I’ve just lost my job so no stress at all… so wondering if this is the right moment to come off meds. i’ve been in remission for over five years as some of you already know and i think I want to take this chance to come off. Although i have tried before and ended up with irritability mood issues but never a psychosis…
Most of SZ meds are used for BP as well. So psychosis is pretty irrelevant for a BP dx. Talk it through with your pdoc and see what he/she says. Defiantly see about tapering with doctors support if you’re adamant. Mainly because withdrawals can be a huge problem.
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I think we should attempt to make meds hip and sexy
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You said you were on abilify 7.5mg. If you are going to reduce you should get the abilify oral solution liquid. I think its 1mg per 1ml so you could get a finer taper say 1mg at a time.
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Also why don’t you get your self on ESA benefit for the time being also, help keep the stress low.
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I am fit to work hence i can’t claim
I hope it works out. Definitely do it with the help of a doctor if you can, as I tried it without and it didn’t end well.
Good luck.
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I think making them side effect free would be a good first step. Honestly I think meds are way over prescribed at the moment and doctors don’t do enough to get you onto the minimum viable dose or get you off them when the time is right.
I’ve been trying to get off meds for a few years now, and have found that a doctors support is only marginally helpful. They can supply decent sleep meds - keeping your sleep regular as you are coming off meds is priority nr 1 - and can do some basic mental state checking if you find one who is willing to do weekly appointments as you come off, but that’s about it.
It’s much more important to have good insight and some defined limits about when you call the attempt unsuccessful. You may run into withdrawal psychosis or semi psychosis. And in the end you may find it easier to move across onto another drug and then come off that, it’s helped lessen the withdrawal symptoms in my case.
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What is your med and current dosage?
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Currently on Orap (pimozide) 1 mg a day… Admittedly peanuts compared to what lots of people are on. It’s going well right now, I’m six months in on a one year schedule of reductions starting from 2 mg, I found anything faster to cause lasting insomnia and other stuff after a while.
Yeah , I think if your on a low potency dose , you’ve got a shot. Some meds more than others have a higher relapse rate when ceased. Clozapine of course.
Antipsychotics are used to prevent mania form getting out of control with Bipolar disorder and to put a halt to psychosis if someone has bipolar with psychotic features.
Mood stabilizers can do the trick for people dxed with bipolar, but if you have psychosis with your mania or depression then an Antipsychotic would be added or it would make a better stand alone choice.
@anon80629714 you really ought to be discussing your medication issue thoroughly with your doctor - You may need at least a mood stabilizer on board, but he or she can help you decide
Psychosis is pretty common with a Bipolar type 1 diagnosis
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The way I learned that I needed to stay on meds was by coming off them. So coming off meds has its (risky) place sometimes.
But you keep saying that every time you came off meds it was a disaster, yet you claim you’re cured while on them and keep wanting to repeat the cycle.
How many times do you really need to repeat the cycle before you accept that you have a mental illness and need meds?
Edit: I was off meds for 2 years before being hospitalised with psychosis. Psychosis doesn’t have to return immediately. During those 2 years I was barely coping.
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For me I think the key point would be if I’ve been med free, am convinced I’ve left drug withdrawal effects behind me, so probably about three months, and then sometime later have a new episode which is significant enough that I cannot cope with it. That might convince me I need meds for life.
I’ve only had one major episode so far, but I’ve learnt a lot about coping with occasional voices and other weirdness over the last few years, and have a pretty good idea what I can put up with now. My tolerance is higher than it was. I generally haven’t had much in the way of delusions and don’t suffer from anxiety or depression, so feel I am fairly safe from that point of view.
If they got you high the work would already be done.
I know one girl who loves her 5 htp.
“Getting chemically balanced.”