I have a friend who is probably soon not to be my friend, who believes i have Systemic Candidiasis in my gut and that if i adjusted my food, i would be cured, not tired, no cravings, feel a lot better not need medicine? i know she doesn’t believe in anti depressants, but i think that is also antipsychotics as well
She has seen me very well, she is pretty messed up herself and therefore doesn’t see me as any different to her or anyone…
I’ve told how unwell i become without meds, i don’t think she believes me
are you friends with anyone like this?
do you find it dangerous?
don’t think i can go there ever, safer to stay away
I actually feel pretty rubbish thinking about the whole thing.
My mom says I’m on too much medicine and the voices I hear are spirits. I should not use meds to block my communicative abilities to the spirits.
It ended up like we don’t speak of my illness at all. We still see each other and so but no talking about illness or meds. She also says I don’t have ADHD.
I decided early that I will trust my pdoc instead of her. But when I sometimes get prepsychotic I start to question my options. To trust pdoc or trust mom. But if there are evil demons contacting me I don’t want it so I trust my pdoc again.
Most of my friends and family are in agreement about medication, but when I describe my experiences a few friends oppose the label. My close friend I suppose thinks that I’m crazy, but that I don’t need what I’m taking and criticizes it. He might be projecting his own securities. He never said schizophrenia wasn’t real but doesn’t acknowledge that it’s affecting me and expects it like it’s a personality flaw. He encouraged me to stop taking Abilify, but then he criticized me and denied it saying he meant either take it or not, but make up your mind like it was easy. So there really is no one who would support me being off medication other than him, whose like a best friend but hasn’t lived with me forever.
IDK what to think of it, I’ve grown a lot and reshaped over the years. I feel stronger, I don’t think I’m a total fuckup because I experimented with drugs after I was diagnosed, or that I didn’t finish college yet, but my dad blames all this on the friend who was encouraging me to be reckless.
My mom wrote me a letter on an envelope that said I wasn’t schizophrenic, as her evidence she said she proved it in a court of law and then signed her three names. It was so depressing to find that on table one night. I also recently found divorce papers from my mom trying to divorce my dad, and it didn’t happen as far as I know because she’s completely dependent on him. No one should have to rely so much on someone else!
@StarryNight I wish I could help you. All of that sounds so complicated.
My husband encouraged me to stay off pills at some point in our relationship and now denies it, so I know the feeling. But if they are denying it, it’s because they’ve realised we need them, so that’s a good thing.
One of this evenings he said to me: "why do you take ABilify right now? You don’t need it today. " and I was all "it’s not on a as needed basis, it’s a treatment, I have to take it even if I feel better "etc. He started laughing, a bit surprised, and said that I will never know if he tested me, because he doesn’t either. Weird.
My mom had to get accustomed to the fact that I believe I have this illness, but deep down inside she doesn’t believe I’m ill. She would rather think, like @Comatose 's mother that I can communicate with higher spiritual beings (even though I don’t hear voices) than accept that I have a mental illness. I keep that under control, and she tries not to get me angry at her (I tend to no longer answer my phone if she does) so she avoids airing those views, but sometimes she can’t help it. Well, it’s her problem, not mine.
Living in my own appartment, in a different city helps a lot, though.
I have been lucky not to have symptoms for such a long time, that I’m starting to doubt what my symptoms are–how to verify them and their influence. I can’t just assume something’s real or whatever.
I haven’t taken Abilify since Wednesday and my chest feels like it’s gonna cave in. I’m so confused, because I feel completely normal and rational. I am just suddenly having a bout with depression, and I’ve never had depression feelings much besides my first episode.
I kind of want to suffer in my disease. Like I’m starting to feel sadistic.
Did you know that in small doses Abilify is actually an antidepressant?
That would make you masochistic, not saditstic - you are only inflicting pain on yourself.
It’s a good thing that you don’t remember what your symptoms are - it means that you’ve been in remission for a while now Did your doctor reccommend going off drugs? They would do that after a few years of remission, not months.
Please, please dont try to get back to the symptomatic phase of your illness. It’s no use doing it, you could instead stay on meds and try getting more things done every day - it’s good exercise for when your remission will be complete, in a few years maybe.
Hmmmm maybe talk to your doctor about this…I can think of food affecting mood…As I sometimes feel bored of eating same type of food every time so some times I do a little variation which makes it delicious (actually different)…No doubt, it impacts on my mood then and I feel kind of new…
For curing an illness I guess medicines are as important as good food is. If someone is asking you to stop taking medicines then you should think twice on credibility of the advice…One thing may work for one and not for others…
You did right that you questioned on your friend’s advice. Please do discuss with your doctor. I am sure it would be helpful.
@CloudDog I’m glad your taking your friend with a grain of salt. It’s not easy when people in our lives want to paly doctor.
The few people who know me well and yet still argue with me about my Sz have severe problems themselves.
Other people who don’t know me well… I think they are dealing with that disconnect of what they have gathered about the illness from movies and doom and gloom books versus the person I am standing before them.
I work with someone who sometimes says that mental illness is a cop out and that people afflicted should just pick themselves up and get on with it. I do think I can use it as an excuse sometimes but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. The person in question suffers from migraines which I have never had and I don’t know if they exist which is sort of poetic justice!
I agree with this person that it is possible because poor nutrition can lead to imbalances in the body, including the brain…
I also agree with this, at least in some cases.
However, this is not all clear cut. these are ‘can be’s’…doesn’t apply to everyone. There are many reasons.
I know what has worked for me is no meds, communicating with the spirits (in the power of Jesus - that’s important because without the light the darkness can consume you and not all spirits are good), and, change of diet, eating healthy…
My ex and his family like to bring up the fact that I’m “certified crazy” and it’s “no joke” even in casual conversations with anyone they talk to. I can always tell when I see those people, who now avoid me and get that “look” when they dash away so there is no chance of having to speak to me.
Then on my side, we don’t talk about it at all, the closest thing to discussing it was when my mom said to me, “you don’t really think you have (Sz), do you?” That face she made told me there was only one answer acceptable, No.
In the 25 times I’ve been hospitalized, only my ex visited for about a half an hour a couple of times, and his sister once (when she needed to finish a project that I had started for her so she could make some money in sales-using my idea and design-and pretending she did it. I got no credit, nor money for doing these)
My current spouse gets angry when I mention anything he don’t want to agree with, and I have learned to keep it to myself. Maybe it’s better this way since all it does when I talk about it is get me isolated.
My ex cut me off from our health plan thinking I would just get medicare, but since we paid 100% for our private health plan which was better than medicare, he cancelled my medicare so I didn’t pay for both. Now I learned that to receive medicare again, I have to pay a hefty penalty for NOT having it for every month that I didn’t have it. That would be for 17 years!
So no doc’s for me. I ran out of all my meds, including my thyroid med back in Sept. and have nothing.
Feels like I’ve done something wrong. Feels shameful and everyone has turned their back on me and hope I will go away and leave them alone.
Need to think about it.
OP, there’s no harm in trying alternative approaches; I cut out lactose and gluten and noticed an improvement (I have ADD) but did it rid me of all symptoms? No. Schizophrenia is not a gut issue, simple at that. At best, feeling better physically will make it easier to cope in other areas.
Unqualified people making claims about products or approaches that have not been put through scientific rigours in relation to diseases they have no idea about…well…
I’m annoyed because these people can be dangerous - in Australia, a homeopath encouraged a woman with cancer to drop her chemo in favour of whatever drops/potions he was dispensing. Cancer treatment in Australia is mostly free (we’re all automatically covered by Medicare for our lifetime) but she was spending 1000s on these miracle cures and diet plans. Her cancer spread and she later got to a point where it was too late. Her kids attempted to sue him, for memory.
My mother in law is that way. She believes that meds are dangerous and that I shouldn’t be on them. She believes that I’ve been brain washed by the doctors and my former clinic. She keeps telling me that I’m not seeing things but spirits that are in our home.