Life on anti-psychotics - can people actually come off them?

Hi friends,

I was hoping to tap the wisdom of someone who has been on anti-psychotics, or supported a loved one on them.

My partner was really unwell with paranoid delusions for two years. He was eventually involuntarily admitted to hospital and is now on monthly anti psychotics, as ordered by the hospital.

The meds stopped the delusions in their tracks, but the side-effects are a whole new 'difficult' to live with. He used to be really lively, fun and chatty. Now he's quite blunted, dissociated and doesn't have the same enthusiasm for things he used to love. It's so sad and I feel like im slipping into a bit of a depressed vortex too, because life looks and feels so different now. I'm grateful he's not paranoid anymore, but he's not himself either.

I've tried to ask the hospital doctors what the long term plan is and they are really vague on timelines. I think he feels like he'll be forced to take the meds forever so he feels powerless and zero agency.

While he has stabilised, he hasn't developed full insight yet. For instance he has never acknowledged his diagnosis (delusional disorder), he just says "the doctors think I'm crazy". He never refers to the odd things he used to believe so intensely. It's like he's deleted them from his memory. I wish he was in a state where he was open to processing some of what we both lived through. I feel like if he was open to counselling the doctors would soften their stance on the meds, but he seems very closed off, and I don't want to retraumatise him by raising the topic.