Tapering off Risperidone

Okay guys,

I'm 19 years old male with aspergers syndrome (high functioning) ADHD (although not really hyper).

Anyway to get to the details i was very hyperactive and agressive when i was a young teenager (age 12 or 13) so my mental health doctor at the time put me on 0.5mg risperidone, at first it knocked me out but i got used to it and found it fine.

Then a year ago when i was 18 i upped the dose on reccommendation to 1mg. With 1mg i have found that since i started taking that dose that i have started to suffer from much worse anxiety, sleepiness and just generally feel that my head is blank and im too heavily sedated.

I also feel paranoid alot which i don't know whether that is down to the medication or just me but i really feel risperidone isn't right for me anymore because i'm not really mentally ill. I've decided with my parents that i want to change either the medication or the dosage that i am on.

So the thing is my i am not part of a mental health doctors surgery i just go to a regular doctors. I need to see my doctor to see if i can make changes to the medication or probably lower the dose of risperidone.

The only thing is -- and this is the thing that really worries me, is i know that im heavily addicted to risperidone as i have tried to take a slightly smaller dose before which didn't work due to terrible withdrawal symptoms and i also notice withdrawal symptoms when i am due to take my next dose which i feel is very uncomfortable.

So really i have been on risperidone for 7 years and am desperate to get off the drug because i believe it has contributed to the terrible anxiety that i suffer from now and i've gained alot of weight which seems impossible to shift because of my appetite.

Do you guys have any imput you could give and that would be appreciated so much because my doctors in the past have been very difficult and don't really seem interested.

Thanks

John

I was on resperidone and had to suddenly quit due to a conflict with a medicine for a pyshical problem. I didn't have any problems at all. I would definitely talk to my doctor so he can monitor your progress.
Gayle

I've gone back and forth between 3 & 4 mg daily with no problems, but I know everyone reacts to meds differently.

I'd really try to get a referral to a psychiatrist to do a proper weaning off schedule, if withdrawal is a problem for you. Try going down by the lowest possible dose which I think is .25 mg.

Good luck.

splitimage

I can't believe it affects you at such a low dose. I accidentally skipped my 2mg dose a couple times and didn't feel any different. Plus i can stay up all night while taking a dose.

Please be very careful reducing or discontinuing this medication! While it is possible you won't suffer, it is also possible that you will experience a worsening of your symptoms upon reduction. The safest way to reduce is by ten percent every 4 to 6 weeks.

thanks guys, i tried to reduce my medication today and take a lower dose of the second pill by cutting it up and taking less but it just sent my anxiety levels through the roof don't know what to do now.

I would advise talking to your pdoc before trying to reduce the meds yourself.
Also contacting your local pharmacist might be helpful as well, as they can give you more information on how to come off safely.

Hey John,
I hope you get this. I just found your comment on the forums at PsychCentral and your comment was EXACTLY what I've been searching for answers to for years. It was in August you posted a question on how to reduce your Risperdal and I was sad to see that NOBODY answered your question with anything that would've helped you. The comments back were like, "that's weird you have that problem being sensitive to Risper withdrawl, go talk to your Dr. Your experience is just like mine, they don't care! They perscribe the stuff and don't give a dang what happens after that. So I'm currently on a mission to reduce my 2mg dose where I was at for over 2 years. I want off this for the same reasons you do. I hate it. It sedates, it makes things worse, it's a horrible drug but I took it because the Doc and my family wanted me to.
Write me back and tell me if you get this and if you want some help. my email is r9999f@gmail So far I've gone down from 2mg to .25 in about a year. It give me super anxiety to even drop it just a little. I'll tell you what's helping.
Take Care,
Rick

Hi all!

I'm also currently tapering Risperidone and have terrible withdrawal effects. I'm in bad mood, especially in the morning, depressed, partly hopeless, have suicidal thoughts, cannot concentrate well, am restless, sometimes agitated and cannot sleep as good anymore.
It feels like the hardest time of my life. What helps me is doing sports, talking to my family, getting rest and I think I have the desire to be alone more often than before.
Some facts about my dosage: I was out on 4mg in the very beginning which I took for a long time. Then I had a failed withdrawal attempt where I went to 0 over 4 months but had to go to 4 mg again after that. After that I was more cautious and slowly went to 2.5mg over several years which is approximately where I am now. But I'm still moving onwards to the goal of 0.25mg.
I'm taking 2% steps and measure the daily dose with a cheap milligram scale by taking the rule of three with 0.25mg pills. Then I wait for the sleep and anxiety issue to resolve and take another small step.
By the way, the forum survivingantidepressants.org has a section about the tapering of neuroleptics.
Sadly, I already have damages from the Risperidone like memory problems, loss of personality, loss of intelligence and lack of concentration. I've now been taking it for 9 years.
But when I googled for "tapering risperidone" I read from someone who took it for 8 years in 4mg and still could taper off.
It's important for me to stay patient and not get crazy about the fear of additional brain damage. It will probably take years for me.
Hope, I could give you some insights.

Take care, hannes

So I just wanted to say your personality, intelligence and concentration will likely come back when you get to a low enough dose or off completely. I tapered off the AP abilify and had lost 15 IQ points I assumed it was the disease and therefore permanent but it ended up being the med keeping it suppressed...after a couple of months off everything was repaired back to normal...I could read whatever I wanted again and I had emotional expression...it wasn't until after getting off the med that people told me I had been like a zombie on it but I'm OK now.
So it seems like these eftects are from active dopamine suppression and not permanent....good luck!

I know this is long after the original post, but just in case someone else stumbles across it, I wanted to add my 2c's.

I have been on Risperdal for 6 years. I would say it's been a fantastic medicine, but it has caused a lot of symptoms in me. I am changing over to Geodon, and down to 0.25mg of Risperdal after 1 week. During the first week I had anxiety and restlessness, even though I'm moving to Geodon, which makes me believe these symptoms are purely side effect of withdrawal. I alleviated the anxiety with 25mg of Atarax at around 7pm each night. I also take Lamictal which helps me with mood stabilization. This is my current story, which brings me to a past experience that helped me get off an addictive medicine.

IMO, the Risperidone is causing these symptoms for me which mimic withdrawal from benzodiazepines I had back in 2007. What helped me was a mixture of mood stabilizer (I used Tegretol), an anti spasm medicine (I used Parafon), and an antianxiety (I used Atarax). These alleviated all of the withdrawal symptoms in me. Now, I understand not everyone is the same, and my experience may not work for others. I am also not a Doctor, so always check with a professional before acting on any of my info. But, this is my opinion and a story of what helped for me when withdrawing from a medicine. The withdrawal was the creeping anxiety feeling on left side arm and upper chest and under armpit. I find Atarax a good medicine for anxiety that is easy to just stop taking. The withdrawal causes nausea and abdominal spasms that made me feel as though my kidneys were going to shut down. The Parafon helped with this. The withdrawal made me mood swing rapidly from anxiety, despair and worry, to anger and irritability. The Tegretol worked best me back then. I now take Lamotrigine. I was off Benzodiazepines very quickly. This time, without using a muscle relaxant, I know I'll successfully withdraw from Risperdidone by end of next week using the Atarax and Lamictal. Obviously the Geodon is helping with the psychotic tendencies I would otherwise have. I use 25mg of Atarax and 100mg of Lamictal. Good luck.