So. Was on the same meds for probably a decade but made the move to halve my antidepressant and it went well. Way less side effects and besides a bit of a hiccup in winter where I think I was a bit flat it’s worked well…
New idea is maybe try to come down from 10mgs of zyprexa to 7.5. Reason being I’m on the wafer which only comes in 10 mgs or higher. It is supposed to work by hitting your bloodstream outside your gut and thus helping with that bugbear of weight gain…
What do you think. I’m stable and sleep is good etc. Still get sedated by the dose but I sleep a normal 8 hours…do you think it’s worth a shot? I’ll be going back to pills over the wafer??
I don’t know enough about zyprexa to have an informed opinion but just by an internet search, isn’t 10mgs the minimum dose for sz? I’ll be honest though, I have been considering talking to my pdoc about lowering my dose of Abilify even though I’m on minimum dose for sz. I know that temptation. I have been stable for 3 years. It’s a risk. Would hate to have 40% of the mods losing their marbles. lol.
I’m taking 5mg for psychosis now. I don’t think it’s dangerous to drop the dose a notch. If you do relapse it probably won’t be like if you quit meds completely. Taking 7.5mg will still give you a buffer over the severity of a potential relapse. The trick is to be honest with yourself about how you feel. If you feel something is wrong you just bite the bullet and get back on 10mg. But quality of life will probably be better if you can be on a lower dose, so definitly worth a try.
Good points @Mr_Hope . I was half joking with the “losing their marbles” comment. lol. I don’t expect to lose it myself either, and I fully plan on reducing my dose. Keeping an eye on symptoms would seem to be key.
Yeah it’s been suggested before. I will see the shirnk in two weeks so going to ask his opinion. I don’t really want to upset the apple cart too much but a bit less sedation would be nice. Thanks everyone for your input!
Rogueone, you are one of the most level-headed members (and mods) on this site. You always give things careful consideration and react with wisdom. I think that you will be fine going on at least a trial of the lower dose, as I think you will be totally capable of monitoring your symptoms and alerting your pdoc to any troublesome changes. You have pretty decent insight, and I believe you know what’s what. Good luck!
Yeah my shrink suggested that when I first started the wafer…I was on 7.5mgs of zyprexa and wafer is minimum 10. I did have some breakthroughs though so I thought 10 wasn’t a bad compromise. Now I’m thinking of testing the waters and I think it’s a great suggestion. I am going to invest in a pill cutter…but will wait till I talk to my shrink before any action. Thanks @Jayster!
I think it’s definitely worth a shot, I’ve come down from 10mg to 3.75 mg now. I think this latest drop may be pushing it a little to far and I’m being careful to monitor symptoms. But I was stable on 5mg for six months…. I’ve found that with each drop I’ve got a little bit more of myself back
I’m on 7,5mg pills Olanzapine. I’ve tried reducing to 5mg twice and managed a few months before my wheels fell off my wagon. Not too disastrously. No medical intervention but my balance was upset for a few weeks whilst I tried to get some sanity back. I had to take 12.5mg for a few days. I was drinking then so I think that makes the meds less effective. I’ve sort of given up trying to change from 7.5mg as I have been stable for 5 years on it. You never know unless you try. My psychosis tends to come in explosive periods when it happens so it wears me out when it happens but I’ve been mainly off the drink for 2 years so I might give 5mg another shot.
Have you been taking the AP for 3-5 years as per who guidelines since your second relapse?if not you have a very high risk of relapse after stopping in 2 years time
