Do APs slow you down, make you a downgraded version of yourself? Happens to me…
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This illness ruined my life before I started meds.
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They do but it is better to be downgraded than psychotic:
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I dont function as well as I did before I became psychotic. Before I was in the top 12.5% of my high school class if not higher at a hard high school and got into a top tier college. I was really proud of my abilities. Then I got psychotic and couldn’t keep up and eventually dropped out. Now I’m at a another university where the acceptance rate is like almost twice as high as the first one and I’m struggling to be in the top 20% of the accounting classes in order to get an A in the class. Without the antipsychotics doing anything would be impossible to do. I had voices screaming at me constantly and I was seeing things that aren’t there, making studying or driving or having my own thoughts pretty much impossible.
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That was cool to watch
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they slow me down. now that I lowered my dose I feel better.
I’ve been on meds that slowed me down. It took me almost twelve years to find the correct combination of meds and therapy for me. But now, I feel very energetic and I only sleep 8-9 hours most nights. If you’re not happy with your meds, you can always ask for an adjustment. The doctor might not be able to accommodate you right away. I had to stay at the maximum dose for a few months until I was more stable. But after a period of stability, they can tweak your meds for you.
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ninjastar would you care to tell me what meds you are on currently?
Fact: my meds do not slow me down one bit though they do make me sleepy and sleep longer at night. Can’t enjoy staying up late anymore. But definitely seen no slowing down I am up and going most days. In fact, neither abilify or Latuda slowed me down. Geodon made me a little more sedated though, but it was definitely not that bad. I am on a high dose too. I really think some of it might just be negative symptoms.
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I am about the same as I was before meds and my relapse, but with less motivation and sex drive.
They slow me down. I can’t always think of words or how to spell them. It’s embarrassing because I majored in English. When my daughter asks me about books she’s reading in the 12th grade, I can’t remember anything about them- even who wrote them. I taught 12th grade literature!
I desperately want to go back to school and accomplish more with my life, but I am so scared that medicine and/or this disease will stop me.
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I love that vid. I saw it long a go. It is the one about the news reporter who became MI?
(my connection is bad this morn and vids are buffering)
This is the vid i would chose to raise awareness and re-paint the public’s opinion and vision of us with severe MI. It clearly shows how debilitating MI can be.
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No I will never be able to function like I did when I was 16-19 years old…working 40+ hours a week…going to school…hustling for mas cash so i can smoke weed 24/7 and be high all the time while I’m doing this all…
Can never do that again. I don’t blame the meds though I blame the illness!!!
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i can’t function because of the illness not because of meds
actually only with meds i can regain some functionality
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I feel like my meds slow me down but they do enable me to concentrate on things which I’m thankful for.
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I’d rather be on meds than be in a paranoid world of schizophrenia where I think people are out to kill me, and feeling like everything in the world can read your mind.
I think you should try a different med. if you find the right med for you, you can live a decent life. Hang in there and stay positive.
Also new meds are coming out in the future, they could hopefully help you out.
Schizophrenia is hell without meds!
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I’m definitely not the same as I once was. Maybe brain damage from psychosis has caused this. However, with vraylar and other meds, I am better than I was some time ago and on other meds. I still don’t feel like what I was before my first major psychotic break. That really did a number on me and I haven’t been the same since.
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Not really. But I function worse without them. It’s hard to say what’s the illness and what’s the medication though. I only know for sure what certain side effects are. For all I know some things could be lingering illness.
I take Geodon 20 mg in the morning and 60 mg at night, and gabapentin 100 mg PRN. But every medicine works differently for every person. Some folks here hated Geodon.
I feel like my meds are slowing me down, but mostly it’s a good thing.
I used to be very impulse-driven, and to speak whatever thought popped into my head without having the time to stop myself and think about consequences or other options.
Now that I’m on meds, it’s as is there’s a buffer between thought and action, allowing me to think to myself “is this a good idea?” And “should I say/do something else instead, or perhaps nothing at all?”
I feel like people like me better now that I seem more able to control myself, and so do I.
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