[newtus]

how does stopping/starting ...taking meds intermittently ..why is it bad.how is it bad.

[KUREHA]

No idea that's what I always did with abilify.

Don't have a choice now though.

[pachyderm]

I think it depends on the medication -- they are not all the same. They alter your brain in some fashion, so stopping suddenly can have a bad effect.

I worked as sort of a lab assistant once while doing trials of Xanax -- fairly high doses. One person stopped suddenly and had to be hospitalized because of seizures. Not a good thing to do with that medication.

[newtus]

Originally Posted by pachyderm

I think it depends on the medication -- they are not all the same. They alter your brain in some fashion, so stopping suddenly can have a bad effect.

I worked as sort of a lab assistant once while doing trials of Xanax -- fairly high doses. One person stopped suddenly and had to be hospitalized because of seizures. Not a good thing to do with that medication.

right now haldol and xanax i take as i want it need it sometimes

[pachyderm]

The Xanax trial I worked on had people taking it regularly -- not just occasionally.

But I am not a medication expert.

[newtus]

its ok. i used to take it regularl but i got dependent and neede more and more. and id run out in half the time of having. but i cant live without it. so i usually have to live theough panic attacks and anxiety. i have more panic attacks and anxiety than xanax pills.

[mimi2112]

pachyderm is right, i think. some meds are dangerous when stopped suddenly. some are not effective when not taken regularly. i prefer taking meds on an as needed basis, like aspirin for a headache, but at times i have taken maintenance meds till i am stable, then i slowly taper down and discontinue them. i guess i have lost faith in psychiatry generally, the Dr.s' insistences that a person will decompensate if not on a ridiculous cocktail of drugs for the rest of the person's life.

what i know about the benzo's like xanax is that when taken daily you can have a rebound effect if you suddenly stop them. with antidepressants and mood stabilizers, they have to build up over time to be effective, so taking them once in awhile is not going to do a person good..

[newtus]

what about antipsychotics?

there are a lot times when i took antipsychotics for weeks cause i was in hospital for 1-2 weeks and continue takkng them for 1-2 weeks after but then i stop.

i lost any real belief in psychiatry.
i dont trust it.
fRAUDS THEYLL ALL FRAUDS

[unaluna]

I lowered my dosage of prozac for a while cuz i was having heart palpitations and I didn't know what was causing it at the time - now I figure probably too much booze and sugar -I had some rum cakes - and next thing like within a week I was crazy depressed. It is very very hard to hear. It's like everything has to be absolutely quiet for me to be able to tell if I'm level headed or not. It's not easy. It's very tiring.

[faerie_moon_x]

I don't know much about meds because I've been on so few for so short a time, but I do know it can be dangerous to stop/start meds. I know Lamictle for an example is very bad to stop and start suddenly because it has some killer side effects. And when you start or re-start you have to taper up, for the same reason

Some types of meds also cause horrible, horrible withdrawls.

Just be very careful.

[Sometimes psychotic]

Originally Posted by newtus

what about antipsychotics?

there are a lot times when i took antipsychotics for weeks cause i was in hospital for 1-2 weeks and continue takkng them for 1-2 weeks after but then i stop.

i lost any real belief in psychiatry.
i dont trust it.
fRAUDS THEYLL ALL FRAUDS

Ironically stopping an antipsychotic too fast can make you psychotic even if were totally healthy to begin with. That's why they taper.

[newtus]

Originally Posted by Sometimes psychotic

Ironically stopping an antipsychotic too fast can make you psychotic even if were totally healthy to begin with. That's why they taper.

i know that.
been on antipsychotics since i was 13
im asking the specifics.
when does it kick in?
is it long term psychosis if you stop suddenly or short term?
if stopping/starting goes on for years is it long term damage involving psychosis?

[Sometimes psychotic]

Originally Posted by newtus

i know that.
been on antipsychotics since i was 13
im asking the specifics.
when does it kick in?
is it long term psychosis if you stop suddenly or short term?
if stopping/starting goes on for years is it long term damage involving psychosis?

Ive never seen a study where they left it untreated, it would be considered unethical.

[newtus]

Originally Posted by Sometimes psychotic

Ive never seen a study where they left it untreated, it would be considered unethical.

what do you mean?

[Sometimes psychotic]

Doctors have done controlled studies with antipsychotics on normal people as controls but you can't leave them psychotic because its considered unethical not to treat people by doctors. Doctors only want to heal people. The accidentally did the no taper/quick withdrawl studies because they didn't know you had to taper.

Here is an article

http://psychrights.org/Research/Dige...tadrugwith.pdf

[newtus]

Originally Posted by Sometimes psychotic

Doctors have done controlled studies with antipsychotics on normal people as controls but you can't leave them psychotic because its considered unethical not to treat people by doctors. Doctors only want to heal people. The accidentally did the no taper/quick withdrawl studies because they didn't know you had to taper.

Here is an article

http://psychrights.org/Research/Dige...tadrugwith.pdf

i see.

but that statement its not true for many many doctors.

also im not med compliant. rarely have been since i was 13. and no one should blame me for it if one reads this because those meds are debilitating as hell.

i see you want to bring studies into the discussiona and that you have your phD but im tired of science. im tired of psychiatrists. im tired of medicine. of studies. WTF is a study going to do for me when most of that crap is conducted at top universities in a usually high income area? most studies. or in england where they mostly have the mental health studies?

i want REAL WORLD DISCUSSION not just from lay people (sorry) but from people who have been where ive BEEN.

i wanna talk to minorities. or i wanna talk to low income. or i wanna talk to people on disability. or i wanna talk to people with sz. or i wanna talk to parents with kids with sz. or i wanna talk to people my age or older. i wanna talk to women. i wanna talk to people who have same social difficulties as me. people who dont leave their house. cant leave their leave. or have 0 friends. have friends that wronged them.oh god could my list ever go on ...yes..but it stops too.

ive been through the ringer many times with science. it generalizes. and doesnt know all aspects. neither do many doctors as individuals know who the REAL PEOPLE are.

[mimi2112]

Originally Posted by newtus

what about antipsychotics?

there are a lot times when i took antipsychotics for weeks cause i was in hospital for 1-2 weeks and continue takkng them for 1-2 weeks after but then i stop.

i lost any real belief in psychiatry.
i dont trust it.
fRAUDS THEYLL ALL FRAUDS

It depends on the Type of AP and the dosage and how long you have been on them.. They are a very strong chemical prescribed for psychosis...... so logic tells me that there is a chance if a person suddenly stops, after being on them awhile, there may be a rebound psychosis or icky feeling and who needs that?. I do not know if the new atypical AP's work quickly. From what I read, they take one or two weeks to build up as well. I am not very familiar with typical AP's like Haldol, but I do know that they are used for immediate effectiveness in large doses, like when someone is in a really bad acute psychotic state and needs to be sedated. As far as using Haldol once in a while, maybe look up " efficacy in haldol use as prn". My mother-in-law was prescribed haldol for use when she had hiccups and digestive disorders.... as a prn (as needed). So, maybe it can be used once in a while for mental health reasons too.... For some reason it seams the Dr.s want to have a person on a long term cocktail of meds, instead of treating symptoms when they crop up... I believe the choice is ours.

Let us know what you find out, Newtus. I would like to know. I think the more info. we have, the more power and control we have over our illnesses.

I believe it is best to always taper down off most meds., and I like to ask a good pharmacist that I trust.... they often know more than the prescriber as the pharmacist is a chemist, after all..

[mimi2112]

Originally Posted by newtus

i see.

but that statement its not true for many many doctors.

also im not med compliant. rarely have been since i was 13. and no one should blame me for it if one reads this because those meds are debilitating as hell.

i see you want to bring studies into the discussiona and that you have your phD but im tired of science. im tired of psychiatrists. im tired of medicine. of studies. WTF is a study going to do for me when most of that crap is conducted at top universities in a usually high income area? most studies. or in england where they mostly have the mental health studies?

i want REAL WORLD DISCUSSION not just from lay people (sorry) but from people who have been where ive BEEN.

i wanna talk to minorities. or i wanna talk to low income. or i wanna talk to people on disability. or i wanna talk to people with sz. or i wanna talk to parents with kids with sz. or i wanna talk to people my age or older. i wanna talk to women. i wanna talk to people who have same social difficulties as me. people who dont leave their house. cant leave their leave. or have 0 friends. have friends that wronged them.oh god could my list ever go on ...yes..but it stops too.

ive been through the ringer many times with science. it generalizes. and doesnt know all aspects. neither do many doctors as individuals know who the REAL PEOPLE are.

Newtus:

You asked a question about a serious medication and I believe Sometimes is trying only to be helpful. I understand what you are saying about science and psychiatry.

It is always best to get all the facts, from every source, and make your own decisions. Some of us can only give the knowledge we have. Some of us are Ph.D's, some of us are piss- poor, some of us have low IQ's. The one thing we can and do have in common here is that we want to help eachother.(hopefully) And that should be what matters.

[newtus]

im sorry.

im not very partial to science. as its effed me over more than religion/supernatural have and science claims to be more credible...
not so sure i believe that

[newtus]

im really sorry

been effed over a lot by tons of psychiatrists

[mimi2112]

Originally Posted by newtus

i know that.
been on antipsychotics since i was 13
im asking the specifics.
when does it kick in?
is it long term psychosis if you stop suddenly or short term?
if stopping/starting goes on for years is it long term damage involving psychosis?

here is the problem: everyone reacts differently. some people have a short psychotic episode( like me ) and others experience acute, chronic psychosis. i wouldn't want to take a chance w/ psychosis ever again when it comes to meds because of what i went through.

what i know too, from my own experience and reading studies is that each time there is a psychotic break, there is a higher probability of having more. it is like a bad pathway is being tramped through the brain with each break. eventually no fresh green grass grows over that path.

[mimi2112]

Originally Posted by newtus

im sorry.

im not very partial to science. as its effed me over more than religion/supernatural have and science claims to be more credible...
not so sure i believe that

it's ok Newtus. I understand, I really do.

[newtus]

Originally Posted by mary123

some people have a short psychotic episode( like me ) and others experience acute, chronic psychosis.

makes sense now.
im dumb.
anyway. im trying to figure out where i am in THAT.

probly my stopping/starting for years for diff reasons has messed me up for good in many ways.

[mimi2112]

Originally Posted by newtus

makes sense now.
im dumb.
anyway. im trying to figure out where i am in THAT.

probly my stopping/starting for years for diff reasons has messed me up for good in many ways.

You are not dumb. I don't believe you are messed up for good either. those meds are powerful and everyone is different. you have a right and a choice whether or not to comply with psychiatry. you have a right and choice whether or not you want to be medicated. just get as much info as you can and be as careful as possible.

[Atypical_Disaster]

I had no choice but to stop taking an antipsychotic(seroquel xr) abruptly almost a week ago for reasons I'd prefer not to discuss publicly.

The withdrawals have been horrible. I've spent the majority of the past few days bedridden because every time I've tried to get up I've been hit with waves of nausea, dizziness, and the like. I've been unable to sleep in spite of being exhausted. When I do sleep, it's only for an hour or two and I've been waking up drenched in sweat and freezing at the same time. Today is the first day I've been able to eat much of anything because I've been so nauseated and even then I still feel really bad.

As for what's going on mentally... oh man. Thoughts of suicide, self harm, etc. New voices I've never heard previously. Yeah. I could go on but I think you get the idea.

It's been ****ing terrible.

So yeah, that's what I have to say about stopping antipsychotics suddenly. I would have just tapered off of this one but I didn't have a choice in the matter unfortunately.

As far as taking them as needed, I don't really know... I don't remember how that's affected me. It's all a blur in my head now.

been effed over a lot by tons of psychiatrists

me too.

probly my stopping/starting for years for diff reasons has messed me up for good in many ways.

I can relate.

i wanna talk to minorities. or i wanna talk to low income. or i wanna talk to people on disability. or i wanna talk to people with sz. or i wanna talk to parents with kids with sz. or i wanna talk to people my age or older. i wanna talk to women. i wanna talk to people who have same social difficulties as me. people who dont leave their house. cant leave their leave. or have 0 friends. have friends that wronged them.oh god could my list ever go on ...yes..but it stops too.

I'm on disability, I have sz, I'm your age, I'm a woman, I have social difficulties, I rarely leave my house, I hardly have any friends... in other words, I can relate to you a lot and if you want to talk you can message me anytime okay?