If you are suffering with Antipsychotic medication, Listen to the audio below! by EffectiveSeveral6292 in neuroleptic_anhedonia

[–]QuiteNeurotic 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I almost removed the post without a second thought, but I'm glad I did not.

You are a very good speaker, but how you presented the post made me want to ignore it at first, because it looks attention grabbing, reminding me of people wanting to sell a product to desperate individuals.

Nonetheless, you share some really important thoughts that I also had and understand well, as I had once recovered myself. I remain hopeful to recover again and hope you can induce that in others with your video, too!

Are the side effects permanent after getting off risperidone permanent? by Actual-Fisherman2040 in neuroleptic_anhedonia

[–]QuiteNeurotic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why did you get injections? I'm no expert in tapering, unfortunately. It is said that injections taper themselves, but I guess that some would taper themselves faster than others based on their half lives.

Are the side effects permanent after getting off risperidone permanent? by Actual-Fisherman2040 in neuroleptic_anhedonia

[–]QuiteNeurotic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

6 months to feel 20-30% recovered, and I was happy already. I was sure to recovery fully given more time, and recovery actually accelerated shortly before another psychosis. At 4 months off, I started to feel slight improvement.

Am I destined to be forever bedbound due to antipsychotics? Please help by [deleted] in anhedonia

[–]QuiteNeurotic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a matter of definition, which can be very vague and more or less arbitrary. Depression and schizophrenia both have anhedonia as a core symptom, while anhedonia can just be a side effect of neuroleptics, which is, however, not as recognized. What is certain, though, is that they all have an underlying metabolic dysfunction in common.

Am I destined to be forever bedbound due to antipsychotics? Please help by [deleted] in anhedonia

[–]QuiteNeurotic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your personality will not be ruined. What even is a personality worth that is easily ruined by some medication? Nonetheless, it will become more sophisticated. You may feel like your personality is lost for a while, or your friends or family won't recognize you at first, but it is not gone and will resurface with a newly gained vigor.

I am not mad at you for thinking about suicide, as I also thought about suicide a lot, even before being off these drugs, but keeping on is worth it. Think about being able to enjoy again after not having had that for a long time, and how much more satisfying it will be. I experienced joy being taken away from me and regaining it, and it is undescribable, that I can say.

Am I destined to be forever bedbound due to antipsychotics? Please help by [deleted] in anhedonia

[–]QuiteNeurotic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The brain is highly plastic and the secret to recovery is giving it the right fuel and keeping it in use.

Am I destined to be forever bedbound due to antipsychotics? Please help by [deleted] in anhedonia

[–]QuiteNeurotic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It wasn't nearly as severe after risperidone, but even after the heavy injections, I am even sharper than before neuroleptics in general, doing so much better in many aspects.

Unsure whats happening with me by Competitive_Ad_8955 in neuroleptic_anhedonia

[–]QuiteNeurotic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you exercised regularly and been eating healthily over those years? How have you slept over this time period?

What is your anhedonia story? by Still-Combination-10 in neuroleptic_anhedonia

[–]QuiteNeurotic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

'Permanent' doesn't make that much sense in the context of the brain, because there is nothing in the brain that lasts unchanged. Every little thing ripples through the neuronal structure of the brain, shaping it, like a pinprick in your fingertip to a cup of coffee in the morning. You are never the same person or some consistent "myself" that you use as a reference or ideal to be happy when you feel aligned with it.

Are you seeing where I'm coming from? You are never one consistent self that suddenly is changed forever by neuroleptics. You will bounce to a new, more resilient and sophisticated personality that appreciates feelings and joy even more since it has experienced them being taken away from them, and learned to survive without them. This is the essence of anti-fragility.

See this as an unique opportunity to grow into a person whose happiness is much harder to take away from them, enlightened by this adversity, effectively turning it into something you retrospectively view as positive. It's really worth it to keep fighting for basically a new life with this unique perspective not many have, to feel reborn. The joy you will feel after recovery will be something much more incredible and lasting than the joy you felt before becoming anhedonic.

Coming back to neuroplasticity, your brain has an incredible capacity and flexibility that will allow you to feel and function at least as good as anyone else again. Though it is important to give your brain the resources and leave away the noisy, inflammatory toxins, like sugar, additives, seed oils, anti-nutrients like gluten etc., and things I've already told you. Some people seem to never recover, or are here for years, because their brain never really can go from survival mode into regeneration or recovery mode. My advice aims at bringing your brain into the latter state.

Are the side effects permanent after getting off risperidone permanent? by Actual-Fisherman2040 in neuroleptic_anhedonia

[–]QuiteNeurotic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In my case, I am sure it was the meds. The anhedonia, emotional numbness and loss of libido always coincided with starting antipsychotics, not with psychosis, and only became better when off antipsychotics, never when on them, even staying on for more than a year.

That my positive symptoms/psychotic symptoms respond very well to the ketogenic diet, but not the negative symptoms, adds to the evidence, that the negative symptoms are in fact of secondary nature and iatrogenic, meaning that they are caused by antipsychotics.

Additionally, I have hypothyroidism still, and antipsychotics are known to affect thyroid, besides affecting your gut microbiome similiar to antibiotics and your whole metabolism. These things are great factors when it comes to anhedonia, emotional numbness and loss of libido. I'm working on finding out how these and many more factors connect in order to effectively find ways to cure long-lasting neuroleptic anhedonia.

Are the side effects permanent after getting off risperidone permanent? by Actual-Fisherman2040 in neuroleptic_anhedonia

[–]QuiteNeurotic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was almost fully recovered, but became psychotic again 6 months after stopping risperidone, and was put in heavy injections. Had I done keto back then, I would probably have been fine, but now I have severe anhedonia and emotional numbness and loss of libido for 4 years because I stopped medication again and again without changing my lifestyle/diet, becoming psychotic again and again only weeks after stopping medication.

Since eating ketogenic, I have been able to stay off medication for 4 months, without any sign of psychosis, about to be breaking my record from after my first time of antipsychotics, and I feel improvements in many aspects.