Hello this is my first post here and i have schizophrenia. I’m currently taking Abilify (the shot-form) with no relief from the voices. i have also tried Risperdal/Prolixen/Depakote/Zyprexa/Clonopin/Geadon/Haldol/Invega/mirtazapine/doxipin
My psychiatrist is suggested Clozaril. I heard so many terrible things about Clozaril so i kinda hesitant,but I’m desperately looking to get a little silence. What are you guys thoughts on Clozaril as of 2018?
I’ve been on Clozaril for almost a year; I tried most atypicals with no relief—Clozaril has given me a new life where I’m almost normal.
The only annoying thing is the weekly blood tests.
I really like what the medication has done for me.
do you get a good nights rest? no waking up, tossing n turning, nightmares etc
Clozapine is one of the best antipsychotics in stopping voices and it will also help you sleep.
Oh man, I sleep so much! Unfortunately, Clozaril makes me really tired and it takes an hour or so to stop feeling groggy after waking.
It’s still worth it, though.
i havent had a good nights rest and i dont know how long. how much is usually required to make the voices subside
Currently in hospital for clozapine. I will be at 200mg of clozapine tonight. So far my mood has improved slightly since previously being in invega sustenna. However, the one voice
I do hear hasn’t gone away. Only been on this med for a couple weeks and treatment dose is suppose to be 300mg so we’ll see.
@mike23 they let use a computer at the hospital they/ never do with me
has the delusions and paranoia decreased since starting it?
what is the one voice you hear is it a outer voice or inner voice?
srry for all the questions
Yes but I am at a new hospital. This hospital is state of the art. There are TVs in everyone’s room and the rooms are just for 1 patient. It’s a really good hospital.
Clozapine has helped my mood to some degree. Not as aggressive as I use to be. Still hearing the voice of an old friend though. It is an inner voice that drives me nuts.
There are a lot of posts about Clozaril if you filter back. I always say that it’s not something I would recommend without careful consideration and trying other things first. Docs still consider it amazing without trying enough other drugs to warrant prescribing it. It’s something that certain people will swear by but others are just bombarded by side effects and have no benefit. It can be very hard to manage and it’s particularly difficult to get off of. I don’t see any real evidence that it’s the gold standard it’s still touted as. There are people who find it effective but not by a wider margin than anything else.
The side effects can be pretty extreme and the blood monitoring is confining. I think if it truly helps and nothing else does then it would be a good option but there are so many other things on the market that I think it’s not worth trying unless you’ve been through other drugs with no success. It was horrendous for me and I have a friend who also had a negative experience and both of us are much better without it. It should be used as a last resort and not just because the first couple things didn’t work which seems to be how docs want to Rx it.
Like what? My pdoc is even at a lost as to what to prescribe next.
Clozaril is good for many who’ve tried other drugs and gotten no relief from symptoms.
It is a good treatment for many and if your treatment resistant it’s worth a shot. It does, or used to rely on regular blood draws and thus it’s reluctance to use for a lot of sufferers but it’s a small price to pay for some treatment that is effective.
Give it a go and keep your doc in the loop!
I am on clozaril and it is the only med that ever did anything for me, I was a non-responder to all the other meds. If the other meds don’t work then clozaril probably will, that is how it usually is.
what else have you taken? I can think of a lot. I did better on Latuda than anything else and tolerated Geodon fairly well. I know there are newer drugs than when I started Clozaril. At that point I’d been through every atypical on the market plus some typicals. I stand by what I have always said is that Clozaril should be used as a last resort (or close to it) because it isn’t super easy to get on and off of and it comes with a price.
Not enough doctors properly gauge response either. It takes a while to see benefits and sometimes they are Rx’ing so aggressively that the side effects force you to discontinue. Its a delicate balance. I slept an average of 15 hours a day on Clozaril, doubled in weight, lost the ability to function creatively (which had been my main coping skill/method of therapy) and had to monitor blood work, movement issues, and drooling. The side effects can be intense even if you see benefit from the drug. There are success stories for sure but most ppl will tell you the side effects are no joke. Regardless of your decision it’s good to know the side effects before starting. In most cases there is no way around them so it’s a serious decision. I had no concept of how intense side effects could be before I took it and I had already had some bad experiences with meds.
It will kill your positive symptoms but it comes with side effects.
I myself will reduce clozaril dose cuz of postural hypotension, extreme sedation, bed wetting