I know deep down that a taper is always the safest course of action but I somewhat just want to get off medication as soon as I can. I've wanted to go medication-free now since the start of the Summer but had to wait until my next p-doc appointment which was today. That almost makes me a bit impatient really.

I've researched risperidone withdrawal a bit this morning & from what I can find it varies a lot depending on the individual. Some people seem to stop abruptly from high doses without any adverse affects whilst others have trouble even gradually tapering. As far as I can tell I've not been overly sensitive to risperidone & have only been on it for 6 months both of which give me hope that I'll have little withdrawal effects. I also trust my psychiatrist as he seems very well informed so if he thinks it's likely to be ok then I trust his judgement.

As for the stopping smoking it's largely going nowhere at the moment... so I don't think that'll be causing too much extra anxiety.

Thanks for the well-thought out response, it's all very good advice...