Finding Schizophrenia drugs alternatives

Medications
1

Hello.

I have been like many of you… suffering from schizophrenia. However, at least for my case, it’s been rather very light one, and what brought me to create this thread is actually the schizophrenia drugs.

I’ve been on Zyprexa for about 4 years. It didn’t give me much side effects except extreme hunger and making me sleepy/drowsy throughout the day. For most people, especially overweight, the hunger urge can be a real concern (diabetes, etc.). For me, I gained some weight, but it was hard fight not to gain huge weight. So somehow I gotten along with it.

However, one day, the pdoc has decided to move me to a different drug, saying the Zyprexa effect has diminished. I couldn’t imagine what would happen, so I agreed.

Then I was put on PERPHENAZINE injection, which is typical (not atypical) antipsychosic. The side effects were horrific. I practically couldn’t think, couldn’t focus, couldn’t even feel emotions towards anyone. I felt my brain was ‘stuck’. All of this plus severe insomnia. Was into very much ‘zombie’ state. So after it’s effect went away, after few weeks, I immediately demanded new drug. I was given Invega orally.

Unfortunately the effects weren’t much better. Pretty similar. I felt my mind is stuck into a sort of bubble, can’t think straight, couldn’t sleep at all. I could focus, but I went into depression because I coulnd’t enjoy anything, except slight enjoyment from food. Pretty horrible as well…

So I asked new drug, I was given Seroquel, which I read has slighly milder effect on the brain.

It made me extremely tired, but after days I slept 2-3 hrs night on prev. drugs, I could finally sleep. And it’s effect is indeed only slighly less harsh than Invega and the other drug. Though it feels like a constant drunk feeling during all day, even tho I took it the night before, which isn’t very pleasant, but at least hardly I can think sort of straight. However, it did give me an fast heartrate, which I never experienced before. Still an annoying zombie-like feeling that doesn’t go away though.

So that’s my experience, but how does that relate with the topic of this thread?

It relates so that I’m determined to find a cure, or help create a drug, to take care of schizophrenia symptoms, without any or with very little light side effects.

The side effects are so horrible, at best one will gain lots of weight with very increased risk for diabetes and its complications. At worse some meds will put one into a zombie state, without any enjoyments, without being able to think outside of him/her and enjoy thinking like a normal human being. What those drugs do, is that they completely block some dopamine and other chemicals signals in the brain. The drug companies don’t care about our symptoms. They care about their $$$. The drugs may lessen one’s delusions, but if the disease is light like with my case, and considering the horrible side effects mentioned, I would prefer being without any drugs than on those side effects which may ruin one’s life literally… Dopamine is a chemical which causes enjoyable and nice feelings through the mind on the body. From my understanding, these drugs block those feelings. The drug companies aren’t very considerate to create drugs that just balance those chemicals, if excessive, into normal. No. They completely block them!! So no wonder many many people define their conditions “zombies”, because a human being without any enjoyments is like a dead person. Or indeed a ‘zombie’. The entire essence in life is to enjoy and make others enjoy. These drugs hurt this severely…

And I’m not talking about extreme enjoyments like from food or sex. I mean the every second in life the good feelings our bodies produce… and the enjoyments our thoughts produce… these are what those drugs take away from us.

So I decided not to stay lightheaded, even tho I sort of am with the drugs effects, but I’ll fight this. No I can’t fight the drugs harsh chemical effects for sure. What I can, is to help create much better drugs, for me and for millions of others. And this is what I’m determined to do.

Please consider joining my struggle, for the sake of yourself and your loved ones.

Let’s make this thread useful, by recommending substances that may be helpful in easing or diminishing the symptoms of Schizophrenia. Or, show your desire to gather together, so we may create much better drugs alternative ourselves, not being dependant on the drug companies. Yes that is possible if we get a lot of people. Of course, it is NOT recommended for anyone to stop drugs, until proven otherwise.

If you would like to suggest natural substances, that may combat Schizophrenia, please write them here.

If you’re willing to gather together to create a much better chemical alternative, for instance such that will balance the chemicals in brain instead of completely blocking them, also write here.

Thank you for reading.

-Worried

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You sound like someone with an anti-psych agenda. New poster, spouting the horrors of medication, the evils of big pharma, and trying to sway people towards alternative treatments.

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Welcome to the forum. If you read some of the posts you will find other threads discussing how some find some relief with supplements etc.

4

I just detailed my experience and after reading for weeks dozens of other similar stories.

If I didn’t experience that myself, I couldn’t know how those drugs effects are.

I know everyone can react different to each med. It’s just my own perspective. And I know many look for better alternatives - those with no or minimal side effects.

5

Good for you. Are you talking to a doctor and in therapy as well or just winging this?

I have been enjoying my life, but I’m on meds. It’s under my doc care that I’ve been working towards lowering doses and going to therapy to cope and learn. But just two months ago my meds got tapered and I went psychotic and almost landed back in hospital. So I need my meds.

But I’m glad this is working for you.

Completely off topic… I’m a pretty wordy guy, and I do love it when I find post longer then mine. :smiley:

6

Great post. I’m not on medication plus I smoke a decent amount of pot, usually daily.
My schizophrenia is of the paranoid type, which some could say is “easier” as I don’t hallucinate or have delusions outside of the psychosis that sparked the schiz.

I agree with the Seroquel, it’s definitely sedating, and the long term side effects are horrific. I spoke with my doctor, and he told me man to man that they don’t know exactly how these drugs work. They react differently because our organisms are different. I’m not subjecting myself to taking these drugs for the rest of my life. I will quit the marijuana and try to live life clean from all drugs. Especially anti psychotics. ■■■■, I’d rather just smoke weed all day, than take those.

7

Worried,

You have negative beliefs about medications that are very extreme. Yes - medicines frequently have side effects and are far from perfect - but there are a lot of people who are doing very well on medications and find them very helpful.

What the scientific evidence seems to indicate is that the right medications (at as low a dose as feasible - work with the doctor on this), the right nutritional supplements and good therapy (e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis / schizophrenia) plus other therapy is likely the best combination for optimal recovery. Of course - it takes a lot of trial and error to figure this out.

We have a section on our web site on complimentary therapies that have evidence behind them to help:

I recommend you read about people’s positive experiences with medications so that you get a more balanced view on medications - see the link below.

8

Thanks for the links. I found them useful.

It should be noted, that indeed, what may be bad for me may be good for others. We are all different. Like I heard bad feedbacks in cases like I had, I did read many good and successful stories. (though, I must mention, almost everyone has this or another side effect from the meds).

It’s about 50% 50% or so, some do good on these medications while others do from little bad to more than that.

I really wish I could help myself and those 50% not doing well on the medications. Anyway, why should we settle on less than a perfect drugs, with no or nonmeaningful side effects? With today’s technology, I’m pretty sure it’s possible to create ones and reduce people’s suffering significantly.

Why don’t the drugs companies, who all make billions of dollars, continue improving and create better drugs with less side effects from their profit? They are already multi rich, if I were one I would certainly do something useful for others with so much money. My feeling is that they plan to make trillions instead of billions.

So if only those like me who had very bad experiences, will gather, not agree to live like this forever and wouln’t count on luck that someone else will invent the perfect drug tomorrow - We could make that difference ourselves.

-Still Worried

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There’s some scientific support for the idea that vitamin D might possibly play a causal role in schizophrenia, but if my understanding’s correct, conclusive evidence that the vitamin (or hormone, to be more accurate) can cause schizophrenia is lacking. What’s also lacking are studies that have evaluated whether or not vitamin D supplementation can relieve the symptoms of schizophrenia. But if I had to suggest a natural substance that might possibly combat schizophrenia, I’d suggest vitamin D. Glycine and sarcosine might also be worth trying. One thing about vitamin D is that it has a long half-life in the body, so it may take six months or longer for the true long-term effects of vitamin D supplementation to take effect. Still, though, if one has schizophrenia and also has a level of vitamin D that’s deficient or insufficient, supplementing with vitamin D3 (under the care of a professional, ideally) would likely be a good idea.

shadow

For further reading:
http://www.fasebj.org/content/22/4/982.full

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If you want alternative medication check out this web site.

http://www.kuninhealth.com/index.php?page=dr-richard-kunin

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While I’m certainly not going to “defend” pharma companies - they do plenty of things that I think are morally questionable as a general class of companies - but the issue of why don’t they make better drugs is a separate issue. Like all companies they direct their investments into the area where they think they can get the best financial return.

As some recent news has reported:

"After a series of failed clinical trials in which novel antidepressants and antipsychotics did little or no better than placebos, the companies seem to have concluded that developing new psychiatric drugs is too risky and too expensive.”

“Presently, though, the pharmaceutical industry has little taste for the long-term financial risk of discovering new psychotropic drugs.”

Source:

THis is the problem.

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Why not you take back zyprexa,since your doing ok/well while on it?