I’m considering this for my next appointment on 8/31. I’d like to see if I can do without it. I mainly want to do it to see if it helps my negative symptoms. I’ve been stable for about 2.75 years. Any comments or advice on this would be appreciated.
4 Likes
My dr tapered me down to 2mg Abilify, then 1mg then stopped. Hospitalized voluntarily after 2yrs. I have been stable since 2016 but I am not going off meds again. I will try Rexulti, Strattera, Caplyta and Vraylar.
2 Likes
Besides my emotions were just inappropriate off meds, I would laugh for no reason in public. I was embarrassed.
3 Likes
I would kill for 2 years without negative symptoms, but I know from your previous posts that you were a wreck during those 2 years. I’m just hoping that I can regain some of my life back. I don’t know what else to do. I don’t even know for sure that it will help negatives at all and I could relapse. That’s why I am not 100% dedicated to the idea but am considering it.
2 Likes
Yes slowly got worse with time.
2 Likes
Honestly I am more functional socially on meds than off meds. I social isolate completely when off meds.
1 Like
off meds, my brain feels like its exploding 24/7
i feel loose parts in my brain
like the circuit is not working fully
then on meds i feel fine
after a month i reckon i get really psychotic but at this point in my life i dunno if i could make a month
3 Likes
I worry that Invega may have changed my brain chemistry permanently and I may never be able to get back to “normal”. Other times I think it is my sz that has changed me. Maybe it’s both.
I dont think its the meds. I experienced negative and cognitive symptoms before being put on meds.
1 Like
I read they appear before positive symptoms in 73% of szics. Also I had positive symptoms before being put on meds.
1 Like
Do you mean negative symptoms?
1 Like
Positive, negative and cognitive symptoms, all of them.
1 Like
If my positives didn’t get that bad I wouldn’t have been diagnosed with sz.
1 Like
Your profile picture reminds me I wish I was can just stay one more year with Clopixol to feel the right feeling and pleasure of the first time flying on a airplane.
1 Like
Wow, it happens to the best of you guys. You know the drill. You know the risks. I can see the temptation but I would never try it. But I’m going on 43 years with schizophrenia and 41 of those years I’ve been on medication. I figure my whole system is geared towards having schizophrenia and having medication in my brain and my body. I think in my case the chances of a relapse if I went off medication are a 100%. I wish you luck if you decide to try it. You’ve read all the stories just like me.
2 Likes
Depends on what type of antipsychotic you are on?
1 Like
I really really wouldn’t get off meds. I cannot ever go off them. I battle the side effects as much as I can, and tweak the meds for my symptoms. It sucks, it really does. But it’s given me my life back, as best as it can.
1 Like
You could ask and see what they say. I don’t know your entire history the way your pdoc does.
1 Like
As you probably know, the risk with trying to go off meds is that you could lose insight, have a terrible relapse, and destroy your life. There is a chance the same med won’t work as well in the future.
That said, my doc first started trying to get me to taper after about 2 years of zero positive symptoms. Some data suggests that a percentage of us can be successful with a taper. If your doctor agrees, and you do decide to go ahead, my advice would be to go extremely slowly, and to step back up immediately at the first sign of worsening symptoms/withdrawal. Make sure to be under continual supervision from your pdoc and a therapist, and listen to them if they say you need to go back up.
When I tapered off my AP and onto my new meds, it took roughly 9 months. I had been taking geodon for roughly 7 years at that point. I had to temporarily step back up in dose multiple times. I had to switch from pills to liquid, because I needed to reduce so slowly. And, tbh, I am still not sure how things are going. I haven’t had any positive symptoms, but I’ve been dealing with some mood issues. I can’t go back on my previous med because of my TD. My doctor says if I need to go back to an AP my only option will be clozapine. That is pretty frightening. I am hoping the new adjustment in my other meds will even out my mood issues.
1 Like
I was stable on olanzapine for about 8 years, but the side effects were really bad, like my life would end early, my blood work, diabetes and weight gain were out of control, so we quit that and tried abilify. Abilify didn’t work and I became psychotic so I went back on Olanzapine.
Then about 5 years after that I tried lowering my dose of olanzapine because of the side effects and I became psychotic again, but I didn’t want to raise my dose back up because of the side effects.
We switched to Lurasidone and I am doing much much better now.
For me psychosis is for life, every time I have quit or lowered my meds over the last 17 years I ended up psychotic. Now that I have a med that works without side effects I am sticking with it.
1 Like