and goes. We wonder if the brain fog he experiences in the mornings is a result of the sugar dis-regulation from alcohol ingestion. His mood and his sleep patterns are pretty good. At this point, he will evaluate his condition over the next week before deciding if he should delay next Sunday's reduction. To all who have been so generous with their interest and encouragement, our deep felt thanks.

Ed

[Edted]

Well things got a little rocky for a while. Cal was a bit speedy and took the drug back up by .1 Mgs for a couple of days, then brought it back to the 4.6 Mgs for another couple of weeks. He reduced to 4.4mgs a week ago and is, in many ways, much better. There's no question that his mood and ability to communicate are pretty good, but I don't know if he's sleeping enough. He doesn't want too much looking over his shoulder right now and I can understand that. He started a new job last week working with people with dementia. He's finding it rewarding so far. An alternative therapies outfit that he had contacted a while ago asked him to interview for a job as a peer counselor and he did. The interview went well and they want to see him again this week. It's out of state and that's not what I would have wished for right now, but I trust he'll make the best decision for himself, whatever that may be.

Be well,

Ed

[Adagiooo]

Hello Ed,

 

It sounds like despite the bumps your son is moving right along with his taper and his life...I'm happy for both of you. I know you two have probably covered all of the nutritional bases, but I just want to add that I, too, notice a speedy feeling whenever I eat sugar, white flour based products or anything else that breaks down into sugar. This may not be the case with your son, but I just wanted to put that out there. Please pass on my congratulations to him regarding his new job.

 

Wishing you both continued strength and good health. Take care.

Adagiooo

[Adagiooo]

Hi again Ed,

 

I didn't see your post in symptoms and self care before I wrote the above comment. It's clear you have the sugar angle covered. Great! Take care.

 

Adagiooo

[Edted]

Dear Adagiooo:

Thank you. I hope your Risperdal taper is going well.

Warm Regards,

Ed

[alexjuice]

Hi Ed,

You are a great parent, a lot of people would have given up. I think he can beat this thing and get some normalcy to his life. I think it's great that he is trying to eat a healthy diet.  I have found that diet is the most important factor in my own symptoms and I don't even think there's a close second... As regards that, I don't know if it's possible to eliminate the alcohol entirely. I think that might make a significant difference... Does Cal have any food allergies?

 

Hang in there...

[Edted]

Dear AJ:

I appreciate your kind words, but part of what I am learning from Cal is that I haven't been a great parent. I can say that without much feeling of guilt (tremendous sorrow for the difficulty and the pain this has caused my son, but not guilt). I can forgive myself for the times when I "took my eye off the ball". I think that those were just events, and easy for him to get past. There were, however, patterns of behavior, far more damaging, which I never examined. For these things I am sorry, but do not chastise myself. They were things that I just assumed were the way to do things. Cal and I were talking last night about my frequent attempts to be helpful. My reaction to almost anything he mentioned in the way of a game plan (whether trivial stuff or important things), would be to suggest all the important pre-requisites, order of action, things I could provide, etc. It never occurred to me that that behavior assumes that he needed any help. As self reliant as I have always known Cal to be (except in withdrawal), my actions sent /send a very different message. When he walked me through this, I realized that I was following a pattern learned from my parents that I mis-identified as evidence of caring. I can also acknowledge that I have my own self-doubts based,in part, on my parents behavior. The "break- through" Cal had last month has not gone away. He has a level of insight now that amazes me. He is recognizing the "buttons" he has; where they came from; and, I think most importantly, how to deal with them. I am learning so much from him. I love my son dearly. I usually invested a lot in trying to be a good father, but the failures are still real. The sorrow in realizing those failures is greatly relieved by seeing him deal with them, so well and so gently. Give up on him?.... I can only hope to become more like him. Cal, you, and many others I see on this site, give me that hope.

All the best,

Ed. PS: no food allergies

[Edted]

Well it's two weeks now at 4.4Mgs and Cal is doing very well. I wish he were sleeping more than the 5 or 6 hours a night he's doing, but it doesn't seem to be a problem for him. He had another meeting with the out of state alternate mental health group a few days ago and, it appears he may be moving in a couple of weeks. As much as a part of me wishes he were done with withdrawal before moving away, I know that, given the very long time frame for the withdrawal game plan (5+ years), that wouldn't work. I am so grateful that I have gotten to see that wonderful soul in him re-awakening. I would never have chosen psychology as a profession for him, but parents shouldn't be the ones doing the choosing anyway. His tentative plan is to take courses that will allow him to apply for post graduate work in psychology. Working as a peer counselor in an alternate mental health program should not only be a learning experience, but might also strengthen an application to grad school. For Cal, the real draw is the AMT program itself. The program, as I understand it, is for people who experience extreme states of consciousness. Clients live in rented homes; one client and one housemate/counselor per house. Cal would be a housemate/counselor working with a team from the program. The team provides medical, nutritional, psychological, recreational input. Clients are there by their choice, and generally stay for 6 months to a year. I don't understand enough about the program to say much more, but Cal is very impressed by the staff he has met. They appear to be very loving and accepting of human diversity. If Cal does move away, I will need to deal with not knowing, day to day, how he's doing. Cal says that not feeling like his parents are always ready with the "rectal thermometer" will be a welcome relief....gotta empathize with that (.

Be well,

Ed

[Barbarannamated]

Edted,

 

The AMH program your son is involved with sounds very interesting. I know a few Peer Counselors in different areas and am aware of a few states and programs that are very much in line with the thinking of this forum. Georgia and Vermont (Steven Morgan) come to mind. We have a thread on this topic somewhere. Robert Whitaker also refers to them in his writings.

 

It sounds like Cal will be able to make great contributions to a program that offers alternates to traditional drug therapy. There are extremely few, especially that offer extended stays. I hope you'll keep us posted!

 

EDIT TO ADD: Certified Peer Specialist discussion: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1517-certified-peer-specialist-programs/?fromsearch=1

[Edted]

Barb:

Thank you for your post. Cal got the position and leaves in about a week. I won't be able to post much in the way of specifics because Cal has warned me that the program (and Cal) are extremely cognizant of a clients right to privacy. The timing hasn't left my wife and I much time to adjust to becoming "empty nesters" again, but seeing Cal so alive and enthusiastic is wonderful. Looking back at my first posts on this site, GiaK suggested that Cal being on his own during withdrawal might be better than having parents around all the time. It wouldn't surprise me if this turns out to be correct. I'll post about his reductions of meds as he lets me know. I think the guidelines on this site have served him well so far and am optimistic that down the road he'll be another one of Alto's "success stories".

Be well,

Ed