Can antidepressants worsen schizophrenia?

Im using lexapro and not sure if it worsens my schizophrenia or improves it. What do you think?

2 Likes

It might be possible. I was on invega and fluvoxamine and found my symptoms got worse, but not sure which was the culprite

1 Like

I was thinking that 2nd gen meds try to block serotonin receptors and some antidepressants raise serotonin. I could be wrong.

My voices became a bit louder when I started Wellbutrin (it boosts dopamine). But I feel better with it. So I’m happy.

Yes, antidepressants can certainly make symptoms worse especially if you also suffer with mood symptoms.

1 Like

Youre right, Im on Invega and it heavily blocks serotonin and lexapro inhibits it

When I took ADs with APs I felt numb. Sometimes got stiffness in muscles. ADs on their own made me euphoric. I was worried about getting manic.

Last time I relapsed they took off my antidepressant at the hospital, I restarted soon after I got out.

1 Like

Yeah well ADs can cause mania and psychosis so sure it’s possible. Uncommon but probably more common in people with our DX as a subpopulation

Well , I came off my antipsychotic and onto an antidepressant and I became psychotic. They say I have schizoaffective but I don’t believe I have mood issues… I think I have sz and it made it worse.

1 Like

I know that If you have schizoaffective disorder it can make you severely manic very severe too like doing out of character stuff spending money you wouldn’t some people like myself have done shoplifting and vandalism while in a full mania idk about regular schizophrenia tho

The AD and AP I take boost or increase serotonin and dopamine in a synergistic way.

Antidepressant definitely make schizophrenia worse . Mood stabilizers and anxiety pills can temporarily help but not that good in the long run . I’m thinking of getting on 1 Abilify morning and 1 zyprexa at night if that’s what my psychiatrist thinks is best . I believe the medications they are developing for anhedonia will be the real game changer . They will have one for mental anhedonia 1 for social and one for physical. They also need to develop medication for alexithymia, which they have started yet as the illness wasn’t documented until 2017.

The same thing happened to me on Invega. I started Invega in July and tapered off Clozapine. After tapering off Clozapine, my psychiatrist took me off fluvoxamine because I was having hallucinations and delusions and she increased the dosage of Invega. I’m doing better now.

1 Like

It seems like antipsychotics lessen the effect of the antidepressants I’m on. I don’t know about antidepressants worsening schizophrenia.

1 Like