As the name suggest has anyone ever got addicted to a certain anti psychotic…
2 Likes
They say clozapine is not addictive but if I don’t take it I get antsy
1 Like
No - not in the true sense of what addiction means (and doesn’t mean). People use it as a term for anything they may like to do, or to compulsive behaviors, but it is a specific term with specific meanings.
Antipsychotics don’t typically cause euphoric feelings like illicit drugs (cocaine, PCP, etc.), so the addiction risk there is low. They can give you withdrawal side effects if you stop them cold turkey, a mild physical “addiction.” As for psychological addiction, I’d say no. They are being used to help a person achieve mental stability, rather than for a high or buzz.
A person may continue to use antipsychotics not because (s)he is addicted to them but because (s)he wants continued relief from intrusive delusions. The drugs themselves are not addictive.
4 Likes
I’ve never felt an urge to take more than the prescribed dose, so no, I don’t think mine are addictive so much as they are necessary. Cigarettes are another story, those are addictive.
3 Likes
I have taken more than the prescribed dose of mine because they make me sleepy, and back when I was really bad about doing that, I would take anything to put myself to sleep. It’s dangerous. I don’t do it anymore.
I don’t know if I would call that addiction though. I was just addicted to medication in general, maybe. Or going to sleep. It was bad. People shouldn’t do things like that.
2 Likes
I’m addicted to being stable, and know my meds help with that
2 Likes
if the meds worked, id be hooked on them
Another take one it - After taking antipsychotics for years is it possible that when you stop taking them your psychosis/ mania comes back 100 x ?
"a mild physical “addiction.” "
To put it mildly. Have you ever come of an ap cold turkey? It is psychologically devastating and for me when I came off quietiapine, I had constant diarrhoea just like a heroin addict. Hallucinations, shivers and shakes are common. Just like a class A drug.
Mild, pfftt…
1 Like
I got addicted to Seroquel
I don’t think so. You don’t really get high from them.
Physical addiction, yes.
If you stop taking them you’ll be sick.
1 Like
Yes. To Seroquel.
Well there are two types of addiction, psychological and physical. Physical is when your body is chemically dependent on a drug to carry out some basic function. In this way I guess all psych meds are physically “addictive” because we rely on them to produce the correct amount of neurotransmitters to us. If we drop them suddenly we can experience physical withdrawal because our brain doesn’t know how to make those neurotransmitters on its own anymore. However, medical professionals tend to categorize physical addiction on if the withdrawal is dangerous or not, as in will stopping this med cold turkey literally kill you. Thus if you ask a doctor if something like Prozac is addictive, they will say no, when in reality your brain is becoming dependent on it to make serotonin, so it is, but quitting it won’t kill you. Versus alcohol would be considered physically addictive by a doctor because quitting it cold turkey after heavy use will kill you. Physical addiction is more accurately known as physical dependence.
As for psychological addiction, that is craving the way something makes you feel, and it is also what medical professionals consider when they tell you if something is addictive or not. Absolutely anything can be psychologically addicting. You can become addicted to wearing your favorite pair of socks for example, and never want to wear any other pair and want to wear those socks at all times. If you like the way an AP makes you feel, you may become psychologically addicted to it. However, most AP side effect profiles are so crappy, I would say it is HIGHLY UNLIKELY someone would ever become psychologically addicted to them.
Actually no…because I know better than to discontinue an AP cold turkey.
Withdrawal from an antipsychotic is a subjective experience that does not track with drug levels - and does not even happen to everyone to stops antipsychotics.
People’s reports of ‘withdrawal’ vs. objective measurements (vital signs) - what a mess. Heroin withdrawal is very painful/achy and people hate it - but it doesn’t ‘kill.’ Yet a sudden withdrawal from alcohol could cause memory loss and seizures.
Stopping antispychotics can result in rebound symptoms, similar to the symptoms for which you were taking the medication, such as increased hallucinations. Antipsychotics can disrupt body temperature regulation, so some people may experience fever and chills off the med.
While a formal withdrawal syndrome for these drugs has not really been described, one survey found that about 10% of people on Seroquel reported withdrawal when it was stopped, but did not give details of what they were.
People can get addicted to anything. People can get addicted to hamburgers. Have you ever seen strange addictions on TV?
As the title asks, yes it is.
No because schizophrenia is treatment resistant and big pharmaceutical companies don’t want their drugs to actually work.
Wimpy was addicted to hamburgers.
I came off geodon cold turkey and I felt like I was going to die. I went off Luvox cold turkey and had flu like symptoms and sweating
1 Like
No. But I did once get high when I accidentally took too much of one years ago. Fortunately I met my therapist when i came down from the high and he said “Remember how you feel right now.” I never did that again.