Hey guys I’ve taken Abilify for a month and it has shown no improvement in ahnedonia and other symptoms. My doctor told me I’m suffering from negative symptoms of schizophrenia. We have switched to zyprexa now. Has anyone else been suffering from the same thing and have you found treatment?
Inability to experience pleasure, joy, happiness, sadness, or any type of emotions.
No appetite and never feel hungry anymore. Can go for days without food and when I do eat it tastes bland.
Extreme boredom. Nothing I do can change this.
Zero sex drive.
Music sounds flat.
Difficulty finding things to say in a conversation. I feel mentally incapable of holding a conversation.
That’s what I thought originally but she swears that it’s the illness. I haven’t had these side effects since I started the medication, but that was around the time the illness started.
How long should I give the med to get rid of this side effect/symptom? Is it treatable? Because online it says negative symptoms are much harder to treat than positive symptoms.
I’ve taken a lot of supplements in hopes of restoring my cognition to what it once was, eliminating (or at least reducing) my negative symptoms, and treating my chronic fatigue and hypersomnia that preceded my psychosis by about seven years. For the most part, my hopes have been dashed. The supplement that I currently take (pterostilbene) seems to be doing a little something for my energy and concentration, but many supplements I’ve taken in the past have done the same, only to become seemingly ineffective.
As far as I can tell, no it’s not. I think that my situation is complicated by the fact that I have my chronic fatigue and hypersomnia to contend with and that the only antipsychotic that I can take that doesn’t make these symptoms intolerably worse is low-dose Abilify. Perhaps a higher dose of Abilify or another antipsychotic would help with my negative symptoms and restore my cognition to what it used to be, but every time I’ve tried another antipsychotic or a higher dose of Abilify, my fatigue and hypersomnia became overwhelming.
I am sure that my negative symptoms cause is my medication. When i was on moderate level of risperdal i had lack of motivation, no energy at all, there was a fear in me for no reason, over all i wasn’t feeling well, now i lowered the medication and fear is gone, motivation and energy some how are much better. I go out and do activities more often than i was on high doze.
Well, I would say that the symptoms of mine that could be best described as “negative symptoms” are a reduction in goal-oriented behavior and poverty of speech, although both may be secondary to the cognitive problems that I’ve been experiencing since the onset of my psychosis. My fatigue and hypersomnia began about seven years before the onset of my psychosis and may (or may not) be part of a separate illness altogether.
To an extent, supplements that have boosted my energy have led to more goal-oriented behavior on my part, but such supplements have not seemed to have much of an effect on my poverty of speech. I think that if I understood complex ideas as well as I used to before my psychosis (or in other words, if I didn’t have my current cognitive problems) that I would be getting more involved in conversations than I do and not have this problem with “poverty of speech.” Hence what I said about my negative symptoms (particularly poverty of speech) being secondary to my cognitive problems.
It’s my understanding that “negative” symptoms associated with psychosis tend to be more difficult to treat than the “positive” symptoms, but I do think that successfully treating “negative” symptoms can be done, at least in some cases.
I was emotionally flat before taking medication. A few months after taking medication I started to show emotion. I started to joke around and smile more.
I think the medication caused my anhedonia. For a while I couldn’t enjoy a comedy program or tv in general, but then as I got used to the medication, the anhedonia went away.
I have problems with hygiene. I don’t take a shower as often as I should.
Inability to experience pleasure, joy, happiness, sadness, or any type of emotions.
No appetite and never feel hungry anymore. Can go for days without food and when I do eat it tastes bland.
Extreme boredom. Nothing I do can change this.
Zero sex drive.
Music sounds flat.
Difficulty finding things to say in a conversation. I feel mentally incapable of holding a conversation.
-No creativity/can’t sing well anymore
These were my symptoms after a month on Saphris so I stopped. Then I tried Abilify for a month and the same result. They were showing no improvement since day one so I switched to zyprexa which I had some previous success with, and I’m starting on that now. Hopefully these symptoms will go away. No therapy or anything I do makes a difference.
With me it’s so hard to tell what’s causing the negative symptoms. The meds I’m sure, the depression, when I have it, yes.
The sz aspect of my illness - I am not so sure. I tend to blame the meds more than anything else. Maybe it’s all three at various times - fluctuating back and forth. It’s so difficult to pinpoint, but my negative symptoms are so difficult to treat.
I’m sorry to hear that you struggle with all of those symptoms. I can certainly identify with some of them myself, unfortunately. I hope that you’ll find Zyprexa to be of some help.
@spokety Hi spokety - I don’t know the technical terms for them, but I don’t find activities so pleasurable anymore.
I don’t have a lot of motivation, I tend to sometimes be flat, but I am getting a bit better with this. I am not so verbal in social settings. My thoughts go blank many times in social settings.
I have half of those symptoms - not as many as you do. I take zyprexa. For me, things are livable, so I accept the trade off between the med’s unwanted effects + beneficial effects. Antidepressants help me a lot. Are you on one?