Search the Community

I was looking for something else and ran across these articles. Apparently there has been an association for nearly 20 years now that anti psychotics, especially risperidone, used long term can be a potential cause of pituitary tumors. Recent studies are firming this up and finding an association. Great 🫢 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30531551/ https://journals.lww.com/psychopharmacology/Fulltext/2012/12000/Atypical_Antipsychotics_and_Pituitary_Tumors.1.aspx https://corporate.dukehealth.org/news/antipsychotic-drug-may-be-linked-pituitary

Here are a few resources for those who are on antipsychotics and are in the process of tapering or have already come off of them. I am noticing more resources for this class of drugs popping up over the last couple of years 😉✌️😺😺 https://psychscenehub.com/psychinsights/antipsychotic-withdrawal-syndrome-tapering/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32259826/ https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/antipsychotics/coming-off-antipsychotics/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352853222000165 https://mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/06/12/post-acute-withdrawal-syndrome-causes-symptoms-treatment/ https://www.ucl.ac.uk/psychiatry/research/epidemiology-and-applied-clinical-research-department/research-antipsychotic https://www.madinamerica.com/withdrawal-protocols-antipsychotics/

Hello everyone! First of all, I'd like to share my story. My introduction to psychiatry happened due to a ridiculous misunderstanding. I'm a programmer, and in 2021, I worked quite a lot for several months without proper rest. I stayed up late, and as a result, I experienced severe fatigue. I was concerned about dizziness, poor sleep, cold hands, and sometimes increased anxiety with a feeling of shortness of breath (oh, how trivial they were in reality). These symptoms made me turn to the first neurologist, who prescribed Cinnarizine, presenting it as a means of improving cerebral circulation. After taking this Cinnarizine for a month and a half, my condition worsened, and I felt mild apathy. It became difficult to work, and concentration was also affected. As I later found out, Cinnarizine acts similarly to neuroleptics on dopamine receptors and calcium channels. Then I had the misfortune of turning to a second neurologist, who diagnosed me with an anxiety disorder and prescribed the antidepressant Trazodone and the neuroleptic Sulpiride (all of this happened in March 2022). From that moment on, my life turned into a nightmare. And despite the fact that I only took Trazodone for two weeks at a dose of 100-150 mg and Sulpiride for two weeks at a dose of 100 mg. The number of symptoms has expanded from the initial 4-5 to... up to 200 terrible symptoms. Here is just a part of this list: there was muscle rigidity and drooling (parkinsonism) couldn't take a full breath, was constantly suffocating for several months called an ambulance multiple times a day had episodes of breathing cessation swallowing was disrupted, food got stuck in the throat (dysphagia) felt like I had lost myself, like I wasn't me developed akathisia, constantly pacing around the house constantly complained and asked for help couldn't understand text and video, didn't understand people's conversations couldn't continue working as a programmer, lost income for several months went into a huge debt felt like I was between worlds, as if I wasn't entirely myself (derealization) weakness appeared, couldn't do sports anymore started sitting at home all the time double vision appeared had constipation and bloating, dryness in the mouth and some red spots on the tongue In general, the entire list would be too long to publish. At that time, I didn't understand what was happening at all, because I had never taken any medication in my life, and I rarely got sick with a cold. Therefore, I started undergoing a large number of different tests and consulting with various doctors, mainly neurologists and psychiatrists, because regular therapists couldn't find anything and didn't know what was wrong with me. Due to constant suffocation, I couldn't sleep and somehow managed to fall asleep only on my stomach for 1-3 hours. Therefore, the next doctor prescribed me... Quetiapine for sleep. I took it for two weeks in a dosage of 25 mg. It's clear that it didn't improve my condition. The next step was to visit a private clinic, where they gave me vitamins, cleaned my blood from toxins, but also for some reason gave me... Risperidone. I took this medication for a week in a dosage of 3-4 mg and for about two weeks in a dosage of 2 mg. In addition, I took Escitalopram for one month in a dosage of 10-20 mg, Mianserin for one week, and Agomelatine for two weeks as a sleep aid, one tablet, I don't remember the exact dosage. Then, on Risperidone, I gained more than 10 kg of excess weight in just a couple of weeks, walked slowly like a turtle, and looked like a zombie. Eventually, I realized that doctors wouldn't help me and started to investigate the situation on my own. I reconstructed the timeline of events and saw that things started to worsen from the moment I started taking medication. It was in August 2021 when I was still taking Agomelatine. I decided to quit all medication immediately and only use natural and safe remedies for my recovery. At first, I deeply researched the topic of neuroleptics and antidepressants and for a couple of months was horrified by the realization of the situation I was in. Very few people reported a complete and successful recovery even after discontinuing these medications. However, although rare, there were stories of people who got better. I started my journey to recovery and decided to apply everything possible. At first, I learned about all types of damage that these drugs can cause. They include: loss of nerve tissue due to neurotoxic action (that's why neurogenesis stimulation is needed in any case) receptor blocking disturbance of neurotransmitter balance severe avitaminosis (the body neutralizes toxins by binding them to vitamins) disturbance in the functioning of the genetic apparatus (which is why the side effects are so difficult to correct) mitochondrial dysfunction (it is precisely for this reason that there are strong asthenia, type 2 diabetes, heart problems, and many other side effects of neuroleptics) accumulation of psychotropics in the body tissues (metabolites can be detected in urine even a year after intake) worst of all, psychotropics also disrupt the functioning of stem cells, DNA repair systems, and neurogenesis. This greatly complicates recovery in addition, all organs and systems, not just the nervous system, are affected Then I began to search for all existing methods and means to correct each of these disorders and apply them in practice. As a result, it took me about 10 months to alleviate approximately 80% of the symptoms. I lost weight and my libido and erectile function were fully restored, my dreams became vivid and interesting again, it became much easier to breathe and engage in sports, and I could work as a programmer again. In two months, I paid off all my debts and started making a profit. I started to deeply and thoroughly study biochemistry, genetics, and neurobiology. Now I can't find doctors who can tell me something new, they know much less than me and now they should pay me for consultations, not the other way around. Some of them at least honestly admit it. At the moment, I still have some consequences from the psychotropic drugs. The most worrying are a slight stiffness of the neck muscles, a crunch in the throat when swallowing, a slight brain fog that occurs quite rarely (previously it was constant to the level of semi-fainting), and a slight weakness. I continue to work on eliminating the consequences and understand that it will take some more time. What I have learned: there are methods for restoring DNA and it is not CrisprCas9, it's a completely different method it's possible to accelerate neurogenesis by at least 5 times there are many ways to naturally increase dopamine without taking antiparkinsonian drugs in any case, it is necessary to replenish vitamin reserves. In particular, it is necessary to pay attention to vitamin E, vitamin B3, Omega 3, Q10, alpha-lipoic acid, and others. it is necessary to live correctly for a long time in terms of daily routine, nutrition, physical activity, etc. so that regeneration processes proceed as quickly as possible In the end, I decided to deeply and thoroughly study this issue, but it takes time. Anyone who wants to support my research, with the permission of the administration, I can give my contact information. I want to work on research and restoration of the nervous system, and at the moment, there is already a large amount of material that needs to be turned into a book or something similar. In addition, as a programmer, I can create a website with a recovery journal, brain structure tests, publications of restoration methods, and more. I am waiting for your suggestions.

In mid May I went into the hospital after 5 days of not being able to sleep, eat or drink. I was taking black currant oil and fish oil supplements at the time but my problems didn't start until I added the multivatime Alive Max6 Potency. That's when my insomnia started along with my psychosis. I don't have any prior mental health issues or history of issues in my family. Whatever chemicals were in that supplement disturb my biology to the extreme. I was diagnosed as bipolar with mania although I explained that my issues started after taking the supplement. I was in the ward for 11 days or so, the first few days I wouldn't ear or drink. But once I found out I had to take medicine in order to get out is when I started to comply. Weeks passed and I couldn't tell just how drugged I really was. Six weeks into taking 1mg in the day and 2mg at night is when things shifted for the worse. All of the sudden I had insomnia, my thoughts were gone and my feelings as well.The side effects were so bad that I even contemplated suicide as I laid at night unable to think, unable to feel and unable to sleep. I felt dead just staring at the walls waiting for time to pass by. I quit risperidone cold turkey that day on July 8th. The next day on July 9th I went to the hospital to get help with the insomnia and to talk about how the medicine made me feel numb. Of course I had to Baker Act myself to receive treatment and I was scared to end up in the ward again. My tests came back Covid positive so I was put in ICU instead, which as bad as it sounds I find it a blessing that the test was positive. For if I had gone back to the ward surely they would have put me on more medicines. At the hospital I got seen by a psychiatrist through video chat who then changed my diagnosis to cannabis induced psychosis and changed my 3mg perscription of Risperdone to 5mg of Abilify. I took the pill only once at the hospital and was impressed that I had some thoughts come back. But upon further research I realized just how bad Abilify is as well. It's been 11 days since I quit cold turkey and my symptoms as of now are anhedonia, slow bowels, and at night when I sleep I can't tell that Im sleeping unless I have a dream. I don't know if it's some type of insomnia but I take 5mg Melatonin at night I feel my body relaxed but my mind is awake. I lay with my eyes closed but can't tell that I am sleeping or that I've slept unless I dream of something. What I have is minimal compared to the many threads I've read on this page. I'm patiently waiting for my emotions to come back and I know it's a matter of time. These pills were slowing everything down inside my body and Im glad I came to my senses and said enough is enough. Thanks to the creator of this website and to the many people that have posted their stories. It gives hope that with time and a good diet healing and recovery is possible. My only question is how do you pass time with anhedonia?

Hi, all. Thank you so much for providing this site. I’ve been inspired by the stories here, and look forward to my own recovery and hope to help others as I can along the way. It’s been a hellish year… I have a rather long story – 99% of which takes place within the last year – so please bear with me. I’ll write this out in a timeline for organization’s sake. In essence, I have a history of anxiety and depression, and have OCD. I have been suffering from severe postpartum anxiety (PPA) and depression (PPD) since delivering my son in May 2018 – exacerbated by a move out East so I could start my PhD, the decline and death of my dog, dealing with childhood trauma, etc. I was on Prozac and Xanax as needed before I was pregnant and went off without any problems while we were trying to conceive. I had an uncomplicated pregnancy. Here we go… 1999ish – 2005 (6th grade – high school) (Zoloft, Lexapro, Wellbutrin) I was diagnosed with severe academic perfectionism and OCD and put on (I think) Zoloft first (not sure of dosage). In the years that followed, I was on Lexapro and Wellbutrin, all in various combinations. I don’t remember timing or dosages. I don’t remember having a hard time coming on or off any of the meds. I was chronically ill in high school, though, with fatigue, mono, sinusitis, shingles (to be fair, I had immunological issues before going on meds, too, and a complicated family situation). I took the year after high school off to recover, went off all meds. All I remember is feeling tired and my sleep being on a weird schedule. 2005 – 2009 (no meds) I started taking some community college classes, started volunteering, and then working full-time. Started paying more attention to my diet (went off gluten and most dairy after I realized it made me feel better). Was doing very, very well. Summer 2009 – Summer 2017 (40 mg Prozac daily, ? Xanax PRN rarely taken; occasional supplements - multi vitamin, vitamin D, fish oil, probiotics) Started on 40mg Prozac (slow taper to START it), as a ‘preventative’ measure against OCD and perfectionism (I know… probably wasn’t necessary, but I can’t prove a negative) as I was about to start at a university in the fall of 2009; I was pushed by family (also on psych meds) to start. I think it helped somewhat but it’s hard to know. Eventually, I had an Rx of Xanax, which I took maybe 5-10x/year as needed. I did well in college, though, started a great career, went to the UK on scholarship to do my Master’s and then decided to QUICKLY taper off the Prozac when my husband and I (we married in 2014) decided to conceive. I don’t remember having any issues coming off the Prozac. I was on it fairly consistently for 8 years. Summer 2017 – May 2018 (no meds; supplements: prenatal vitamin, 800 mg folic acid, 1,000-2,000 mg vitamin D, ? fish oil) Pregnant, more depressed than usual, especially after moving back home from the UK and being unsure of what was next. Still, did the damn GRE, applied to PhD programs, got into a great program out East, started setting up our life out there. Obsessive compulsive symptoms were worse than usual but not unmanageable. Late May 2018 (no meds; supplements: prenatal vitamin, 800 mg folic acid, 1,000-2,000 mg vitamin D, ? fish oil) Delivered my son. Epidural, long labor. Started breastfeeding. Early June 2018 (no meds; supplements: prenatal vitamin, 800 mg folic acid, 1,000-2,000 mg vitamin D, ? fish oil) Had a week of awful insomnia and anxiety and intrusive thoughts, but it went away. Early June – Mid-July (no meds; supplements: prenatal vitamin, 800 mg folic acid, 1,000-2,000 mg vitamin D, ? fish oil) Doing okay, just exhausted and depressed (I was breastfeeding around the clock). One week in mid-July 2018 (? Xanax, one-time dosage ~6mg Zoloft, and one-time dosage 2mg Ativan, one-time dosage ? Klonopin in hospital; supplements: prenatal vitamin, 800 mg folic acid, 1,000-2,000 mg vitamin D, ? fish oil) Then, at around 7 postpartum weeks - BAM - I was hit with a week of NO SLEEP. I just couldn't sleep and I lost my appetite. I had been given an Rx for Zoloft by my OBGyn and took a very small amount that Friday (I wanted to ease in). That night, all my symptoms were much worse – and I also felt this severe restlessness in my limbs. It was AWFUL. I even tried Xanax to calm me down (I gave to my son pumped breastmilk). My anxiety was so bad that I went to the ER that Sunday. They drew blood and it turned out that my blood sodium was dangerously low (126) - possibly due to not eating enough and drinking too much water. They gave me Ativan (2 mg – which was A LOT for my system), some Klonopin, too, eventually, and fluids overnight and I felt MUCH better the next day. I was given Ativan and Remeron as needed but didn't need to take it for a few weeks. Mid-July to Late Aug 2018 (0.5 – 1mg Ativan daily; supplements: prenatal vitamin, 800 mg folic acid, 1,000-2,000 mg vitamin D, ? fish oil) I was fine for a few weeks, and then my family and I moved out East, where I was attending grad school (I’m now on medical leave). The anxiety and insomnia came back around the move in August. I took Ativan (0.5 – 1 mg) as needed each day and had some rebound anxiety but was able to get through until setting up care there. I was assigned an interim psychiatrist (before being placed with a regular one), who Rxed me 0.5 Ativan to take at night to sleep for 10 days. This worked for sleep, but not the overall anxiety and depression. Due to breastfeeding concerns, they switched me to Trazodone (25-50 mg), which worked ok for sleep. Eventually, I was able to fall asleep on my own for a couple/few nights. That would be the last time I could do that to-date. Late Aug to Late Sept 2018 (0.5 – 1mg Ativan daily, 1-5mg Prozac, 25-50 mg Trazodone; supplements: postnatal vitamin, 800 mg folic acid, 1,000-2,000 mg vitamin D, ? fish oil, started taking some B complex, probiotics?) I started seeing a regular psychiatrist in early September, and we agreed I should go back on the Prozac with 1 mg Ativan/day as needed. We started sloooow on the Prozac - 1mg, then 2, then 5. By week 3, I had lost my appetite completely, and my anxiety was through the roof - just on 5mg (I was on 40 before becoming pregnant, so I couldn’t understand why I was feeling so terribly). The Trazodone was no longer helping me sleep, and was giving me terrible dry mouth. My limbs felt like they were vibrating. My psydoc FINALLY directed me to go off the Prozac and Ativan, and Rxed me just Klonopin 0.75mg/day. In addition to the psychiatrist, I saw a primary care doc, who checked my thyroid, adrenal glands (several tests there), vitamin levels, and other things - all normal. My blood sodium has still been a little low, but they believe it's due to not eating enough. Oct 2018 (Klonopin 0.25 – 0.75mg/day; postnatal vitamin, 800 mg folic acid, 1,000-2,000 mg vitamin D, ? fish oil, started taking some B complex, I might have tried some hormone-balancing herbs – I don’t remember exactly, probiotics?) My appetite returned but it was never the same. I was sleeping better, but not well – maybe 6 hours at most, sometimes waking in a panic. I could only take one class. I was very depressed and frustrated, and deeply confused as to why I wasn’t responding to medications. But I felt BETTER than when I was on the Prozac, and was able to feel like I could sleep on my own again, and on just 0.25mg Klonopin/day – but the plan was to let me ‘settle’ and then try a new AD, sooo… Nov 2-4 2018 (25mg Anafranil at night, 0.25-0.5mg Klonopin/day; postnatal vitamin, 800 mg folic acid, 1,000-2,000 mg vitamin D, ? fish oil, started taking some B complex, I might have tried some hormone-balancing herbs – I don’t remember exactly, probiotics?) The psydoc suggested Anafranil, a TCA. The day I started it, we put my dog down and I stopped breastfeeding (I had been tapering on that for months). It wasn’t a great time to start something. But I did. I took it the night of the 2nd, fell asleep instantly, then woke up feeling SO GOD AWFUL about 3 hours later. I had a tremor, I vomited, I couldn’t eat. My husband had to hold me while I shook in bed. I called the psydoc and she told me to keep taking it, sounding annoyed with me. So I pushed through for three days – but that was all I could do. Until then, that was the worst I have ever felt. Nothing could calm me down. Things start heating up here, so I’ll spare some details and focus more on the med changes… Nov 5-8 2018 I barely remember these days. Sleep was poor, I felt awful. Then on a Thursday night, I was up all night with panic attacks. I called my therapist and made the decision to go into the psych hospital. Nov 9 – 15 2018 (In hospital, put on 0.5mg Klonopin 2x/day and worked up to 100 mg Seroquel at night) I didn’t start sleeping until I was put on a combination of Seroquel and Klonopin. BUT, I remember this creeping feeling of “buzziness” and restlessness when I woke up everyday. That feeling would continue to get worse over the coming weeks and stay with me to the present. Nov 15 – Early Dec 2018 (0.5mg Klonopin 2x/day → 0.25mg Klonopin 2x/day; 100mg Seroquel at night; some supplements – don’t remember) I left the hospital taking 100mg Seroquel at night and 0.5 mg klonopin 2x/day. I officially went on medical leave from grad school. I stuck with this doseage for 2ish weeks, was sleeping well but feeling horribly depressed and anxious, then started to quickly taper the Klonopin. I don’t remember how quickly – but I wasn’t taking anymore than 0.5mg/day by early December. I then tapered on the Seroquel after feeling SO much worse when an IOP psydoc tried bumping the dose to 125mg; I remember not being able to sit still – going outside to pace. No tremor – just pacing, fidgeting, and losing a lot of weight. Early December 2018 – Early Jan 2019 (1mg Ativan at night, 2.5mg Zyprexa at night, 25-100mg Lamictal; postnatal vitamin, 800 mg folic acid, 1,000-2,000 mg vitamin D, ? fish oil, started taking some B complex, I might have tried some hormone-balancing herbs – I don’t remember exactly, probiotics?) I made the decision to move back home to do a program specialized in PPD (we ended by moving back entirely later that winter). In the program, I was put on 0.5-1mg Ativan at night, 2.5 mg Zyprexa at night (for sleep – though it never helped), and titrated up to 100mg Lamictal (the psydoc suspected a bipolar spectrum diagnosis). I was still incredibly restless, unable to sit down and just enjoy a movie. And my sleep was growing worse and worse. It was awful – then my mood grew worse and worse as we went up on the Lamictal; I also had increasingly bad tinnitus and TMJ. I was hospitalized as my thinking became suicidal – just ideations, but I was ready to go back in… Early to Mid-Jan 2019 (0.5mg Klonopin 2x/day, 5mg Paxil/day, 50mg Benadryl at night; 0.25-1mg Risperidone 1-2x/day; some supplements?; THEN back to 150mg Seroquel) In the hospital, I was taken off the Lamictal and put on 5mg Paxil once/day, 0.5 mg Klonopin 2x/day, Benadryl 50mg at night (for sleep), and Risperidone 0.25mg once or twice a day (I don’t remember). I became increasingly orthostatic (low BP, high HR). I stabilized mood-wise – sorta – and left the hospital feeling off, but better… Within days, though, we tried increasing the Risperidone, and my HR went up to 140 (I think we tried 1 mg). I wasn’t sleeping AT ALL. I was taken off the Risperidone, stayed on 5mg Paxil once/day, 0.5 mg Klonopin 2x/day, Benadryl 50mg at night (for sleep). Eventually, as my sleep diminished, the PPD IOP doc put me back on Seroquel (I has actually asked to go back on) – but suggested as much as 150mg. After that, my mood really shifted and became erratic; I was really upset and angry at my husband and suicidal ideation returned. So it was suggested I go back in the hospital... Late Jan to Mid-Feb 2019: 3-week hospital stay (see below for crazy med changes) All the docs agreed I didn’t need to be in there this long (everyone kept asking why I was still there), but there I was so they could keep throwing stuff at me to see if something stuck. I was holding out hope SOMETHING would work this time...: First week: 0.5 mg Klonopin 2x/day, 100 mg Seroquel at night, 300mg XR lithium 2x/day (HORRIBLE stomach reaction, especially when the doc abruptly pulled the Seroquel) Second week: 0.5 mg Klonopin 2x/day, 50mg Seroquel at night, some amount of Depakote (I don’t remember – wasn’t improving, irritable), tried PRNs of 12.5mg Seroquel and became really depressed Third week: 1 mg Klonopin 2x/day, 50mg Seroquel at night, 1200mg gabapentin (taken as 300mg twice during the day, and 600mg at night). That’s how I left the hospital. Mid-Feb to Early-March 2019: (0.75mg Klonopin 2x/day, 50mg Seroquel at night, 300mg Gabapentin 2x daytime and 600mg at night, brief re-trial of lithium – 150mg; multivitamin, 1,000-2,000 mg vitamin D, ? fish oil, 1200mg evening primrose oil, probiotics?) Instantly went down to 0.75mg Klonopin 2x/day (fear of dependence). New trauma-based IOP. Was very constipated. Tried low-dose lithium (150mg) as lithium seemed to be the only med to be helping to-date (along with benzos); was improving somewhat mood-wise, but the stomach issues were SO bad, so we went off. After going off lithium, my restlessness SKYROCKETED, and was particularly bad for 10 days. My stomach was AWFUL; I was taking antacids all the time; seemed to be worse after taking gabapentin, so the new IOP doc cut THAT dosage in half. Developed a tremor. The new IOP psydoc diagnosed me with akathisia – FINALLY. I had NEVER heard of that before (although, in retrospect, I think it has been mentioned to me in the hospital as a possible side-effect of the antipsychotics – but I remember them saying “you can get this, but I don’t see that in you, so…” and so I ignored it (dumb)). When I read about it, I felt so frustrated; this had, no doubt, been plaguing me since at least the one-time Zoloft attempt in July - and in particular since the first Seroquel doseage in November. Doc suggested I reduce my Seroquel from 50 to 25mg; I couldn’t do that for a couple of weeks. Early to Mid-March (→0.25mg Klonopin during day and 0.5-0.75mg/night, 25mg Seroquel at night, 200mg Gabapentin 2x daytime and 300mg at night, brief re-trial of Depakote – don’t remember dosage; multivitamin, 1,000-2,000 mg vitamin D, ? fish oil, 1200mg evening primrose oil, probiotics) Continue reducing my Klonopin down to 0.25mg during the day and 0.5mg at night. We tried XR Depakote as a Hail Mary in the med department. It seemed to help a bit, but also increased some of the restlessness. At this point – and this should have come sooner for me – I was done – just DONE– with med changes. My body needed a break. I haven’t added or taken away and particular meds since (with one exception - the propranolol, see below) – though I have reduced the dosages… Early April (0.25mg Klonopin during day and 0.5-0.75mg/night, 25mg Seroquel at night, 200mg Gabapentin 2x daytime and 300mg at night, up to 70mg propranolol throughout the day; multivitamin, 1,000-2,000 mg vitamin D, ? fish oil, 1200mg evening primrose oil, probiotics) Was diagnosed with thyroiditis (my thyroid had been normal as recently as January) – a relatively common thing postpartum, but it was ‘late’ to arrive to be postpartum thyroiditis, so doctors suspected the lithium. B/c I was hyperthyroid first (usually follows a pattern of a few months in 'hyper'/overactive mode, followed by anywhere from 3 to 18 (or more) months underactive. I was put on propranolol (taking as much as 70mg throughout the day). That seemed to help the tremor, heart palpitations, and restlessness maybe 50-75% of the time. But it crashed my BP. Early-April to Present (see below) We’ve moved into a new, stable house (both good and really stressful). As of early June, I am off the Seroquel. I tapered from 25 to 0mg by reducing by about 6.25mg every two weeks or so. I tried re-starting it to do an every-other-day ending taper, and felt instantly WORSE, so I am done. But it was probably too quick a taper. I NEVER want to take another antipsychotic again, though; I can point to the beginning of the worst parts of this whole cluster to starting Seroquel, and the akathisia that ensues and continues. I reduced the daytime Klonopin to 0 (though I’ve had to take a 0.0625mg to 0.125mg PRN three times in June as things have grown worse). I still take 0.5mg Klonopin at night. In June, I also went off the propranolol – too quickly – and have been having heart palpitations, and have been orthostatic. My BP was just getting to be so, so low. Now, taking any amount of it seems to make me more agitated/restless or, at best, woozy. In June, I also got ambitious and reduced the gabapentin from taking 400 mg during the day (200mg 2x/day) to 0 at the end of June, mostly b/c I thought it was making me feel worse; I’m not sure on this STILL (or if it ever did much of anything). I still take 300mg at night with 0.5 mg Klonopin. May was my best month - not great (I was still constantly restless, struggled with my appetite, and was really disoriented and depressed), but it felt more manageable. I should have done a slower taper on all things when I felt more stable, then – but here I am. June started out okay but, after going off the Seroquel and trying a glass of wine again (out with a friend), it’s been awful; the akathisia is back in full swing. NOW I seem to have reached this point where my body won’t tolerate much of anything again – as if it’s saying “if you’re done with one, then you’re going to be done with them ALL.” I’ve also noticed that the first half of my menstrual cycle is FAR AND AWAY WORSE than the latter half – and am trying to explore ways to (as naturally as possible) balance my hormones. I tried bioidentical progesterone cream that an integrative MD Rxed and it helped somewhat, but caused cramping and spotting and an upset stomach – no go. Currently Taking 0 – 200mg gabapentin during the day; 300mg gabapentin at night 0.5mg Klonopin at night 5mg melatonin (+10mg B6 – combo pill) at night Fish oil (1400mg EPA + 480 DHA) in morning and afternoon 1500mg primrose oil morning and afternoon 200-400mg magnesium glycinate at night, and magnesium oxide throughout day 2000mg vitamin D afternoon Cal+Mag+Potassium supplement afternoon 2 kinds of probiotics morning Multivitamin morning What Makes Things Worse Alcohol; I haven’t been able to tolerate this since sometime early spring – makes me SUPER anxious. Any antihistamine; it used to help me sleep but something in the last 2-4 months has changed my brain so I now feel WORSE the next morning. Some vitamins (I say that b/c I sometimes feel more buzzy after taking a multivitamin; on the other hand, sometimes I feel better) Caffeine (not that I’ve tested this too much; the most I ever drink is a cup of green tea, and I haven’t been able to do that in weeks) Antacids (found that out the hard way) What Helps Epsom salt baths Sweating Crying (when I am able to) Walking (especially in sunshine) Melatonin (at night – for sleep) Klonopin (but I am trying not to go over 0.5mg/day – mostly at night; and want to taper off) Massage Stretching Kombucha (not too much, though b/c caffeine) Apple cider vinegar + lemon water (ahead of meals and when I have an upset stomach – at east once/day) Eating enough (really tough to do right now) Not Sure if it Helps (tried/trying it) Acupuncture (doing this for a few months now) Therapy – CBT, talk Gabapentin (want to taper off anyway) Primrose oil Multivitamin Fish oil Magnesium Calcium CBD oil What I Need Help With I’m here b/c I need to feel like I’m not crazy when the psydoc says this isn’t still akathisia. I KNOW it is – I KNOW it’s protracted withdrawal and the effect of such a brain-altering year. I know this b/c, even in my most anxious moments pre-postpartum medications, I never felt this protracted insatiable restlessness and dread. I was a champ at sleeping (though a night owl). And my appetite was always solid (too much so, at times). This is DIFFERENT. I also want to get off the gabapentin and the Klonopin – but do so in a smart way. I’m not sure the gabapentin is a net evil right now and shouldn’t be taken off altogether? And is the gabapentin the best thing to drop first? And I need help managing the akathisia. I've read some tips here, and will explore those. Any help on the hormone piece would be invaluable. There is something there. I feel the effects of akathisia/withdrawal/autonomic disregulation far more at the start of my cycle. And this whole postpartum period has been inherently hormonally disregulating (compounded by meds like Depakote, which altered my cycle). Anyone else? Anything help? I plan to keep a more focused journal as this site recommends and track my symptoms alongside food, supplement, and med changes. Of course, what sucks THE MOST is the lost time and what's been taken - from the joy of being a new mother, to what was supposed to be a fulfilling career move in pursuing my PhD (I might have to give up my place now b/c I'm so disabled), to feeling defective for not responding to the 'right treatments.' The worst year of your life should not also be the first year of motherhood. To those of you that read this monster of a post – or event 10% - THANK YOU.

Hi, The good news is I just came off the SSRI Luvox after being on it for 3 years without any withdrawal symptoms except for a little anger. This may be due to the Risperdone 3mg I am on. My question is does anyone have experience of how long is recommended to wait from completely tapering off LUVOX in 2 months until I should try to taper off the Risperdone?

Hello everyone. I'm trying to taper off risperidone. I've only been on it for about a month. Currently taking .25mg in the morning and at night. I tried to taper as per my APN - stop taking it once a day. It left me nauseous, anxious and gave me tinnitus in my left ear. I have unipolar depression, so no risks associated with tapering off with bipolar. Boy oh boy do I want to get off of this drug. On one hand I want to do it safely, on the other I want to get off of it as soon as possible.

I was on Sertraline for 6 weeks. Week 1,2 - 50mg Week 3 - 100mg Week 4 -50mg Week 5,6 - 25mg Stopped. I still suffers PSSD symptoms 3 months after stopping the ssri. Was the tapering wrong? What I need to do now?

Hello. I am 16 years old. I was prescribed Russian-made Risperidone in order to treat my intrusive thoughts, which were quite concerning to me. I was to start taking Russian-made Risperidone, but I had to start taking Latvian-made Risperidone ("Rispaxol") on 18 May 2022 because the Russian-made one was nowhere to be found. My Rispaxol drug plan was like this: 0.5mg in the morning for 2 days > 0.5mg in the morning + 0.5mg in the afternoon for 3 days > 1mg in the morning + 0.5mg in the afternoon for 2 days > the psychatrist visit (we had to visit him ourselves because he lived in a different city quite far away). I took it for 16 days I took for 8 days, not 16 (see next post providing correction) and it was quite effective - my violent thoughts went away. On 26 May 2022, my parents finally found the Russian-made Risperidone (Rispaxol was nowhere to be found and the pharmacology we used to acquire the drugs was located in the same city as the psychiatrist. After they contacted the psychiatrist, he approved me taking the drug while also upping the dosage to 2mg since I reported that Rispaxol is losing its efficacy. I stopped taking Rispaxol and took the Russian-made Risperidone for 26-27 May 2022. These two days were hell for me - I couldn't sit still and had an irresistible urge to move. My parents contacted the psychiatrist again and he told us to abruptly discontinue the drug, which I did on 28 May 2022. The next six days marked a very rough withdrawal. I felt completely empty and paranoid, I couldn't eat anything and felt like my touch on reality was slipping away (although that might be due to me reading about Risperidone witdrawal symptoms on the Internet and being extremely anxious about them). I was in such a horrible state until 9 June 2022, when we found a Horvatian-made Risperidone ("Risset") and the psychiatrist told me to begin taking it with the same drug plan in an attempt to relieve the withdrawal symptoms. I'm very scared for myself. Am I doing the right thing by starting Risset or should I discontinue Risset and simply wait out the withdrawal? I think I should note that my psychiatrist didn't warn me about the withdrawal at all

Hi all, posting on behalf of my 17 year old son. He has ASD (Level 1), OCD, and ADHD. He is not psychotic but has severe intrusive thoughts. He had a bad day and we ended up in the ER. The pediatric psych prescribed .25mg of risperidone twice a day. He started in 4/25. He wants off. Can’t blame him. In retrospect it seems like a pretty heavy-handed drug for someone who’s never taken meds before. (SSRIs not recommended). Do we need to taper since it’s only been 10 days? His dad gave him 1/4 dose today bc we haven’t gotten a call back from our psychiatrist. But he said it immediately made him anxious and he doesn’t want to take anymore at all? Anyone with similar story or insight?

Hi guy, i tell my history, i take 1 injection of paliperidone and 4 weeks pills of risperidone, i suffer from severe side effect…. unable to thoughts, unable to have emotions, libido, imagination its very very sick … i lose hope i stop medication since 7 month, 7 month later the side effect Don't go away.. anyone who have hope or suffer with this same **** best wishes.

So 2 and a half months ago i started taking trileptal because of bipolar, they never worked so my doctor decided to put me on risperdal, 1 mg at night and half in the morning, everything was great for a month, the risperdal was working but one day i started having dizziness and was feeling too tired, like i was high or something, i ended up going to the ER because i had so much anxiety and dizziness, i talked to my doctor and he told me to quit the risperdal cold turkey because those was probably causing me those symptoms, well its been 2 weeks today since i quit risperdal and im still feeling dizzy with a brain fog, i haven't had a clear mind in a while, i also quit trileptal a week ago because i started to think it was the trileptal, but nothing is improving, do i need to wait for a longer time? I hear a lot of people get better within a week of quitting the medication and others take days, but i still feel like im under the pills effects, am i going to have this brain fog for a while? When i say brain fog i mean like, i cant feel or see things too clear, things are not vivid around me, and my mind feels like is working very slow. Once again, i took risperdal for a month and trileptal for 2 months and a half, i forgot to mention that im always tired too. Could this be the mixture of both pills? Or could it be the risperdal?