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Mental Health coming on 3 meds: how bad will it suck?

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whynaught

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Joined
Dec 14, 2010
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Hi! My names whynaught! I'm on abilify 15mg, zoloft 200mg, and benzotropine 3mg daily. I'm going to talk with my doctor about weening off them, because i dont think i can do it cold turkey. I don't legally have to take these meds, and I've read about how antipsychotics, in the long run, are worse than staying healthy and managing your illness by yourself. What should I expect?? im guessing i'll have spikes of depression, Akathisia like never before, and maybe even pain?

all comments are welcome

edit: shit i fucked up the title I mean coming OFF meds
 
Extreme psychological discomfort pretty much sums it up.

If you're set on tapering off (against medical advice), coordinate with your doctor.
 
whynaught said:
Hi! My names whynaught! I'm on abilify 15mg, zoloft 200mg, and benzotropine 3mg daily. I'm going to talk with my doctor about weening off them, because i dont think i can do it cold turkey. I don't legally have to take these meds, and I've read about how antipsychotics, in the long run, are worse than staying healthy and managing your illness by yourself. What should I expect?? im guessing i'll have spikes of depression, Akathisia like never before, and maybe even pain?

all comments are welcome

edit: shit i fucked up the title I mean coming OFF meds
Click to expand...

How long have you been on these medications? Why were you prescribed them in the first place? Do they work? Do you have symptoms? Do the medications give you side-effects?

So you read somewhere that antipsychotics are bad and now you want to stop taking yours?

I've tapered and gone cold turkey several times in the past. Without answering my questions, however, it will be difficult to gauge how you may or may not react. Hell, even if you do answer them, we are all different and our brains and bodies react differently to these types of things.
 
you are going to be very uncomfortable mentally, 200mg of zoloft is a high dose. i love you unconditionally, so message me during times of discomfort.
 
Antipsychotics are only long term for extreme positive symptoms (of chronic schizophrenia), they are only recommended to be used for a year or a couple of years after a psychosis. They reportedly increase the problem of decreased grey matter associated with schizophrenia. But what can you do for the extreme cases? They will be in total chaos and confusion without them. Have you seen the extreme cases in psych wards? Word salad, talking to themselves, crying uncontrollably...

Given you've only been prescribed 15mg Abilify it's probably just for a year or so, then your doc will taper them off anyway.

Don't cold turkey Abilify it will cause EXTREMELY messed up nightmares, think lucid pain and burning plus accelerating geometric patterns that look really shit and contrived that you can't wake out of until your body/brain lets you, which is usually a long time. You wake with a weird feeling in your head that can only be some kind of neurological damage.

Go down 5mg every 3 days.
 
bees_knees said:
Antipsychotics are only long term for extreme positive symptoms (of chronic schizophrenia), they are only recommended to be used for a year or a couple of years after a psychosis. They reportedly increase the problem of decreased grey matter associated with schizophrenia. But what can you do for the extreme cases? They will be in total chaos and confusion without them. Have you seen the extreme cases in psych wards? Word salad, talking to themselves, crying uncontrollably...

Given you've only been prescribed 15mg Abilify it's probably just for a year or so, then your doc will taper them off anyway.

Don't cold turkey Abilify it will cause EXTREMELY messed up nightmares, think lucid pain and burning plus accelerating geometric patterns that look really shit and contrived that you can't wake out of until your body/brain lets you, which is usually a long time. You wake with a weird feeling in your head that can only be some kind of neurological damage.

Go down 5mg every 3 days.
Click to expand...

The OP did not say how long he has been on abilify. The length of time for the taper should be directly proportionate to the length of time the person has been taking the drug. If the OP has been taking the drug for a year, then a 9 day taper is a really bad idea.

Whynaught, without knowing your diagnosis, none of us have any business telling you how to quit your meds. This is your doctor's job. Depending on your diagnosis, by quitting your meds you can expect to experience everything from extreme happiness to extreme misery. And everything in between. There is a great possibility that your symptoms will come back, it all depends on your brain and body's chemistry whether it will happen in a matter of days or weeks.
 
Oh is that true? Interesting. Shit, either way, don't cold turkey. Bad news for your dreaming and for your neurological circuits.
 
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