I’m constantly battling so called visual hallucinations. It has become overwhelming. I take my meds primarily as prescribed but nothing seems to stop either the visual, tactile, or audio hallucinations. I didn’t sleep for over 24 hours yesterday and got only 3 hours sleep today. I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried at least 6 other AP’s and am currently on Risperidone. It seems that from what people post hear what i experience daily is only experienced occassionally by most of the posters. I’m not sure what i’m doing differently.
These days, several days a week. When I am tired and stressed out, they’re pretty much always there. What specifically is keeping you from sleeping? For me, lack of sleep just makes them worse.
I have a friend in my support group I go to with the same problem as you she had similar problem til the medication is no longer effective for her or it was not working for her she went to her doctor and consulted him about the situation even though she had been on different meds for a length of time she just did not give up hope, believe me the time will come that the medicine that will alleviate your symptoms will come along it just takes time when it’s trial and error with this type of situation sometimes. Your not alone. Just want to let you know that. Sure it’s frustrating and the sleeplessness is a part of it. When you get a chance talk to your doctor.
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when I’m not doing well, the hallucinations come back.
I haven’t had them for a while. Not sleeping… forgetting dose… stressing and starting to panic… the visuals and voices will come back.
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The voices and hallucinations are keeping me awake. I get so frightened and upset by what is and could happen i feel it is safer to stay alert and awake to fight them back. So i’ll smoke cigarettes and drink coffee until i get exhausted but sometimes that’s not until over 24 hours later. I hate my bedroom because that is where a lot of tactile and visual hallucinations take place including a great deal of sexual abuse.
Thanks Cecilia. I have an appointment coming up i’m gonna try another med. What do you take?
Thanks Surpised J. I know you have been doing really well and it has gotten me thinking about trying. Latuda along with the Risperdal. I’ve tried so many meds and i’m running out of options.
hug. That makes sense. I was wondering if it was the hallucinations keeping you awake, you keeping yourself awake because of the hallucinations, or something else entirely.
I know it’s hard to trust what someone on the internet is saying when you’re dealing with these things right there with you, but sleeplessness always always always makes things worse. If you can talk to your doctor about ideas on how to sleep, they may have some ideas on how to relax enough to be able to do so. Would it help if you slept on the couch for a few days, or something like that?
Definitely let your doctor know that your current meds aren’t doing enough to stop the hallucinations.
Feel better. 
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It maybe the cigarettes that you are smoking the nicotene. I’m not sure. But quiting smoking will help and eating right also. But that’s not your immediate concern. If sleeping with the lights on helps do so. I know it can be frightening . It may be also be hard to relax. I’m on abilify right now. I have been on other meds too like you sometimes they don’t agree with each other. But the doctor is the way to go.
Sleepless nights and days make my hallucinations much worse. I have two pills to knock me out. Zopiclone and Nitrazepam. One to make me fall asleep and one to keep me sleeping. When that don’t work I also take 2 ml Alimemazin. Sleep is the most important thing you must take care of now.
My voices tell me the sleeping meds are poison. I’m terrified I’ll die every night when I take my meds until it turns and I get better. Then I can stop taking sleeping pills slowly.
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everytime i close my eyes or stare at a wall or the sky
I was having visual hallucinations all day, everyday. I could hear a quiet radio playing in my head several times a week. The radio and chattering would get much louder when I didn’t get enough sleep. Those started going away after increasing my Latuda to 60mg. Now I’m on 80 mg.
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What other AP are you on other than Latuda? I’m thinking of trying Latuda.
try that drug clozapine…apaarently it has worked wonders for some. Is a drug that is considered dangerous and can only be used after trying at least 2 other anti psychotics.
I’m on meds for my severe anxiety. I also take adderall for my explosive outbursts, but I don’t think that’s the route your looking for. So that’s it.
Latuda
Clonazepam
Neurontin
Adderall
My visuals don’t often last longer than a second, but I have them daily. Used to be almost every minute for a while without meds.
Do you mind me asking what kind of visuals you have? Are they fully formed objects, lights, shadows or phenomena? Do you assign value to them (good, evil, etc)? A lot of mine flash in and out in seconds too, is why I’m asking.
Mine is predominantly visual, and is constant. I grow tired of calling them “hallucinations” because it really does not look or feel as if my brain is creating visuals all the time; most of the time it actually feels like I am looking at something through my mind’s eye, involuntarily.
Audio only comes at night when I am trying to fall asleep. To be frank, I have learned to accept whatever hallucinations come my way. Sometimes they are beautiful, sometimes they are eerie, but the emotional controls that I have during such moments are pretty spot-on as I am almost always lying down and trying my hardest to relax. I keep my head & body comfortable and bliss out; sometimes put ear plugs in for extra silence or listen to music w/ headphones on to create a positive mood.
Also, I have never smoked, I don’t do caffeine or any other stimulants, and I stay away from alcohol. Chronic smoking is not a smart way of battling SZ symptoms in my opinion. I watched my sister do that and she was more maniacal than hell when she used that as a method.
I would quit coffee if I were you.
Coffee does make positive symptoms worse. It helps me with my negative ones though.
What sort of hallucinations do you guys have? I tend to have mostly spatial distortion, and inability to see detail in objects, my eyes will just unfocus sometimes, it’s really annoying
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