Psychiatrist thinks I should be on meds for life

It sounds like it’s likely a temporary placeholder diagnosis, I imagine you’ll eventually be diagnosed with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia if the psychosis lasts long enough and you meet other requirements for the diagnosis. And if the psychosis goes away and never comes back, then obviously you’ll be able to go med free or maybe jsut be on meds for depression.

I

It was suggested by my psych doc to tell people I’m
Retired so and so has a few people from my support group. So I don’t know what to think or do. Right now I have been keeping to myself. The neighbors seem to know. But through gossip because I told one neighbor. I keep to myself alot.

I just don’t feel confident in telling people .I’d rather be alone then go telling people and explaining the symptoms to them it gets tiresome trying to explain.

Told my cousins and my family my immediate family knows because they took me to hospital and they knew my condition before I went in. Sure other people are fine with the sz diagnosis but I am still not OK with it to be honest I don’t like the word sz or say it out loud because I don’t want to accept it even though I have it. It’s so uncomfortable for me I guess I want to look through rose colored glasses still. I want to be normal. But I have to take my meds because it lessens my symptoms. So it seems close to normal as possible for me. I’m in denial as you can see. I can’t help myself.

I see your concern, but I think maybe you should weigh the pros and cons. If they are making your symptoms better with minimal or no side effects, then no harm. If they’re not helping your symptoms and you’ve got terrible side effects, that’s a loss. Hang in there and do what you feel is right for you :smile:

For me personally, I plan to take my meds for life if it keeps the insanity, anxiety and depression away.

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For about one-third of the population that has schizophrenia, we can live unmedicated and can function independently. Another third is wishy-washy and don’t see any real difference between medicated & unmedicated. Yet another third believe to do best while medicated. If you strongly believe you fall into that first category, you have to seek alternative treatment - as through a psychotherapist - to insure disability benefits

My assigned doctor & county case worker are slowly being converted into understanding that I do better without medication, however I found a back-up plan by having a psychotherapist ready to testify with me that I’m doing better as well. It seems like you have to have something else in store, as a regular M.D. isn’t going to agree with the unmedicated route. They’re all trained to dispense meds, even if you know do better without them.

Trust me, they think they’re above your conscience in the matter. Hopefully God judges some of these doctors for what they’ve done b/c they need to be humbled about their place in reality.

I see nothing wrong with needing medication for life.

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Needless to say, we have a LONG way to go with modern psychiatry. These people need to level up, even us, in understanding schizophrenia & how to treat it properly.

CBT is my route.

What I’d do is take them for another year then go back to your doctor again to discuss it.

Honestly bro, I would like to see how you are doing in a year. A lot of people relapse off meds months later. I’m cheering for you though.

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I’m givin’ it my best. Thanks. Yes, come the beginning of 2016 I will have a good idea of how I am doing. I am still withdrawing from my last Abilify shot, which would have been today but I have concluded AP’s don’t work for me. So, the doctor said I’d be looking for about three months before it’s fully out of my system.

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Fair enough. I’m social by nature, and I like everyone knowing my business. I work through problems by talking them through over and over. The more people I can do that with, the better I feel.

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it is different in australia. :earth_asia:
i don’t do meds…
take care :alien:

Are you an extrovert ? I’m an introvert. I tend to solve my problems internally. I think it’s good to let things out.

What do you do at a high school reunion? Do you make an announcement or tell them frankly individually that your sz. It will make me very uncomfortable I would just not go. You tell me what would you do. If you have not seen these people for a long while. I like to enjoy dancing with long lost freinds.

Imagine you didn’t have sz and instead you had, say, epilepsy and it prevented you from working - would you then feel so compelled to justify yourself? You’re not on trial, you don’t have to explain, no-one is judging you. Go to the reunion and bear in mind that half of what you hear from the others there will be grossly exaggerated to make it look like they’ve done well.

$hit wrong post hahahahahahahahahahaha

I am an extreme extrovert. I spend all day talking to people and visiting my friends, then I come home and spend tons of time on here.

I feel like we’re hijacking this thread, so I made another one here.

I hate to play devils advocate here. But if it were heart disease or diabetes you wouldn’t go off you’re meds. I dislike medication but I have this life long illness so I’ve come to accept the medication that comes with it. Medication and therapy and self work are par for the course to me. Just saying…

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I’ve had meds since 2010. Not coming off them anytime soon. Pdoc told me I’ll need them for a very very long time. Tried to come off twice. Disaster.