SDA2400: After 3 years of Risperidone I am deciding on tapering off

[SDA2400]

Hello all, I am new to this forum. I have been taking Zoloft and Risperidone for 3 years, and I am sick of living like a zombie. I have read a lot on this forum so far and looked into what would be appropriate. I do not feel like telling my doctor about it until I am done or 1/2 way, and also my family thinks I am the sort to need something like risperidone. I plan on not tapering the zoloft, I have always been prone to depression. Zoloft makes me feel better. However, risperidone does NOT. I feel nothing, since day 1 of taking it, and I have lost my ability to do many things i used to. For the last 3 years I have sort of accepted that it was doing me good. 1 year ago I got a puppy, and I love her to bits, but I cannot feel emotions toward her, WHen I started Risperidone, they put me on 4 mg and it was like hell. I could barely operate. I asked the doc to put me on 3 about 2 weeks later, and he did, because I told him I did not need to feel this sedated. About 3 months after that I decided to ask him again if I could get a reduction in dosage, because frankly I was too tired and had gained 30 pounds in 3 months. So i went to 2 mg, but this time felt alot of weird sensations after dropping that dose, and I was, how should I put it, not entirely stable in the head for about 1.5 weeks, and then it sort of settled into a groove. I have been on 2 mg ever since, and now I want to get off it entirely. I feel I was misdiagnosed as being a schitzo, for my own reasons I wont get into. Basically I have been normal all my life except for some depression and anxiety.

 

   I tapered my dose back to 1.5 mg and have felt a range of emotions and weird feelings or side effects. Its been 4 days. Any advice out there for someone that can't tell their family about reducing dosage or the like?

[brassmonkey]

Hi SDA-- welcome to the group. Risperidone is a benzo  antipsychotic (corrected by ChessieCat) so it is not my field of expertise. but it would be a good idea for you to have a look at this thread;

 

Tips for tapering off Risperdal (risperidone)         

 

it should have some good information for getting you started on your taper.

 

Edited September 2, 2018 by ChessieCat
corrected error

[SDA2400]

Day 6 and I have had some headaches, on and off. I feel like I'm beginning to get used to the dose already 

[arwilliams]

Risperidone is not a benzo.  It is an antipsychotic.  

[ChessieCat]

Thank you arwilliams, I have corrected the error in BrassMonkey's post.