Is it hard for you guys to function without the medication?
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I can function ok without medication. Not excellently, but enough to get by. Sort of like survival mode. I do what absolutely needs to be done and nothing else.
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yes, it is impossible to function without medications for schizophreniaâŚIâm tired of seeing so many people saying they donât take meds for schizophreniaâŚif you arenât taking meds and you arenât fully blown psychotic then you arenât schizophrenicâŚthere I said it.
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I was off meds for a while and did ok for a short while, then I started to slowly slip into psychosis and mood swings, then it went full blown and I ended up sectioned. Iâve realised over time that I cannot function without meds, at least not for more than a short time. Iâm sticking with the meds from now on, that last episode was a harsh reminder of how severe this illness can be.
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I guess it depends on how you define âfunctioningâ. If you mean coping with the practicalities of day to day living then I am not sure Iâd function any better or worse. I would probably be more prone to emotional reactivity and meltdowns though, and more susceptible to the effects of stress.
I think others would say I was âfunctioningâ less well.
No Iâd become full blown psychotic. Be considered a danger to myself and others, be abseloutly miserable and strange behavior and be involuntary hospitalized very quickly.
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Me too. Been there. Done that.
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Nooo ⌠I cannot function without meds.
I would become so Delusional and Paranoid that I would become a danger towards others.
I â â â â â â â gave up my dog for Adoption while Psychotic.
I hate myself for this.
I donât know how some Schizophrenics manage without meds.
I have to remain on my meds.
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Wave, maybe I donât remember correctly but you seemed pretty lucid here on the forum just before giving your dog to the no-kill shelter. You were expressing a sincere sorrow but said that itâs unvoidable to part ways with your dog. We all provided support for you during those tough times⌠but I am not sure you were floridly psychotic, at least judging by your posts back thenâŚ
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I think wave was in and out of the hospital when he gave up his dog. Some can hide their psychosis online, especially older people who have psychotic illnesses and are used to living with it.
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Yeah, perhaps thatâs what was hapening. I thought Wave decided he couldnât bring his dog along when he moved house and couldnât leave it with his heartless family either ⌠but I may be wrong.
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I was delusional at that time @Andrey.
I thought that my entire family was out to get me.
Like @Goyankees mentioned, I was in and out of the Hospital.
But I also was in the process of moving and couldnât take my dog.
So there was some reality to it.
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I can function well without meds for a while. Sometimes a week, sometimes a few months, one time even 2 years. Often better than while on meds after a while of being off, happier, more alive, more loving and empathic and spiritual and connected. And then I collapse, do weird things like stopping to eat and drink and am back to hospital. I still donât give up hope that I will be without meds one day though⌠I need that hope to survive. The hope that one day I will find a cure and I learn to cope with my problems without regressing into psychosis. Maybe that is stupid, and I know chances are small, but I just wonât accept that Iâm on meds for life. I know there are people who get healed and I just stubbornly and stupidly keep on believing that one day Iâll be one of them. Doctors call that âlack of insightâ. I call it âstubbornly clinging to hope in order to surviveâ.
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I think if you have a totally stress free life maybe it could be done.
Old mental hospitals tried to do this. But now they are relics at least in USA not even worth tearing down.
The answer is simple. No I canât.
No for me too 15151515
I donât take an antipsychotic, just escitalopram (an SSRI for anxiety) at a low dose, and Atenolol (Beta blocker for heart palpitations from anxiety). When I try antipsychotics, I get bad reactions with side effects and usually quit them. The normal atypical antipsychotics make my blood sugar dangerously high and make me gain serious weight. I once tried Aripiprazol (Abilify, I think) and it made my anxiety much worse and made me enraged about everything turning me into a danger for myself and others.
So no antipsychoticsâ for me. As far as functioning goesâŚI canât hold a job or go outside very often. I have major issues with personal hygiene and if it werenât for my wife, Iâd be living in VERY dirty clothes and surrounded by trash, nor would I talk to anyone or make it to my Dr. appointments. So I donât think medications are the only things that help, support from family can be important too (if youâre lucky enough to have it, or not throw it away because of paranoia.) I am very grateful.
I function enough to not be hospitalized, and I am able to slowly maintain hobbies and my relationship with my wife and daughter. Not really enough to be of any real use to society though.
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I am too scared to go off my meds. I have relapsed a few times whilst on meds and I was terrified. I cannot function on low dosage AP so I deffinately wonât be able to function without meds.
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Nope.Iâm going without an anti depressant right now which is causing problems. Nope
I too can function for a while sometimes even as long as a few years but always end up back in hospital. 5 years now steady on thorazine and no hospital stays.
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