How can you know the difference from Schizo. negative symptoms from medication caused negative symptoms

Mindwhisperer · September 23, 2014, 1:25pm

as I am reducing my medication I am having more motivation and energy. I haven’t been without medication for many, many years, I cant really tell about my negative symptoms. I think mine is caused by medication.

anon79999497 · September 23, 2014, 2:29pm

Good question. I don’t know whether my lack of drive/goals/initiative/motivation has just worsened over time or it coincides with being on regular medication via the depot.

This research http://www.jwatch.org/jp200604050000007/2006/04/05/negative-symptoms-antipsychotic-medications shows antipsychotics causing negative symptoms in healthy volunteers…

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Negative signs and symptoms secondary to antipsychotics: a double-blind, randomized trial of a single dose of placebo, haloperidol, and risperidone in healthy volunteers.

JF Artaloytia, C Arango, A Lahti, J Sanz, A Pascual, P Cubero, D Prieto and T Palomo, The American journal of psychiatry, Mar 2006

Despite the clinical observation that antipsychotics can produce negative symptoms, no previous controlled study, to our knowledge, has evaluated this action in healthy subjects. The present study assessed observer-rated and self-rated negative symptoms produced by conventional and second-generation antipsychotics in healthy volunteers.The authors used a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of single doses of haloperidol (5 mg) and risperidone (2.5 mg) in normal subjects. Thirty-two subjects were administered haloperidol, risperidone, and placebo in a random order. Motor variables and observer-rated negative symptoms were assessed after 3-4 hours and subjective negative symptoms and drowsiness after 24 hours.Neither of the active drugs caused significant motor extrapyramidal symptoms after administration. Haloperidol caused significantly more negative signs and symptoms than placebo on the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and two self-rated negative symptom scales: the Subjective Deficit Syndrome Scale total score and an analog scale that evaluates subjective negative symptoms. Risperidone caused significantly more negative signs and symptoms than placebo on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the SANS, the Subjective Deficit Syndrome Scale total score, and the analog scale for subjective negative symptoms. After control for drowsiness, risperidone but not haloperidol produced more negative symptoms than placebo on the BPRS and the SANS. Significance was lost for the subjective negative symptoms with both drugs.Single doses of both haloperidol and risperidone produce negative symptoms in normal individuals. Drowsiness may be an important confounding factor in the assessment of negative symptoms in antipsychotic trials.

cactustomato · September 23, 2014, 7:37pm

i compared mine to how i felt before psychosis to how i felt on meds? my psychosis was pretty high functioning but i stopped taking a shower when i got on meds

Mindwhisperer · September 24, 2014, 1:56am

Me to wile i was in psychosis and not diagnosed, i would work on my yard, shower every day, but once i was put on med i stoped all that, now i have reduced my med and i am thinking of working on the yard, even though curently i am taking 1.25mg risperdal, still i am very lazy, my friends that dont know that i have mental illness and i am taking medication, they think i am very lazy and calm person. But when i was not medicated they didnt have that opinion.

cactustomato · September 24, 2014, 2:02am

we had too much meds or the meds are too strong

bridgecomet · September 24, 2014, 3:19am

**maybe its a combination of both? I dont want to say this but my son is overdue on his meds. However, I noticed how much easier it is to get along with him at the moment. He is overdue by a week and today-he went shopping, went to a coffee shop-all on his own. can`t figure it out. **