Specifically, the researchers found that those who stopped taking antipsychotic medication within two years of first taking the drug were almost six times (5.989) more likely to recover from “serious mental illness” and were only 13.4% as likely to be re-hospitalized.
"Studies have found that the volume of brain regions changes over a number of days, but this is in one to two hours, and in half that time it bounces back." Within a day, volunteers' brains returned to almost their original size as the effects of the single haloperidol dose subsided.
Meyer-Lindberg himself published a study last year showing that antipsychotics cause quickly reversible changes in brain volume that do not reflect permanent loss of neurons (see 'Antipsychotic deflates the brain')7.
Some people may be able to stop taking antipsychotics without problems, but others can find it very difficult. If you have been taking them for some time, it can be more difficult to come off them. This is especially if you have been taking them for one year or longer.
These side effects are fully reversible and can be helped by changing to a different drug, or by decreasing the dose of the medication. Most common with Typical Antipsychotics and risperidone and paliperidone.
These usually occur within the first two months of starting treatment. They usually disappear when you stop taking the drug.
Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a common and potentially irreversible side effect of dopamine blocking agents, most often antipsychotics.
While not a certainty, long‐term antipsychotic treatment is a very common outcome for people with schizophrenia.
After symptom remission, continuation of antipsychotic treatment is associated with lower relapse rates and lower symptom severity compared to dose reduction/discontinuation. Therefore, most guidelines recommend continuation of treatment with antipsychotic medication for at least 1 year.
All antipsychotics are generally effective, although differences exist in terms of efficacy but also in side effect profile. So far, all antipsychotics block the dopamine-2 (D2) receptor in the brain, including recently available antipsychotics such as lurasidone, cariprazine and brexpiprazole.
Some people find that complementary and alternative therapies help to manage their symptoms. For example, this may be aromatherapy, reflexology or acupuncture. Complementary therapies may also help manage some of the side effects of medication, if you decide to continue with it.
Is Brain Shrinkage Permanent? Some of the brain damage caused by alcohol can be reversed if a person stops drinking and maintains a period of abstinence. But some of it is permanent and cannot be undone. However, abstinence can help reverse the shrinkage of dendrites.
It's common to experience these side-effects while taking antipsychotics: Stiffness and shakiness. Feeling sluggish and slow in your thinking.
Neuroplasticity, my brain's potential to adapt to change, proved to be crucial to both surviving incarceration and recovering from psychosis. Much has been written about neuroplasticity and our brain's ability to lay down new neuronal networks as a result of disease or trauma.
Symptoms generally appeared 1–4 days after drug discontinuation, and persisted for up to 25 days. […] It is concluded that all of the SSRIs can produce withdrawal symptoms and if discontinued, they should be tapered over 1–2 weeks to minimize this possibility. Some patients may require a more extended tapering period.
Recovery from the first episode usually takes a number of months. If symptoms remain or return, the recovery process may be prolonged. Some people experience a difficult period lasting months or even years before effective management of further episodes of psychosis is achieved.
After a first episode of psychosis in schizophrenia and related disorders, stopping antipsychotics is considered when the patient has made a full recovery and been well for at least 12 months.
These antipsychotic drugs come in a long-lasting form: Aripiprazole (Abilify Maintena) Aripiprazole lauroxil (Aristada) Fluphenazine (Prolixin)
Overall, tardive dyskinesia is the clearest adverse clinical consequence in brain functioning of long‐term antipsychotic treatment, which may be related to dopamine supersensitivity in a subgroup of vulnerable individuals.
The reasons people gave for discontinuing their meds included fear of health risks and side effects of long-term use. I am also aware that often psychiatrists offer drugs too quickly, and without also strongly advising the patient concurrently do therapy to help deal with emotional issues.
Clozapine and olanzapine have the safest therapeutic effect, while the side effect of neutropenia must be controlled by 3 weekly blood controls. If schizophrenia has remitted and if patients show a good compliance, the adverse effects can be controlled.
If you stop antipsychotics suddenly it can cause 'rebound psychosis'. This means that the symptoms of your illness return suddenly, and you may become unwell again. This is also known as 'relapse'. If you or your family or friends think you are becoming unwell again, you should speak to your doctor.
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome: This rare but serious complication is usually associated with the use of high doses of typical antipsychotics early in treatment. Signs include fever, muscle stiffness and delirium.
First, relapse rates are higher than usually recognized when antipsychotics are discontinued, even after a single episode of psychosis. A recent systematic review reported a weighted mean one‐year recurrence rate of 77%, and by two years the risk of recurrence had increased to over 90%3.
Antipsychotic drugs are thought to produce secondary negative symptoms, which can also exacerbate primary negative symptoms.