So I seen my psychiatrist today and they think I should take meds and not attempt to come off them. I’m not happy with the way things are and theres got to be better than this I can’t spend my life just missing out on life.
They told me how if I relapse my situation will only worsen, I am not sure I believe this.
They also told me that some can cope without meds but believe I can’t.
I’ve got some thinking to do because if I don’t want to take meds then I am just wasting my time taking them.
I really do not know what to say other than I completely understand your situation. I have been advised the same thing even though I’ve only ever had one episode. They believe I will relapse if I’m not careful. I don’t want to hear it but I know they’re telling me the truth.
People who are non-SZ have no clue what we are going through, but they need to sharpen up & start listening to us when we say pharmaceuticals aren’t working or aren’t desired. There is no cure for SZ, and it is rare to even find a medication that helps you overcome all your undesired symptoms.
Pharmaceutical drugs all have insanely mixed reviews and in my case were not worth the hassle despite my sincere attempt to work with them.
You’re entitled to a second opinion, and I found mine through a psychotherapist. He overestimates what I can accomplish with SZ, and having him as an alternative route for treatment isn’t “perfect” either, but it is damn well better for me.
I’ve been on med’s for over a couple of decades. Every time I have tried coming off my med’s it’s been a disaster. I can only cringe when I look at some of the things I’ve said and done when off my med’s. If I don’t want to be that way again I have to stay on my med’s.
I have tried without meds for awhile years back and eventually I had to get back on them because I end up overwhelmed and start to have episodes that was one time then I thought to try again and it was to stay on meds for good. That’s from my experience and it’s the same for the support group that I have gone to and discussed it with them. They had a resounding yes to meds. To be without them is difficult. Seriouslydisturbed
Why don’t you like your meds? What side effects are you experiencing? And if you don’t like your current ones, how many others have you tried?
If you have tried dozens of meds and they all had horrible side effects or didn’t work, I can see why you would want to try an alternate route. If you haven’t tried a lot of other meds, or if you just object to the idea of medication in general, it may be time for an attitude readjustment.
I hated most of the meds I have tried, but when I finally got on Geodon, it was like a miracle cure. It didn’t get rid of my symptoms 100%, it just made them more manageable. And it has limited side effects for me. I feel like I can still be myself and live my life in a better way than I can without medication.
For a while, I was on too high of a dose and I slept all the time. But once they lowered it, I was fine.
I will probably take them my whole life, with the exception of if I choose to get pregnant.
Life is not fair, my psychiatrist threatened to commit me when I asked her if I can go without an Antipsychotic.
There are times when I feel as if I can live my life Antipsychotic Free - I mean she won’t even let me try, it seems that she is dead set against me even trying to go off an Antipsychotic.
I am sure that certain prescribed meds have triggered psychosis in me.
Depakote triggered a major psychotic break for me. Once I stopped taking it, everything got cleared up though. The symptoms didn’t stick around for the rest of my life.
My case worker called today and asked if there was any way I could be convinced to take another injection of Abilify. I said “Nope.” and laughed. Hahaha. I don’t know why they try so hard to push medication on people. It should be presented as a choice. But no, thanks to stigma we’re still treated like we’re gonna shoot up a school or kill ourselves if we’re untreated. Total BS.
it was a time that I thought I could handle it if I was off my meds and found out I was absolutely wrong. I just did not like the fact that I was sz and I did not want to accept that fact. So I thought that I could manage but I was wrong. I still don’t like the stigma and I don’t like telling people because they act afraid because of the word sz. But I just don’t like telling people. Now and occasionally I just tell them im retired. which is partly true. That I do not work anymore and I live with my parents to save money which is true. What would you tell people. Later when they find out after they go through the fear phase they go through the sympathy phase with me. I just don’t know what to tell people. I go through the motions again and again. I feel less dignity at times. I just don’t know what else to do. cj9556
Well, if my brain scans & blood tests are coming back “normal” & “healthy”, then I disagree. I have some kind of brain damage somewhere on a micro level and I am fully allowed to choose where & what treatment I can accept.
I’ve spoken with a lawyer and additional doctors on the matter, and it appears the U.S. has a long ways to go when it comes to fair medical treatment of mental disorders.
I tell literally everyone in my life, and talk openly about my hallucinations and delusions. For me, trying to pretend to be something I’m not was making me more symptomatic, so I decided to live out of the closet. I started out just telling my closest friend, and she was like, “Oh, that explains a lot!” Then I told my family. Both of my brothers are undiagnosed but probably sz, and they think it’s horrifying that I take meds. My mom was convinced I was making it up to be lazy, until I found the right med and actually started getting better. Then she realized I have an actual condition that requires more than willpower.
When I met my fiance, I told him on the third date. All of my friends know about the things I hear, and I go to them for support when I am having a rough time. I can just say, “I’m feeling really schizophrenic today,” and they know they will sometimes have to repeat things, or remind me of things I promised to do.
I think the best time to tell someone is after knowing them for about a week, so they can see I’m not going to break into a murderous rampage. In my experience, everyone has been pretty chill about it, except for a few people.
It sounds like it’s likely a temporary placeholder diagnosis, I imagine you’ll eventually be diagnosed with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia if the psychosis lasts long enough and you meet other requirements for the diagnosis. And if the psychosis goes away and never comes back, then obviously you’ll be able to go med free or maybe jsut be on meds for depression.
It was suggested by my psych doc to tell people I’m
Retired so and so has a few people from my support group. So I don’t know what to think or do. Right now I have been keeping to myself. The neighbors seem to know. But through gossip because I told one neighbor. I keep to myself alot.
I just don’t feel confident in telling people .I’d rather be alone then go telling people and explaining the symptoms to them it gets tiresome trying to explain.
Told my cousins and my family my immediate family knows because they took me to hospital and they knew my condition before I went in. Sure other people are fine with the sz diagnosis but I am still not OK with it to be honest I don’t like the word sz or say it out loud because I don’t want to accept it even though I have it. It’s so uncomfortable for me I guess I want to look through rose colored glasses still. I want to be normal. But I have to take my meds because it lessens my symptoms. So it seems close to normal as possible for me. I’m in denial as you can see. I can’t help myself.
I see your concern, but I think maybe you should weigh the pros and cons. If they are making your symptoms better with minimal or no side effects, then no harm. If they’re not helping your symptoms and you’ve got terrible side effects, that’s a loss. Hang in there and do what you feel is right for you
For me personally, I plan to take my meds for life if it keeps the insanity, anxiety and depression away.
For about one-third of the population that has schizophrenia, we can live unmedicated and can function independently. Another third is wishy-washy and don’t see any real difference between medicated & unmedicated. Yet another third believe to do best while medicated. If you strongly believe you fall into that first category, you have to seek alternative treatment - as through a psychotherapist - to insure disability benefits
My assigned doctor & county case worker are slowly being converted into understanding that I do better without medication, however I found a back-up plan by having a psychotherapist ready to testify with me that I’m doing better as well. It seems like you have to have something else in store, as a regular M.D. isn’t going to agree with the unmedicated route. They’re all trained to dispense meds, even if you know do better without them.
Trust me, they think they’re above your conscience in the matter. Hopefully God judges some of these doctors for what they’ve done b/c they need to be humbled about their place in reality.
