The question is whether it’s ever possible to be stable without medication for sz/sza suffers. Do you think it’s possible? Are you living proof? If so how long have you been off meds and what were your previous symptoms?
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I’ve never been without meds. I had just lowered the dosage on my own. And voices got louder and bad.
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Without my meds I go insane, so I’m not living proof of going off meds, but John Nash did go off meds and he didn’t end up dead so it’s possible.
After my first period of sza I went into remission and went off meds within two years.
Did well enough for five years
But then relapsed and had to go back on meds.
Been on meds ever since (six years now)
I’m wondering if I can come off again but each time I tried i failed and landed up in hospital
I guess I have to continue meds now
The only time I was off my meds was when they were taking me off of them at the hospital to put me on new ones. I was a serious mess. I never want to do that again.
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Why do you want to come off meds? Do you think meds are the cause of all your problems? Surely it’s the disease that the meds treat that is the problem?
I am unwell off of meds.
Probably if you were misdiagnosed and never had schizophrenia to begin with. I mean I don’t hallucinate at all and I end up getting paranoid, delusional, depressed etc. off meds.
I sometimes doubt I have schizophrenia but I really get so delusional that I need meds. My reality changes. Plus, I like how Vraylar makes me feel. I get energy and clarity. It helps with depression.
I guess if you are in real remission it’s possible or you just learn to cope like John Nash did. I think John Nash is a rare case because of the tremendous support he had and he had a very high IQ.
My psychiatrist doesn’t believe in remission or that schizophrenics get better. I don’t think it’s a common viewpoint and I don’t agree with him. I was doing so good at one point in my life (even though I wasn’t working or going to school–but symptom-wise) that he thought about changing my diagnosis from sz or sza to bipolar…
I think if I got off APs I would notice a tremendous amount of motivation, initially, but then I would end up getting severe psychosis and end up even more medicated by going back to the hospital.
The reason I say this is because I almost got a job through the DOR but ended up really paranoid. I was on a very, very low dose of Risperdal and ADs.
My former psychiatrist thinks I wouldn’t get more motivation and it’s probably true because last time I was off meds, I would just lay in bed all day.
The APs shouldn’t affect motivation, I guess. I was told depression negatively affects motivation and that it could also be from psychological trauma due to the illness or brain damage from drugs.
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I made it about 8 months on just Mirtazapine & benzos after getting of the AP’s.
The first 2 months were stable, the next 2 months were a bit shaky & the last 4 months turned into hell.
It was under my pdoc’s supervision & now I know to stay on meds in the future.
Going fully off meds wasnt succesful till now and it is not as if i didnt try. I do keep on believing it is possible for some.
I am on very little meds since 1.5 years, but im not fully stable, so going off is out of reach for now.
My theory is that there is no remission without meds. I’m not aware of a single case. It’s a life sentence for sure… sooner you realize that the better
Im on a very low dose of something and im fine. I am able to loose weight and have emotions and all the things that are our lot in life. Im sure once i work out more of my issues and learn to cope better i can be fine. Its a personal choice and personal journey for everyone. Ofc too there is severe withdrawl side effects from coming off brain pills.
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I went off risperidone for a week as advised by my pdoc and i laid in bed all week. I ran out of venlafaxine for a week once and got really paranoid and thought my mum was gonna kill my cat (she had cancer and osteoporosis and couldn’t move fast or far, and she loved animals so this thought process was deluded). I havent heard of anyone being stable without meds unless they never had sz in the first place
Strangely, my mom is able to look at me and tell that I’ve missed a dose of any of my meds. At the hosptal once, they were giving me my geodon without food, and within days I was beginning to come undone. I imagine that quitting my meds would have the same effect. Sometimes I still consider skipping doses or flushing my meds down the toilet, but people here help keep me on the right track.
edit: So for me, I think the answer is “no, I wouldn’t be stable off meds.”
I’ve tried to go off my medication a few times in the past but i always ended up relapsing. Just this week i forgot to take my medication for a whole day. I ended up feeling incredibly unwell very fast - racing thoughts, paranoia, difficulty thinking, felt like someone had injected sludge into my brain which was why it was abnormal. If i can’t even go one day without medication, there’s no chance in hell i can go longer.
I’m afraid of what would or could happen off meds. I scare myself and everyone around me.
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