Jim24: When will I get back to my normal self after stopping risperidone

[amro1991]

What?? Oh my god...you have similar symptoms. I have never had such feelings; no tingly feelings, no fire, no pressure. You are healing my friends, the fire, the pressure are signs: your brain is fighting to return to it's previous state and you will be ok soon...my case is unique, different and it's game over. I only have this damned voidness and no absolute desire for anything, plus if I try to watch TV or play video games I focus my mind not on the action but on the acting process (can't explain myself better) and I can't do anything without thinking about it so I can't enjoy it...moreover all human activities are pointless to me, also doing nothing and staring at the ceiling is intolerable. I know this will last forever. It's a change of view about world and life in general my brain experienced during the risperidone days and now it's ok for it to remain off. It has shutted down and I think it likes the condition. My brain dominates my soul, but my soul would live again. At least it's a prove we have a soul and God exists.

Of course one symptom remains here: anhedonia. And it is the worst thing I could have, because I always established my entire life on emotions...I missed them, ye I was addicted to emotions.

 

I don't know Luca if that means we are recovering or not. But I can assure you that when I first quit the med I did not have them and they starting appearing after about 5 or 6 months after I stopped. I'm still anhedonic as you are and not certain if all feelings of pleasure will return. It's a journey that we have to go through and we learn from it everyday.

[Jim24]

 

What?? Oh my god...you have similar symptoms. I have never had such feelings; no tingly feelings, no fire, no pressure. You are healing my friends, the fire, the pressure are signs: your brain is fighting to return to it's previous state and you will be ok soon...my case is unique, different and it's game over. I only have this damned voidness and no absolute desire for anything, plus if I try to watch TV or play video games I focus my mind not on the action but on the acting process (can't explain myself better) and I can't do anything without thinking about it so I can't enjoy it...moreover all human activities are pointless to me, also doing nothing and staring at the ceiling is intolerable. I know this will last forever. It's a change of view about world and life in general my brain experienced during the risperidone days and now it's ok for it to remain off. It has shutted down and I think it likes the condition. My brain dominates my soul, but my soul would live again. At least it's a prove we have a soul and God exists.

Of course one symptom remains here: anhedonia. And it is the worst thing I could have, because I always established my entire life on emotions...I missed them, ye I was addicted to emotions.

 

I don't know Luca if that means we are recovering or not. But I can assure you that when I first quit the med I did not have them and they starting appearing after about 5 or 6 months after I stopped. I'm still anhedonic as you are and not certain if all feelings of pleasure will return. It's a journey that we have to go through and we learn from it everyday.

 

yup I agree and I also am still anhedonic im also spacey like and feel really dumbed down I cant think of things to say to people in the real world ither even my dad. 

[Jim24]

Should I just forget about how I used to be/feel before meds and how desperately I want to be that same person and just cope with life instead of living life I dont think I can just accept copeing with the way I am now and not live life to the fullest like I always have in the past.      

[amro1991]

Should I just forget about how I used to be/feel before meds and how desperately I want to be that same person and just cope with life instead of living life I dont think I can just accept copeing with the way I am now and not live life to the fullest like I always have in the past.      

 

I dont think that you will be that way forever. Just keep holding on and try to accept what you are going through. It is a very slow process so accepting will make you a little less depressed than you are at the moment. I have improved a little as well and I believe I still have some improvement left before I can consider myself almost recovered but I can assure you that it will get better because it has gotten better for me. I'm still not where I want to be but I will just be patient and try to keep myself busy from thinking about my issues.

[LucaDiProspero]

Same here...I'm trying emotional exposure theory: comic movies and sit-coms, make-me-cry songs, listening to opera, watching videos on YouTube about childbirth, surgical operations, suicides, hard-to-see things and so on...also crowded bus, cold shower, forced laughing. All you can do to stimulate your brain until it says: ok,ok, it's enough!

[btdt]

Same here...I'm trying emotional exposure theory: comic movies and sit-coms, make-me-cry songs, listening to opera, watching videos on YouTube about childbirth, surgical operations, suicides, hard-to-see things and so on...also crowded bus, cold shower, forced laughing. All you can do to stimulate your brain until it says: ok,ok, it's enough!

 

I wonder who came up with this it is new to me... I guess if it doesn't work who would know.. if you do this for how long.. years or how long till they say if it worked or not... I can't imagine doing it all for years but I guess it would keep you busy at least do you feel well enough to do all these things? 

 

I had to get on a bus and see my doctor yesterday buy something for dinner and that was the end of me for the day... I do feel things now not like I use to but some feeling are back I can laugh at something funny I read here but most things in the outer world are not funny to me.. I don't relate well beyond this site... I get wd humour but I am super sensitive to any gore or fear or murder... I can't tolerate it not one tiny bit none... I change the channel if the news get to gory. I want to really want something and to go get it.. anything.. I don't want. I don't feel much I don't crave a lover that use to be good incentive to do things I couldn't care less now. 

 

maybe we are talking about two different things... or two different stages of wd at least... hard to say

[Jim24]

​It turns out that all the withdrawal symptoms I have have to do with the frontal lobes of the brain god I hope this isn't permanent.  Cognitive[edit]

 

• Short attention span
• Poor working memory
• Poor short term memory
• Difficulty in planning and reasoning
• Environmental dependence syndrome

Emotional[edit]

• Difficulty in inhibiting emotions, anger, excitement, sadness etc.
• Depression, possibly due to above.
• Occasionally, difficulty in understanding others' points of view, leading to anger and frustration.

Behavioural[edit]

• Utilization behaviour
• Perseveration behaviour
• Inappropriate aggression
• Inappropriate sexual behaviour
• Inappropriate humour and telling of pointless and boring stories (Witzelsucht)

 

This is from TBI but is very similar

Some localized brain damage alters the basic mental and emotional makeup of the victim. This is especially likely to occur when the frontal lobe is damaged. This area of the brain directs many of the key functions that give a person identity: personality, inhibition, judgment, reasoning, and problem solving. Other brain functions essential to our makeup, such as memory and emotions, may be diffused throughout the brain. Loss of these functions is not as easily identified with injury to a particular area of the brain.

 

Lack of motivation or spontaneity, or apathy, is a direct result of brain injury to frontal lobe structures that concern emotion, motivation or forward planning. Over time, lack of motivation can lead to social isolation and lack of pleasure. To help, activities can be broken down into small steps to avoid overwhelming the person.

[LucaDiProspero]

Jim, I also read about the frontal lobe damage and the personality and cognitive consequences...and ye I read it can be caused by psycho drugs. Very sad indeed...but what can we do? I hope and pray, what else?

[bluebalu86]

My therapist told me about a client of hers who had been put on antipsychotics for a tic (!!!) and he had no emotions at all, but he recovered completely and now has a family and children and goes to work and everything is normal. She told me that story long ago, before my withdrawal. Keep the hope alive guys. 

[Jim24]

Theres is nothing we can do but live the way we are and hope things get better although it feels permanent and im glade that people do recover there emotions,personality,ect

[Jim24]

But I cant understand why I still have bad anhedonia, severe brain fog, lack of energy/motivation, blurred vision, tinnitus and slow thought/speech and it has been 9 months off the drugs so why did I not improve from any of this its very worrying. Hopefully im not permafried.  

[btdt]

It has only been 9 months Jim that is not so long when we are talking about a brain healing things may turn around yet. 

[Mort81]

Jim im on 9 months too , I feel like Ive been hit by a train but each month I notice a slight improvement and I was on a Ridiculously high dose of an SSRI . We will get there , its not permanent . In the moment it feels like its never ending .  

[LucaDiProspero]

Jim im on 9 months too , I feel like Ive been hit by a train but each month I notice a slight improvement and I was on a Ridiculously high dose of an SSRI . We will get there , its not permanent . In the moment it feels like its never ending .

 

You are on ridiculously high dose of lexapro?

I've been on it for 4 years at dosage of 50mg !!! This is a high dosage !!! Plus risperidone like Jim (toghether with lexapro)...and I don't have any improvements since stopped them...now I know why. Frontal lobe has gone for me I'm sure. Thank you doctors.

[Mort81]

50 mg for 4 years!! ???? Your doctor deserves to thrown in Jail!!! Luca I have faith for you , your gonna be okay. its gonna take time , we will all be okay. I wish it would be faster but its not . Luca does the valium help with the WD at all ? sometimes I feel like I want to increase my klonopin to help with my nervous system but im uncertain. 

[LucaDiProspero]

ok, as you know we all are different and I'm not a psy doctor (glad not to be 'one of them'), anyway in my experience valium helped me only a bit in WD but now it's not helping me anymore so I'm tapering it. I want to be med free by the end of the year. In few words...imho don't add more chemical substances in your body or you will delay the recovery!

[Jim24]

I think a tiny tiny bit of the brain fog went away but not really enough to notice but gives me a little more hope all my other symptoms are still full blown. 

[InvisibleUnless]

thats great to hear!  i know you said it doesnt feel like much yet, but youll start seeing the cracks in the ice.  im rarely as functional as i can be, but the days where i see that maybe my old self is in there somewhere are very encouraging.

[LucaDiProspero]

Jim, mate, how are you?

Did you make some progress?

[Malf]

Jim24,

 

Please see the comment I made on Redmanone's page regarding my recovery from antipsychotic withdrawal.

[clifford]

hey jim24, any luck yet. i am in the same boat. i was on 4 mg risperidal in the hospital....and after that got the injections. im off all of it now...switched to depakote..........i have bipolar. risperdal left me feeling dead inside except for anxiety. i do hope you are recovering

[LucaDiProspero]

clifford please update us with your improvement, also jim if you are reading this I would know how you are going man!

[clifford]

clifford please update us with your improvement, also jim if you are reading this I would know how you are going man!

Not hardly any improvement. There were however a few short giggles here and there and a few moments of hope. Music sounded good for a bit. Iwas able to think of something and it actually made me laugh...............not laugh hard like i am hoping for, but still a laugh. I am eating raw honey as i read it feeds the dopamine receptors with tyrosine and phenylalinine....2 amino acids that turn to dopamine. I am on depakote now....i hope it wont jeopardize things. I know it is a mood stabilizer....but i hope it wont stabilize this emotional flatness and keep me there. I am on 500 milligrams of depakote a day, but i forgot to take it last night. so my doc told me to take it now and tonight. Any stories of success would be helpful. My doc told me my sense of humor will come back as the risperdal clears out of my system. Are you having any luck luca?

[LucaDiProspero]

clifford I listen to music every day, every single day waiting for 'the feeling', that warm feeling I used to feel before the anhedonia, ocd and blank mind started.

I also took depakote for some months, it's good for bipolars but doesn't touch anhedonia symptoms.

I don't know what to say my friend...keep going!

[Deadpool]

What?? Oh my god...you have similar symptoms. I have never had such feelings; no tingly feelings, no fire, no pressure. You are healing my friends, the fire, the pressure are signs: your brain is fighting to return to it's previous state and you will be ok soon...my case is unique, different and it's game over. I only have this damned voidness and no absolute desire for anything, plus if I try to watch TV or play video games I focus my mind not on the action but on the acting process (can't explain myself better) and I can't do anything without thinking about it so I can't enjoy it...moreover all human activities are pointless to me, also doing nothing and staring at the ceiling is intolerable. I know this will last forever. It's a change of view about world and life in general my brain experienced during the risperidone days and now it's ok for it to remain off. It has shutted down and I think it likes the condition. My brain dominates my soul, but my soul would live again. At least it's a prove we have a soul and God exists.

Of course one symptom remains here: anhedonia. And it is the worst thing I could have, because I always established my entire life on emotions...I missed them, ye I was addicted to emotions.

same as mine... I read the whole #144 posts. I was admitted in psych ward for 10 days for taking medicine, continued to take it for the love for mom, 3 months. Came off the drug 'cold turkey', risperidone twice daily not sure if it was 2mg or 1mg. I have been off risperidone for almost 4 months now and I lost interest in everything. Even libido, sexual feelings, no interest! Doing various tests now but not able to diagnose anything. 

I would like to know how you and Jim24 are doing now. It would be really helpful. If anyone reading this please help me.

[risperdalhater]

i literally created an account here to respond to this. i am going through the same EXACT thing as you jim. i feel dead, zero libido, no life, no drive, lost my strength ALL i know from risperdal! . how are you doing now? any sign of recovery? please respond. how is everyone doing?

[jeancine]

i feel exactly this! i got injected by haloperidol, then put into risperidone after that i dont have emotions.

[Molotov]

Hey guys! I have the same problem, i was put on Risperidone and still taking it. Have the same symptoms like anhedonia, no motivation, no drive. Does anybody made some progress in recovery? Jim how are you?

[risperdalhater]

Hey guys! I have the same problem, i was put on Risperidone and still taking it. Have the same symptoms like anhedonia, no motivation, no drive. Does anybody made some progress in recovery? Jim how are you?

i myself haven't noticed any recovery besides the fact that i don't feel the withdrawal anymore. here is a recovery

 

storyhttp://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/12532-charliebrowns-long-road-to-success/?view=findpost&p=234954

[IDK]

Same situation here. I took Risperdal for one month in August 2016 (4 mg for few days, then 2 mg and finally 3 mg for few days) it's been some weeks since I stopped (without tapering) and I have severe headache, anhedonia, apathy, loss of libido, loss of interests and motivation and no sex drive. 

 

Please, if anyone has some tips for recovery or infos about withdrawal write it or send me a private message. I need help.

[nicolantana]

any updates here guys? similar situation....

 

JIm 24? I hope you're too busy living

[UnderPressure]

Jim24....I see that is has been a little over two years since you started this post.

I'm curious as to how you are doing now?

 

Literally word for word I can relate to everything you described.

 

How are you doing now a days?

 

I've been off of risperdone for about 8 months and I'm still very flat.

[risperdalhater]

i took risperidone for about 3 weeks (or a little over a month because of a long acting injection i guess) and i am almost fully recovered.  i hope this gives hope to people who took it for months.

 

the drug affected me, it was actually physically painful when i went off....it was like i felt "stuck", and while i was on the drug it made me feel like a zombie which is how many people seem to describe it. 

 

about 14 months later i am pretty much normal, everything i lost of my health is mostly back.

[AntiAntiPsychotic]

^^^^ congrats if that's true, I don't mean to doubt it but .... you'd be one of the first full recoveries I've ever heard of. are you really 100% back to life, feeling good, having energy to do normal things & have emotions for things ??

 

im in the same boat as everyone else here

[risperdalhater]

On 10/3/2017 at 3:40 AM, AntiAntiPsychotic said:

^^^^ congrats if that's true, I don't mean to doubt it but .... you'd be one of the first full recoveries I've ever heard of. are you really 100% back to life, feeling good, having energy to do normal things & have emotions for things ??

 

im in the same boat as everyone else here

 

yeah i got back to normal 100%, everything came back, emotions, having energy and all that.

[Zharul]

did you get haldol injection? how long years to back 100% normal?