For how long must someone take antipsychotics after first episode

Medications
1

I read you must take antipsychotics for 1-3 years after first episode, then they wean you off medication to see how you do without. My pdoc said she will probably do that after one year of taking antipsychotics.

What about you? Did you wean off medication after first episode? How did it end for you? Do you know any success stories?

I must say im looking forward to being weaned off medication. I read some recovery stories, where people stayed permanently well without meds. Some stayed well for years until they started smoking pot again etc. Those stories give me hope.

But sadly there are also a lot of people who relapsed within a year after stopping taking antipsychotics.

2

I tried to be without medication after a year. I relapsed. It is about 5 years ago when I got ill and ended up in hospital for the first time. I have two-three prepsychotic episodes every year and have to increase medication. I’m on 25 mg Abilify and 300 mg Seroquel now. If I hit the roof on Abilify I don’t know what to change to. Everything else I’ve had made me a zombie.

3

Hi,

I’m one of the people who relapsed and I can tell you that there is no actual rule regarding this.

Your doctor should not give you expectations regarding this, because you could easily get dissapointed. If you will feel well during all this year, she will obviously keep to her promise. But that depends a lot of you, of good sleeping patterns, lack of major conflicts in your life, a keen determination to understand and avoid situations that would trigger your illness during the time you are on pills.

Weaning off medication is a good thing, if you can do it, and I wish you luck in the process of getting to that point, also in living without meds. However, relapsing isn’t the end of the world, I advise you to be prepared mentally for that possibility also, just to make sure that you won’t become medication-resistant if , god forbid, that would happen.

Best of luck, and congrats on joining the forum, I find it’s a very good decision to do it after having been diagnosed, to get in touch with other people who live with the illness. :smiley:

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4

Thank you zupa, i find this a very good decision too :slight_smile:

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5

I was on meds for four years before they took me off. For five years I did fine without meds, but then in 2012 I relapsed and had to return to meds. Since then I have had to stay on meds.

6

I was on meds for 4 years before they decided to take me off because I was in remission for that long. After that I had to go back on them in 3 weeks not because of psychosis but because my mood was the first thing that went funny.

7

I have been on meds for over 44 years. Anytime I went off I had a relapse in 3-4 months. BUT, I maintain if you follow an nutritional approach you may require less meds. In my case I am maintained on 2.5 mg of olanzapine daily, sometimes 5.0 mg daily if stressed by work, but very rarely.

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8

Been on a steady dose of injections for 5 years. I asked my pdoc if meds were for life and he said normally no, but you’ll have to take them for a long time. Recently he hinted that I might be taken off them but then at our last meeting he just renewed the prescription without talking about it further.

9

I’m on them for life now. Had a period of remission for a few years, but I’ve been on meds again for about 7 years or so.

10

"take antipsychotics for 1-3 years after early-first episode stage "

We say that,this is not the core of matter
BUT
What are the disease or disordered symptoms that is supposed to be disappeared by effectiveness of the antipsychotics ?
?! -the schizophrenia term divided into positive and negative symptoms ,including illogical disorders in the language,expression,thinking,thoughts speech,listening to others,behaviors,personal mores,social relationships,disability to sleep,disability to relaxation mentally or emotionally,lose attention,believe in delusional beliefs.,and some hidden symptoms that so-called hallucinations…etc

If there is an organic /chemical causes for these symptoms
What are the theoretical foundation of the disorder ?
What is the suitable medication which have real impact on the cause and its symptoms ?
Is the antipsychotics is enough and correct means to erasure the cause of disorder ?

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11

Once you are placed on an antipsychotic, not too many psychiatrists get you off of them.
They feel that there are too many risks involved

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12

my psychiatrists have never tried to take me off. i figure im on them for life.

13

Before give medical prescription to the person with schizophrenia,the psychiatrists should belief that there is a disease in the schizophrenic persons,even if they can not know the nature of disease or its cause,because the medical protocol do not warrant to the doctor to gives medical prescription for people have not a diseases !

If the psychiatrist believe that,there is no disease in the schizophrenic person,he can not gives medical prescription to the sufferer !

In practice, there are a group of symptoms without evidence or logic of proof for any cause

Hence,what is the goals in which the antipsychotics have seek to achieve in the biochemistry background of the schizophrenic person ?
-Primary medical care,primary medical intervention,emergency care for save the life or what is ?

14

Hmm…some people had brief psychotic episode which last for a month and you only need antipsychotic one month

Some people had schizophreniform,which last for six months,you will have positive/negative symptoms,but after six months you can stop meds and don’t need it again

If you have schizophrenia,then you would probably need to take meds for long term or even forever,in life,there might be some miracle,so hopefully it’s not that serious for your case…the antipsychotic has nasty side effect,Sexual dysfunction or weight gain but these can be canceled out by method and ways

I hope you are either brief psychosis or schiziphrenform,even if you are finally diagnosed with schizophrenia,don’t lose hope,you can still function and might be able to get off antipsychotic one day

Stay well…

15

We have two conditions:
1-the antipsychotics have direct impact on the symptoms of schizophrenia
{both of negative and positive symptoms}
2-The antipsychotics have direct impact on the cause of the symptoms

If we look inside the brain cells of the schizophrenic person,we can not see
any negative or positive symptoms, such as you read about in any medical reference ,but we see a chemical processes instead !
(for example,you can not see the social withdrawal,paranoia or delusional thought in the brain cells using your eyes or any tools}

The researchers belief that,there is bad gene produces abnormal chemicals in
the brain cells,which in turn causing non suitable mental functions,which in turn
causing all types of disorders in the thought,emotion and behaviors(positive+ negative Symptoms}

It is supposed that,the main goal of the antipsychotics pharmacology in the brain cells
of the schizophrenic, is to modify the abnormal biochemistry to get rid from the symptoms

Then, the schizophrenic person must get rid from all symptoms after taking one
dosage per one day,and takes second dosage in the next day when the pharmacology of antipsychotic disappears,and takes third dosage in the third day …etc
Viz,the person becomes normal after taking the antipsychotic,and becomes schizophrenic after lapse of antipsychotics
-IN PRACTICE,the person stills suffer from the symptoms during the time of antipsychotics effectiveness whatever the degree of improvement
OR
Is the schizophrenic person takes a dosage every day for one month /or 6 months or one year or for lifetime ,that is to have modification to the abnormal chemistry ?
Viz,the biochemistry of the schizophrenic will be modified after taking many dosages for many months or years or for lifetime ,it is different from person to person for no known reasons

The frank question;
if any schizophrenic person have full git rid from the sz symptoms after any number of dosages ?
=Whatever the degree of improvement,the answer is NO
WHY ?
because,any types of changes in the biochemistry of the schizophrenic is just the result of the hidden cause of sz,that is to say the imbalance state in the brain of the schizophrenic person is merely a chemical impression ,
in other words,the functional activities of the hidden cause in the brain systems causing
the imbalance state to the biochemistry of the brain ,while the antipsychotics has seeks to modify the bad effects of the hidden cause

Because,if there is bad gene produces the imbalance state in the brain,the person must be feels normal after taking one single dosage and all symptoms must be disappear during the time of antipsychotics effectiveness
but he never feels that he have become normal like he was before the existence of the early-first episode stage,and the symptoms does not disappearing whatever the number of dosage or the time of treating ,but what is secret of the improvement ?
-the response of the self-immune systems !

what is the logic of recovery ?

16

I couldn’t focus on what your trying to say,it’s too long,my concentration level isn’t great

17

1- In the case,if The symptoms of schizophrenia is not a symptoms of GENETIC disease.
Then;
,all questions and answers around the activity of antipsychotics or the period time of treatment is irrelevant and causing boundless debate

The idea of bad gene / chemical abnormality in the brain of the schizophrenics is just an idea of delusional genetic disease,even if the medical intervention causing some aspects of improvement (specially in the early-first episode stage}

If we agree that,there is a chemical imbalance condition in the brain of the schizophrenic.
1-The chemical imbalance processes does not produce the schizophrenia symptoms
(if you modify the imbalance condition by any medication,the symptoms is stills exist}
2-the cause of chemical imbalance condition IS NOT the cause of schizophrenia symptoms(treatment the metabolism of brain chemistry by medication have no effect on the sz cause}
3-all types of medication have effect ONLY on the biochemistry metabolism of the brain,without effect on the symptom or cause

the question;what is the cause of chemical imbalance condition ?
this is the deceitful puzzle for all researchers ,because it is unexpectedly
that the inner mental processes of the symptoms causing the chemical
imbalance condition
(the mental event is precedent the chemical event )
(The perception is precedent the chemical action of the brain)

in practice,all types of chemical imbalance condition processes are the
results of the mental events that take place in the mind-brain

this means that,the symptoms of schizophrenia is the cause of the
chemical imbalance condition processes !!
you can not believe that ,although it is easy to find the evidences!!

If the symptoms has stop running ,the chemical imbalance condition processes
must be disposal ( for example,during the period time of sleep,the manifestations of the chemical imbalance condition does not exist at all } !
If the sz is genetic disease,you should find the manifestation of the chemical imbalance condition in the brain of the schizophrenic while he is sleep or wake !!

18

The data bases of the schizophrenia symptoms is not similar any concept of any
theoretical assumptions !

Nature of the schizophrenia cause more advanced compared to the content of any theoretical assumptions,so that can not expect the actions or the results in the both of mental and biochemical levels,that are clustered during /after the functional activity of the sz cause in the natural systems ( biology /psychology }of the human body

It is impossible to know /understand what happened in the cellular system of the brain from operations or changes depending on the concepts of any theoretical assumption,because its primitive and irrelevant originally .

If you believe that:
1- schizophrenia is a disease { this is the first wrong }
2-schizophrenia is genetic disease (this is the second wrong}
3-A bad gene produces the schizophrenia ( third wrong }
4- Chemical abnormality ( imbalance condition) causing abnormal mental and behavioral functions ( fourth wrong]
5- abnormal mental / behavioral functions is the symptoms of schizophrenia {mistake]
6-using the medication to treatment the symptoms or the sz cause (mistake}
7-using the medication to modify the metabolism of the brain chemistry is CORRECT,
but that do not block the cause of imbalance condition nor disposal the symptoms

8-Cause of schizophrenia is stringer factor not genetic factor
9-cause of sz do not causing a disease (symptoms of sz is not symptoms of disease]
10-cause of schizophrenia in itself is a whole creature similar to the human psychic entity
-the schizophrenic person realizes the cause of sz inside himself as he feels his own oneself inside his body !!
11-cause of sz causing psychological/mental and emotional features not symptoms of disease !
12-all types of sz symptoms in reality are a conscious features {{symptoms}} not materialist / organic or bodily symptoms
13-the cause of schizophrenia in its nature is not sickness factor,does not causing a disease,does not causing a symptoms of disease,and like the essence of the psychological entity of the human being ,he is alive entity by all meaning of the words
14-all scientific tests will be fail to diagnosis the cause of schizophrenia,because he is like the thing that you call “myself”,the hidden psychological entity who is resides in the human body
15- the schizophrenia is an acquired psychological entity (not hereditary,not paternal or maternal ),non-human in his nature
16-the schizophrenia cause has acts and behave in nature of the host as if he is a higher genetic condition,independent in his goals about the original psychological entity of the host,parasite, new resident, psychological imperialist ,colonist
17- the schizophrenia condition is just a two psychological entities has exist in one place-time in one single brain to fighting all time of wake ! to be or not to be

18=if the nature of the schizophrenia cause is similar to the principle structure of the psychological entity of the human being,what do you think about the effectiveness of the antipsychotics on the cause of schizophrenia ?
It is supposed that,the effect of antipsychotics is the same on the cause of sz and the psychological entity of the host,that is true if the root origin of the psychological entity of the host is the same for the sz cause

In practice,the antipsychotic have power effect to frustration the responses of the mental and emotional processes of the psychological entity of the host,but can not make any frustration to the activity of the schizophrenia cause

This means that,the root origin is not the same !
viz,if the psychological entity is the product of the genetic work,but the schizophrenia cause is not a product of the genetic functions !
and this is hard to treatment !!

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19

Hi I took anti pyhcotics for 8-10 months, I have been off them about 3 months and have not relapsed, just suffering depression from the side effects of the meds

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20

I find the things you’ve said to be incredibly true. And am blessed that you posted. Wanted to say “thank you!”