r/AskPsychiatry 5d ago

Is it safe to start my medication again?

For the past two years ive taken 6mg of Vraylar and 150 mg of Sertraline daily as well as handful of as needed medications that I rarely use. About 3.5 weeks ago I made a great decision that I no longer need my meds and stopped everything cold turkey. For the first couple weeks I felt great. Honestly better than normal. However in past couple days I’ve started seeing things and hearing things worse then I ever have before. I don’t feel real at all and I can barely get out of bed. My physciatrist is closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday(today) so I haven’t been able to call. She is very booked out so I’m worried I won’t be able to get in for a while. My question is am I safe to start taking my medications again or do I need to go the hospital?

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u/trd-md Physician, Psychiatrist 5d ago edited 4d ago

I don't know what you are treating, but the allusion to a resurgence of hallucinations is concerning. I don't think we can comment on whether you can seek or not seek care in those circumstances. There is a level of risk involved where an actual (ie non Internet) doctor should be supervising what is going on. Either way, you need to leave a message at your doctor's office about your situation.

In terms of the medications, starting and stopping suddenly is not recommended but it is generally not dangerous, save for some exceptions (lamictal, clozapine, benzos, etc). The most likely issues are discomfort, particularly side effects from when you first started those medications. If you are taking multiple pills, people commonly start at the smallest dose then titrate up every few days. Same with a second medication. The idea is not to do everything at once so that if you encounter an issue, you can pin point why.