Today is my 7th day since stopping the clozapine. My psychiatric symptoms are actually okay so far, but the physical effects have been bad. Nausea and diarrhea the last 3 days, vomiting this morning. Last night akathisia prevented me from getting more than an hours sleep, and I had to visit the ER today on my pdocs advice because my heart rate has been down in the 40’s and 50’s…thankfully they said I could go home, my EKG was adequate. My nose is constantly running and my eyes are itchy and burning. What sleep I do get is plagued with vivid dreams of me hurting myself.
My pdoc said all of this is related to cholinergic rebound that occurs when the med finally leaves those lovely receptors and they become sad. I didn’t think that coming off clozapine was going to feel this crappy! Hopefully, the added Zyprexa will prevent any serious psychotic rebound, but, wow, I finally have some tiny idea what people go thru when they quit heroin and get “sick”.
This process sucks!
I’m Sorry it’s so hard, @WhiteRaven . I hope the worst of it does not last too much longer and there are no psychotic symptoms.
On the bright side, if you are able to have no psychotic symptoms on any AP but Clozapine, it’s probably for the best in the long term that you switch, IMO.
i cold turkey’d 350 mg back in 2011. i dont remember much of anything about it. i laid in bed so much that my hair developed a new part haha. but i do remember i was prone to motion sickness and threw up from riding in a car. that can happen to me anytime i stop APs too quickly.
I am having this issue right now. I figured it was likely due to modified lense after cataract surgery throwing off sensory input, since it cropped up around that time. I had not considered it might be due to switching aps.
I get sick 75% of the time I ride with dad in van these days. Doesnt seem to happen when I drive, fortunately.
Maybe its his quick acceleration and stopping. I don’t know.
yeah thats what happened to me. its never happened from a med switch but if the compared dose is a lot lower it could. APs are also anti-nausea medicine. so u adjust to them and then when u drop the dose or quit u get sick more easily for a while. Last time i quit haldol suddenly i also almost threw up while someone else was driving. i would say it doesnt last too long tho maybe a couple weeks for me.
Wow it’s that bad huh
I will be in same boat soon
I think it’s worth it , getting off clozapine for a more mild medication
Sorry to hear your having problems. When I got off Clozapine I remember having problems sleeping and had restlessness especially at night. Hopefully your issues will end soon.
Well, when I withdrew from it, I had no physical symptoms, but a relapse in mania/psychosis which lasted, more or less, 2-3 years.
I have had a lot of physical symptoms withdrawing from Clonazapem though.
That sounds awful. I’m thinking of getting rid of clozapine as well. When my dose was reduced some years ago, my doc made me lose 25mg in every 3 months. So it took nearly an year to reduce 100mg. I got no withdrawal effects…
But I want to lose clozapine faster than a year. I don’t want this med anymore. Been on it nearly 17 years and that is enough.
I hope you feel better soon
My heart goes out to you White raven and all of you who are in the process of switching meds.
I really know how hard that can be because I quit Ziprasidone after 19 years of usage two years ago.
You must understand white raven that we here on this forum a very concerned over your situation and that we really care for you.
One of your many friends here.