I just created an account so I hope i’m doing this correctly. Anyway, I was diagnosed with schizophrenia one and a half years ago, after going to psychiatrists for several years. Actually, when I was 18 years old (I’m almost 26 now) , I met a doctor who was filling in for my usual doctor while he was on summer vacation and he suspected I was developing schizophrenia so he put me on antipsychotics and I’ve been on them since then. But here comes the question I’m wondering if I will get any answers to. Since I’ve been on meds since really early, I think I haven’t been as psychotic as I would have been without the meds. Can anyone relate? Does anyone else ever get painfully curious about what would happen if they stopped taking the drugs?
Welcome.
I tried to stop meds twice. I ended up psychotic. Now I’ve been on Abilify for almost 2 years. Had some almost-relapses. Stopped them in time.
I would be happy (and many with me) if you could linebreak your next text (hit enter-button twice). I have problems with concentration and attention. Walls of text are really hard to read. Not that your text was VERY long, but it makes it much easier for everyone to read and answer your posts 
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Noted. Hahah I wrote this on my phone so I didn’t realise. Usually I notice these things, especially since I have the same problem with concentration.
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Actually there’s a very similar thread to this already with lots of replies if you’re interested
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But yeah I’ve also stopped taking meds a few times for various reasons, always with my doctors approval though.
But I think it’s kind of weird that I sometimes feel tempted to stop taking them when minor symptoms return, not that I ever do it, but it’s really like a knee jerk response. Kind of confusing.
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@everhopeful Thanks for showing me that thread, it was really usefull. But the thing is, that thread is focused on wanting to stop taking meds because of side effects. That I get.
I’m wondering if other people feel like quiting the meds without any good reason.
I kind of wish I could change the title to something that describes that feeling better. When I wrote the title, all I could think of was me being lucky having gotten the meds early on.
I stopped taking the meds that I had been taking last winter (around November) and hid away in my apartment all winter and I had the worst psychological break since it first started years ago.
Im sorry to sound too opinionated but you shouldn’t put your life or the your well being in the hand of luck.
I doesn’t exist.
Life is what you make of it.
That’s an interesting supposition - that you weren’t as bad off with your mental illness because your doctor put you on AP’s early. It’s probably true. As for wondering what would happen if I got off my med’s - I have enough experience to know that I can’t make it without my med’s. I’ve tried getting off them several times, and every time it was a disaster. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Hello and welcome to the forum.
I have gotten painfully curious in the past… I did stop my meds a few times… and with in a month to 6 weeks… I landed back in hospital in worse shape then before.
I’ve been clean and sober for 6 years… very med compliant for nearly 3.
I’m no longer curious. I like being able to get through my day with much less head circus antics then previous years.
Then stay on you meds.
I got told by my CPN there is a strong correlation between people that stop taking their medication and admission to hospital.
I guess the same can be said of people who unsupportedly reduce.
I wouldn’t be surprised if someone could quote the statistics for relapse over a 6, 12 and 18 month time frame after discontinuation.
The way I play it is if I get to 1 week with little or no symptoms I might think OK what’s happening?
If I get to 1 month I’ll ask for a medication review!
Then slowly reduce or lower my dosage to a maintenance dosage, under advisement.
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