Hopefully all goes well, definitely an improvement to live on a lower dose. Cognition is better, more emotional feeling, lost weight and even less constipated lol.
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Be careful @magz.
If you start having increased symptoms, please let your doctor know.
It’s not always easy to have insight into the symptoms if you start to relapse.
I know of two people who were able to stop meds completely with no relapses, but their psychosis’s were most likely due to meth abuse.
Good luck!
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Did they only have the one episode?
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I’m also tapering down on olanzapine. Started off at 15mg and currently I’m at 7.5mg. The next step for me is to go down to 5mg. My doctor didn’t seem to think it would be too difficult so I really hope he’s right.
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They both had rather profound psychosis’s, but were able to stop their meds after a few years of treatment.
One had both visual and auditory hallucinations and delusions/paranoia, the other only heard voices and the delusions and paranoia that accompany that phenomena.
I believe they were both given immediate treatment and were then med compliant, so they did not go off their meds till they had been completely stable for a few years. They both were instructed by their docs as how to taper off their meds.
My condition has proven over the years to most likely be a permanent. I have accepted my diagnosis and will most likely require some form of AP for the rest of my life.
I didn’t find it difficult so hopefully you’ll be the same.
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I’m completely stable but have had two episodes of psychosis. Still hoping to be able to come off again and be okay
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Are you tapering off of Olanzapine completely? And if so how many episodes have you had?
Yes, that’s the plan. I’ve only had one psychotic episode and my doctor doesn’t think I have schizophrenia even though I think I do (I’ve been diagnosed with psychotic depression). I’m really scared I’ll relapse- time will tell.
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How many episodes have you had? At what point do you decide it’s a life long illness?
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I’ve had two…. Came off with doctors supervision and relapsed five months later. Still hoping I have a chance of coming off again.
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I hope it all works out for you.
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Thank you and I hope it does for you.
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I spent about six years mostly in and out of local hospitals with a lot of suicide attempts and relapses, but I was using alcohol, marijuana and meth, which definitely threw a big spanner in the works. It culminated in a conservatorship, which resulted in about two years in two different long-term hospitals. A county representative was eventually assigned to my case and he determined that I was well enough to be taken off conservatorship.
I got our in January 200, but made the mistake of making more attempts and going back to local hospitals enough that I was set up for another conservatorship. The same guy came to interview me and he got me off, but told me he could not help me if I continued to go back to the hospital in the manner as I had so far.
I then stopped making attempts and decided to avoid the hospital as much as possible. But I decided to stop being med-compliant in 2002. One short hospitalization after a brief time off meds, but I avoided staying more than a few days.
I stayed off meds for about two years, resulting eventually in by far the worst psychosis I ever went thru. I ended up in the hospital one last time. Been med-compliant since and not been to the hospital since then.
I’m hoping I can avoid ever going back. I’ve had minor breakthrough symptoms, but have enough experience and a good support system that I don’t think I’ll ever require anything more than an occasional med adjustment and possibly switching meds if my doctor thinks I can do better trying out something else.
It took me about 6 weeks to gradually go from 15mg to 10mg, as instructed by my doctor. In your case you could try something like this:
Day1 - 7.5
Day2 - 7.5
Day3 - 5.0
– repeat day 1-3 for a total of 21 days.
Then
Day1 - 7.5
Day2 - 5.0
– repeat day 1-2 for a total of 20 days
Get my drift?
I wish they had a science for coming off these toxic pharmaceuticals. I have always been into holistic stuff/tried to go to Naropa for it but couldn’t afford the cost of tuition. I would say B-vitamins daily are essential to any chemical withdrawal/to re-supplement your brain oxygen support. I dont know where to find good B-vitamins. But I have been drinking this Kombucha and Im reading that its high in Iron and Vitamin D. So that could also help with ending any fatigue that comes with it. I can easily withdraw from Abilify or Aristada at this point, it’s more psychological than anything. I dont need the Abilify. Its just a crutch/because it numbs me out from feeling whats real, and I like melancholy and dysophoria to mask my real feelings…
I should probably take to replace that–Ginkgo Niacin and Taurine, L-Dopa, plus Acetylcholine came to mind.
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