Coming off medication - any experiences?

dreamscape, thankyou yes that's exactly what it feels like when i come off the meds it feels like brain cramps. I hate it, but my phsychitrist thinks that its a symptom of my illness. So it's confusing. His logic is look when you take the meds the brain cramps go away therefor the medicine is doing it's job.

Guest (the jone who preches about the bad effects of medicine and has been off them for 25 years.). I've noticed similiar posts by you thorughout the SZ fourm. You've also mentioned that the WHO studies show that schizophernia is best cured with time 5-20 years.

You being someone who treated/cured yourself using that method. I'm curious what did you do in that say 5 year period? I mean what was your lifestyle like? I mean did you work, go to school, or did you just retreat from the outside world? If time does cure the SZ then how did you spend that time?

Their seems to be a good chunk of people out their who take anti-psychoitics/anti-deppresants. Even though it may be detrimental to their health in other ways like obeseity, diabetes, and etc... they can funcition quite well in terms of living in the world like going to school or working.

So again I'm just curious how you spent your 5-20 years?

ATTENTION!

IT'S VERY EASY FOR A PSYCHIATRIST TO DIAGNOSE A PERSON AS HAVING SCHIZOPHRENIA! THERE IS A GOOD PERCENTAGE OF THEM THAT DOES NOT NEED MEDICATION BUT RATHER ALTERNATIVES. I WAS SUCCESSFULL!

i am still successful i guess but damn side effects still remain. there are now alternatives to treating the so called" schizophrenia". those who believes in med free treatment also believes it is not a biological disease. there are now alternative mental health popping up around the world. once the results of how dangerous the new drugs are and told to the public, the better the alternative will be. however, the drug manufacturers will invent another drug,saying it is better. are we stupid enough to fall for it again?

PSYCHIATRIC SURVIVORS WILL EXPOSE THE LIES! THEY ARE GROWING IN NUMBERS!

I've been on a rocky road with risperidone lately.

I started just over a year ago due to psychotic episode, insomnia and low mood. The dose was fiddled around for some time from 1mg night, 0.5 morning to just 1mg night as the 0.5 seemed to make me lifeless in the day. I gradually got down to 0.5 night which was going really well for about 6 months. Then after school exams were over I decided I had no major stresses I thought I could start coming off it. I took 0.25mg but this resulted in poor sleep and a panic attack. I was put back onto .5 for a while and then decreased it again to .25 when I had stupors coming on (temporary loss of speech and movement) I argued with family members and lost sleep. I also experienced tremors of uncontrolled movement. I had to go into hospital for 2 weeks and put bak on 1.5mg. After this I felt very weak and had headaches.

After 6 weeks I dropped to 1mg as the 0.5mg in the morning was giving me hallucinations. I also had high prolactin levels so my dr advised to switch to another antipsychotic, quetiapine (seroquel) 200mg. This seemed like a high dose from originally taking 1mg risperidone, i looked up that it was equal to 4mg risperidone. I had a very very severe headache, in agony and had to go to hospital.

After this I was on a 'wash out' to get this cocktail of drugs out of my system and see how it goes. Basically I was told to stop cold turkey, which is never good. I was naturally scared things would deteriorate. But I am now on my 12th day and sleeping has been great, i can sleep up to 12 hrs!! My eyes are shining and my mood has been good other than an anger outburst. I didnt experience any really negative withdrawal effects other than headaches which i had before stopping and feeling weak.

I hope I wont be put on any other medication, although I was told about Abilify... I think it is becoming managable now and Im on a steady path. I wouldnt advise to stop cold turkey unless told by your dr. This wil be done due to a medical resason.. in my case the prolactin levels.

How did it go, did you get off? its been 4 years since you sent this post...