[bluecupcake]

I have schizo-affective disorder and take 160 mgs of geodon and .5 klonipin a day for anxiety. That's all the meds I'm taking and have been taking since 2007.

Two weeks ago I decided I would try to see what it would be like if I stopped taking the meds cold turkey. The first few days were ok. But by the second week I was becoming paranoid and suicidal. It was terrible. After a day of thinking I should die and come down with a terminal illness like cancer and that I was unworthy of life, I decided to take my medication again. The next day I felt so much better.

I guess I'm going to be on my meds for life. The paranoia and suicidal thoughts were just too much.

Never going off my meds unless supervised by a pdoc. I didn't realize just how badly I needed them until I stopped taking them.

Lesson learned.

[Fresia]

I think a lot of people at some point want to see if they are better off without their meds, including me, and want to see that perhaps things have changed over time. You are not alone in this. It can be comforting though to find out for sure if you need them in a controlled environment. However, after several unsuccessful attempts to go off of them over the years for me, I think of my meds now as helping me to be at my best and I cannot no longer afford to check on them by going off. I have accepted that if they help me to function, there is every reason to take them and no reason not to take them, just like someone that has high blood pressure takes their meds or a diabetic takes their insulin to stay safe and healthy.

I hope all is going really well for you and wishing you the best as you move forward. ((((((bluecupcake)))))

[bluecupcake]

Originally Posted by Fresia

I think a lot of people at some point want to see if they are better off without their meds, including me, and want to see that perhaps things have changed over time. You are not alone in this. It can be comforting though to find out for sure if you need them in a controlled environment. However, after several unsuccessful attempts to go off of them over the years for me, I think of my meds now as helping me to be at my best and I cannot no longer afford to check on them by going off. I have accepted that if they help me to function, there is every reason to take them and no reason not to take them, just like someone that has high blood pressure takes their meds or a diabetic takes their insulin to stay safe and healthy.

I hope all is going really well for you and wishing you the best as you move forward. ((((((bluecupcake)))))

Thank you Fresia for your kind words and support I stopped taking my meds because my Pdoc recently had me do blood work and she said my cholesterol was high and that geodon causes diabetes. Diabetes runs in my family and I want to avoid it if I can. But like you said, our meds help us be our best. And I really can't afford to go off the geodon. I don't function well without it.

I hope all is going well with you too. Bless you

[onionknight]

If you seriously want to get off medication, stopping cold turkey is not the way to do it. If you want to attempt a reduction or elimination, you should do so very slowly, at most a 10% reduction every month taper. This will give your body time to adjust to being off the drug. If you stop suddenly, you will have a greater chance of withdrawal which can mimic a relapse. What you're describing is not a relapse of your condition but withdrawal. Antipsychotics cause the brain to form more dopamine receptors so when it stops your can face withdrawal psychosis.

Also helpful if you plan on reducing or stopping a med is having a plan or alternative treatment set up. Don't attempt a reduction during a time of stress or uncertainty.