Without the meds. I’m not anti med by any means, I think they do wonders for.most people. I’ve been researching a lot and trying to figure out why I feel so much better off meds and why each med made me worse eventually. I am not med resistant, those meds just absolutely CAN make some people’s psychosis happen more often. I personally know two szas and both have been off meds for a long time and say the same, that meds make them worse. I am a little moody in waves so far but I think this is a withdrawal, as I feel great otherwise. I am more productive and optimistic. Hardly any psychosis symptoms. I’m taking it day by day and probably will be asking for a prn for psychosis, or take short term doses of APs during episodes. Mind you I was getting psychotic episodes either every few weeks or every few months anyway, despite med compliance and changes.
I went once off my meds. I was fine for a couple of months but had to be hospitalized eventually. I also tried to reduce my meds once and was hearing multiple voices 24/7. For now I stay on a high dose of meds:
I’ve been in the hospital 15 times. I’m not wanting to go back, but it’s not a big deal to.me anymore. It’s just routine part of my care so far. I really think I was cycling more often on meds.
Trouble is doing research on the web. Lots of misinformation and you only need to see the cluster that is covid management.
For most of us it isn’t an option which is why you end up here. Just saying. Works for like 10% of our population but if you need meds you need meds. Taking medication holidays is dangerous because you come back to some meds and they lose efficiancy. You need way more than you used to…and yes. That happened to me with an antidepressant and that was a nightmare.
I’m awful when unmedicated. I got into legal trouble back in 2008 because of it. I always take my psych meds now.
I’ll never know if I need them or not if I don’t try living without for an extended period. Like I said I was having episodes anyway, but it is possible the meds took the edge off. Which is why I want a prn.
2 other schizophrenics who are not taking their medication is too small of a statistical sample size to make you decide you shouldn’t take your anti-psychotic medication.
In the psychiatry realm of data, those who have taken their medication fair far better than those who do not. Fair far better meaning these schizophrenics who are on medication will not be hospitalized during their duration on anti-psychotics.
I have been on them so long coming off isn’t really an option - unless of course I want to come off 1 at a time and very slowly with horrible withdrawal.
At least illegal drugs make you feel good - even if for a short time
Right. I had one hospital stay prior to meds, in that stay I was put on my first antipsychotic. I was only on it for a short time and ditched it idk why. I had a couple episodes over the following years, and was put on another AP. I haven’t really been off of them for more than a few days since. That was 5 years ago and in those 5 years I’ve had about 14 hospital stays.
You’ve been hospitalized far too many times than I have. I have only been hospitalized twice in my entire life time due to schizophrenia. Well, each schizophrenic case is different and I would say you are in the opposite spectrum of where I am in terms of compliance with medication.
Besides withdrawal symptoms I feel so much better.
You weren’t doing good just a few months ago when you stopped your meds. Remember?
You went through some weird sh*t.
My science teacher used to have a sign on the wall in the front of the classroom:
“Those who forget the past, are doomed to repeat it.”
I was also under a lot of stress, that episode started before I went off meds. It probably qould have happened anyway.
What type of withdrawal symptoms are you getting?
Some people with sza are too unstable to use meds prn and need to be on something permanently.
I just know I would be a mess off meds. Maybe you just haven’t found the right one? I tried so many in the last year alone.
Did you just go off meds? Because there is a honeymoon period where you feel great. Then the symptoms can creep back in.
Are you doing this with your pdoc’s knowledge?
Also, very recently you posted about thinking you were dead, then that everyone else was dead, and something else. Was that off meds?
At the moment I feel normal again. This after 3 weeks off meds. It’s very long I think that the medication was in my body. But the pdoc ask me to start medication again. So at the moment I maybe think I must be happy with about 1 month off meds.
Just some moodiness and anxiety and insomnia. Nothing I can’t manage, just kind of sucks right now. Most of the time I feel fine but when those hit they hit hard.
I mean it’s possible but my only option at this point is clozapine and I refuse that med.
It’s been almost 2 weeks so I know I haven’t felt the full effect but it should be mostly out of my system by now.
I see her in a month, I accidentally went off meds and decided to stay off. So I haven’t seen her yet.
I missed two days but was SUPER stressed out. I had a lot of weights lifted off my shoulder since then, plus the meds were still in my system. It probably qould have happened anyway. Like I said I cycle all the time on meds much much much more than I did pre meds and more than I am right now off of them.