Schizophrenia - General Discussion

What is wrong with you people? ...

South

I have had quite positive experiences with aripiprazole... a third-generation antipsychotic. It truly brought me back from the brink. I’ll soon be transitioning to the monthly Abilify injection, which I would recommend to anyone in a similar position. It is, after all, a third-generation medication. My only lingering concern is that my libido hasn't quite returned since the psychosis. I had a healthy drive before, and even during other treatments, but it seems to have retreated entirely; I simply don't experience sexual attraction toward women anymore. Perhaps those negative symptoms regarding volitional dynamics are still persisting... Or, if someone suspects that Xelion might be the culprit, perhaps things will shift once I switch to Abilify? There were times when I was at my best just on Zyprexa and aripiprazole, and eventually, even just the Zyprexa was sufficient. The priority is to clear those productive symptoms with something effective, then move into a maintenance phase where you aren't relying on heavy doses, but rather the minimum sustainable amount... and then one simply has to work on the remaining personality deficits. In my case, those are long-standing phobias and various social anxieties. That sense of "I just can't do this," a sort of fear of being clumsy or unprepared... I was always an exemplary student with top grades, but academia is one thing, while the real world is quite another, where I felt more like an outcast or an "omega" male. Looking back, the most significant turning points toward my decline occurred in my twenties—the best years, really—when irrational decisions driven by severe insomnia (lasting at least six years) derailed the paths I had set for myself. Psychiatrists would likely attribute that to a prodromal phase. What I've realized, however, is that I am hypersensitive to stress. Given my long history with fitness, I've come to understand that I am one of those individuals who overproduces stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline in response to stressors that most people handle with much greater ease. To put it plainly, the first major stresses—my first breakup and my mother's breast cancer diagnosis—simply broke me. I stopped sleeping, and it transformed my personality into that of an irrational, depressed individual. I might even hypothesize that this entire spectrum of so-called psychiatric disorders is essentially a sensitivity to the stresses of modern life in particularly vulnerable individuals.

http://oazaznanja.com/psihologija/ov...-psihijatriji/

It’s a long read—but there’s a section in there that hits right on the nose regarding stress and hypersensitivity.
Interesting article, even if I personally find it a little hard to swallow.

neonscout42 said:http://oazaznanja.com/psihologija/ov...-psihijatriji/

It’s a long read—but there’s a section in there that hits right on the nose regarding stress and hypersensitivity.
Interesting article, even if I personally find it a little hard to swallow.

What are you even doing here? .. 😁

Just keeping up with you all 😁

I’ve actually found myself doing quite well on Abilify, specifically when I’m using the injectable version. That said, I do tend to combine it with Lexapro; while the Lexapro definitely packs a stronger punch and brings along more side effects, I manage to keep my dosage relatively low to balance things out.

neonscout42 said:Just keeping up with you all 😁

What's got you so bored? .. 🙂

I’m starting to lean toward the idea that I might actually be dealing with schizoaffective disorder, specifically the mixed type, mostly because my mood swings are just so intense and frequent. It’s something that Dubravka pointed out a while back, and honestly, her assessment still rings true for me today.
She recently tied the knot for the second time, so I really hope everything works out beautifully for her.

Hey everyone. Just got discharged today after being stuck in the hospital for 27 days. I basically had to report myself—called the cops first, then we canceled the whole thing once I could just drive myself over. They’ve officially slapped me with an F20.0 diagnosis. To be clear, I don't have hallucinations—never have, never will. They’ve got me on Loxapine, something called Alisera—I think? Or maybe Bosaurin. Honestly, I feel like garbage. I’m just... weak all day, if that makes sense. I told the psychiatrist I might actually be dealing with bipolar disorder, but he refuses to budge on the schizophrenia label because my boss filed a report claiming paranoia.

The thing is, my mom told the intake nurse at the ER that I was seeing demons from them, but I never said that. I meant they were *like* demons—you know, how things mess with your head. My mom realized she totally misspoke.

I'm just hoping things get better soon. Maybe they'll taper me off or at least drop the dosage. I got some "advice" though—apparently, it's better not to fight the diagnoses they throw at you, because if you just roll with whatever they label you, it makes it easier to qualify for certain disability benefits.

Spent three days stuck in the basement there, the rest of the time I was out in the common areas. They have phones and allow outings and stuff, but they started renovating the basement right after my third day, so they kept locking the doors and wouldn't let everyone out.

I don't even know what to say. I'm just feeling sluggish all day and feeling pretty lousy.

It's just a revolving door of diagnoses with them. One minute it's transient psychosis, then suicidal ideation, now it's schizophrenia—all while I'm sitting here thinking it's bipolar.

And they still hit me with a full dose. Even though everything was supposed to be scaled back to a quarter—we're talking doses dropped from 5, 15, down to 25 mg.

So, how much Saphris are you currently on? Personally, I take 50 mg before bed. It really is one of the most effective antipsychotics out there, though I have to admit the side effects can be a bit of a struggle sometimes. I also use a 400 mg injection of Abilify every four weeks to help manage things.

Speaking from my own experience, antipsychotics do help manage delusions and things of that nature, but the diagnoses themselves often feel like they belong more to the realm of pseudo-medicine than actual science. My own journey was a series of shifting labels: first, it was just an adolescent crisis, then Borderline, then schizoaffective, followed by bipolar, and finally, paranoid schizophrenia. In my view, these are all essentially just different points on a single spectrum of dysregulated emotions, thoughts, and behaviors... and without proper support, the situation inevitably escalates. It escalates because we’re often stuck with these brief, ten-minute check-ins through our insurance provider where they simply hand over a prescription and say goodbye. There were times when clinicians told me I didn't even exhibit schizophrenic traits. Then there is the concern that long-term medication can actually alter brain chemistry, potentially paving the way for even more severe diagnoses

I actually had a very similar experience when it came to my diagnosis process. Even our treatment plans are pretty much identical—I’m also on an ability maintenance program right now.
I can generally handle the psychotic symptoms without too much trouble, but those sudden shifts in mood really take a toll on me. Do you ever find yourself getting hit by those waves of deep depression every now and then?

Harold Anderson3 said:So, how much Saphris are you currently on? Personally, I take 50 mg before bed. It really is one of the most effective antipsychotics out there, though I have to admit the side effects can be a bit of a struggle sometimes. I also use a 400 mg injection of Abilify every four weeks to help manage things.

Here’s my current cocktail.

In the morning, I take 25 mg of Seroquel, 15 mg of Abilify—I think that's how they spell it—and 5 mg of Buspar.

Then at night, it's another 25 mg of Seroquel and 10 mg of Buspar.

Honestly, I feel pretty lousy. Just sluggish, a bit wobbly every now and then, and generally just... slow. Everything feels slowed down.

I even brought up the possibility of Bipolar to my doctor, but they were dead set on Paranoid Schizophrenia. Which is weird, because I don't have hallucinations, and I'm definitely not thinking people are following me or plotting against me or anything like that.

Regarding my mood, I’ve tried explaining it to them—it’s all over the place. One minute I’m feeling down, the next I’m fine, then I’m just totally numb, you know? But this stuff they're giving me now is causing a total short circuit in my brain. I’ve even started hearing voices—which is wild because I’ve never dealt with auditory hallucinations or anything like that before. It actually happened today.

And honestly, the Risperidone and Prozac? They've just caused more mental static, bringing up all these dark, intrusive thoughts.

I had someone who was staying in the hospital with me tell me straight up that the doctors don't have a clue what's going on.

To top it off, I got discharged by some other doctor instead of my own.

Hey there Harold Anderson3. What's up? How have you been holding up?

Carol Barrett2 said:Regarding my mood, I’ve tried explaining it to them—it’s all over the place. One minute I’m feeling down, the next I’m fine, then I’m just totally numb, you know? But this stuff they're giving me now is causing a total short circuit in my brain. I’ve even started hearing voices—which is wild because I’ve never dealt with auditory hallucinations or anything like that before. It actually happened today.

And honestly, the Risperidone and Prozac? They've just caused more mental static, bringing up all these dark, intrusive thoughts.

I had someone who was staying in the hospital with me tell me straight up that the doctors don't have a clue what's going on.

To top it off, I got discharged by some other doctor instead of my own.

Man, where on earth were you staying? That sounds heavy.

If everything you're saying is true, then those doctors aren't exactly hitting the mark either.

At least it seems like your treatment isn't overly aggressive, though.

Harold Anderson3 said:I actually had a very similar experience when it came to my diagnosis process. Even our treatment plans are pretty much identical—I’m also on an ability maintenance program right now.
I can generally handle the psychotic symptoms without too much trouble, but those sudden shifts in mood really take a toll on me. Do you ever find yourself getting hit by those waves of deep depression every now and then?

Lately, though, I've been feeling better for quite some while now. I feel more motivated, more active... I actually have a sense that this stability might stick, given how things went last time. I was functioning almost entirely normally before making the foolish decision to taper off my meds. These days, my main issue is a lack of libido. My emotional range has returned, though much like before, I don't really have the capacity to cry... but all in all, I am content.

Benjamin Hall6 said:Lately, though, I've been feeling better for quite some while now. I feel more motivated, more active... I actually have a sense that this stability might stick, given how things went last time. I was functioning almost entirely normally before making the foolish decision to taper off my meds. These days, my main issue is a lack of libido. My emotional range has returned, though much like before, I don't really have the capacity to cry... but all in all, I am content.

That drop in libido could definitely be a side effect of the medication, though it isn't a guarantee.
I dealt with that exact same thing back when I was on the Risperdal long-acting injection.
It seems like everyone wants to try tapering off their meds at least once in their lives, but I still find myself hitting occasional rough patches even when I'm staying consistent with my prescription. It's also probably wise to stay away from alcohol.

Harold Anderson3 said:Man, where on earth were you staying? That sounds heavy.

If everything you're saying is true, then those doctors aren't exactly hitting the mark either.

At least it seems like your treatment isn't overly aggressive, though.

Man, I feel terrible—just totally wiped out. Mostly because I don't even have schizophrenia. I'm pretty sure it's bipolar. They just keep hammering me with all these antipsychotics. And my mom? She’s convinced I’m possessed. She claims I see demons in people, but I was just saying they *act* like demons and that they're basically scrambling my brain. They still have all that junk written down in my file about what I was doing during my manic and delusional episodes.

I'm certain it's bipolar, not schizophrenia. They used to give me half or even quarter doses, but once I was cleared for leave, they handed me full doses just because the doctor on duty was different. The one who usually handles my case wasn't there to stop it.

The dosages lately have been a mess—a quarter of Leponex in the morning, half of that Azaraleks stuff, and half a dose of Bosaurin. Then at night, it's half of Leponex and a whole Bosaurin.

They definitely lowered the doses at some point, I know they did, because I saw the techs breaking the pills into pieces this whole time.

And my family is being just as difficult. They're pushing back on everything. They won't let me see my own psychiatrist because the guy running my case is on vacation. The substitute doctor told them it isn't even that intense, but for me, it is—especially since I don't even have this condition. Honestly, with how much this has spiraled due to these pills and the messed-up treatments, I'm worried I'll end up with schizophrenia.

My sister is like, "Who cares if it's schizophrenia or bipolar?" 😵

But nobody wants to challenge the diagnosis from the chief and the psychologist. Everything was decided based on one test where they labeled me as "anti-social" or whatever. Just because I don't have money. She wrote down that I'm anti-social.

What does any of that even have to do with paranoia? Paranoia is when you think someone is stalking or hunting you—which I don't, except for the fact that the CIA and stuff probably monitor certain people or entire nations, obviously.

I can barely walk, I feel even weaker than before... it's rough. I can hardly even type this. It even lists difficulty writing as a side effect of Bosaurin.

I've had it with both the professionals and my own people. I honestly don't know what to do. 😢