To find the right med? How long have you been stable on it? When was your last episode? Doesit ever get better??
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I’ve been on the same meds for almost 15 years, Last hospitalization was at that time. No breaks since then.
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I’m still figuring out the dosage of my AP but it helps tremendously. Along with my other meds. This one for me has virtually no side effects and is weight neutral. Even if it doesn’t make everything go bye bye I don’t want to switch again.
Edit: been on this AP for around 4 months or so.
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I’ve been on a ton of different meds and gone to their highest dose each time, I’ve been hospitalized 15 times since 2014 and most of them in the last 3 years. Nothing can help me
Geodon and Seroquel have worked well for me. The last time I was in the hospital was 2013. You might try those drugs, if you haven’t already.
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I was first put on Risperdal, it worked well but had eyelid twitches so Dr switched me to Abilify. I stayed 8 years on Abilify minus 2yrs where I stopped my meds. Abilify was my best med until I had side effects, shopping addiction mainly. It worked for both positive and negative symptoms. Then I switched to Latuda 80mg which didn’t fully work for positive symptoms and had bad side effects like akathisia and insomnia. Now I am on Risperdal, no positive symptoms but have negative symptons.
Oh also I was on Zyprexa for a few months after of being off meds for 2yrs but that didn’t work so they put me back on Abilify.
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12 or 13 years. A lot of miserable experimenting until then.
Well over a decade if you overlook a few blips. I haven’t been in a psych ward for decades.
A few years ago when I foolishly thought I could go med free. Expensive mistake. Being so high-functioning when you’re delusional means you can stay under other peoples’ radars for longer and actually do more damage.
Things are pretty darn good for the most part these days.
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I started off on prolixen in the hospital; it was my first med. Spent 8 months on it inside. Once I got out of the hospital I started getting stable within 6 or 7 months. I stayed stable for about 5 years until I relapsed. That relapse took a year out of my life. I stayed on prolixen about 18 years, until 2001. Then, my doc at that time tried a few 2nd generation drugs on me so I could get off prolixen to lower my chances of getting TD. Abilify didn’t agree with me; neither did geoden or xyprexa. We finally settled on resperidone and I’ve been on it ever since.
I’ve gotten a lot of mini-episodes but nothing major. Yes! It definitely gets better! I spent the entire 80’s in hospitals and group homes and supported housing. In 1995 I moved out on my own and lived independently for 20 years. I’ve also been working and taking classes. When I first got sick I never dreamed I would ever work again or go to college or have cars or live independently or have friends again But I’m doing all those things now except I don’t have any friends. My co-worker used to invite me to go have coffee or go hiking but I always turned him down. It gets better!
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I had chest pain for a couple years. A doctor finally prescribed me Prilosec and it went away. I was wondering if they thought the chest pain was imagined through sz. I didn’t hear many voices in the beginning and kept trying to go without meds but couldn’t sleep. I was a zombie on risperidone for about a year and a half. It’s been about 5 years since the onset of my insomnia and now I don’t mind clozapine that much. I still get some paranoia sometimes. They just increased my clozapine by 50mg to 250mg. Sleeping 12 hours a night is a little annoying.
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This is why I really like my first pdoc.
He put me on the right med first attempt.
I used to suffer a lot on 15mg abilify.
But I toughed it out until I was allowed to reduce the dose.
My last episode was December 2018.
I’ve been stable on it since about January 2021…
Feels kind of good
You can get there too I hope.
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I started out on Amitriptaline and Lithium. Those did nada for me except land me in the first of many, many hospitalizations for suicidal intent and deep depression. My pdocs eventually realized I was terribly psychotic and ordered high dose Perphenazine, which was likewise useless.
Over the years, my many pdocs experimented with many meds: Depakote, Tegretol, Zoloft, Serzone, Risperdal pills, Haldol, Stelazine, Abilify, and Zyprexa. Few of them worked.
I am currently on Risperdal Consta shots, Geodon, Seroquel, Celexa, and Klonipin prn. These all work very well for me anyway. Right now, my pdoc is tweaking my Risperdal Consta downwards. And so far, my only reaction is waking at 3 am every morning.
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