For a couple months now I’ve been very curious about what I would be like if I wasn’t on antipsychotics. I am currently on 5 mg of Zyprexa at night and 1.5 mg of Vraylar in the morning. Things have been going pretty well, I still do get hallucinations but not to the point where it affects me in a negative way. Since I’m on such a low dose of these medications I was wondering what it would be like if I was to taper down and come off of them. Worse comes to worst is my symptoms would become too much and I would just go back on medication. But I really want to see how I am without medication since I’m at a low dosage anyway. The only time I stop my medication was last year when I went a few days without my Seroquel and had a psychotic episode in the middle of the night which was one of the scariest episode I’ve ever had. It was probably because I stopped taking it cold turkey. But since I’m already at such a low dose of Zyprexa and vraylar I really want to try not taking any antipsychotics because I hate the way they make me feel and I’m curious to see what I would feel like if I wasn’t on them. What do you guys think?
When’s the last time you were off antipsychotics? That’s what you would be like. In short wondering what you’ll be like? Psychotic.
This is not a good reason to stop taking meds. Just being frank with you.
Every time you go off meds and relapse, they’re less likely to be effective when you start them up again. Count yourself lucky that a low dose is working for you. I did the same thing. I used to be fine on 40 mg Geodon, and I thought it was so low that it must not be doing anything. So I stopped taking it. I felt amazing for a few months, then things started getting worse and worse until I ended up back in the hospital. Now, I have to be on 80 mg to get the same effect. It was not worth it.
I just wish there was an antipsychotic that didn’t make you feel like ■■■■. I hate the meds, I really don’t want to take them but I know that I have to. I just wish I didn’t have to take them. I’ve been on so many antipsychotics and every single one of them made me feel like crap and I would STILL experience my symptoms. Maybe I can take my meds every other day instead of every day and see how that will make me feel
Playing with fire doing this unsupervised…
I say take more. When I was at my worst I only took 20 mg of Geodon at night.
Now I take 80 mg in the morning and 80 mg at night with 40 mg of Latuda.
I am doing much better, not cured but better. No hallucinating at all: its nice.
@flameoftherhine It’s not unsupervised. I’m going to discuss it with my prescriber to see what her thoughts are
Then good luck 1515115
I hated them too. Ended up quitting them because of that. But I’m high functioning and am not a danger to myself or others even when not medicated, so I was on them more to improve my quality of life than because they were absolutely necessary. If you’re more in a situation like that it may be possible to quit, but most of the people on here’s situation is that if they are not on meds, they are in the hospital and not living their lives.
If they ever improve upon side effects or anything I’d go back on them because they really did make life a lot easier and less frightening. I’m making more of an effort to stay on antidepressants because I often become suicidal during bad episodes, so not being on an AD would likely kill me someday. Weigh the pros and cons.
ninjastar is correct. I take clozapine and every time I ran out I would relapse. The hallucinations continued and got worse until i got my medications refilled and each time it was less and less effective. Don’t stop unless you know you will be fine
Warning @FrankTheTank888
I stopped taking all meds for like 2 weeks this past July, I then went on a sub therapeutic dose of Risperidone for a couple of weeks.
It did not end well for me.
I was Involuntarily Committed to the Psych Hospital twice - a total of 5 weeks.
Do you really want a hospital bill,. Sounds like your doing OK there must be something you have worth not loosing. I’d stay on the meds.
I tried stopping them for a few weeks once, huge mistake. when I hallucinated a roach crawling on my face with audio, tactile and visual hallucinations I decided to take them again. it can make people hate you. it can make you end up homeless. it can make you end up in a mental hospital. don’t screw up a good thing.
If you want to learn the hard way…
The relapse rates are probably posted on the site!
If I was to stop my meds how long would it take until the meds wore off and my symptoms worsen? (if that were to happen)
Don’t change a thing, keep doing it and fight off the illness.
Sounds risky to me…
I quit my meds did great for awhile first sign of stress started the delusions. Started meds immediately still ended up in the hospital and 3 months off work.