About to taper down on antipsychotics, feeling afraid

I've decided to go off olanzapine after gaining weight on it. The pdoc has agreed to help and has given me instructions on how to do it. But now I feel afraid that I'm about to go off my meds. I think it's partly because I might get another psychotic break, but there's something else that I can't identify. It's like I'm about to step off a ledge.

Has anyone here gone off their meds before? What did it feel like for you?

I'm certain there are MANY members, here on PC, who have gone off of their med's at one time or another. I certainly have... multiple times. I personally have never had any real problems doing so. From my perspective, the main problem has simply been that it can be a bit of a confusing time. Some of the withdrawal symptoms a person can experience can seem similar to physical ailments. And so it can be difficult to know for certain if something you're experiencing is from going off of your medication or if there's something else going on.

Here are links to a couple of articles, from PsychCentral's archives, on the subject of withdrawing from psych med's:

https://psychcentral.com/lib/discont...to-know/?all=1

https://blogs.psychcentral.com/thera...chiatric-meds/

Hi. Yes, for me, two years ago, I decided to taper off all my meds due to too much weight gain, like you. I managed to lose all the weight [dieting and exercise] but being completely meds free was, for me, to put it mildly, a nightmare. But I was stubborn and wanted to push through my symptoms until they either subsided or disappeared completely, but neither of those things happened - I got worse! My goodness. So, after 12 months - almost to the day - of being meds free, I went back on certain meds but not back on the ones which caused the weight gain and I began to stabilize again *heaves a sigh of relief*. So, my advise is to monitor your well-being at all times and if you find your mental health deteriorating, seriously consider going back on the meds, and also talk to your doctor about trying different meds or changing your tactics, so as not to gain weight. I wish you well, Blupri5. Hopefully your experience wont be like mine was.

There are some anti-psychotics that are relatively weight neutral, like Abilify and Geodon. Maybe you can ask your doc about them. Not everyone can be med free, especially those with psychosis, though of course there are some exceptions.

Hi, my pdoc did bring up Abilify during our session, unfortunately the meds available here in my country are too expensive for me and are currently not subsidized by the government. Which is why I also opted out. I would like for it to be a last resort if my symptoms get worse once off the meds.

Unfortunately I do suffer from psychosis. If my symptoms get out of hand I will go back on the meds.