I've been working with a psych to try to reduce risperidone in our efforts to shift to a different antipsychotic, and because I functioned much better in the past on a lower dose. I've spent the better portion of a year on 3 mg or more of risperidone and same with 900 of lithium, and I haven't enjoyed music, or felt very much joy in anything, lacked in creativity, and had memory issues, so I have good reason to try to switch back to an older medication situation that worked better. I even switched to this present psych in order to help with this, because the old psych was just telling me conventional stuff. I'm currently on 2 mg of risperidone and 600 of lithium. I have had sleep issues ever since switching to 600 of lithium. However, a week after I reduced to 2 mg of risperidone, I had a good night's sleep for 7 nights and noticed that I had improved enjoyment of music, reading, and my thoughts were more interesting. Then the good cycle broke and I started sleeping poorly again. I had been taking Gabapentin 900 mg, mirtazapine 7.5 mg, and trazodone 100 at night, not sure if any of them were working, but afraid of losing a good thing. Last night, I tried lunesta and slept more poorly than I had on the previous cocktail. I'm feeling panicky. Why shouldn't lunesta work?

I purchased two books for insomnia and am going through one of them. I have heard that cognitive behavioral therapy is the best thing one can do for insomnia.

But the problem is, I'm absolutely terrified that these meds that I don't need(lithium and risperidone) in such a high dose, should be required for sleep. They have robbed me of feeling alive for too long. And I did well for years on a mere 5 milligrams of abilify and an SSRI.