I do think it's a risk-benefit thing. Each person has to do that calculation for him- or herself.

I also fantasize about my son getting off medication altogether. I don't know if it will ever happen.

Right now he's on a low dose of Zyprexa - 4.375 mg. (He's taking 1 and 3/4 2.5 mg tablets - has to cut it down. ) When he came out of the state hospital in March 2011 he was taking 35 mg! The pdoc lowered that pretty rapidly to about 10 mg. We've been very slowly feeling our way along, inching the dose downward ever since then. It's a trial and error thing. It's true he's having more symptoms, but he's also having fewer side effects.

I feel like it's best that he have a few symptoms pop through. That way he can learn coping skills and alternative methods of handling things. Honestly I'm not seeing any signs of psychosis and haven't for some time. I'm seeing OCD stuff, anxiety, etc. And he's coping fairly well with those IMO.

I'd like to have the pdoc lower the dose again - to 3.75 mg - and see how it goes, but he just started a fulltime job last week, so his stress level is through the roof right now.

I think you're best bet is to find a pdoc who'll work with you, if possible. And please be willing to take the dose back up if necessary. About this time last year the pdoc lowered the dose from 10 mg to 5 mg. It was horrible! My son was having rages and throwing the furniture around the house. He really didn't want to go back up on the dosage, because he felt better at the lower dose (even if I didn't ) and he saw it as a defeat. Finally I twisted his arm and got him to go up to 10 mg. Then we lowered it more slowly. Now he's actually lower than 5 mg and not having rages at all.