when first starting down this l path, i was on meds. i never felt “myself” when on them. To this day i do not take them. At this point im scared of trying. i feel like side effects theses days for most of it is almost worse than what im dealing with. my voices would have a field day if while trying to get rid of them i made myself sick…
The right med would definitely be worth it. Does it exist yet? Not for me.
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sorry if this is to personal but are u on meds now
Nope. Got some zyprexa tablets as a PRN, but I haven’t taken one in weeks.
It’s amazing what a stress free attitude and routine can do.
When I’m here alone in my apartment I can easily just put the rest of my experience (telepathic harrassment/ voices) out of my mind. The voices totally disappear in that state, but you get used to them being there so it’s hard to not recall.
I’m just isolating for hours on end to try and get normal functioning back in my brain.
Just quit smoking and that’s kind of effected my stability. Dealing with cravings on top of all the other thought management I have to do.
In a week though I should be in a better state. Until then I don’t want to keep track of any of it(regarding smoking mainly).
I’ve got my focus back and I plan to use it to minimize the effect this illness has on me psychologically. It also helps me function but interacting with people is still weird.
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Congrats on quiting!!! doin that with no bs in the brain is next to impossible. Good for u!!
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stress free: wish there was a step by step to get to that
Your beliefs are very different from most people’s beliefs here. Check out this poll:
Yeah smoking was my primary distraction from the illness. I wouldn’t have survived without it. The times have changed though as I’ve sorted out/got tired of the obsessions I don’t need the distraction.
Now tobacco is on that list of things that I try not to think about it.
Baby steps.
smoking is def something that keeps me level or at least is helpful. i dont know if i could give it up, at this point anyway. more helpful than most meds hahah
The old “myself” is long gone. The new “myself” the illness replaced me with is not my friend, nor is it anyone else’s friend. Even if I don’t quite feel myself on the meds, all evidence I have indicates that they bring me closest to who I was. Years of working with docs and therapy has gotten me down to a tolerable dose and I’ve found a med that works very well for me these days (Geodon).
I’ve found that those who play games with treatment – namely avoiding meds – have the worst outcome over the long run. No matter how much you dislike the meds, you will wind up healthier if you accept full treatment early on. The longer you wait, the more function you will lose.
Pixel.
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If you can make it without med’s so much the better. Every time I’ve gotten off my med’s I messed up.
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See, here’s the thing. In MOST cases, a person will respond to at least SOME form of medication. Some do not - they seem impervious for some odd reason. I have no idea where you fall on the spectrum @shay. All I can tell you is my experience: I’ve been on a lot of different meds, but we’ve got a winner now. Yeah, a lot of people bash Haldol, but it works effortlessly with me. I would not recommend it as a first medication though. One of the newer meds to be sure, but which one? - that is up to a psychiatrist’s decision. If you do end up taking them, you’ll likely find them very helpful. Yeah, the side effects suck, but they are worth it, and if you have a good prescriber, they may be able to fine-tune them to the point that they work AND don’t cause side effects. Good luck!
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thanks guys, i have migraines. (migraines with ppl in my head that never shut up is so not fun) and im on meds for that. so its not that im scared to take any meds in general. i just always find that its dulling who i am. or taking away a part of me. the only part of me i still like anyway. i know ill never be who i was before all this its been 5 years i dont even remember who that girl was. i want to dull them with out hurting the real me
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I ■■■■■■■ wish there was telepathy so we could fix each others minds.
Blank stare and clear out those pathways.
The world would be a different place.
wouldnt that be a wonderful gift for us. i would try that in a heart beat
The side effects outweigh the benefits, most certainly in my case. I lived a VERY healthy life prior to SZ, so I don’t understand.
Once basically ‘forced’ onto them, I had a hard time getting off - in fact I simply just couldn’t, the mind became chemically dependent on injections, though the pill forms of meds I GLADLY all discontinued, and I have tried many.
Bottom line; meds help many people.
For those of us who take meds regularly it does not mean they work perfectly and taking meds doesn’t make us perfect. EVERYBODY hates side-effects obviously but it is proven that meds work. Not for everybody across the board but there are enough examples of people getting better and becoming more functional due to taking meds. Examples abound of people who couldn’t function until they took meds. It’s hard (but not impossible) to find people who have schizophrenia who live without taking meds.
yeah definately, meds make me function
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i have no choice but to take my meds, i don’t want to end up in a state hospital i hear its awful…
I hate the side effects but I take them as prescribed. I used to take med holidays when I first went on them, but I don’t do that anymore.