I guess that crops up for a lot of us from time to time. You are fairly stable, though not necessarily recovered, and it’s hard to have a clear picture of the pre meds you- so you question the need to carry on taking.
That thinking infiltrates my mind from time to time. Of course there are still things I struggle with but I question whether these are strictly mental health related rather than social dysfunctions and whether being on, or not being on, meds makes much difference.
I think at times like this we need outside perspectives from those close and near to us but (a) Sometimes we are so isolated we don’t have those people readily available and (b) Even if we do we choose to ignore those alternative/warning voices.
Before I have called it the ‘I no longer have dandruff so I no longer need dandruff shampoo’ syndrome.
I’ve never been on meds but I’m wondering if I should try going on them. I can’t really see the post-med of myself so I’m not sure if it’d be worth it.
i’ve never been off meds since i was first hspitalised and i do wonder what it would be like to go off them but i’m not prepared to take the risk while my son is still at school and college, so at least another 5 years on meds for me. after that i may well give it a go but while my kids need me to be fully functional it’s not a luxury of choice that is open to me.
I guess this is another example of how I don’t relate to (some) people here. I’ve been on and off meds for decades. I was terribly non-compliant and have been hospitalized over a dozen times. Every time I go off my meds I end up sick as hell and get put back in the hospital.
It would be nice to be able to ask myself that question, to be well enough to think I could go off the meds and be ok.
EDIT: Just a note that these aren’t my words, they been edited by someone else.
I’m the same way, ever since I was first hospitalized I’ve been on some sort of medication. Some stronger than others for a long time I was only on 1 small dosage of Seroquel, but then I had my relapse and Now I’m on a stronger dosage and some other medication. I’m afraid of going off meds, I don’t think I can I still have issues from time to time and that’s with medication in tact. I’d hate to see how I’d be fairing without my medication.
I’m not advocating that anyone ditch the meds just expressing thoughts that no doubt many of us have had.
For me it would be easy to leap from meds haven’t been a cure all to therefore it would not make a significant difference if I quit. However the $64k question is would I be/have been worse off without them?
That is question that’s hard to answer as, though not a cure all , they have had some positive and some negative effects.
Also there is the fear that coming off may trigger a worsened state than that for which the meds are currently prescribed.
The level I am at may not be ideal but it could be a lot worse.
I’m not going to go on medication unless
a) Things get so unbearable that I completely lose capability to function
b) I become a danger to myself or others
That’s just my personal decision though. I feel uncomfortable having my neurotransmitters played around with.
It seems to me that when I get off the med’s I get a rebound effect. If you take a med. that suppresses dopamine in one part of the brain, the brain will flood that area with dopamine when you come off that med. I wish I could get off the med’s, but I don’t think I can.
Not all of us need it. Honestly though a lot of people bash therapy or say you can’t talk your problems away, talking about them and exploring them in depth has taught me all of my coping mechanisms and made my life 1000x improved from what it used to be, even if for most of my life it was just talking with myself about them.
What kind of stuff did you do with the shaman? If you don’t mind me asking, I’m always curious about alternative therapies.
I doubt that a person even has schizophrenia if they don’t need medication. If you’re well enough that you don’t need meds, then are you really sick at all?
I think there’s a range of psychotic experiences and maybe therapy alone could work for those on the milder end of the spectrum, but I’m sceptical when people start talking of shaman and spiritual crises/emergencies.
What I didn’t want was for this to be a thread against medication or extolling the ‘virtues’ of not taking medication, and ‘sins’ of doing so, but this is the direction I fear some are trying to push it towards.
I guess I was being naive and for that I apologise.
If anyone is thinking of going off medication I suggest they agree a planned course of action with their pdoc and not just stop meds dead.
i have to agree with that, i dont think any form of therapy besides medicine would help psychosis when ive had it, theres no getting through to me until it is over when im in it.
I remember being on Ritalin as a little kid and then Adderal. Meds were always in my life.
I used to be very non-compliant and self medicating… it wasn’t that I wasn’t taking some sort of drug… I just wasn’t taking the ones the doc gave me. I was reaching for what I was for a very specific reason.
I remember drinking to block the voices… The Pot for anxiety… (ironic now) …
The XTC was to burn off what I know now to be my negative swing…
the amphetamine to kick some motivation into me… It was never just to “party” and fit in.
In there here and now… I have to say… I’ve gotten some help/ support or maybe some inspiration from my Dad. He had a heart attack a few years back and now has to be on blood thinners for the rest of his life… he hates it.
He tries to be as healthy as he can… he does go out running and swimming and monitors the cholesterol, but he still has to take these pills that he hates… no matter how good he feels…
It really has helped me stay on track when he started saying how much he hates being on his heart meds… how he feels 100% great… why does he still have to take them…
My personal joke… his meds help prevent heart attack… my meds help prevent head attack. (it’s funny to me)
This has helped some people, and is the ancient way of handling and understanding visions and voices, IF it can be determined the origin of those things is spiritual in nature or you are an awakened person able to perceive other realities beyond 3D.
Just the study and implementation of some shamanic practices, or real Christianity…the mystical spiritual side of what the Bible teaches is very beneficial… It balances the whole person, not just the physical. When dealing with the brain-mind-consciousness-soul & spirit, the approach of purely medical methods is often not enough and in some cases can be detrimental.
Purifying the body of toxins built up from pollution, funguses, bad foods (GMO, sprayed foods, foods depleted of their nutritional value, and junk foods) is also a great help. Many people feel better by going organic and diversifying their diet so they get nutrients they have been lacking most of their lives.
Getting rid of refined sugars, hydrogenated or partly hydrogenated oils, and trans-fats, fake sweetener poisons like aspartame and saccharin is essential.
And just taking over the counter vitamins really isnt much help as many are synthetic and just not able to get into your bodies system and do what they are supposed to (biovailability) For instance if something says 100% daily requirement of Vitamin C, you have to do some research to find out if the vitamin is naturally occurring, and secondly, if you are getting the full percentage absorbed. In some cases with certain foods you might only be getting 10 - 20 % of the 100% in the food.
Every ones case or situation is different. There are some people diagnosed with SZ and manage to do well or at least good enough without meds. I dont think that they are in the majority.
Past psychiatrists have placed me on high doses of 2 powerful mood stabilizers - anticonvulsant medications and have kept me at these higher doses for years - my liver is now paying the price for it.
I was recently taken off of these 2 meds and am doing fine. No major mood shifts - no full blown mania or major mixed episodes. Psychiatrists have to be responsible enough to adjust these meds from time to time. Raising meds and keeping the patient on higher doses indefinitely is negligent. My current psychiatrist has been adjusting my meds when needed - taking the chance of getting me off of certain meds when necessary.
For me its a mater of taking care of my physical health - I am not dying, I dont think, I am just not as healthy
and yes the meds have played a role in this. I cannot lie
Lately I am questioning - do I need meds? or at least can I function on lower doses?
Lower dose meds means less health risks involved - If I can manage with lower doses then why not?
My current psychiatrist does not overprescribe - or keep her patients on high doses - unless necessary.
I frankly dont know if I can manage to go without an antipsychotic, I have a history of having pretty strong delusions.
But for my body’s sake, I can try to go as low as possible and take it from there
I still wonder at times if i need meds, but each time I go off of them I have either landed up in hospital or nearly so, and it caused a lot of unnecessary crises. So I tell myself it is better if i stay on meds. But then there still comes yet another time when I want to go off again. I don’t know if its because I am bored and looking for some drama or what, or if I stop believing I have sz, but what usually helps me to stay on meds is thinking of my husband and what he has to deal with if I go off them.