Anyone have any experience coming off APs?

Ran out of Zyprexa and now I'm not sleeping. Really sick of this !$@*. If I don't have it, I don't sleep. I've tried to taper before. From 2.5 mg to 0, can't sleep at all.

I want off. Contemplating just telling the pdoc that I'm not taking it anymore.

After I come off, how long until I can sleep? I have 3 weeks until classes start, and I kinda need to sleep for that.

I very slowly tapered off geodon at the 1st of this year , was at 80mg and had been on it two years , poor sleeping started almost immediately and is still my biggest issue .... I really hope my experience was a fluke, and I wish you well , good luck ...

I hate that I have to depend on an AP to sleep. Without saphris Itll take me like 5,6 hrs to fall asleep even if I take some ativan. I dont plan on being on it forever.. idk how adjusting to sleep without AP is. I would imagine you could do it eventually. You can try melatonin for sleep

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When I came off saphris I barely slept for about 10 days, and even after that my sleep wasn't great. I really wanted off all APs, but I decided on a low dose of seroquel at night for sleep (50 mg), and that seems to be working. I have zopiclone for the occasions when I really can't sleep, but I don't like to take that often. I've pretty much accepted that a little bit of seroquel is the closest I can get to no AP right now. But my emotional range and expression is better since being off saphris or anything else at a higher dose. I needed it for a while when things were bad, but I'm happy not to take it forever

I've never took an AP and not being able to sleep is one of my worst symtoms. Did you have trouble sleeping before the AP? Why do you want to stop it?

I came off of 400mg of Seroquil probably four or so months ago. I instantly could not sleep. Pdoc put me on Clonidine, Trazadone and Vistaril and I'm still having problems. I wake up several times a night, sometimes every half an hour. He won't up the doses. I don't know what to do. I think that having BP just causes sleep issues for most, and those stupid APs help. Good luck.

I'm thinking of trying one that's why I'm curious why you or someone else doesn't want it anymore.

When I came off my AP about a month ago I was somewhat "stable" *cough* - such a subjective word - and my sleep wasn't disrupted at the time.

Having said that, I recall other times of having come off it and it took my body a while to adjust to no AP and trying to fall asleep whilst my body had to readjust to its natural body clock.

Are you talking about why I came off of Seroquil? If so it was because it caused me to be diabetic. My Pdoc thinks I don't need it because I don't have bipolar with psychosis, and I have lamictal for a mood stabilizer. So far mood is good, I just still can't sleep worth a crap even with those other added meds for sleep. I seriously need a horse tranquilizer to sleep, and Seroquil did it for me. I see my Pdoc in the middle of September, and I'm going to ask if there is anything. I don't want to say it because I worked so hard to come off of Seroquil, but I want to go on a small dose. I'm stuck.

Ok that's understandable. Hopefully your pdoc can offer something good for sleep.

my first manic episode was caused by coming off of seroquel. i hadn't tapered off of it completely when i started showing symptoms of mania. I think it was also due in part to the high doses of the seroquel i'd been on in the past...it was so built up in my body that it caused this mania.

I came off Saphris because I felt like my emotional range was limited, and I also had a problem with flat affect, so people thought I was emotionless about things. Those were the main things I didn't like, and it feels great to be off of it. But I think it helped when I was very unwell, and pulled out of a pretty dark place. So I think APs are good drugs, but personally I like to avoid them as much as possible. I stayed on lamotrigine and wellbutrin, and those don't cause me any problems.

Antipsychotics are great at what they do. The best, in fact. So if you and your doctor feel you need one, don't hesitate to try it. Do your own research first. Don't let a doctor jack you up on risperidol without obtaining your own knowledge.

I want to get off because of the withdrawal. I'm forgetful. So when (and this happens fairly often) I forget to refill, I don't sleep and I feel like poo until I am able to take it again. It's akin to feeling hungover. I'm just totally useless. The rest of my meds if I miss a dose, no big deal. I'll just take it at next dosing time. To be frank, I just want to see if I can manage without them. I'll probably have Zyprexa as a PRN, just because it puts a boot heel on my mania and mixed states. But as far as taking it every day, I want to see if I can do without.

I would hopefully try and stay at a very low dose at night. I'm afraid of TD and long term side effects. I'm not afraid of weight gain cuz I'm under weight but I'm still afraid of long term damage.

The first time I came off of Seroquel my idiot Pdoc had me come off of 400mg in two weeks. I instantly went into a mixed episode. These APs are a Godsend, but also are very potent.