Withdrawal From Stelazine (Page 3)

I have been on stelaine for 25 years with short breaks but I am trying to stop it and getting nasty withdrawal effects. I have reduced from 7mg to 3mg daily but have headaches anxiety and sense of unreality. I fell perfectly rational and know it is not the ill ness returning. I am seeking advice from someone who has managed to get of this drug or for any tips. I am planning to cut down 1mg per month but am already apprehensive about this.

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I get Stelazine in syrup form by prescription from my GP.

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Hi Samson

I get stelazine syrup for my mum through gp prescription. It takes about 2 days for it to arrive at the pharmacy, as it needs to be ordered especially from rosemont pharmaceuticals.

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My mother was on that dam crap (stelazine) for many years. She was put on it in her mid forties for 'change of life symptoms'. It caused her to have facial twitches, growth of facial hair, and a life time of not being able to sleep.She would be up at 5 am ,every day of her life. She tried to quit them countless times. The withdrawal was too much for her to handle. Iam 63 years old,and Iam sitting herew with tears in my eyes remembering all the misery she endured because of those pills. She developed facial ticks. Always had a distant stare in her eyes. She died,15 years ago,due to health problems ,that we believe were brought on because of the side affects of the stelazine,like not getting consistent sleep,moodiness,etc. I have researched this drug and find out that she should never have taken this crap for 34 years,for moodiness brought on by 'change of life '. I wish I could have known then what I know now about this poison Here I am many many years later,still broke up inside over this.Because I couldn't help her. Because the in those days ,you never question a doctor. QUACKS !! This drug has been around since over 50 years ! It is a big money maker. Never mind the misery it has caused to countless people. Stelazine is perscribed for schizophrenia and management of psychotic .

whatmeds.stanford.edu/medications/trifluoper.html
My mother was given stelazine because she was moody, after having a baby !

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What about stelazine and tardive dyskinesia?

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What an insensitive person you are. My mum has been on Stellazine now for over 43years and every time she tried to reduce her dose she became ill again. As a kid of 16 to see my mum fall apart is a terrible memory. she is only on 2 mg a day but reducing it immediately brought back the problems. It took several years for her to accept that her brain requires this chemical to function normally. She has terrible nightmares, several times a night, but on medication she is as normal as ever. To those of you thinking of coming off this medication, please be careful and reduce the drug by very small amounts over a long period of time.
Can anyone please tell me if you are still getting your Stellazine in pill form? Mums pharmacy have recently told her they can no longer give her pills so she now has a liquid form. She has to draw the amount using a tiny syringe but her eyesight is poor and I am concerned that she is not getting the correct dose.

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I am on stelazine but it is now marketed under its generic name of TRIFLUOPERAZINE, i get my tablets every month and i am on 4mg per day for anxiety. Along with 300mg of Venlafaxine these two medications make life bearable and the intense, constant suffering from mental illness is reduced enough that I have enrolled back in university and am doing a masters course in philosophy and psychiatry. The meds do affect concentration and I do not have quite the same quick thinking ability as before, but I have a study mentor. The pharmacist does have to ring round for the tablets, the latest batch are produced by Mercury Pharma (generics) ltd, croydon, uk. Just google them for more details.

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Hi Sampson - Are you in the UK? If so then the syrup is still available on prescription from the GP. Stelazine is the only thing that works for my mum - she is amazing when on it.

She has had teething problems with the syrup as the pharmacy didn't give her the correct syringe to draw up the liquid from the bottle and she wasn't getting enough - she was having the most dreadful nightmares and anxiety attacks. Now everything is back to normal as the doc has got her the correct syringe.

My sister has sourced tablets from Japan so someone is still making them but will cost £1 a day which she cannot afford.

One thing that we have also noted with the insomnia is that Magnesium deficiency will cause both Insomnia and Anxiety - mum is getting the doc to blood test.

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Im 29 years old schizophrenic and I have been on 5mg stelazine. Recently I asked the doctor to cut it and he reduced it to 2mg and i have been suffering the abovementioned effects because of it. (Anxiety, morning jitters, sense of unreality). Please help!

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Hi Justin - please stay on your prescribed dose so that you can have a good life. My mum has been on just a very small dose for over 40 years and each time she tried to reduce it, returned to her original behaviour. Which was horrendous not just for her but for her family to deal with.
It took many years before she accepted that to live an active happy life she would have to take Stelazine for the rest of her life.
It is not a sign of failure to be on this medication - the brain as with any part of the body can misbehave - for example if you were diabetic you wouldn't stop your medication just because you didn't like taking it. Stelazine replaces a chemical your brain is not making enough of.
A few months ago I stayed with my mum for four weeks (I live overseas) she was desperately anxious and having terrible nightmares. The reason - she was not getting her prescribed dose - the syringe she was given was the wrong size and she had been underdosing. It was a frightening time to wakened by her screaming.
Please - for those desperate to give up, the symptoms you describe are not the drug withdrawal symptoms but the schitzophrenia symptoms returning.

It may not be what you want to do but the Stelazine gives you a chance to have a normal life.

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Well done Fiona - good luck with your University course. My mum went on to be able to work as a nursery nurse, returning to the profession after she had raised us 3 kids.

I shall let my sister in the UK know that the pills are being made. I would feel so much happier about mums welfare if I knew she was taking a dose that could be reliably be the amount prescribed.

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The anxiety is due to your illness which the lower rate of Stelazine can no longer control - not all that you are experiencing is withdrawal symptoms.

Why do you so desperately want to come off Stelazine - has it not worked to control your brain chemical imbalance - would you be wanting to come off your insulin if you were diabetic or you anti rejection drugs if you had had a transplant - why not accept that your brain is not producing the right sort of chemicals it needs to function normally without the help of Stelazine. My mother caused us so much heartache and fear everytime she decided that she didn't want to be on medication. It took us some time to get her to understand what it was doing for her brain and that coming off the drug made her ill again. She is 85 now and she is a she is a wonderful person who is happy and able to live life to the full.

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Alright. I'll make an appointment to see the doc again ASAP and get my dose raised back to its original levels. Thanks Evelyn.

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Best wishes to you.

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The generic for stelazine is trifluoperazine. As far as I know they are the same and trifluoperazine is available by prescription everywhere. Just google it.
.

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Hi my mum was on stelazine and we had real problems getting the tablets.it was causing her stress as she had schizophrenia.i was also getting worried that she would become unwell.i spoke to a pharmacist who suggested flupentixol.this had worked really well instead of the stelazine.

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Hi, my mum has been on Stelazine now for 45years and has tried over the years to come off it. She has now decided that taking it gives her a better life than not on it.

Recently she began having acute anxiety attacks and we eventually discovered that she had been under dosing herself. Once the medication was increased the anxiety attacks stopped.

I don't believe that anxiety attacks are withdrawal symptoms but the symptoms of the illness returning when there is insufficient Stelazine in the system.

Why do you so desperately want to come off a drug that is helping your brain by supplying missing chemicals? If you had diabetes you would take your medication without question.

It took me decades to make the decision to go on anti depressants but once I did I was so cross with myself for holding out for so long, they changed my life. For the majority of the time I'm now depression free, it took 12 years of medication.

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Hi,
My mother in law has been on this medication for 45 years... in the last month her pharmacy have not been able to get tablets and have put her on liquid.... Does anyone know what the problem is??? The last time we went through this she ended up as an in patient. Is anyone else experiencing problems? Can anyone suggest a pharmacy company l can speak to to get them to supply my MIL's pharmacy? Many thanks

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Hi - My mum was put on liquid Stelazine a few years ago - are you in the UK - if so the tablets are no longer available through the NHS. Not the call for it any more as more modern drugs have replaced Stelazine. Mum did have a problem as the pharmacy didnt have the correct syringe to use to draw up the correct dose. She under dosed herself which led to anxiety attacks, nightmares and a regression back to earlier problems. Once the problem was sorted though she has been fine on liquid. Make sure she is given the correct syringe as the amount taken is crucial.

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Buster, I've been on 1mg stelazine for many years and have tried many times to go off, and have stayed off for a while but then feel the need to go back on.
When you got down to 1mg and less, did you just use a pill cutter? Do you think I should decrease 1/4mg at a time for 3 months each? It's just very difficult to cut the pill equally.

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Evelyn, I take the generic form of stelazine called trifluoperazine.

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