I think they are sedating us.
Because I recovered. Other people have other reasons. Quite a lot don’t have to start on the meds again. Quite a lot do.
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I know when I was diagnosed in 2016 I didn’t take the meds. I was 26 and it made me sooooo tired. I didn’t do anything but sleep. So I stopped taking them once I felt better. Spent the next 4 years thinking I was a celebrity until I hit rock bottom. Got evicted, lost my job, ended up in the hospital. I just didn’t like the feeling of what I had on meds compared to how I felt normally.
I agree. Living through psychosis is exciting. It’s like living a real life video game.
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You’re not even on meds, min dose of Abilify for sz is 10mg and you’re on 2mg. I am on 6mg Risperdal which is equivalent to 30mg Abilify. 15x higher than your dose lol
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They’re not called major tranquilizers for nothing.
If the meds don’t do a lot for someone, then they should probably quit them. Which is the case for a lot of people, both treatment-resistant people and well-recovered people.
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Today will be my first day of 0mg Seroquel, by the way, guys. Wish me luck.
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They basically are. But in a good way. Not taking medicine and being schizophrenic is like committing suicide
I think like 1/3 of people with sz are treatment-resistant, meaning the meds have no effect on their psychosis.
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Wow. I feel lucky. I had no idea it was that many. I knew a kid with schizophrenia in college. He ended up going off meds and committing suicide. I’m lucky I didn’t kill anyone. I was driving around pointing guns at people
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Yeah it’s a lot. Also, a lot of people try to quit responsibly, while collaborating with a doctor. And it is often successful too. Probably mostly not, but often.
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True to a certain degree. When I told my Dr to stop my meds he told me only 5% make it without meds and without symptoms. He stopped my meds and I was hospitalized after 2yrs of being off meds. I wasn’t lucky I guess. These 2yrs cost me lots of money and I humiliated myself infront of my parents that I live with.
It’s a bit higher IIRC but most will have some symptoms and will have to learn to live with them, if possible.
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gl
I am also reducing at the moment, and I am feeling the difference. The weird thing is there are so many words describing different things and I have no idea what they mean anymore. I don’t know how I learned them in the first place. I can not draw out a bunch of these words unfortunately… bad memory.
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Which is a symptom you developed now? Sounds like a disorganized symptom, maybe. It’s normal to get symptoms as you taper down. It’s part of the withdrawal process. But if it doesn’t go away after some weeks then it’s probably the illness and not the withdrawals. You should also not taper down any more until your symptoms subside. You’re doing this with a doctor and have someone around you or who you see often that can tell you if you’re developing symptoms, right?
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I wouldn’t call it a symptom. Maybe I never really had any real understanding or experience with the word in the first place. But once a couple of years ago I had racing thoughts and had so many words come to mind and all lost meaning. Its not so nice that words that are in your head and that you use regulary you don’t grasp what they are or mean anymore. It would seem there is something wrong with me. I told my psychiatrist I forgot them already, and I can not conciously stop using them. He said thats not what it is about.
I don’t like being told that there is something wrong with my “unmedicated” self, especially when nothing is wrong. People can tell a difference when I am changing something about my medication. And yes I have people around me, but how is that relevant? Would I have no approval to reduce if it weren’t the case? I don’t know how I best get through the initial difficulty.
It’s relevant because we don’t always realize that we’re ill or have symptoms, and need others to point it out. Part of getting better is to realize that what you’re struggling with is an illness and to manage that illness responsibly for the sake of your own future and well-being. If you feel fine, maybe it isn’t problematic, even if it is abnormal. But it could maybe still prevent you from functioning well.
I don’t really understand what you’re describing here about these words. But it does sound like a symptom. If you don’t have insight into your symptoms and don’t trust others to guide you regarding the presence of those symptoms either, quitting meds is probably not a good idea right now. Maybe I’m misunderstanding you but I’m not feeling very good about this based on what you’ve said.
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Yes, @anon9798425 I should have clarified in my post. I was referring to people who shouldn’t quit their meds w/o their doc permission. Of course there are multiple times when people taper off their meds, hopefully under doctor supervision, and it’s a wholly necessary and healing experience. I think that’s what is happening for you. I’m all for that.
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Good luck friendo! 
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When I stopped my meds, it was because I felt like I was lying about my sza and sometimes also because of side effects or missing some aspects of psychosis. But mostly because I was scared I was lying about sza. Each time I stopped I realised I wasn’t lying but I never learned from it. But I’m trying to because the last time my psychosis was quite dangerous and scary and it shocked me into staying on meds after my last hospital stay in October last year.
Probably due to finanical issues with the patient’s family/economical issues with the countries taxes.