tapering risperidone

[docrrao]

My friend who is also on risperidone 1 mg at night wants to know whether it is safe to decrease dose of risperidone by 0.5mg in 24 hours and stop it within 1 day?.

[docrrao]

Maybe I had Akithisia and not TD earlier.That is why these abnormal movements stopped on discontinuation of medication.

[docrrao]

Thanks friend.Maybe I was lucky but I definetely had TD which was why chlorpromazine was discontinued and I did not need any antipsychotic till 3 months back.Thankfully I did not have any TD on Risperdal>Believe me Risperdal is worse than chlorpromazine.It makes a person agitated,nervous and renders a person an insomniac while taking it.I went through the worst and thankfully will be off it in 3 days.

[ILADVOCATE]

It may improve somewhat in its early stages if a person discontinues treatment but it is indeed permanent (google "Patient education tardive dyskinesia", as the site itself states "some of these medications may be medically neccesssary" Emedicine has a good webpage but its clinically hard to understand). However, some people mistake temporary movement disorders such as akathesia for it.Those can be treated with a side effect pill. If someone has that concern they should inform their psychiatrist as it can be masked by the same medications that cause it while it is worsening (a clinical fact that you can find on any site about it, one my own psychiatrist informed me as well). Any psychiatrist could and should do a regular movement disorders test and if they have any concerns about tardive dyskinesia refer the person to a neurologist who is a movement disorders specialist (and there are medications that treat it of course). And if its diagnosed Clozaril which doesn't cause it is one antipsychotic that is an option. Just updating you on the facts. You can see how things go from there. Thanks.

[docrrao]

I dont think tardive dyskinesia is permanent.I had tardive dyskinesia while on chlorpromazine 10 years back.It lasted for 2 months and stopped after stopping medication.I had a questionable hypomanic episode then.Right now I am almost off Risperidone for a similar episode(duration for 6 weeks).I feel better at 0.5 mg dose and will be off Risperdal in a few days.

[docrrao]

Hi buddy I just wanted to tell you that it feels so good on 0.5mg of Risperidone.I use to feel so awful at higher doses and I just cant wait to stop this awful medicine in about 3 days.My Pdoc had suggested a period of 4 weeks from 1.5mg to zero but I did it in two.Feels better now.

[docrrao]

thanks buddy I told my friend to have 1 mg risperidone for 4 days and then 0.5 mg for 4 days and stop it.I also came down from 1.5 mg risperidone to 0.5 mg the same  way without much withdrawl syptoms and he agreed.My Pdoc was out of town so a pharmacist told me to reduce it this way.Now I plan to stop my risperdal in 4 days time.

[ILADVOCATE]

No. That rate is too fast. I remember when I was tapered off various medications and I went faster than the limitations my psychiatrist approved and there was rebound psychosis and also I was of course transfering to another medicataion. All medication changes must be done at the exact rate a person's psychiatrist states and with their supervision.