[Standup2me]

I am giving some serious thought to stop taking my meds.

I have tremors in my hands, my head often feels like it is vibrating, and I have no memory at all.

If anyone here has ever gone off their meds, can you please share
your experience?

[TheatreKid]

My advice is to do it with the help of your pdoc. They can make sure nothing bad happens. I tried to go off meds by myself twice and both times were absolutely horrible and very dangerous. In addition to suicidal depression, the withdrawal symptoms were worse than any side effect I'd had. Withdrawal for me included crippling anxiety, "brain zaps" (feeling like there was electricity in my brain), dizziness, headaches, constant fatigue.

It's possible to get off meds, and there are many roads to take to do so, but some are rockier than others.

[regretful]

I weaned off of lexapro without problem. I stopped cymbalta cold turkey and had a "weird" couple of weeks of dizziness at unpredictable times. Hope that helps. Might get more replies if you let us know what the med is that you are stopping.

[Marshellette]

My docs refused to do it so I did it myself by lowering my dose to one pill instead of three and taking lots of calcium and magnesium and B vitamins every day. It was difficult. There were days I didn't sleep before I went back to sleeping again...I am bipolar I. Unfortunately a manic episode caused me to have to go back on my meds again this spring. Depakote and Seroquel. I don't recommend doing this if you can get a doctor to ever lower something.

[outlaw sammy]

Originally Posted by Marshellette

My docs refused to do it so I did it myself by lowering my dose to one pill instead of three and taking lots of calcium and magnesium and B vitamins every day. It was difficult. There were days I didn't sleep before I went back to sleeping again...I am bipolar I. Unfortunately a manic episode caused me to have to go back on my meds again this spring. Depakote and Seroquel. I don't recommend doing this if you can get a doctor to ever lower something.

On various forums, you offer good advice and some thoughtful insights, but your statement about the person with bipolar disorder only having an average of six (6) episodes over their lifetime sounds crazy. Where did you read this fiction? I'm not dead yet, and I've lost count of all my manic and manic-psychotic episodes.

[Marshellette]

Originally Posted by outlaw sammy

On various forums, you offer good advice and some thoughtful insights, but your statement about the person with bipolar disorder only having an average of six (6) episodes over their lifetime sounds crazy. Where did you read this fiction? I'm not dead yet, and I've lost count of all my manic and manic-psychotic episodes.

I read that on this website. You must be a rapid cycler.

[wildflowerchild25]

I am a chronic med ditcher, almost never with pdoc consent. Because I never considered the consequences I really can't say how it's affected me throughout my life. However when I was on Effexor as a teen. I stayed on it for two years because stopping it made me physically ill - dizziness, brain zaps, headache, nausea. Halfway through senior year I figured out I could wean off by taking it evey other day, then I stopped. According to my journal I fell into a hopeless deep depression that I did not recognize at the time but is very clear in my writing.

I was med free for a long time before last year. Then I stopped the abilify on my own but kept the Prozac - horrible choice! Worst manic/mixed/psychotic episode of my life.

I've gone on and off the trileptal three times, up and down dose, went off the Seroquel on my own...I just don't trust doctors and don't think they have my best interests in mind. Nor do I want medication. Right now I'm on it but now that I feel better I may drop it again.

I'm not recommending people follow my lead. Ideally you should have a doctor's approval and guidance. But you can also check out the Icarus project online.

[TheatreKid]

Originally Posted by wildflowerchild25

But you can also check out the Icarus project online.

The Icarus Project has a very comprehensive PDF on their website about coming off of meds. I read it a long time ago but don't remember specifically what it said. I always figured if I wanted to go off my meds and didn't have a doctor to help me, I'd go back to it, but I'm experiencing too many benefits right now to consider going off. Especially on my own, that's just scary. Withdrawal's a ******.

Edit: HA! It censored me.

I recommend reading information on beyondmeds.com. That will have links to other resources as well which I recommend. How slowly you withdrawal has a lot to do with the class of med and your temperament. I do recommend working with a doctor although it can be challenging to find somebody who really understands it. In that case I would still consult them but also read everything you can find. Hopefully the doctor will be better at working with than mine was. Also, going off and on meds repeatedly is, IMO, worse for you than staying on them. I glean that from various books and articles so no real proof. You should know too that there is pretty good evidence that somebody that has been on ssri's for a length of time is at risk for rebound. Unfortunately it gets mistaken for your original depression coming back. The reason it wouldn't be is if you did not have repeating depression before meds.

The Harm Reduction Guide is still out there and has been updated. I think you can still get a free version but it is also in paper format on amazon. You might have to dig for the free version. The author is Will Hall.

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[Trippin2.0]

I went cold turkey, and even though 2 years later I still haven't gone back to meds, I honestly don't advise my impulsive "fk this BS" method.
Tapering is the way to go...

[Nammu]

My insurance canceled the Pdoc I was seeing. He gave me extra refills and said how to reduce them if they didn't find anyone else. I stopped AD years before that and those were harder to stop than the mood stabilizers. I subbed omega 3, a good vitamin, volunteering and healthy eating and did fairly well until this last year, after my back surgery I just could keep anything in place, started eating processed food, stopped the omega, stopped yoga, isolated and now I'm back on meds. The doc I saw was hopeful that the anti psychic will only be temporary.
Just so you know I have BP 2 and that might be ok for less meds I don't know, I think it's really individual. My daughter is BP I and needs her meds to be stable, so we are all different.

[Raindropvampire]

I have quit Geodon, wellbutrin, lexapro, prozac, abilify, concerta, risperdal, lamictal and so many others that I can't think of cold turkey. Never had withdrawal that I noticed and no ill side effects other than my depression got a bit worse but no doom or gloom. I am medication resistant so maybe they don't really work for me. I don't really know. I just know I quit and nothing seems to happen. I take them and nothing seems to happen no matter how much they up them.

[otroo]

Every time I had quit in the past I started to rapid cycle I did not get any of the withdraw systems though.

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[brokenandalone1234]

I was on a med that made me feel like I was having minor seziures. I was awake for them too. I would just all of a sudden start shaking all over. I would feel the whole thing and know that it was happening. I could be driving, at work, at school, out with friends, or even at home and they would happen. I would remember them and would recall having them. I told my Pdoc about them and she took me off them right away. She never really could tell me what they were but once I got off that med they stopped right away. I haven't had one in 3 or 4 years. I was glad my Pdoc realized it wasn't normal and took me off them. I was also on Abilify I think is how you spell it. I was put on it at 14 back when I was first diagnosed with BP. It would make me sleep 16 to 18 hours a day. I would wake up through the week long enough to get ready for school, eat breakfast take my Abilify and walk to the school bus stop. I would get on the bus and sleep till it was time to get off the bus. I would go to my locker and go to class and would sit down at my desk and fall asleep sometimes the bell would wake me up to go to next class and then other times it wouldn't and I would wake up to the teacher waking me up and all the other students would be staring at me it was pretty embrassing for me. On the weekends I would wake up long enough to eat breakfast and take my pill and then I would go and lay back down because I would be so tired from the pill that I couldn't even keep my eyes open. I would wake up a few hours later eat lunch and go back to sleep, This would go on all day. The finally straw for me and my family with Abilify was I was at my Nana's house one day. I was staying for a few days with her. Well my cousins who were a lot younger then were there and like all little kids they wanted to play a lot. Well I woke up eat breakfast and took my meds. Well I went and laid back down on the couch because that was where I was sleeping. Well my Uncle who was about 17 or 18 at the time woke up and came in the living room and woke me up. Well I had like a 2 minute conversation with him and then fell back asleep he tried waking me up several times and each time I would fall back asleep on him. My nana that day called my mom and told her what had happened and my mom then called my other grandparents who were my mental health adovactes because they were the ones who seeked treatment for me because of some problems I had. Well they called my Pdoc at the time and told her what was going she told them to bring me in like two days later and they did. She took me off that med. It felt like I had almost an instant change in me. I had my energy back. I wasn't sleeping 16 to 18 hours a day anymore. I was finally able to be a kid again. As you see my experience with going off of certain meds made a whole world of difference in my life. I would never go off of any meds without talking to your Pdoc before hand because some can have really bad side effects if you do.

[Standup2me]

For those who quit cold turkey - please tell me more about it

[Moreta]

I quit my meds once and ended up in the hospital twice and lost my job. I'm never doing that again. The worst med I ever came off of was Effexor. 4 months of tapering, then one solid month of crying. No more ADs for me.

[TheatreKid]

When I quit cold turkey it's pretty much insta-episode. Usually mania, but sometimes depression. It's hell. I wouldn't recommend it.

[Trippin2.0]

Originally Posted by Standup2me

For those who quit cold turkey - please tell me more about it

Besides a 10 day withdrawl that was quite unpleasant, (fever, hallucinations, nausea, etc) I went to Super Cycling Hell! For 3 months I didn't know if I was coming or going, if I was up or down, if I was in crisis or if it would pass in 10 minutes. It was exhausting!!!

But once my brain re-adjusted to being without the chemicals my cycling slowed down, and actually all but stopped for a little over 6 months... and then I fell back into my normal cycle of week long moods and a major depressive episode approximately every 3 months.

Yep tried to come off my meds just last week and I felt suicidal, I had to take them again until my nurse speaks with my Pdoc.

[Curiosity77]

I trying a few days off Saphris now, but keeping the lamotrigine and wellbutrin. I'm hoping that I don't get depressed and I'm hoping that I will be able to sleep. It's too soon to say because I only missed one dose, which was last night. I'm waiting to see if anything happens, but right now I feel normal, just tired and bored.

[veneezer]

Hello,

I have Bipolar I disorder and have used Lamictal and Lexapro consistently for about 12 years. With my doctor's approval, I am slowly tapering off of the Lexapro, as I intend to have a baby in the next 1 1/2 years. I am using fish oil to aid in the depression. Has anyone had success with a monotherapy like Lamictal? What experiences have you had with fish oil? I take Omega Brite, which has been recommended by my doctor. How have your experiences with pregnancy been? Thanks

[Curiosity77]

Originally Posted by Standup2me

For those who quit cold turkey - please tell me more about it

I just stopped my Saphris cold for 5 days, and restarted yesterday. I kept my other meds. During the 5 days I barely slept. I was OK the first couple of days, but then I started to get anxious and a little hypomanic. That last a day, and then I got depressed and felt like everything was pointless and meaningless. I restarted it last night, finally slept, and I'm feeling much better. I'd like to be off it, but I'm not going to try to stop it cold like that again.

I've been off and on a bunch of other meds, usually easily because I'm being switched to something similar, like switching seroquel to saphris. The only med that was really hard to come off was Effexor because of the terrible physical and emotional withdrawal. It took 6 months to taper down, and it was hell. I wouldn't take any meds for 8 years after that because it was such a bad experience. Plus, effexor never helped my depression anyway, it just made me sleep all the time and gain weight. So I'm never taking an SSRI or an SNRI again.

I'm interested in hearing how people have successfully come off antipsychotics and if you stayed stable, what helped.

[Sad&Bipolar]

Yes, I have been in a place of despair with medication. I went off my meds, but kept in treatment with my T. Eventually, I went downhill and had to start them again.

Talk to your doc about the side effects, and ask to have a change in meds to ones with fewer side effects. Before going off any med, please talk to your doc. You don't want to go downhill like me. I started having serious ideations.

[wildflowerchild25]

I think I posted here already but my current experience is pretty upsetting so I wanted to share. I went off trileptal for the month of March. Had a two week hypomania that only crossed the line into mania for a day. Then I restarted April 1 to stave off depression that I knew would follow. And it didn't work. It's not working at all. I may have to switch meds now. And I'm close to being hospitalized because I didn't just get depressed - I'm having a crapload of paranoia and weird stuff going on in my head. So...don't go off without guidance. I'm paying for it big time. I thought I could just start taking it again and it would be fine but it's not going that way.

[yagalada]

I'm off meds now. I've been on literally everything in all sorts of cocktails. They either didn't work or worked but gave me intolerable side effects like vomiting all day and akathesia.

I've tapered and done cold turkey. Both suck. The last one I quit was latuda. I was irritable for 2 weeks but last weeks started to feel better. I feel like myself again. Not like some drugged up zombie that most of the meds made me feel like.

I'm going to continue with therapy, exercise and DBT. I have coping skills I use to help me get through my cycles.