Need advice on rispderal

Hi everyone. New here, first post...

A little about me: I'm 30 years old, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2006, first episode in 2004, hospitalized for a week in 2004 then a month in 2006 when I was finally diagnosed... Started on risperdal consta injections for a year then switched to pill form, and have been regularly taking on average 1.5mg risperdal every night before bed for a long time, maybe 10 years, with some dose changes after a huge weight gain...

Today i have lost all the added weight, i am functioning, have held a good job for 7 years now, bought a house a year and a half ago and basically just want to manage my medication...

I have read online some damaging aspects of risperdal... I just want to make sure it's not going to hurt my brain long term... I seem to be doing very well, however the thought of switching to abilify has occurred. I have minimum side effects. The most noticeable is lack of energy first thing in the morning and slightly decreased sexual performance... Overall I think the med works well with me. Keeps me in balance...

Can 1.5mg of risperdal every night permanent damage my brain and is it worth risking to try something else knowing that my current condition is stable? I know I am addicted to it because I went as low as 1mg and I felt uneasy... I have not has any symptoms since my last episode in 2006... And the main symptoms that occurred were only delusions. I'm looking for advice on if I should switch to something newer and better or keep doing what I'm doing and not worry about any serious effects on my brain.. Sometimes i am forgetful and I hope it's not the risperdal causing that however I am very smart and have not had it affect my intelligence... Also it makes me very thirsty which makes me drink a lot of water but I don't consider that a bad thing..

This is the first time I have reached out to a support group since I've been diagnosed so I'm hoping this forum can help me make the right choice. Right now my pcp is prescribing my anti psych because I'm doing so well and I have had therapy for 5 years and do not feel the need to resume it since I'm doing very well...

Any insight appreciated. Thanks

I hate to see the post go unanswered but I never took the stuff.

Have you seen this ?

For each diagnosis, there are people who have gotten off the medications, and then gone on to have very successful lives.

Problems that arise upon quitting medications are often medication withdrawal effects, and can be minimized by tapering down slowly. Also, if you have been relying on medications to solve emotional problems, you may need to learn effective alternative solutions to these problems in order to accomplish a successful withdrawal.

It's your choice. It is important not to stop taking medication before you are ready. But for at least some people, getting off medication, even against a prescriber's advice, may be the best solution. For example, long term studies show high rates of recovery among people diagnosed with "schizophrenia" who have gotten off medication successfully. Getting off medication can mean avoiding long term health risks (including risks of early death) associated with many of the medications.

http://www.mindfreedom.org/truth/truth-flyer-text/

The whole website is stuff like that written by people who have been through it.