We have to fight it. I still feel its a habit that gets overwhelmed.
A rut is deadlier than a puff adder
Iâve heard good things about Rexulti too. Itâs too expensive for me right now, but Iâm doing good on the Abilify so I donât really want to change now. You have to watch APâs in order people though I donât really know the reason. In Arkansas USA there is a law they have to take you off APâs when you reach a certain age, and see if your symptoms come back. My pdoc tried and I got delusional and started hallucinating, so Iâm back on the APâs.
Yesh ive gotten delusional too everyitme i got off. Off abilify i was good for a while. I was doing 2 years without hearing voices and then it came back full force. I thought i had beaten it lol. Guess not. Im thinking it was me drinking a few times that made me antipsychotic again.
Most Schizos Got negative symptoms I still got some too but I have overcome them by incorporateing routines in my daily living. I eat 3 healthy meals every day and after each meal I do the dishes that Iâve used. I go to the grocery twice a week. I do the laundry once a week. I avoid alcohol. Take a bath 3 times a week. I run 2 miles on my threatmill every day. I have lived independently for 22 years. To be quite hornets I donât think that any of the 25 antipsychotics I have used had the slidest effects on my negatives. And the qutiapine I take has a tremendously effect on the positives but dulls my cognition a lot.
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I certainly do have negative symptoms. It has affected my cognition, my motivation and my ability to feel happiness or joy. But, these symptoms are only mild compared to what some other people have.
Yes but there are ppl out here who take antipsychotics yet stillvhave energy. So im hoping a med change will help with negatives. Either that or im waiting for ulotaront. Thats supposed to help with negatives and cognition. It gives me hope because it has a different mechanism of action.
I know ppl who said they used to feel like a zombie. But then they switched meds and now they no longer feel that way. So if you feel like a zombie on meds it might be a good ides to switch meds and try and find something that dosnt make you feel like a zombie
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I donât have negatives anymore.
I walk the dog, shower, etc.
I only have positives right now
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Are you on medications? Thats great news negative symptoms are what make you debilitated. But if you only experiencing pisitive symptoms that to me suggest you unmedicated.
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Iâm medicated.
Always.
I wouldnât dare to stop my meds.
You?
One tip for the apathy in negative symptoms:
This may sound trite but I think it helps:
Youâll need:
a timer and a task you need/want to do.
Step 1) set timer to 5 minutes
Step 2) tell yourself you will do X task you want to do for the 5 minutes, with the proviso that you can quit after 5 minutes if you still feel like quitting.
Step 3) when timer goes off, and youâve started task for 5 minutes, you can quit if you want to end it.
Iâve personally found this has helped. Yesterday I felt exhausted and depressed and just wanted to lie in bed, but I told myself âjust five minutesâz
I wound up doing math word problems for 2-3 hours. (Granted, though, I struggled through them and I think didnât do them as well as if I were on an âupcycleâ day. But I did them. )
Many people think âOh, you need motivation FIRST to do something and then action follow afterâ
Apparently tho, according to the research, frequently the ACTION comes first and then you get MOTIVATED later after youâve done some of the task.
Just my two cents and I hope this helps someone.
For timers, any timer will work, your phone, computer, kitchen timer or wristwatch. I use a $20 Casio wristwatch with world time that works beautifully. (Man, I love technology that is inexpensive and just WORKS)
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I donât know if I should attribute my symptoms to negative symptoms or depression as it comes in waves. One day I might be all into a hobby I just started and the next, i just donât care.
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Me too. I tend to have cycles of 3-4 days highly motivated then about 10 days of just BLEH depression.
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Geodon and Seroquel do that for me. Some people have trouble taking Seroquel, but I donât. Geodon does slow you down, physically, but to me it is worth it to have an antipsychotic that doesnât make me as dull as mud.
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Yes. 151515151515151515
@crimby so you are fine cognitively and dont have negative symptoms but you just suffer from physical weakness. Honestly id prefer that over having my mind dulled down but it kinda sounds the same thing. I dont really understand hoe your dull physically but not mentally. Its hard to describe how you feel from antipsychotics. Lol
Btw i am medicated. I plan to switch to seroquel to see how that does on my negatives. So far my doctor said no to me to switching over the phone. But i think if me and my mom go to her in person and tell her we wanna switch thst its more likely to work. Im on a community treatment order so i dont have control over what medications im on. Hopefully i can get off this â â â â so i have more control.
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I would highly recommend trying sarcosine, it works for negatives, works great, fantastic! I can smile and laugh for the first time in years, I donât know what to do with myself!
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How long did it take to work ?
It had an effect with my first dose but I have been taking it for several years and I am still seeing improvements on a daily basis. There have been several times when I have forgotten to take it for a day and the benefits stayed, apparently it stays in your system for more than a day.