are Antipsychotic meds taken short or long term

Hi @Shaz51, your husband is right to be careful about long term effects of anti-psychotic meds. But, from my point of view, the long term effects of being in a highly distressed state a lot of the time seem to be pretty worrying too. This is just my personal approach to my own treatment with meds though. Just repeating though that the important thing, above all, is that he does not cut out the meds too quickly. That will just wreak havoc on his system and create more distress. Really hope you and hubby can find a point of balance with the meds that works all round.

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@Shaz51 wrote:

ah ha @Former-Member xx

Is the psychiatrist going to monitor the reduction/tapering off? -- Hubby has not agreed to it

I think he thinks he can do it alone

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Hi @Shaz51

Mr Shaz really needs to listen to his specialists advice off taking a much longer time to come off his meds for sound mental and physical success. To achieve this without a mental crisis he needs from his specialist a medical tapering/weaning off plan to follow. This is the usual procedure. Otherwise if he comes of his meds too quickly the withdrawal effects could "mimic a MI relapse" and the potential for hospital admission

This withdrawal relapse does not necessarily mean he is not well enough to come off his meds or that he can't cope without the meds, but that the addictive bodily responses/withdrawal symptoms becomes too overwhelming as he has come off them "too fast".

As most above have stated through experience; when the brain chemistry comes back into order through medication and the psychosis passes, this is the time to "slowly wean" off antipsychotics - that's how they are meant to be used for treatment. And the time can vary from person to person.

My brother has paranoid schizophrenia and on a major tranquilller. But this just calms him as he still hears and see things whilst on medication. People whom still display mental symptoms like this "when on medication" are the ones whom stay on them usually for the long term.

Thank you @Former-Member, @Mazarita

for you comments , I cand see hubby thinking about it

and the specialist gave him a 3 month sickness certification , but I don`t think he will do it as we are self employed and after 3 months , we won`t have any customers

I think the question is how long is a piece of string. The length of time you spendon anti-psychotics depends on your diagnosis, your response to them, your doctor's feelings about continuing them or taking you off them...the best advice I can offer is make sure you have a health care professional you trust and who understands you, and make the decision whether to take them long term or short term by discussing the matter with your doctor.

Ellu

My brothers have been on and off antipsychotic injections for more than x10 yrs. Only come off since the system left them in chargevof getting inj themselves but they have regress, go into hospital, go back on them... Seems to me antipsychotics don't stop the hallucinations or delusions - simply numb the brain so they're quieter - from what my brothers say.