I am a 28 year old male and being treated for schizophrenia since may 2012. Initially started on tablets resperidone for a year thereafter switched over to invega sustena. I had to quit my job before I started medication. My positive symptoms disappeared around three months after starting treatment and the negative symptoms almost completely gone recently when I joined a job for six months staying away from home in a foreign land. I feel quite confident and well. During the past period I continued to drink moderately (around 120ml, two to three times a week), and smoke around 5-8 cigarettes a day. When can I stop taking medication?

Dr. Saul PereiraPsychologist47yrs exp

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I am amazed at your response to the treatment. You are doing unusually well and you must keep it up. Alcohol and smoking are really bad for you even in small quantities. I am concerned that you are not into therapy in conjunction with the medication. You will need this type of monitoring and help and they can tell you about the cessation of medicines. As far as I know, it is very rare to come off of medication with schizophrenia but in combination with psychotherapy you can explore this possibility, and especially because you have responded so well already. Doing a job and being functional is very important to your recovery. Also keeping away from family may be helpful because they can inadvertently trigger relapses easily, being the unit from which you developed the condition in the first place. 

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