Once i've titrated up on Lamictal i hope to withdraw from Seroquel and Risperdal to help me try and lose weight. I hope to do a slow taper for each. I've been on them for 16 years. I haven't talked to my doctor about it yet. I see him on Thursday. Any experiences to share?

Seroquel withdrawal was hell for me. .If I just skipped a dose I would get really nauseous, get chills and sweats, and wouldn't be able to sleep at all, but I was on 900mg/day.

[still_crazy]

i think the going recommendation is 10%/month (?), but different people can taper at different speeds....

[MickeyCheeky]

I have never tried them, whathever2013, so unfortunately I don't have a lot of advice to give to you about ALL of this! I'm REALLY HAPPY that you're going to talk to your doctor about ALL of this though! That's the wisest thing to do in my opinion! Just be careful when tapering off meds, ok? It can be dangerous for your own health! I'm sure that if you'll follow your doctor's intrusctions everything will go smoothly and that you will have NO PROBLEMS AT ALL! Just remember to be careful and to take GREAT care of yourself, ok? WE'LL ALWAYS BE HERE FOR YOU! I PROMISE YOU THAT!!!! PLEASE REMEMBER ALL OF THAT BECAUSE IT IS TRUE!!!!! Please keep us updated as much as you possibly CAN if you want to, ok? We DO want to know how things are going for you and if things are getting ANY better for you! I PROMISE YOU THAT!!!!! PLEASE REMEMBER THAT BECAUSE IT IS TRUE!!!!! Sending many hugs to you, whathever2013!!!!!

[fern46]

I recently went off Risperdal. I moved from 2mg to 1 over the course of a month. A month later my doc dropped it to 5mg and then another month later he dropped my dose to .25mg. Two weeks later he had me stop taking it.

I noticed a few changes. I was having anxiety over the strangest things. My normal daily routine activities were stressing me out and I was particularly concerned with how to fill up the time in my day. My anxiety got better and better as I decreased my dose and it is gone now. Also, my cycle was severely out of whack while taking Risperdal. It went back to normal after my last dose. I also had lactation and that stopped as well.

I haven't lost the weight I gained while on Risperdal, but I'm working on it. It feels like my metabolism has slowed, so it may take a while to return to normal.

I was worried the mania would return, but it didn't and I didn't need a higher dose of the Geodon I'm currently taking. I only take 20mg of Geodon and my psychiatrist said at my last appointment they may take me off meds altogether if I continue to stay stable at such a low dose. I would love to be med free, but it scares me a little too. I'm trying not to think too much about it and focus on being healthy in the moment.

I hope your conversation with your doc goes well. Keep us posted.

[gina_re]

I'm in the middle of a risperdal withdrawal. I went from 3mg to 2mg last night. So far so good. The only thing is that I had trouble sleeping. But this is just the beginning. I'll let you know how it goes. I hope it works for you.

[still_crazy]

Originally Posted by fern46

I recently went off Risperdal. I moved from 2mg to 1 over the course of a month. A month later my doc dropped it to 5mg and then another month later he dropped my dose to .25mg. Two weeks later he had me stop taking it.

I noticed a few changes. I was having anxiety over the strangest things. My normal daily routine activities were stressing me out and I was particularly concerned with how to fill up the time in my day. My anxiety got better and better as I decreased my dose and it is gone now. Also, my cycle was severely out of whack while taking Risperdal. It went back to normal after my last dose. I also had lactation and that stopped as well.

I haven't lost the weight I gained while on Risperdal, but I'm working on it. It feels like my metabolism has slowed, so it may take a while to return to normal.

I was worried the mania would return, but it didn't and I didn't need a higher dose of the Geodon I'm currently taking. I only take 20mg of Geodon and my psychiatrist said at my last appointment they may take me off meds altogether if I continue to stay stable at such a low dose. I would love to be med free, but it scares me a little too. I'm trying not to think too much about it and focus on being healthy in the moment.

I hope your conversation with your doc goes well. Keep us posted.

hi. risperidone seemed to make me, somehow, both sedated and quiet and...inwardly anxious. -shudder- i read that can happen, mostly with older antipsychotics (the increase in anxiety)...has something to do with blocking dopamine receptors in certain regions of the brain, etc.

[fern46]

Originally Posted by still_crazy

hi. risperidone seemed to make me, somehow, both sedated and quiet and...inwardly anxious. -shudder- i read that can happen, mostly with older antipsychotics (the increase in anxiety)...has something to do with blocking dopamine receptors in certain regions of the brain, etc.

Thanks for sharing that. I had hoped it was the cause, but part of me worried I was going even crazier. I think it is insane how many of these meds actually make us worse.