Work with your doctor on a personalised plan for slowly reducing/stopping.

How to reduce/stop antipsychotics

Your experience of reducing/stopping may be easier or harder than others.

  • Slowly reduce before stopping (instead of suddenly stopping) so there is a smaller difference between the last dose and no dose.
  • Allow time for each reduction  so your brain can adjust to lower doses.
  • Use liquid forms or tablet cutters to give smaller doses/further reductions.
  • Staying on a low dose may be more suitable if you have problems stopping completely. This process needs to be led by what you find acceptable.
  • Reach out for support from people close to you during this process.
  • Look after your health with good sleep, healthy eating, and exercise.
  • Listen to your body to help work out if you are reducing/stopping too quickly.

What if I am running into problems?

Withdrawal symptoms or rebound psychosis whilst reducing/stopping may mean you are reducing/stopping too fast.

Keep in regular contact with your mental health team to help assess your progress and look for signs of withdrawal or relapsing psychosis. Review your crisis/safety and relapse plans to help identify problems early.

If withdrawal symptoms are too much, return to the previous dose, and talk
with your mental health team about the rate of reduction/stopping.

If you or others are concerned about your safety or the safety of others,
please contact your mental health team, crisis team, or NHS 111 for support.

You are not alone in wanting to reduce or stop your antipsychotic medication. Each person has their own experience and their own reasons. Some find antipsychotics helpful, others less so, and some wish to try without.

We are here to safely support you in your decision to reduce and/or stop antipsychotics, and to help reduce any potential problems during this process.

This leaflet will tell you about:

1) The risks of suddenly stopping antipsychotic

2) Why slowly reduce before stopping

3) What to do if problems occur

Risks of suddenly stopping antipsychotics

Suddenly stopping (100% to 0% of total dose) may cause a return of previous psychosis (relapse or rebound psychosis). This can also occur in people without psychotic illness, who took antipsychotics for feeling sick/nausea, breastfeeding and other non-psychotic problems.

Withdrawal symptoms (unwanted effects when reducing/stopping medication) can occur with antipsychotics. Withdrawal symptoms can be more common/severe if you suddenly stop

Potential antipsychotic withdrawal symptoms

Some people have no withdrawal symptoms; others one or two, others more. It is also difficult to predict your experience. Listed below are some, but not all, antipsychotic withdrawal symptoms. You may experience something not listed. Please contact your mental health team if you feel you may be having any withdrawal symptoms.

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  • Abnormal skin sensations
  • Anxiety/mood changes
  • Aching muscles/runny nose/ headaches
  • Diarrhoea

 
  • Dizziness and vertigo
  • Feeling too hot or too cold/ shaking/sweating
  • Feeling socially withdrawn
  • Not able to sleep

(insomnia)
  • Serious reaction

(Neuroleptic malignant syndrome)

  • Reduced appetite/nausea/vomiting
  • Restless/agitated/irritable
  • Involuntary movements

(Tardive dyskinesia)

Why reduce before stopping?

Slowly reducing, instead of suddenly stopping antipsychotics, lowers the risk of psychosis and withdrawal symptoms.

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The brain changes with antipsychotics as it gets use to the medication. This may continue for months, even after stopping the antipsychotics.

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Stopping antipsychotics causes the brain to miss the medication. This cause withdrawal symptoms, especially if stopped suddenly.

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Slowly reducing the dose of medication before stopping gives the brain time to adjust to the smaller doses and miss the medication less.

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This lowers the risk of psychosis and lowers the likelihood and/or intensity of withdrawal symptoms.

More information

Mind UK ‘Coming off antipsychotics’

King’s College London ‘Withdrawing from antipsychotics: an analysis’

 

Version 1.0 Leaflet code 056 Review by May 2026

With thanks to Thomas Sun: Psychiatry Doctor for writing and designing this leaflet.
Approved by AWP Medicines Optimisation Group: May 2023