Mental Health what the fuck is going on with my brain?? (ashwagandha/kratom/risperidone)

[Snafu in the Void]

I know this is a long shot, nobody here can probably tell me what's going on, this is both subjective and highly advanced investigatory work

Many of you know what I went through in the past few weeks with Ashwagandha. I stopped taking it weeks ago and actually started feeling better about 10 days ago when I finally got a script to risperidone. My schizophrenia symptoms subsided, but did not disappear (normal). I thought I was smooth sailing from there. For about 4-5 days after getting risperidone I actually started to feel normal again... then it all changed and is fucked up again

After taking risperidone for a few days, combined with my usual kratom intake of about 25g/day, I started having somewhat similar but fundamentally different symptoms.

I started feeling incredibly agitated, especially in the 8 or so hours after taking the kratom. I feel this immense energy in my body and I cannot stop bouncing my leg, literally, I can't stop. I feel EXTREMELY uncomfortable when sitting still. Similar to restless legs or something, but my entire body and brain. It feels like a panic attack... but without the anxiety, which I find odd. All the physical symptoms, but no mental anxiety. It lasts all day long. It's difficult to calm down enough to sleep, but once I do finally get to sleep, I sleep OK.

It's really difficult to describe how I feel other than extreme agitation and uncomfortable restlessness, constantly all day.

I have reduced my kratom intake drastically, as it is obviously making this a lot worse, but I can't really go below 5g/day without going into complete withdrawal which makes the situation worse in a different way.

My suspicions/clues:
- The prolonged ashwaganda use lowered my cortisol levels drastically (it's known for this), cortisol is one of the main inducers of the enzyme which metabolizes risperidone. Due to this and a few other reasons, I believe the levels of risperidone in my system are unnaturally high. Yet, I have always tolerated risperidone quite well and do not feel much at all sedation or other side effects from it.
- I probably still have way too much serotonin floating around in my brain, with the introduction of risperidone which blocks excess serotonin, it may have gone even higher, or started doing something else in my brain. I am still having minor symptoms of what I believe to be serotonin syndrome, but only if I take a larger dose of kratom.
- Had sleep paralysis the other day, which is incredibly rare for me to have and equally as scary. Only the 3rd time I've ever had it in my life.
- The only thing that calms me down is alcohol... yet, it also makes the situation even worse at the same time. I probably need some benzos, but there is virtually zero chance doctors would give them to me due to my medical record.
- Running/jogging seems to help temporarily, the issue there is I have jogged over 15 miles in the last 3 days consecutively. I'm decently fit, but no super athlete, and I am on the verge of injury (I can feel it) and cannot run again today I need to rest.
- I have used risperidone and kratom together for years in the past, never had a single issue. Whatever the ashwagandha did to my brain is causing them to interact or act negatively on my brain now.
- I suspect the main problem is currently the risperidone, not the kratom, but am trying to cease and limit kratom as much as possible
- Due to the timeline of events, risperidone seems to be the main culprit here... which is very odd to me, since I have taken that drug for nearly 2 years in the past and never once had anything like this happen, I blame whatever the ashwagandha did to my brain causing risperidone to act weirdly

anyways, I'm just ranting because I can't do anything else and am VERY stressed out, I doubt anyone can actually help me out with this

hope your day is going better than mine, cheers

P.S. no, I can't simply go to the doctor, the wait list is about 2 months... seriously. I'm not willing to spend (go into debt) $4000 to go to the hospital. I've nearly gone there twice in the last month, but I always calm myself down and convince myself I'm not dying... but hell, I might be causing neurological damage.

 

[Nas47]

I know this is a long shot, nobody here can probably tell me what's going on, this is both subjective and highly advanced investigatory work

Many of you know what I went through in the past few weeks with Ashwagandha. I stopped taking it weeks ago and actually started feeling better about 10 days ago when I finally got a script to risperidone. My schizophrenia symptoms subsided, but did not disappear. I thought I was smooth sailing from there. For about 4-5 days after getting risperidone I actually started to feel normal again... then it all changed and is fucked up again

After taking risperidone for a few days, combined with my usual kratom intake of about 25g/day, I started having somewhat similar but fundamentally different symptoms.

I started feeling incredibly agitated, especially in the 8 or so hours after taking the kratom. I feel this immense energy in my body and I cannot stop bouncing my leg, literally, I can't stop. I feel very uncomfortable when sitting still. It feels like a panic attack... but without the anxiety, which I find odd. All the physical symptoms, but no mental anxiety. It lasts all day long. It's difficult to calm down enough to sleep, but once I do finally get to sleep, I sleep OK.

It's really difficult to describe how I feel other than extreme agitation and uncomfortable restlessness, constantly all day.

I have reduced my kratom intake drastically, as it is obviously making this a lot worse, but I can't really go below 5g/day without going into complete withdrawal which makes the situation worse in a different way.

My suspicions/clues:
-The ashwaganda misuse lowered my cortisol levels drastically (it's known for this), cortisol is one of the main inducers of the enzyme which metabolizes risperidone. Due to this and a few other reasons, I believe the levels of risperidone in my system are unnaturally high.
- I probably still have way too much serotonin floating around in my brain, with the introduction of risperidone which blocks excess serotonin, it may have gone even higher. I am still having minor symptoms of what I believe to be serotonin syndrome, but only if I take a larger dose of kratom.
- Had sleep paralysis the other day, which is incredibly rare for me to have and equally as scary. Only the 3rd time I've ever had it in my life.
- The only thing that calms me down is alcohol... yet, it also makes the situation even worse at the same time. I probably need some benzos, but there is virtually zero chance doctors would give them to me due to my medical record.
- Running/jogging seems to help temporarily, the issue there is I have jogged over 15 miles in the last 3 days consecutively. I'm decently fit, but no super athlete, and I am on the verge of injury (I can feel it) and cannot run again today I need to rest.
- I have used risperidone and kratom together for years in the past, never had a single issue. Whatever the ashwagandha did to my brain is causing them to interact or act negatively on my brain now.
- I suspect the main problem is currently the risperidone, not the kratom, but am trying to cease and limit kratom as much as possible

anyways, I'm just ranting because I can't do anything else and am VERY stressed out, I doubt anyone can actually help me out with this

hope your day is going better than mine, cheers

P.S. no, I can't simply go to the doctor, the wait list is about 2 months... seriously. I'm not willing to spend $4000 to go to the hospital. I've nearly gone there twice in the last month, but I always calm myself down and convince myself I'm not dying... but hell, I might be causing neurological damage.

Will read about this stuff ashwaganda.Its herb,may be from Indian subcontinent?Many of symptoms are quite familiar to me.Alcohol at a night time is perfect in many cases for me too.Jogging works wonders boosting your natural endorphines,you sweat and clear the shit out of you.Never take also risperidon and not familiar with its action.Will get better i hope

 

[Snafu in the Void]

Will read about this stuff ashwaganda.Its herb,may be from Indian subcontinent?Many of symptoms are quite familiar to me.Alcohol at a night time is perfect in many cases for me too.Jogging works wonders boosting your natural endorphines,you sweat and clear the shit out of you.Never take also risperidon and not familiar with its action.Will get better i hope

Yes, I believe it is an ayurvedic herb. It does many things to the body, quite powerfully I might add. Raises serotonin, lowers cortisol levels, does all sorts of things. Very powerful herb.

I never abused it or tried to get high, I simply took too much of it for way too long which caused the initial issue, and now I'm dealing with secondary drug interaction. Sucks.

I'm sure I'll get better, the question is how long will it take. I've been FUCKED UP for over a month now!

 

[SomeRandomNob]

" [ashwaganda] may cause adverse effects if taken together with prescription drugs. Side effects may include diarrhea, skin burning and discoloration, sedation, liver injury, thyrotoxicosis, increased testosterone levels, and miscarriage."

Hyperthyroidism - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"symptoms vary between people and may include irritability, muscle weakness, sleeping problems, a fast heartbeat, heat intolerance, diarrhea, enlargement of the thyroid, hand tremor, and weight loss."

Idk dude, just a game theory, good luck. If you read the paragraphs on "signs and symptoms" it sounds a lot like what you're experiencing.

Both Ashwahshdajshdajsbdhbasdbj and kratom negatively affect the liver so, that might be a place to look into as well.

 

[nasir~]

The first thing that came to my mind when you described your symptoms was: akathisia
Since you are familiar with risperidone, i guess you know akathisia?

There are some medications, especially biperiden, that should be able to help somewhat.

 

[Snafu in the Void]

The first thing that came to my mind when you described your symptoms was: akathisia
Since you are familiar with risperidone, i guess you know akathisia?

There are some medications, especially biperiden, that should be able to help somewhat.

Yeah it's not that for sure. It's just restlessness. I can physically stop it on command. Just had a few beers to calm down and the leg bouncing stopped.

" [ashwaganda] may cause adverse effects if taken together with prescription drugs. Side effects may include diarrhea, skin burning and discoloration, sedation, liver injury, thyrotoxicosis, increased testosterone levels, and miscarriage."

Hyperthyroidism - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"symptoms vary between people and may include irritability, muscle weakness, sleeping problems, a fast heartbeat, heat intolerance, diarrhea, enlargement of the thyroid, hand tremor, and weight loss."

Idk dude, just a game theory, good luck. If you read the paragraphs on "signs and symptoms" it sounds a lot like what you're experiencing.

Thanks, it's not that I haven't taken any ashwagandha in almost a month now, but seem to be having some sort of residual effect. I don't really have any of those symptoms other than increased heart rate.

 

[Snafu in the Void]

3 beers calmed me down enough to stop the leg bouncing (mostly)

but I don't want to be drinking 3 beers at 9am...

 

[Mr. Krinkle]

im gonna say you need to cut out the kratom completely - or at least get to that point by continuing to go lower til you get to zero - you're gonna have to deal with the withdrawals if that's where all signs are pointing to....start by tomorrow 4.5 grams....then 4 grams....but you gotta stop that first before you try to make any other analysis

 

[Snafu in the Void]

im gonna say you need to cut out the kratom completely - or at least get to that point by continuing to go lower til you get to zero - you're gonna have to deal with the withdrawals if that's where all signs are pointing to....start by tomorrow 4.5 grams....then 4 grams....but you gotta stop that first before you try to make any other analysis

yeah, I know

thing is this only started after about 5 days of risperidone

I only took 3g this morning, less than 10% of my daily dose, and there is no improvement

taking my usual kratom dose makes it worse, but not taking it doesn't stop it

kratom isn't helping it, but it's not the cause

again I took high dose kratom + risperidone for years in the past and never felt any issue

 

[Mr. Krinkle]

hmm well that is interesting that youve done the 2 before and had zero issues

and if it started 5 days after risperidone, that's for sure playing a role

but your body and brain are the big variables

maybe the last time, you were already on the risperidone, then did the kratom and it worked out ok - and now this time, you're doing it the other way around and it's not working out as well - is that a possibility?

 

[emkee_reinvented]

Will read about this stuff ashwaganda.Its herb,may be from Indian subcontinent?Many of symptoms are quite familiar to me.Alcohol at a night time is perfect in many cases for me too.Jogging works wonders boosting your natural endorphines,you sweat and clear the shit out of you.Never take also risperidon and not familiar with its action.Will get better i hope

Its my favorite Ayurvedic herb. Only Ayurveda never uses a single herb, they use synergistic combo's.

 

[Just a little pinprick]

I know this is a long shot, nobody here can probably tell me what's going on, this is both subjective and highly advanced investigatory work

Many of you know what I went through in the past few weeks with Ashwagandha. I stopped taking it weeks ago and actually started feeling better about 10 days ago when I finally got a script to risperidone. My schizophrenia symptoms subsided, but did not disappear (normal). I thought I was smooth sailing from there. For about 4-5 days after getting risperidone I actually started to feel normal again... then it all changed and is fucked up again

After taking risperidone for a few days, combined with my usual kratom intake of about 25g/day, I started having somewhat similar but fundamentally different symptoms.

I started feeling incredibly agitated, especially in the 8 or so hours after taking the kratom. I feel this immense energy in my body and I cannot stop bouncing my leg, literally, I can't stop. I feel EXTREMELY uncomfortable when sitting still. Similar to restless legs or something, but my entire body and brain. It feels like a panic attack... but without the anxiety, which I find odd. All the physical symptoms, but no mental anxiety. It lasts all day long. It's difficult to calm down enough to sleep, but once I do finally get to sleep, I sleep OK.

It's really difficult to describe how I feel other than extreme agitation and uncomfortable restlessness, constantly all day.

I have reduced my kratom intake drastically, as it is obviously making this a lot worse, but I can't really go below 5g/day without going into complete withdrawal which makes the situation worse in a different way.

That’s a bummer I thought My suspicions/clues:
- The prolonged ashwaganda use lowered my cortisol levels drastically (it's known for this), cortisol is one of the main inducers of the enzyme which metabolizes risperidone. Due to this and a few other reasons, I believe the levels of risperidone in my system are unnaturally high. Yet, I have always tolerated risperidone quite well and do not feel much at all sedation or other side effects from it.
- I probably still have way too much serotonin floating around in my brain, with the introduction of risperidone which blocks excess serotonin, it may have gone even higher, or started doing something else in my brain. I am still having minor symptoms of what I believe to be serotonin syndrome, but only if I take a larger dose of kratom.
- Had sleep paralysis the other day, which is incredibly rare for me to have and equally as scary. Only the 3rd time I've ever had it in my life.
- The only thing that calms me down is alcohol... yet, it also makes the situation even worse at the same time. I probably need some benzos, but there is virtually zero chance doctors would give them to me due to my medical record.
- Running/jogging seems to help temporarily, the issue there is I have jogged over 15 miles in the last 3 days consecutively. I'm decently fit, but no super athlete, and I am on the verge of injury (I can feel it) and cannot run again today I need to rest.
- I have used risperidone and kratom together for years in the past, never had a single issue. Whatever the ashwagandha did to my brain is causing them to interact or act negatively on my brain now.
- I suspect the main problem is currently the risperidone, not the kratom, but am trying to cease and limit kratom as much as possible
- Due to the timeline of events, risperidone seems to be the main culprit here... which is very odd to me, since I have taken that drug for nearly 2 years in the past and never once had anything like this happen, I blame whatever the ashwagandha did to my brain causing risperidone to act weirdly

anyways, I'm just ranting because I can't do anything else and am VERY stressed out, I doubt anyone can actually help me out with this

hope your day is going better than mine, cheers

P.S. no, I can't simply go to the doctor, the wait list is about 2 months... seriously. I'm not willing to spend (go into debt) $4000 to go to the hospital. I've nearly gone there twice in the last month, but I always calm myself down and convince myself I'm not dying... but hell, I might be causing neurological damage.

That’s a bummer I thought you was out of the woods from the Ashwagandha cause you stopped discussing it , I think it’s going to be hard to pinpoint where the problems is when your altering your kratom so much ,from 25 g a day to 5 is huge ,I’m sure that’s gotta be fucking with you big time ..

 

[Snafu in the Void]

That’s a bummer I thought you was out of the woods from the Ashwagandha cause you stopped discussing it

I did too... I really did

there is clearly something wrong with my serotonin system

I can't just make this shit up and its not resolving quickly

,from 25 g a day to 5 is huge ,I’m sure that’s gotta be fucking with you big time ..

luckily it's not that big of deal, I never had much of an issue tapering kratom even in large steps

 

[negrogesic]

If it is related to the ashwagandha, cortisol rebound is my guess. Ashwagandha is unlikey to cause serotonin syndrome (especially in your case since you are taking risperidone, which fairly antiserotonergic).

In my opinion it sounds like what you are actually experiencing is risperidone induced akathisia.

Personally I also get pretty edgy and irritable when ashwagandha wears off. I think it is probably hormonal

 

[Snafu in the Void]

In my opinion it sounds like what you are actually experiencing is risperidone induced akathisia.

at this point I think you might be right, I always thought it involved the upper extremities and/or the mouth area

reading now... lower extremities... fuck man

WTF DO I DO I don't want this to be permanent

"The general belief is that there is an imbalance between cholinergic/dopaminergic or serotonergic/dopaminergic systems." would make sense in my case

thing is, it doesn't explain all my other symptoms

 

[negrogesic]

Do you really need to be on an antipsychotic? What was it prescribed for?

*Note: I'm not advocating that you stop taking your meds, just probing

 

[Snafu in the Void]

Do you really need to be on an antipsychotic? What was it prescribed for?

*Note: I'm not advocating that you stop taking your meds, just probing

yeah, drug induced schizophrenia via 3-4 years ago

my need to be on it is lower than the risk of this for sure

haven't taken it in 30+ hrs and not going to anymore

this all traces back to ashwagandha fucking up my serotonin levels

 

[negrogesic]

What is the dose of the risperidone?

I would strongly advise against suddenly stopping your antipsychotic medication (or any medicine for that matter).

 

[Snafu in the Void]

What is the dose of the risperidone?

I would strongly advise against suddenly stopping your antipsychotic medication (or any medicine for that matter).

I used to take 2mg/day with virtually zero side effects, almost no sedation or hunger, I for whatever reason tolerate risperidone very well (compared to other APs)

I have been taking 1-2mg per day for 8 days now, on 9th day did not take any today

good news: I have script to propranolol which just happens to be the main drug used to treat this (other than benzos, which I highly doubt they would even give me in the first place)

bad news: my doctor fucked up and prescribed a brand not covered by my insurance, walgreens wants $2000 for 30 pills!~

medium news: I am going to urgent care in 1 hour, have an appointment

medium bad news: they might tell me to fuck off and go to the ER, I also have no money to pay except a few bucks as down payment on the bill

 

[Snafu in the Void]

shaking seems to have spontaneously stopped... oddly, they literally just stopped out of nowhere....

about 32 hour since last dose of risperidone... or the 8 beers I've had in the last 5 hours had something to do with it (but for the first 4 hours the alcohol was not helping)

I'm not freaking out so much anymore, can't tell how much the beer has to play into that

I cancelled my appointment, even if they let me pay $3 I still can't afford the meds until tomorrow

US healthcare #1

my serotonin system #fucked

I'm usually not so worked up over drug side effects and adverse reactions... but this one was FUCKED