I have decided to go lower on my Meds - as low as I can stand it.
Recently I have been getting right breast pains, and I know it has to do with the Risperdal and Gynecomastia.
Last time I saw my psychiatrist, I asked her that I am doing well and would like to lower my Risperdal dose a bit, down from 2.5mg to 2 mg - she said that I could try it but she told me that she would not recommend going any lower.
I dont see the harm in me trying to go a bit lower, especially when I have been doing so well - No positive symptoms, except for some paranoia when I get fearful or anxious at times.
I am really fearful of the side effects from taking Risperdal - Saw some talk on here about Pituitary tumors - No â– â– â– â– â– â– â– Way!
Already having a fast heart rate on doses above 3 mg - Enough is Enough.
I decided to go as low as possible, taking it very slow - I will slowly test the waters, and I will go back up at any sign of Mania or psychosis.
I would not recommend anyone messing with their meds without the consent of their psychiatrists.
I will tell her my desire when I see her next time.
I like the orthomolecular approach - lowest possible doses of meds; perhaps even no meds if the patient feels inclined or confident enough. I don’t understand why people who are in charge of medicine these days think more is better. Less is often “more”. I told me doctor once that we’re trying to “snipe” the problem, not “explode” it with medicine (he always pushes highest possible dosages).
Needless to say, his actions are why I am no longer medicated. But that’s okay, I’ve been doing really well. I was doing okay on the lowest doses, but since symptoms were still occuring (visual & audio obstruction/hallucination) his only working theory was to up the dose. I said “no”, it just takes time. He didn’t believe me.
I guess every pdoc is different, good luck finding one that obeys any requests or opinions, even though YOU are the one feeling every residual effect of the medicine and know what is & isn’t normal or functional.
Have you tried Geodon, or is it too dangerous because of your heart? Risperdal worked great for my symptoms, but I couldn’t handle the side effects so I switched to Geodon. Within a month I lost all my Risperdal weight. Or is the idea of changing meds altogether too unpleasant? I recently lowered my Geodon on my own, after leaving a message with my pdoc. She never got back to me, so I did it on my own. It worked out for me. Not that I’m recommending that for everyone. I couldn’t stand sleeping all day. Now I have a healthy sleep schedule and minimal symptoms.
I understand that. I had to get an EKG before I could combine it with amitriptyline, because of the possibility of prolonged QT syndrome. Whatever that is.
Yes-Leave a message with your doctor and respect her answer. Sometimes, for various reasons, we have to change the dosage of our medication or the time we take them ourselves. I think you are too worried about possible side effects. Go on with your life and disentangle yourself from the preoccupation with side effects. Taking AP’s without proper supervision can kill you.
Anyone who knows me well knows I all for that, but you might want to read this peer-reviewed article before assigning a cause that may or may NOT be correct, leading you to do take an action that may or may NOT be in your best interests.
I take Geodon and Seroquel, and I sometimes get heart pains. Nothing too bad, but strong enough to get my attention. I’m not going to change my med’s, because my quality of life is okay right now, and I don’t want to end up on some med. that is hard to tolerate.
I changed my mind, I have decided not to lower the dose - I felt a bit paranoid at the supermarket last night, don’t think its a good idea for me to lower my dose at this time.
I’m sorry you’re going through this. It is very frustrating dealing with meds and their side effects. That’s a really low dose of Risperdal though. Has it improved your symptoms any? I used to be on it so I understand the side effects. It stopped my period for two years. No other AP raised my Prolactin levels like Risperdal. I know you’ve been through a lot of the AP’s trying to find the right one. My pdoc added Saphris to my Geodon and Seroquel. It worked really well but I gained 30lbs in one month. I asked if he could switch me to something else so now I’m on Latuda. It doesn’t work as well but I no longer have that uncontrollable hunger. Hang in there! Keep searching until you find something that works.
