I stopped taking meds - antipsychotics at an early age - 21 or so? for a couple of years, then took mood stabilizers only, but I went delusional for decades, so I was introduced to Abilify years ago, when it first came out, have been taking antipsychotics regularly ever since
Abilify is a great medication. It really works for me with no side-effects. It’s saved my life. Most meds work for me, but I was always reluctant due to the side-effects. Then I found abilify. Everyone may be different though as I had a friend who’s Bi-Polar and abilify didn’t work for him. But for me, it doesn’t cause much side-effects at all.
Every time I have tried to stop taking med’s it hasn’t worked out, and yet, still, there is a tiny voice inside of me that tells me I can get off my med’s.
i was taking meds then went off them cold turkey. i was still seeing pdoc and six months later i was ‘weaned off’. so to my pdoc and psychologist i was on them for a year.
I take Invega Sustenna maintenance dose. It’s nice because instead of getting a shot every 2 weeks with Risperidone and with oral dosing too, I get a shot every 4 weeks without the oral medication.
I started taking them 9 months ago when i had my first psychosis. Pdoc said she will probably wean me off them after a year, so we can see if i need them long term or not. If it happens again i will have to take them for another 5 years. I hope this doesn´t happen, i have a good feeling about this because i have been symptom free ever since i was put on an antipsychotic. My dose was also lowered and i still remained symptom free. So i voted " i take medications, but i and my pdoc plan to get (me) off them in the future"
ive been off them since january last year, i think the main thing is to be prepared for the come down, i knew it was going to happen but the hit was f*cking brutal, overcome that and youll be on your way. i taught myself how to cope, but weaning off is the best option. you should take intense therapy sessions as well. imo i think it would have more impact to have it whilst you have your meds lowered and carry on when youre off them.
I was on risperidal at first in the 1990’s; then went to abilfy when it became available. I had to stop taking it because I developed the side effect of not being able to swallow. The psychiatrist switched me back to risperidal. When I was in the psychiatric hospital; they added another antipsychotic; but I do not know what it was. Then, I went to a medical hospital and took me off all my psychiatric medications; except Lithium; including the antipsychotic. My psychiatrist said that was the right thing to do. I should have fired him; but, he was connected to the “clinic.” He, then put me on zyprexa for a loud pounding heartbeat, extensive anxiety, and unrelenting insomnia which was caused by something else horrific entirely. He told me not to eat; even I got hungry! He kept taking my weight. I told you I should have fired him. He moved out of state and I went to another clinic for my meds. I stopped the zyprexa. It did nothing for me at all! Finally, in the last month, I have finally been returned to taking an antipsychotic. All that stuff came back that put on the antipsychotics in the first place. I most likely should never have been taken off them at all! Now, I am on Seroquel; 50 mg at bedtime. I have had some side effects; but, I see the psychiatrist again on March 17.
I was first treated for major depression eight years ago. My doctor would give me these looks and ask me if there was something else that was going on that I wanted to tell him about. Terrier of being hospitalized if I disclosed that I had been hearing voices since I was six kept my mouth shut. Finally one day he tricked me and started talking about the voices and asked me how many are there again? I answered five. They have been with you for so long but I forgot to write it down. I said since I was six. That’s when I realized what I had said. Was but on Geodon then started at forty and went up to 240 mg in five years it quit working, went on risperdal, worked but not as well. Was put on Invega, that’s what I am on now.