I have been on one antipsychotic or another since I was in my very early 20s - I am now 50 and my body is not tolerating them anymore like I used to in the past.
I have had cardiac - fast heartbeat - metabolic (diabetes) issues and other problems with these potent psychotropics.
The Risperdal that I am on now seems to agitate - activate me, messing with my heart rate on certain doses above 2.5 mg.
I am not here to bash medication use - I am all for taking meds for SZ and BP but its like my body is saying enough is enough to these antipsychotics.
I highly doubt that my psychiatrist will want to take me off of an AP - she has told me that I have to be on one, and she basically threatened to hospitalize me if I got off of them - it was a misunderstanding on her part, I never would stop taking my meds without her consent.
Its just that I really do not know what to do - there is a big part of me that knows that these class of meds are really harming me physically - do I take a chance and lower my dose again?
I am not anti psychiatry or anti meds but I also want to live well into my 70s or 80s - I seriously doubt that I will make it to my mid 60s at this rate.
The damage from chronic antipsychotic use is finally taking a toll on my body - but I know that I wont make it without taking antipsychotics - my moods will destabilize and I will most likey get delusional and hallucinate again.
Any suggestions? What in the world do I do - I am going to talk to her about it again, but I am not about to sacrifice my physical health any more - I mean I want to live - not ready for an early death.
Also my liver and kidneys are affected somewhat now - this is so frustrating - if I decide to go very low dose I will get destabilized
Try prolixin? I love this med. no side effectsā¦risperdal has been known for causing heart problems. I have no link to back that up. I saw it headlined on CNN once.
I can totally see how your in between a rock and a hard place. I know your very knowledgeable about your meds and the side effects and doseā¦
I know a med ātune-upā could have some very unwelcome side effects as well.
I am also pro-med and Iām med compliantā¦ but sometimes there is an alternative idea that doesnāt seems too harmful or derailingā¦ For meā¦ it was the light lamps for S.A.D. that helped me not crash this past winter.
Also some of the stress management classes helped me cut down on my Xanax use.
(Againā¦ thatās just me)
Are you looking into or discussing any alternatives to meds with your doc? I really am rooting for you a lot on this oneā¦ because Iām just turned 30ā¦ and I have a feeling in 20 years I could also see it being a precarious balance between the physical and mental health.
I really am rooting for youā¦ and I really wish I had some valid ideas.
I may have to go to an older antipsychotic - my pdoc already mentioned Navane - a drug I was on in the past.
She also mentioned perphenazine - these APs have fewer metabollic issues than many of the atypicals.
Since I cannot go without an antipsychotic, I will bring up the older antipsychotics with her
i wish you well,you are a sensible person from what you said here.I hope that life will offer more option for you,its better that you find a medication that suits you and with little side effect,or side effect that doesnāt bother you much
Thereās always the hope of new meds like brexpiprazole this year and as a long shot CBD meds around 2017. The issue is do you want to be the first guinea pig so to speak to try them out.
One thing you could talk to your psychiatrist about is the risky game of āalternate day dosingā instead of lowering your dose outright.
Results: Individuals in the extended dosing group were not at greater risk of symptom exacerbation, relapse, or rehospitalization; indeed, more rehospitalizations occurred in those receiving regular dosing. At the same time, though, there was no indication that side effects were significantly reduced in the extended dosing group.
You might want to look into homeopathic medicines from India and China as well as these new amino acids they are mentioning even on the header of this site along with important vitamins(āBā and āCā vitamins especially) along with your meds to keep our brains in optimum health so the medications will work better.
I asked a doctor several years ago that what I thought I needed was only some Valium but that request was denied as they new I was a drug addict in the past.
If you smoke or drink a lot doing so can have adverse affects. I am on 2 mg a day risperadone and just quit smoking a few months ago and the frequently happening of cardio arrhythmia (rapid heart beat) has disappeared almost all together.
I donāt have much advice, but wish you luck in the coming weeks/months. no doubt some tweaking will be underway, be open and honest with your psych, and post here as often as you need!
I see so many posts about meds working and not working or causing nasty sfx, etc., that I thought it might help to run down the following info about the influencing factors I know of from both education and observation that are most commonly observed:
Co-morbid abuse of or addiction to alcohol or street drugs. Far and away the most often-seen correlative.
Lack of appropriate, functional support from family members, other intimates and the health-care providers.
Inconsistent use of prescribed medications. The anti-Ps, anti-As and anti-Ds all have half-lifes. If theyāre not taken on schedule, or suddenly discontinued, one may experience withdrawal and rebound effects.
Over-medication. A very common problem, especially if the prescriber is not a more sophisticated, board-certified psychopharmacologist (regardless of whether he or she is an MD, and DO, an NP or a PA). I have seen a lot of pts do better on lower dose levels, but NOT everyone, by a long shot.
Stress. Too little as well as too much. Some stress is useful; too much is not. If the autonomic nervous system is regularly in āfight or flightā (let alone āfreeze, freak, flop or fryā), the meds may not only not be able to get the job done but make things worse (as with negative symptom pts).
The principle anti-P is no longer effective owing to neuroplastic changes the med itself ā or many otherother factors ā may have induced.
Poly-pharmacy. A lot of sz pts (especially those with negative symptoms) are on "cocktails* used to try to balance the neurostimulant vs. neurodepressive effects of other meds, as well as mood levelers and minor tranqs. What may have worked well together before may not work well now.
Abuse of PRN-used minor tranquilzers, especially benzodiazepines like Ativan lorazepam, Klonopin clonazepam, Valium diazepam and Xanax alprazolam.
Over-dosing or overly long-term use of other anti-anxiety agents like BuSpar buspirone, Inderal propanolol or Catapres clonidine.
Diet. Unfortunately, a lot of sz pts are drinking way too little water, drinking way too much coffee or other caffeinated beverages, eating junk food, eating way too much bread, eating way too much sugar, etc., etc., etc.
I think itās a really good idea for pts ā or those living with them ā to keep a record of what the pt is taking (including street drugs), and how he or she is doing.
Have you looked at Rufus Mays website. Very, very good. Takes a more compassionate and nurturing approach. I practice mindfulness and that really helps me. I also practice yoga, have a reasonably healthy diet, walk everyday, volunteer for a couple of hours a week. I donāt drink a and I make connections with other people. I find Buddhism very useful to me and my growth. I ground myself and live in my body and in what I feel as much as possible. I dialogue with my voices and try to live in acceptance of my experience. It works really well for me and I feel myself suffering less and less as time goes on. If you do reduce your meds, there are plenty of things you can do to support your growth. D x
Im not sure if it was the medication, maturing and life experience or willpower which reversed my schizophrenia but I did come out alright, and I think Iām done with Abilify. It hasnāt been working right or needed much anymore, became counterproductive. The main problem is for Bipolar, Abilify simply makes me feel OK about everything and not everythng is ok, so Iād rather suffer in the real world, so I can confront it head onāthen take a backseat to life in a sort of subhuman state of mind.
Bingo. I have learned to hear the voices as āother riders on my big yellow school bus.ā I listen very carefully to what they have to sayā¦ because it sometimes squares with empirically verifiable reality. But even when it doesnāt, I learn from their assertions about myself, even though I choose not to act upon those assertions.
Yeah exactly. No actually thatās pretty accurate. Iād tell myself to think differently, became a battle with myself instead of surmounting difficulties, an attachmentālike being forced to believe that you are sick. Then disconnected from my own natural self, and for 10 years or moreā¦you become detached from reality, you see everything in a perpetual fog, and its wrong but you are unable to express it because of a chemical and a conditioned belief that there is only one path to success, or one path to recoveryāthen later down the road told thereās no cureā¦thatās what the problem is with this schizophrenia stuff. Itās a big SHAM. I think the whole media perpetuation of this scam is a travesty as wellā¦while my views on politics wont change whether medicated or not Im absolutely disgusted with Western Civilization, the US and its wars of pollution, itās violence and its hypocrisy, we can only bend so far until we break. Not to rant butā¦Iāve always felt this way.
Iāve been on APās since my early thirties. Iām 56 now. I sometimes wonder if I could make it if I cut out all caffeine, meditated, and exercised.
I really donāt have much experience to go on. I have been on antipsychotics for twelve years. I am having cardiac issues. I am also stable. My pdoc has weened me off my antipsychotic and this is only day two. He agrees that if I can stay off of them it would be better for me. A lot he says is dependent on me and the work I do to keep myself well. I am 50 as well, and would like to see grandchildren graduate college.
The trouble started brewing when I went below the 2 mg mark of risperidone.
For years I was doing fine at the 2 mg mark and above - recently I lowered it, with my pdocās approval below 2 mg to sub therapeutic doses of somewhere around the 1.5 mg range.
My mood symptoms started to come back at these lower levels so I panicked and like an idiot, I quickly went from 1.5 mg or so all the way up to 3 mg and then eventually 4 mg within a weeks time - this was a big jump in such a short period of time.
After this, I noticed I could no longer tolerate the medication like I used to - I became agitated and revved up and noticed a fast heart rate at doses above 2.5 mg, and the thing is that I need to be able to go to doses above 2.5 mg if I have to.
Iāve been on Navane for 42 years and it has overall worked well for me.
The effect on positive symptoms was not perfect but my difficulties caused me to find ways to cope on my own that probably have made me stronger.
The only real difficulty I had was in the very beginning, when I had extrapiyramidal side effects, especially neck stiffness. They may have better meds for that now but back then all they had to offer was Cogentin and that knocked me out. So I had to live with the stiffness and treat the pain with palliatives.
Anyway, for the last 15 years itās been smooth sailing, and Iāve had no sign of TD. The doctors have said thatās because Iām on a low dose.
Good luck with finding some med or meds that work for you.