This is my first post on this forum and I hope I will het some advice here.

I had a psychotic episode last year and have been hospitalized. My psychosis included panic attacks and delusional ideas. Also some anxiety and tremor (could have been caused by haladol withdrowal, since they appeared later). To mention I never had any hallucinations. The docs have tried many meds that didnt help and finally they put me on risperidone and I got out of the hospital. They assumed I had sz but it is not certain. I am now only on risperidone shot every 2 weeks, which is under 2ml a day (the lowest dose) and I dont have any symptoms whatsoever for almost a year now.

I have read abot the possibility of having a szhizophreniform disorder which lasts only 6 month and then it goes away, since my pshychosis with the hospitalization lasted less than 6 months. I have talked to the doctor about trying to stop medication and she told me that It can be stopped only after 4-5 years after, that i need to take it for 3 more years at least.

Another reason I want to stop and try without is because I can't really feel any joy from anything in life since i am on risperidone. My doctor told me that it is because of the disease - but she is a young, inexperienced doctor (not very good doctors are where I live) and she could be wrong. I have read other people on antipsychotics have same symptoms.

If you have any experience in this case, is that true that I cant stop it for 4-5 years since i started to take it? Considering all the damage that atypical antipsychotic do to yourself and your brain, and if there is a possibility that i might not need it, I would like to take that chance. Why I cannot try to see if symptoms will reappear if I get off the meds?

Thanks for any light shed on this subject!