Does this mean that once the Clozapine starts working I can drop the anxiety meds?
I take 15mg Diazepam, 375mg Pregabalin a day
Was wondering that if anyone here in the past has experienced a diagnosis change and whether it led to dropping unnecessary medications from your regime, and if it importantly didn’t kick your ass doing so
There is a diagnosis for GAD - General Anxiety Disorder I think.
I’m not diagnosed but I take PRN Xanax daily for anxiety.
Sorry I don’t think I addressed your question properly
Not sure you can say that anxiety is a symptom of sz, I never heard of it but maybe comorbid? I know that not everyone with sz will experience anxiety, I never have anxiety, never took anxiety meds and never got diagnosed with anxiety. Maybe because I never stress myself? Idk.
Olanzapine helped with my anxiety back in 2004 when I started it. I still kept some lorazepam(ativan) on hand in case I had an anxiety attack and I used it very occasionally PRN but generally I was fine.
I started Lurasidone about 2 years ago and I quit olanzapine 8 months ago, and have now completely switched over to Lurasidone(Latuda), during that time I have had no anxiety.
My withdrawal symptom from olanzapine was brutal insomnia so I’m now on 1.5mg clonazepam every night for sleep, but it is actually meant for panic disorder, so while I use it for sleep a “side effect” is that I am always calm.
My insomnia has improved. I am now able to fall to sleep without clonazepam, the problem is I don’t stay asleep, I usually wake up after 3 hours. So I still have to take clonazepam to get enough sleep.
However, once my brain finishes recovering from the olanzapine withdrawal and I can sleep 7-8 hours consistently without clonazepam I’m going to have to very very slowly taper off it. I’m thinking it will take me about a year to quit clonazepam, with benzos I go slow.
Szs can have anxiety.
I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I take two medicines for anxiety. It is a major pain. I often feel like I have to give a speech in front of a million people. My chest gets tight and I get a feeling in my stomach like there is a rock there. It is possible in people with schizophrenia just like it is possible with anybody else. My antipsychotics don’t treat anxiety. I need additional meds
Anxiety is a comorbid disorder and stand alone diagnosis.
Not everyone with a SMI will have anxiety.
In my case I have Bipolar disorder AND anxiety.
I was recently diagnosed with sza bipolar type and anxiety.
I began having panic attacks when I was on olanzapine and had to take Ativan. I don’t know if panic attacks are the same as anxiety.
They are different. Panick attacks are short abrupt and extreme come out of nowhere. Anxiety builds up from worry and fear. A lot of times they overlap.
This is how it is for me.
I have both sza and anxiety disorder. Each time I’m in hospital I either present with anxiety disorder or depression or schiz which made it hard for them to diagnose me but they did settle on sza with comorbid anxiety.
I take no anxiety meds but my antidepressant is good for that as well so I don’t have bad anxiety anymore nowadays . If I stop it I’d have both depression and anxiety crashing back on me. My two AP’s treat the schiz and the mood stabilizer treats the mood swings
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