Posts by Eric Mitchell55

Larry Lewis said:Schizophrenia... it’s one of those things where you can't live with it, yet somehow, you find you can't exist without it either—it becomes this strange, inescapable part of your very fabric.

Pretty much.

I finally stopped trying to ignore all that stuff—honestly, it didn't really help me anyway.
At some point, you just have to accept things as they are. ☕

Sometimes I get the feeling they didn't really lay all the cards on the table when they were explaining things to me 🤣

Honestly, though, I’ve decided to stop stressing over my diagnosis, whatever it turns out to be.
I realized today that being "normal" isn't actually on my bucket list. I just want to reach a place where I can embrace who I am. Whether it’s paranoid schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder... at the end of the day, it doesn't change my core self.

I have this connection to a parallel world, and whether people find that weird or not, I kind of feel like they're missing out on a pretty unique privilege...

It feels like if you don't fit the standard mold, society immediately slaps a "crazy" label on you.
I know plenty of people who are just as eccentric as I am; they just don't carry a label around everywhere they go.

🥳

I’ve been finding it pretty tough to stay focused since I started taking Haldol. It feels like my brain just drifts off, and I'm struggling to actually follow along when people are talking to me. :\

Michelle Evans said:The simplest way to put it is when you have mood disorder symptoms (like depression or bipolar) happening at the exact same time as the schizophrenic symptoms.

I honestly thought it sounded a bit more "normal" than that.
It's like a two-for-one special; I guess I'm just dealing with the whole package at once. 😍

Thanks 😉

Could someone help me make sense of the difference between schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder? I tried looking it up online, but it’s all a bit blurry and nothing really clicked.
If anyone could just break it down for me in plain, simple terms, I’d really appreciate it. 😁

Brandon Lopez6 said:Risperdal actually worked great for me; it felt nothing like Zyprexa. At least for me...

I had a pretty similar experience myself. 🙂

driftinggull21 said:As far as I know, most universities don't require medical clearance.🤷
I just hope you aren't planning on becoming a pilot or an air traffic controller.😬

Well, it's not quite that extreme... I'm actually looking to get into maritime work.☕

driftinggull21 said:You are an adult now; speak candidly with your psychiatrist and ask them directly.

Besides, consider which scenario is worse:
Living with constant Schizoaffective Disorder and one psychotic breakdown a year, or having Schizophrenia that remains stable and in remission?
It isn't about "labeling" you; it's about how you actually feel, whether you can function, and how well you respond to treatment.😉

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there. To be honest, I don't much care what the official diagnosis is as long as I can manage my life reasonably well. My main worry is just how this might affect things down the road, like getting into college or finding a solid career path.

Jason Vaughn482 said:The truth is, you’re taking an incredible amount of medication; one has to wonder what the toll will be when you hit 50. Your liver is going to bear the brunt of it... perhaps it would be wise to consider tapering down slightly, though naturally, that must be done in strict coordination with your psychiatrist—maybe even exploring psychotherapy as an alternative.

Well, I’ve tried everything from the low doses to the heavy hitters.
My psychiatrist mentioned that the only one I haven't given a shot to yet is Seroquel.
That Risperdal injection was actually perfect for me; I only had to take an antidepressant alongside it, at least until my prolactin levels spiked out of nowhere and now I'm not allowed to use it anymore.
I still make it to my appointments regularly, though—I actually just went last Thursday.

hollowbison15 said:An acute psychotic disorder doesn't automatically morph into schizophrenia. For them to slap that "label" on you, as you put it, the symptoms usually have to persist for a much longer period and present a pretty grim clinical picture.
Try not to view it as this massive stigma, because it really isn't. With the right treatment plan, you can function perfectly fine in your day-to-day life and actually reach those goals you're talking about. Of course, beyond just medication, having solid support from the people around you is absolutely vital—which, I truly hope, you have.
You have your goals; cling to them. They'll be what pulls you through, but you have to maintain realistic expectations—take it one step at a time, nothing too grandiose all at once.

Thanks for the encouragement, 🙂
I've been living with this diagnosis for a little over four years now, if I'm remembering correctly.
Honestly, I'd give anything if it were just a brief, acute episode, but hey, I'm trying my best to stay positive. Whatever happens, happens. I guess you just have to make peace with it and learn how to move forward.
As for support, I have people around me more or less, so hopefully, things will turn out okay.

Kenneth Scott41 said:Man, that sounds heavy. I deal with hallucinations too, though they aren't quite as intense; I've sort of grown accustomed to them over time, I guess. I take Zoloft to manage it... what about you?

Like I mentioned a little bit ago, 😁
I'm on Olandix, Prazosin, and Haldol from the Associated Press, plus Cymbalta from the Ad, along with Akineton to stop my muscles from cramping up and my jaw from locking.🙂

Kenneth Scott41 said:Forgive me, but
who else is actually taking pills at 14 years old? 😲 😲Back then, I was mostly just hanging out with my crowd, grabbing beers and trying to act grown up.😁

Hey, if you head over to a major children's hospital in Washington, D.C., you’ll find kids even younger than fourteen dealing with all sorts of stuff.🙂
Mental health issues don't care how old you are.
For me, the hallucinations started when I was fourteen—actually, a little bit before that, really—but my parents didn't think it was time to see a psychiatrist until then.

How long does someone usually have to deal with an acute psychotic disorder featuring schizophrenic symptoms before it officially gets diagnosed as schizophrenia?
I’ve had this nagging thought pop into my head a few times now—this fear that people are going to tell me I have schizophrenia.
Just recently, I went through another psychotic episode, dealing with both positive and some negative symptoms.

Honestly, I’m genuinely terrified of being labeled with schizophrenia. I can't help but worry about how that stigma might ripple through my entire life. I'm turning 19 soon, and I’ve spent so much time building up these big dreams that I want to chase at any cost. If they slap that label on me, I feel like everything I've worked for will just vanish, and I'll be forced to pivot to a completely different path in life.

Life really can suck sometimes.

Looking at this thread, I see people way older than me who are way too young to be dealing with this many pills.
I actually started on Helixim when I was just 14—almost 15—and within a few months, I was already on Haldol and some pretty nasty meds.
Now I’m turning 19, and my daily routine includes Olandix 20, Akineton 4 mg, Haldol 4 mg, Cymbalta 60mg, and Prazosin 75mg.
The plan is that I'll probably switch from Olandix to Seroquel soon.

Anyway.

Anyone have any experiences with Seroquel?
Does it cause weight gain? 😁

wiredskipper45 said:😢
so, what are you taking this time?

Yeah.
You know, you really put me on the spot there.
I remember back when I was going through my darkest period and trying to end things, I was also on Zyprexa. Maybe it just works differently for me, or maybe it’s actually doing its job.

wiredskipper45 said:Zyprexa basically robbed me of a whole year of my life. Sure, I slept like a baby, and I didn't even pack on too much weight, but I was a total zombie. Just... nothing. No feelings, good or bad. I couldn't even feel love for anyone. I’m an emotional person—probably like everyone else on this forum—so living without any sensation felt just as hollow as being dead. There were times I'd just walk down the street hoping a car would hit me. Suicide isn't an option for me, though; I'm still here because of someone in my family who means everything to me. 😢((

I had the exact same experience. It even got to the point where I seriously tried to end things, but hey, here I am. Still breathing.

Donna Torres5 said:On my end, I’ve put on about 45 pounds since I started taking Zyprexa. It feels like I’ve been stuck at this weight for an entire year now and just can't seem to shake it off.🙂

I ended up putting on over 40 pounds when I was last on Zyprexa, which was pretty intense. I managed to drop about 13 pounds after stopping, but now I feel like the weight is starting to creep back on again. Honestly, I’m just sitting here wondering where this is all heading.

I just wanted to get this off my chest: I really can't stand Olandix, Zyprexa, or anything else in that same category.
Honestly, it feels like I’m just stuck being this heavy without them. 😢
I can't take my Risperdal injections anymore because of my prolactin levels, and honestly, I’ve been putting on some serious weight from this current medication. It feels like I'm getting rounder by the day. 😢

Brandon Lopez6 said:Back in '09, I stumbled onto the fact that the folks making Zyprexa totally faked their clinical trials. They straight up buried the evidence that the drug could trigger diabetes.

At the end of the day, those big pharma companies couldn't care less about whether a medication actually helps us or makes things worse; they just care about moving units.