Schizophrenia - General Discussion

ruggedtinker9 said:I suppose it is true that new connections are formed, so I won't argue with that.
However, it might be worth looking over this
http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v3.../1300710a.html
if one reads closely enough, you eventually reach the section stating that antipsychotics can reduce overall brain mass by about 8-11%. It is certainly encouraging news.
I mean, when your brain shrinks by a tenth, I assume that is just wonderful for you.
Honestly, I find it difficult to believe that some people genuinely think antipsychotics are beneficial for the brain.
If that is truly your perspective, then I am somewhat at a loss for words.
Hello? You are essentially blocking dopamine and serotonin, which are practically the neurotransmitters responsible for love and feeling good.
Even though I take antipsychotics myself, I am fully aware that they are not good for the brain in any capacity.
I can feel it, and I know my own mind better than most. But, unfortunately, I don't have an alternative within this broken system.

There is a certain natural antipsychotic that none of us can obtain (at least not currently), nor will Big Pharma ever release for sale, nor can we legally extract it ourselves. It is called cannabidiol (CBD), and it is found in—you guessed it—hemp.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3316151/

Nature provides a remedy for everything, I think, but the interests of pharmaceutical corporations lie in turning a profit and keeping you tethered to medication, rather than curing you, because a cured patient is no longer a source of revenue.

Still, I suppose it is fine to seek comfort where you can when there are no other options left... hope is perhaps all that remains.

Maybe wait until you have a medical degree in psychiatry before you start dropping these kinds of analyses.

I’m on antipsychotics too, and I still feel love, I still feel happy, my intelligence hasn't tanked, and I managed to finish tech school. Everything has side effects—for instance, I take Zyprexa and I've put on some serious weight, plus my blood sugar is up... but other than that, nothing stops me from living a totally normal life just like everyone else.

And you? Stop taking your meds and you'll end up in a psych ward before you can blink.

As for those alternative cures... first off, hemp extracts aren't illegal. Second, just like Big Pharma wants to rake in the dough, alternative medicine peddlers want to profit too, so they push these narratives. Third, think about it logically. If some company actually found a definitive cure for schizophrenia and patented it, they’d be making enough money to rival three Bill Gates.

If we’re diving into the side effects—and believe me, there are plenty to catalog—here is what I've been dealing with lately: 1. I find myself sleeping significantly more than I used to. 2. My emotional spectrum has basically flattened out; I haven't shed a tear in years, nor have I felt that kind of overwhelming, pure joy—it's just... muted. 3. There are moments when my cognitive processing feels a bit sluggish, like my brain is moving through molasses. 4. People around me constantly remark on how calm and composed I seem, though, truth be told, I don't actually feel "calm" internally—I just feel detached. 4. My liver enzymes have taken a hit, which is a concern, but I’ve been trying to manage it by regularly taking milk thistle supplements. That about covers the grim reality of it all.

Hey everyone, I’m finally heading to the coast!! We should probably start touching base in about a month or so 👋

David Vaughn75 said:Hey everyone, I’m finally heading to the coast!! We should probably start touching base in about a month or so 👋

Just watch out for the bad influences.🙂

Well, I suppose I’m heading off to the coast too—my little wanderlust is getting the better of me again. I've heard some rather discouraging whispers about the psychiatric ward at my destination—nothing great, really—but I suppose I'll just have to take my chances and roll the dice🙂

For those of you heading to the beach, just focus on looking at breasts; apparently, it actually extends your lifespan, according to research from Microsoft 😍

Man, I finally managed to hunt down some decent Wi-Fi while hanging out by the coast 🙂

Hey everyone! I’m new here, which should be pretty obvious looking at my post count.
I decided to jump into this thread because I really wanted to share what we’ve been going through and hopefully find some people who actually get it—maybe even a little bit of comfort along the way.
My son is 22, and he’s dealing with paranoid schizophrenia. We’ve been struggling through the chaos this illness brings for years now, and honestly, there’s still so much about it that feels completely foreign to us.
I’d love to hear from other parents out there. How are you all managing? How do you cope? Any advice at all would mean the world to me right now.
Thanks in advance to anyone who takes a moment to reply!!

briskcyclist40 said:Hey everyone! I’m new here, which should be pretty obvious looking at my post count.
I decided to jump into this thread because I really wanted to share what we’ve been going through and hopefully find some people who actually get it—maybe even a little bit of comfort along the way.
My son is 22, and he’s dealing with paranoid schizophrenia. We’ve been struggling through the chaos this illness brings for years now, and honestly, there’s still so much about it that feels completely foreign to us.
I’d love to hear from other parents out there. How are you all managing? How do you cope? Any advice at all would mean the world to me right now.
Thanks in advance to anyone who takes a moment to reply!!

First off—and please do this if you haven't already—you really ought to read through the previous posts. There is a wealth of useful information and firsthand experiences from patients themselves. It’s true, direct insight.
Secondly, the most vital starting point is this: you must believe, and truly know, that he can live a meaningful life.
With the right combination of medication, psychotherapy, various workshops, and an immense amount of patience, significant progress can be made, no matter how difficult or impossible it might seem right now.
Sadly, we don't have any practicing psychiatrists here (heaven knows why!), but we do have many kindhearted people who genuinely want to share their struggles and help in whatever way they can.
There is absolutely no question too small to ask here; you can ask about anything from the most trivial matters to specific medications, doctors, facilities, or even alternative ways of living and healing.
I sincerely hope we can help you—even if we can't provide concrete answers, at least we can offer empathy and understanding. 😉

briskcyclist40 said:Hey everyone! I’m new here, which should be pretty obvious looking at my post count.
I decided to jump into this thread because I really wanted to share what we’ve been going through and hopefully find some people who actually get it—maybe even a little bit of comfort along the way.
My son is 22, and he’s dealing with paranoid schizophrenia. We’ve been struggling through the chaos this illness brings for years now, and honestly, there’s still so much about it that feels completely foreign to us.
I’d love to hear from other parents out there. How are you all managing? How do you cope? Any advice at all would mean the world to me right now.
Thanks in advance to anyone who takes a moment to reply!!

Hi there, briskcyclist40.

I’m not a parent dealing with schizophrenia, but I actually live with paranoid schizophrenia myself. It runs in my family too, as my mother carries the same diagnosis.
If I could offer a few pieces of advice, the first and most vital rule is to never, ever stop the medication; if the symptoms return—and they often do—they tend to come back much harder each time.
Second, regular check-ups and psychotherapy are essential. While medication is the foundation, having that therapeutic support is just as important. To be honest, there’s a massive gap between seeing a private specialist and using whatever insurance-covered options are available through the state, but if private care isn't an option, please utilize the public system, because anything is better than nothing at all.
Third, try to stay connected to the world—working, socializing, and striving to lead as "normal" a life as possible despite the illness.

That said, you haven't shared too many specifics about your son yet beyond the diagnosis. I'm wondering if he's on heavy medications, how many times he's had to be hospitalized, how he manages socially, or if he's currently in school or working?

Harold Anderson3 said:Hi there, briskcyclist40.

I’m not a parent dealing with schizophrenia, but I actually live with paranoid schizophrenia myself. It runs in my family too, as my mother carries the same diagnosis.
If I could offer a few pieces of advice, the first and most vital rule is to never, ever stop the medication; if the symptoms return—and they often do—they tend to come back much harder each time.
Second, regular check-ups and psychotherapy are essential. While medication is the foundation, having that therapeutic support is just as important. To be honest, there’s a massive gap between seeing a private specialist and using whatever insurance-covered options are available through the state, but if private care isn't an option, please utilize the public system, because anything is better than nothing at all.
Third, try to stay connected to the world—working, socializing, and striving to lead as "normal" a life as possible despite the illness.

That said, you haven't shared too many specifics about your son yet beyond the diagnosis. I'm wondering if he's on heavy medications, how many times he's had to be hospitalized, how he manages socially, or if he's currently in school or working?

Thanks Kevin Nguyen3 and thanks Harold Anderson3

Yeah, I barely mentioned anything because there's just so much to it, I don't even know where to start. But let me try... First off, I think it's important that we live outside of America, specifically in Switzerland. Even though people think medicine works better in wealthier places, when it comes to psychiatry, it feels like a double-edged sword. Why do I say that? Because every time he gets hospitalized, they scrap his old meds and throw something new at him. In my experience, that wreaks havoc on the body. I can literally see him changing every time, and unfortunately, never for the better. Switzerland used to have easier access to certain substances, which I honestly believe contributed to why their mental health wards are so packed with young people today. Over here, kids end up in psych wards over the simplest family arguments, and once they get in there and get treated like anything and everything, they become permanent residents.
My son was first hospitalized when he was 17. Here’s how it went down: the kid got into a fight with his father over some paperwork that needed signing. My son reacted aggressively and actually bit his father's hand. I was so shocked by the reaction that I called emergency services, asking for a home visit because I needed to know if he had taken something that triggered him. What happened next? About ten minutes later, three police cars and two ambulances swarmed our building. The cops literally burst into my son's room while he was being perfectly calm, dragged him out half-naked, and handcuffed him. I was in total shock... I remember everything being a blur; I couldn't make sense of what was happening. They took him straight to the psychiatric ward, where he stayed for two and a half months. We weren't allowed to visit him (since he was a minor), and he wouldn't call us anyway. His diagnosis? There wasn't one. He had no treatment, yet they wouldn't let the kid go. I'm writing too much, but it's never enough to really show you what happened. Words can't describe what we went through.
My son was left traumatized by that whole ordeal. He built up so much resentment toward his father that there were times later on where he would just snap and start smashing things around the house. (to be continued... but please, if you have anything to say, I'm listening)

It’s all gone
My son lost everything because of being hospitalized. He lost his school because he lost his job at the same time—it was hands-on training, so when the job went, the credits went with it. He even lost his girlfriend back then. One word: everything. Months dragged by, but you could see him simmering inside. By the summer, after six months of this, he just snapped. He turned aggressive toward me—really verbally abusive—and then he completely lost control, smashing whatever was in front of him. So, yeah, he ended up back in the psych ward. Diagnosis? None. Therapy? None. After three weeks, they just discharged him. Nobody took responsibility for him once he left the hospital doors. I mean, what happened to outpatient care? He was totally alone, even though we were right there, but he kept pushing us away. Most days he’d just sleep for hours or wander around at night. He barely spoke—maybe a few words at the table if he needed something, and that was it. He wouldn't even hear the mention of seeing a doctor, a psychiatrist, or a psychologist. If we brought it up, he’d just explode. The third hospitalization finally happened after he physically attacked his father and tried to hurt him with a knife...
The whole thing finally started getting attention when social services got involved. Apparently, because a young nurse stood her ground, they forced the hospital to actually take our son's situation seriously.
Up until that point, the doctors hadn't a clue about a diagnosis. They kept telling me there wasn't enough concrete evidence to label him. But once they received that letter from the commission, suddenly he’s being bombarded with heavy-duty psych meds and they slap him with a diagnosis: paranoid schizophrenia (more to follow)

Part three
My son was discharged from the hospital under this mandatory outpatient treatment program. It works like this: if the patient doesn't show up for their meds, the police hunt them down and drag them straight back to a ward. The treatment he was forced into was a Risperdal depot injection—one shot every three weeks.
That stuff turned him into a zombie. Completely apathetic, exhausted, totally lost interest in everything. He just slept. All. The. Time. We went to the doctors, begged them to see something was wrong, told them he looked worse than ever... but they wouldn't listen. They just gave us these cynical responses, telling us we had to "understand" he’s sick and leave it at that. We even hired a lawyer to push for a psychiatric evaluation. We wanted someone to actually take his condition seriously and figure out if this was all fallout from his initial traumatic hospitalization or if it was the illness itself. But we hit a brick wall. Nothing. After eighteen months on Risperdal, he loses control again. He’s aggressive, he's spiraling, and it's back to the hospital. This time, I fought for a transfer to a private clinic, and I finally got it. There, the doctors realized my son is completely resistant to Risperdal. They switched him to Orfiril (a stabilizer) and Leponex. Everything stayed bad—terrible, actually—but that was when the auditory hallucinations first started. He was placed in a locked ward for safety... but after just a few days, he developed Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome. It took seven days of intensive care, but miraculously, he survived. He’s recovering slowly, but he isn't the same person. He gets out after two months, stays home for a week, and then attempts suicide by overdosing on Leponex. That happened last September (2012), where he ended up staying hospitalized for two months. They changed his regimen, dropped the Leponex, and put him on Haldol. The voices? They just got louder and more frequent. He’s terrified, haunted by what he hears... and it kept going like that for months until he reached the point where he’s screaming and threatening to jump off the balcony. It just keeps getting worse for him. At the local clinic, nobody wants to hear a word I say. No answers to my questions, no empathy, nothing. Just: "He's sick, you have to understand!" That was it. That was all they had to say. He was released in the third month and was miserable every single day because those hallucinations wouldn't give him a moment of peace, and now he's back in the hospital again. As parents, we have no say. And he has no say either; he can't make decisions with his doctor because everything is forced on him. Right now, he’s being bombarded with 300 mg of Haldol, 9 mg of Invega, 150 mg of Orfiril, and 1 Valium (5mg) a day.
I am at my breaking point. I don't know who to turn to. Despite all their resistance, we tried to find one of the top specialists in the country. My son opened up to him, talked about everything he was feeling. The doctor reviewed the meds and said the cocktail was too heavy—that one of the drugs might actually be causing the hallucinations. Unfortunately, we couldn't do anything about it. The clinic blocked us from the very start.
We are desperate...........................

briskcyclist40, that is such a heartbreaking story, thank you so much for opening up and sharing it with us.
My own experience was a lot more straightforward, though certainly not any less difficult; the worst part happened when I decided to stop my medication on my own because I just didn't grasp how serious things actually were. My doctor eventually admitted she made a mistake by letting me leave the hospital so early—even though I was the one insisting on being discharged—and since I was all alone in Washington, D.C., without any family around to guide me, I ended up acting in ways that were clearly not myself. All of that spiraled into a terrifying psychotic episode that resulted in me spending over six months at an inpatient facility in Arlington. Since then, about four years ago, things have been steadily, if slowly, getting better.
I honestly don't know what to say, because I always had this impression that psychiatric care in more developed countries would be on a much higher level, but clearly, that isn't always the case. We have access to the best medications currently available here in the States, and our doctors are talented; I think the real issue is simply that there aren't enough specialists to go around, so they can't always give every patient the dedicated attention they deserve.
Most people living with schizophrenia manage to function quite well using some of the newer medications, like quetiapine (Seroquel), olanzapine (Zyprexa), or Risperdal. I'm really not sure why that hasn't been the case for your son. It makes me wonder if the core issue lies with certain doctors who might have handled the initial stages poorly, which often does more harm than good and ultimately allows the illness to take hold.

That’s just how it goes in this brand of liberal capitalism—where the government won't lift a finger to fund anything remotely social or community-oriented. 👎 I mean, seriously, getting fired just because you were hospitalized? That’s absolutely monstrous. 👎 Damn this whole Western way of life; you’re basically treated like nothing more than a machine designed to churn out cash and nothing else. 👎 If there’s one silver lining, I guess it’s being glad I'm here in the States, because back when I was in a facility in Chicago, they actually treated me like a decent human being—like a gentleman, even.

briskcyclist40, does your son ever get these ideas that people are following him, or that everyone around him is out to get him—like everything is staged against him and stuff? Honestly, looking back at your posts, I haven't seen anything that screams paranoid schizophrenia to me. Aggression can stem from a hundred different things; it doesn't automatically mean he's dealing with psychosis.

David Vaughn75 said:That’s just how it goes in this brand of liberal capitalism—where the government won't lift a finger to fund anything remotely social or community-oriented. 👎 I mean, seriously, getting fired just because you were hospitalized? That’s absolutely monstrous. 👎 Damn this whole Western way of life; you’re basically treated like nothing more than a machine designed to churn out cash and nothing else. 👎 If there’s one silver lining, I guess it’s being glad I'm here in the States, because back when I was in a facility in Chicago, they actually treated me like a decent human being—like a gentleman, even.

briskcyclist40, does your son ever get these ideas that people are following him, or that everyone around him is out to get him—like everything is staged against him and stuff? Honestly, looking back at your posts, I haven't seen anything that screams paranoid schizophrenia to me. Aggression can stem from a hundred different things; it doesn't automatically mean he's dealing with psychosis.

She mentioned having constant auditory hallucinations, which is definitely a symptom of schizophrenia. Although, in my experience, the hallucinations usually show up later, after the paranoia, the fears, and the detachment from reality have already set in. Schizophrenia presents itself completely differently in two different people, much like any other mental health condition.🤷

briskcyclist40, does your son actually think people are following him, or that everyone is out to get him, or that his whole life is some scripted setup? I haven't seen anything in your posts that screams paranoid schizophrenia to me. Aggression can come from a million different things; it doesn't automatically mean he’s having a psychotic break.

Thanks for all the input!!
My son never had those delusions about being followed or someone orchestrating his future. He used to hang out with friends like any normal kid. The fears he actually dealt with were based in reality. After that first traumatic stay in the hospital, he felt totally cornered by the doctors. He lived in constant dread that the cops would just swoop in and haul him back to the psych ward. As a parent, I think that kind of fear is actually pretty understandable. One time, a private psychologist told me he’d love to meet someone who *wasn't* terrified after going through what my son went through—something the psychiatrists dismissed as paranoia. He wasn't scared of spies or conspiracies... his anxiety was tied to the treatment itself and how he was being handled. He’d wake up in the middle of the night screaming, "Let me go, I didn't do anything wrong."
The voices started showing up after he got the Risperdal injections, and they haven't stopped since. They're always negative, telling him he's useless, that he's a failure, that he won't amount to anything in life... you know the drill.
What I really wish we could do is get him into a long-term observation program at a compassionate clinic, but honestly, I don't think places like that even exist to help figure out what caused this versus what happened later.

briskcyclist40 said:briskcyclist40, does your son actually think people are following him, or that everyone is out to get him, or that his whole life is some scripted setup? I haven't seen anything in your posts that screams paranoid schizophrenia to me. Aggression can come from a million different things; it doesn't automatically mean he’s having a psychotic break.

Thanks for all the input!!
My son never had those delusions about being followed or someone orchestrating his future. He used to hang out with friends like any normal kid. The fears he actually dealt with were based in reality. After that first traumatic stay in the hospital, he felt totally cornered by the doctors. He lived in constant dread that the cops would just swoop in and haul him back to the psych ward. As a parent, I think that kind of fear is actually pretty understandable. One time, a private psychologist told me he’d love to meet someone who *wasn't* terrified after going through what my son went through—something the psychiatrists dismissed as paranoia. He wasn't scared of spies or conspiracies... his anxiety was tied to the treatment itself and how he was being handled. He’d wake up in the middle of the night screaming, "Let me go, I didn't do anything wrong."
The voices started showing up after he got the Risperdal injections, and they haven't stopped since. They're always negative, telling him he's useless, that he's a failure, that he won't amount to anything in life... you know the drill.
What I really wish we could do is get him into a long-term observation program at a compassionate clinic, but honestly, I don't think places like that even exist to help figure out what caused this versus what happened later.

Thanks for all the input!!
My son never had those delusions about being followed or someone orchestrating his future. He used to hang out with friends like any normal kid. The fears he actually dealt with were based in reality. After that first traumatic stay in the hospital, he felt totally cornered by the doctors. He lived in constant dread that the cops would just swoop in and haul him back to the psych ward. As a parent, I think that kind of fear is actually pretty understandable. One time, a private psychologist told me he’d love to meet someone who *wasn't* terrified after going through what my son went through—something the psychiatrists dismissed as paranoia. He wasn't scared of spies or conspiracies... his anxiety was tied to the treatment itself and how he was being handled. He’d wake up in the middle of the night screaming, "Let me go, I didn't do anything wrong."
The voices started showing up after he got the Risperdal injections, and they haven't stopped since. They're always negative, telling him he's useless, that he's a failure, that he won't amount to anything in life... you know the drill.
What I really wish we could do is get him into a long-term observation program at a compassionate clinic, but honestly, I don't think places like that even exist to help figure out what caused this versus what happened later.

Thanks for all the input!!
My son never had those delusions about being followed or someone orchestrating his future. He used to hang out with friends like any normal kid. The fears he actually dealt with were based in reality. After that first traumatic stay in the hospital, he felt totally cornered by the doctors. He lived in constant dread that the cops would just swoop in and haul him back to the psych ward. As a parent, I think that kind of fear is actually pretty understandable. One time, a private psychologist told me he’d love to meet someone who *wasn't* terrified after going through what my son went through—something the psychiatrists dismissed as paranoia. He wasn't scared of spies or conspiracies... his anxiety was tied to the treatment itself and how he was being handled. He’d wake up in the middle of the night screaming, "Let me go, I didn't do anything wrong."
The voices started showing up after he got the Risperdal injections, and they haven't stopped since. They're always negative, telling him he's useless, that he's a failure, that he won't amount to anything in life... you know the drill.
What I really wish we could do is get him into a long-term observation program at a compassionate clinic, but honestly, I don't think places like that even exist to help figure out what caused this versus what happened later.
You see, I'm also on risperidone—which is called Risperdal here in the States—and it’s honestly been my lifeline. I've been on it for four years now, getting an injection every two weeks; I started at 50 mg, moved down to 37.5 mg, and I'm at 25 mg now, and I haven't missed a single dose in all that time. Personally, I find it hard to believe that the medication itself causes hallucinations; it's more likely that if there were hallucinations, they were already present and just didn't subside because of the meds. Maybe seeking care at a private clinic might offer better options; in our experience, private care is often a significant step up from the public system, and I imagine that gap is probably even wider over in your neck of the woods.

briskcyclist40, this whole situation is absolutely devastating. Are you telling me all of this happened just because his father bit his hand?
I mean, what kind of choice did he actually have if he didn't want to sign those papers?
He’s being given 300 mg of Haldol?! My God, I honestly can't wrap my head around that. If I were forced to take that much, I think I'd rather just end it all; I am one hundred percent certain of that.
It seems entirely plausible that he has lost his mind due to the sheer combination of all those medications and treatments.
Treatment?
To me, that doesn't sound like treatment at all; it sounds more like creating a living hell on Earth and pure torment. That isn't medicine.
Whenever I hear stories like this, I feel a genuine sense of dread.
If you truly want what is best for your son, perhaps you should consider moving to a country that treats people as if they are dignified human beings. America certainly has its own set of flaws, but ultimately, it is a decent country.

Harold Anderson3 said:Thanks for all the input!!
My son never had those delusions about being followed or someone orchestrating his future. He used to hang out with friends like any normal kid. The fears he actually dealt with were based in reality. After that first traumatic stay in the hospital, he felt totally cornered by the doctors. He lived in constant dread that the cops would just swoop in and haul him back to the psych ward. As a parent, I think that kind of fear is actually pretty understandable. One time, a private psychologist told me he’d love to meet someone who *wasn't* terrified after going through what my son went through—something the psychiatrists dismissed as paranoia. He wasn't scared of spies or conspiracies... his anxiety was tied to the treatment itself and how he was being handled. He’d wake up in the middle of the night screaming, "Let me go, I didn't do anything wrong."
The voices started showing up after he got the Risperdal injections, and they haven't stopped since. They're always negative, telling him he's useless, that he's a failure, that he won't amount to anything in life... you know the drill.
What I really wish we could do is get him into a long-term observation program at a compassionate clinic, but honestly, I don't think places like that even exist to help figure out what caused this versus what happened later.

Thanks for all the input!!
My son never had those delusions about being followed or someone orchestrating his future. He used to hang out with friends like any normal kid. The fears he actually dealt with were based in reality. After that first traumatic stay in the hospital, he felt totally cornered by the doctors. He lived in constant dread that the cops would just swoop in and haul him back to the psych ward. As a parent, I think that kind of fear is actually pretty understandable. One time, a private psychologist told me he’d love to meet someone who *wasn't* terrified after going through what my son went through—something the psychiatrists dismissed as paranoia. He wasn't scared of spies or conspiracies... his anxiety was tied to the treatment itself and how he was being handled. He’d wake up in the middle of the night screaming, "Let me go, I didn't do anything wrong."
The voices started showing up after he got the Risperdal injections, and they haven't stopped since. They're always negative, telling him he's useless, that he's a failure, that he won't amount to anything in life... you know the drill.
What I really wish we could do is get him into a long-term observation program at a compassionate clinic, but honestly, I don't think places like that even exist to help figure out what caused this versus what happened later.
You see, I'm also on risperidone—which is called Risperdal here in the States—and it’s honestly been my lifeline. I've been on it for four years now, getting an injection every two weeks; I started at 50 mg, moved down to 37.5 mg, and I'm at 25 mg now, and I haven't missed a single dose in all that time. Personally, I find it hard to believe that the medication itself causes hallucinations; it's more likely that if there were hallucinations, they were already present and just didn't subside because of the meds. Maybe seeking care at a private clinic might offer better options; in our experience, private care is often a significant step up from the public system, and I imagine that gap is probably even wider over in your neck of the woods.
You see, I'm also on risperidone—which is called Risperdal here in the States—and it’s honestly been my lifeline. I've been on it for four years now, getting an injection every two weeks; I started at 50 mg, moved down to 37.5 mg, and I'm at 25 mg now, and I haven't missed a single dose in all that time. Personally, I find it hard to believe that the medication itself causes hallucinations; it's more likely that if there were hallucinations, they were already present and just didn't subside because of the meds. Maybe seeking care at a private clinic might offer better options; in our experience, private care is often a significant step up from the public system, and I imagine that gap is probably even wider over in your neck of the woods.
Risperdal is basically a garbage medication overall

It turns my head into a spinning top—seriously, 180 degrees—and girls sometimes don't even get their period, while guys? Yeah, "down there" stops working entirely. They usually only throw this stuff at patients who aren't responding to the newer, more modern meds. Honestly, I wouldn't even be shocked if it caused hallucinations as a side effect.
All those old-school drugs are just straight-up disasters.