Schizophrenia - General Discussion

Carol Barrett2 said:It's rough, especially since I might actually have narcolepsy. Between the meds and just sleeping way too much for years before I even started them, I'm basically a professional sleeper at this point.

Perhaps consult a physician about Pfizer? It’s prescribed for narcolepsy.

Sandra Lee2 said:Perhaps consult a physician about Pfizer? It’s prescribed for narcolepsy.

Well, he’s convinced it’s all just schizophrenia and the meds—that’s his diagnosis, anyway. He claims it’s totally abnormal to be sleeping 10+ hours multiple times a day. Most days it's 10 to 14 hours, sometimes even 16 to 20. No matter how much medication he's on, it's never "normal." And honestly, I was oversleeping way before the therapy started—back before the actual illness kicked in. Though, who knows, maybe I had schizophrenia back then too and nobody just realized it yet.

I've been an excessive sleeper since elementary and middle school. Even back in class, I'd drift off occasionally. My parents basically had to drag me out of bed whenever they wanted to go somewhere. They'd call for me, I'd stumble home from school and pass out immediately, and my mom would just have to yell down from the balcony that I was already asleep.

Take last night, for example: I slept from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM, stayed awake until 12:30 AM, and then slept another 8 hours straight until this morning. Now, I’m probably heading right back to sleep, likely for another 14, 15, or maybe even 16 hours.😵

Carol Barrett2 said:Well, he’s convinced it’s all just schizophrenia and the meds—that’s his diagnosis, anyway. He claims it’s totally abnormal to be sleeping 10+ hours multiple times a day. Most days it's 10 to 14 hours, sometimes even 16 to 20. No matter how much medication he's on, it's never "normal." And honestly, I was oversleeping way before the therapy started—back before the actual illness kicked in. Though, who knows, maybe I had schizophrenia back then too and nobody just realized it yet.

I've been an excessive sleeper since elementary and middle school. Even back in class, I'd drift off occasionally. My parents basically had to drag me out of bed whenever they wanted to go somewhere. They'd call for me, I'd stumble home from school and pass out immediately, and my mom would just have to yell down from the balcony that I was already asleep.

Take last night, for example: I slept from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM, stayed awake until 12:30 AM, and then slept another 8 hours straight until this morning. Now, I’m probably heading right back to sleep, likely for another 14, 15, or maybe even 16 hours.😵

Maybe try getting a second opinion from another doctor. From my experience, schizophrenia itself doesn't necessarily cause drowsiness, but antipsychotics certainly do. Some hit harder than others; for me, they hit quite hard.

Perhaps you could lower the dosage, or better yet, ask a different physician—not your current one—to switch you to a different prescription.

Sandra Lee2 said:Maybe try getting a second opinion from another doctor. From my experience, schizophrenia itself doesn't necessarily cause drowsiness, but antipsychotics certainly do. Some hit harder than others; for me, they hit quite hard.

Perhaps you could lower the dosage, or better yet, ask a different physician—not your current one—to switch you to a different prescription.

With this whole COVID-19 mess, getting an actual face-to-face with a doctor is basically impossible around here. I haven't seen mine in person for nearly two years. It’s all just electronic prescriptions at this point. And as for my current psychiatrist? I can't exactly just swap them out—they're assigned through the local county clinic, via the CDC system.

I get it, I know the Associated Press reports that these drugs cause drowsiness, and yeah, I need to stay awake, but the problem is I'm oversleeping even without them—or with just a tiny bit. Even before I was on this stuff, back when I was just a kid, I used to sleep like a log.

Thanks, man. I might try reaching out to some other doc privately.

Carol Barrett2 said:With this whole COVID-19 mess, getting an actual face-to-face with a doctor is basically impossible around here. I haven't seen mine in person for nearly two years. It’s all just electronic prescriptions at this point. And as for my current psychiatrist? I can't exactly just swap them out—they're assigned through the local county clinic, via the CDC system.

I get it, I know the Associated Press reports that these drugs cause drowsiness, and yeah, I need to stay awake, but the problem is I'm oversleeping even without them—or with just a tiny bit. Even before I was on this stuff, back when I was just a kid, I used to sleep like a log.

Thanks, man. I might try reaching out to some other doc privately.

Don't mention it. You have to fight; life is a struggle. I'm fighting too—I managed seven months without antipsychotics, but I couldn't push past that.

Besides, the famous John Nash dealt with schizophrenia and didn't take meds for a good portion of his life after leaving the hospital.

Nash did not take any medication after 1970, nor was he committed to a hospital ever again.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F...Mental illness

Sandra Lee2 said:Don't mention it. You have to fight; life is a struggle. I'm fighting too—I managed seven months without antipsychotics, but I couldn't push past that.

Besides, the famous John Nash dealt with schizophrenia and didn't take meds for a good portion of his life after leaving the hospital.

Nash did not take any medication after 1970, nor was he committed to a hospital ever again.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F...Mental illness

+1 Mental illness

Sandra Lee2 said:Does anyone have any insight regarding disability benefits and schizophrenia?

It’s granted for any chronic condition where the damage is permanent and even with treatment, you can't reach full remission. Schizophrenia is usually considered a permanent, severe case of mental illness. In my experience, the SSA places a lot of weight on psychologist reports regarding functional capacity and history of hospital stays—basically, get those discharge papers ready. Just try it.

redpilot37 said:It’s granted for any chronic condition where the damage is permanent and even with treatment, you can't reach full remission. Schizophrenia is usually considered a permanent, severe case of mental illness. In my experience, the SSA places a lot of weight on psychologist reports regarding functional capacity and history of hospital stays—basically, get those discharge papers ready. Just try it.

Thanks

Sandra Lee2 said:Thanks

Honestly, you’ve got nothing to lose. My plan? I just landed a win here, so now I'm thinking about reapplying this coming April to bump up to Category I status. They tagged me as Category II almost two years ago, but the second medical board—and the doctor on it, specifically—told me I actually qualify for Category I, which would stop them from docking my disability benefits.

Anyway, moving on to a different tangent—I decided to tweak my meds without asking anyone first. I was taking one pill, half a tablet twice a day. Now, I’m just taking one full tablet once a day. The original deal was supposed to be half a pill twice a day or maybe one or two whole ones depending on how I felt.

I also cut back on the Diazepam—down from 5 mg to just a half pill. Some days I’ll take the whole thing, other days just a half, kind of playing it by ear.

I’ll probably sleep less, though I'm still sleeping quite a bit.

Carol Barrett2 said:Honestly, you’ve got nothing to lose. My plan? I just landed a win here, so now I'm thinking about reapplying this coming April to bump up to Category I status. They tagged me as Category II almost two years ago, but the second medical board—and the doctor on it, specifically—told me I actually qualify for Category I, which would stop them from docking my disability benefits.

Anyway, moving on to a different tangent—I decided to tweak my meds without asking anyone first. I was taking one pill, half a tablet twice a day. Now, I’m just taking one full tablet once a day. The original deal was supposed to be half a pill twice a day or maybe one or two whole ones depending on how I felt.

I also cut back on the Diazepam—down from 5 mg to just a half pill. Some days I’ll take the whole thing, other days just a half, kind of playing it by ear.

I’ll probably sleep less, though I'm still sleeping quite a bit.

Carol Barrett2, I think you might be dealing with a different set of laws and regulations since you're in a different state.

Carol Barrett2 said:Honestly, you’ve got nothing to lose. My plan? I just landed a win here, so now I'm thinking about reapplying this coming April to bump up to Category I status. They tagged me as Category II almost two years ago, but the second medical board—and the doctor on it, specifically—told me I actually qualify for Category I, which would stop them from docking my disability benefits.

Anyway, moving on to a different tangent—I decided to tweak my meds without asking anyone first. I was taking one pill, half a tablet twice a day. Now, I’m just taking one full tablet once a day. The original deal was supposed to be half a pill twice a day or maybe one or two whole ones depending on how I felt.

I also cut back on the Diazepam—down from 5 mg to just a half pill. Some days I’ll take the whole thing, other days just a half, kind of playing it by ear.

I’ll probably sleep less, though I'm still sleeping quite a bit.

Ever tried caffeine? There are tablets for it; I use them myself.

Matthew Castillo5 said:Carol Barrett2, I think you might be dealing with a different set of laws and regulations since you're in a different state.

It’s not identical, but there are definitely similarities. Most of the laws they pass over here are just carbon copies of what you guys do or what the European Union dictates. Personally, I got hit with some paperwork mess-ups myself; now we have to resubmit everything this April because one group of bureaucrats is treating me like a Category I disability case with limited capacity, while another group thinks I'm a Category II case—which covers maybe 90% of the situation.

Everything went sideways during that whole Corona mess, so my folks didn't really bother complaining about the chaos. I actually have rights regarding benefits from Canada, but those Canadians are being difficult—they're asking for something extra, but we can't figure out exactly what it is, and getting in touch with them isn't exactly easy.

We tried reaching out, but honestly? It was a total waste of time.

Sandra Lee2 said:Ever tried caffeine? There are tablets for it; I use them myself.

I drink plenty of coffee, but if this narcolepsy thing is real, caffeine doesn't even touch it. Honestly, though, I think the diazepam is messing with my sleep too much. Someone else on here mentioned a while back that it might be wrecking my REM cycle, which would explain why I'm constantly exhausted.

With narcolepsy, you get those days where insomnia kicks in or you just can't get enough sleep—assuming, of course, that's actually what I'm dealing with.

Anyway, the healthcare system over here is a total disaster.

Honestly, you guys... I’m just sitting here reading this forum today and man, I thought I was the one dealing with schizophrenia, but you all have truly mastered what the professionals call "word salad"... I am genuinely lost tonight. My eyes were jumping from the second line to the third trying to make sense of anything, but nothing connects... anyway, how are you all doing? As for me, I'm somewhere in the middle. I stay on my meds, though the psychosis still creeps back in sometimes. It’s not really voices for me, though... I think I heard actual voices maybe four times in the last three years. For me, it's more like when I close my eyes to sleep, things start happening... like driving through a desert, or little people dancing around a campfire, or flaming skulls and demons... it’s terrifying. And then there's the paranoia, mostly when I'm riding the subway or the bus. My first psychotic break was surreal... I was busy working, judging people, when suddenly, out of nowhere, it felt like the Virgin Mary appeared and told me, "Don't worry, dear child, the world will end in 2035." The second time was this strange light that kept shifting colors, like a weird sun reflection... it was so disorienting. The floorboards even started warping and bending... nothing too crazy at the time, I guess. I didn't even realize I was losing it; I just figured, okay, I saw what I saw, let's move on. But when the panic attacks started hitting, I couldn't handle it anymore. That was probably the first time I actually saw a psychiatrist... or maybe my GP sent me after a hallucination, I can't quite remember. I just remember being on an IV drip that felt so incredible, like I had stepped straight into heaven... who knows what they gave me. I spent six stints at the local psychiatric hospital and, well, that's my story. Alongside the schizo, I've got borderline too.

crimsonviper48 said:Honestly, you guys... I’m just sitting here reading this forum today and man, I thought I was the one dealing with schizophrenia, but you all have truly mastered what the professionals call "word salad"... I am genuinely lost tonight. My eyes were jumping from the second line to the third trying to make sense of anything, but nothing connects... anyway, how are you all doing? As for me, I'm somewhere in the middle. I stay on my meds, though the psychosis still creeps back in sometimes. It’s not really voices for me, though... I think I heard actual voices maybe four times in the last three years. For me, it's more like when I close my eyes to sleep, things start happening... like driving through a desert, or little people dancing around a campfire, or flaming skulls and demons... it’s terrifying. And then there's the paranoia, mostly when I'm riding the subway or the bus. My first psychotic break was surreal... I was busy working, judging people, when suddenly, out of nowhere, it felt like the Virgin Mary appeared and told me, "Don't worry, dear child, the world will end in 2035." The second time was this strange light that kept shifting colors, like a weird sun reflection... it was so disorienting. The floorboards even started warping and bending... nothing too crazy at the time, I guess. I didn't even realize I was losing it; I just figured, okay, I saw what I saw, let's move on. But when the panic attacks started hitting, I couldn't handle it anymore. That was probably the first time I actually saw a psychiatrist... or maybe my GP sent me after a hallucination, I can't quite remember. I just remember being on an IV drip that felt so incredible, like I had stepped straight into heaven... who knows what they gave me. I spent six stints at the local psychiatric hospital and, well, that's my story. Alongside the schizo, I've got borderline too.

It’s basically a vision.
Who's going to survive those twelve years? That's what worries me. It's a long time, man.

Keith Allen3 said:It’s basically a vision.
Who's going to survive those twelve years? That's what worries me. It's a long time, man.

Look, it's more like a symptom of the actual illness he's been diagnosed with.

crimsonviper48 said:Honestly, you guys... I’m just sitting here reading this forum today and man, I thought I was the one dealing with schizophrenia, but you all have truly mastered what the professionals call "word salad"... I am genuinely lost tonight. My eyes were jumping from the second line to the third trying to make sense of anything, but nothing connects... anyway, how are you all doing? As for me, I'm somewhere in the middle. I stay on my meds, though the psychosis still creeps back in sometimes. It’s not really voices for me, though... I think I heard actual voices maybe four times in the last three years. For me, it's more like when I close my eyes to sleep, things start happening... like driving through a desert, or little people dancing around a campfire, or flaming skulls and demons... it’s terrifying. And then there's the paranoia, mostly when I'm riding the subway or the bus. My first psychotic break was surreal... I was busy working, judging people, when suddenly, out of nowhere, it felt like the Virgin Mary appeared and told me, "Don't worry, dear child, the world will end in 2035." The second time was this strange light that kept shifting colors, like a weird sun reflection... it was so disorienting. The floorboards even started warping and bending... nothing too crazy at the time, I guess. I didn't even realize I was losing it; I just figured, okay, I saw what I saw, let's move on. But when the panic attacks started hitting, I couldn't handle it anymore. That was probably the first time I actually saw a psychiatrist... or maybe my GP sent me after a hallucination, I can't quite remember. I just remember being on an IV drip that felt so incredible, like I had stepped straight into heaven... who knows what they gave me. I spent six stints at the local psychiatric hospital and, well, that's my story. Alongside the schizo, I've got borderline too.

Six or seven hospitalizations, acting out, no hallucinations, but plenty of delusions. Officially, I've had it for 12 years, but unofficially? Probably since I was a kid.

Is anyone even active on here anymore? I’m curious about something... what I see when I close my eyes... because the first unnatural thing I saw while my eyes were wide open was death. I was only six years old back then... and I used to have these night terrors, but God would always give me this guidance... I listened to Him, and honestly, things just worked out better for me in life... once, I actually slipped on some soap in the bathroom and it was almost over—I was falling straight onto my back—but then this invisible force just caught me and set me right again. I just said, "Thank you, God." It happened when I was only six... anyway, getting back to the point, does anyone else see things behind their eyelids at night? Like visions of martyrs in hell or demons and stuff... has anyone else experienced this? To me, it doesn't even feel like schizophrenia, it just feels... strange. These antipsychotics sort of numb me out, they make me feel dead inside, specifically Qpin... but if I just take Modafinil and Prazin, it’s like I haven't taken anything at all.

There are just endless medications out there. It all feels like some sort of circular narrative. Honestly, the supernatural element pops up quite frequently in schizophrenia. I suppose you should research the different drugs and perhaps start documenting those symptoms—both the good and the bad. That applies to the medication and the condition itself. Maybe it’s just a matter of fine-tuning the dosage. Or maybe there is something entirely new on the horizon. And, if God is looking out for you, well, just pray.

crimsonviper48 said:Is anyone even active on here anymore? I’m curious about something... what I see when I close my eyes... because the first unnatural thing I saw while my eyes were wide open was death. I was only six years old back then... and I used to have these night terrors, but God would always give me this guidance... I listened to Him, and honestly, things just worked out better for me in life... once, I actually slipped on some soap in the bathroom and it was almost over—I was falling straight onto my back—but then this invisible force just caught me and set me right again. I just said, "Thank you, God." It happened when I was only six... anyway, getting back to the point, does anyone else see things behind their eyelids at night? Like visions of martyrs in hell or demons and stuff... has anyone else experienced this? To me, it doesn't even feel like schizophrenia, it just feels... strange. These antipsychotics sort of numb me out, they make me feel dead inside, specifically Qpin... but if I just take Modafinil and Prazin, it’s like I haven't taken anything at all.

I had an allergy to Q pin, and Seroquel almost caused my kidneys to fail. Now I'm on Modafinil and Prazin, plus Luminol and Xanax. I can't remember the other name for Luminol—Abilify, if I recall correctly.

That sounds like schizophrenia to me, man. But maybe a milder version? Everyone's different. Personally, when I'm having a psychotic episode, I lose my train of thought, start talking nonsense, and just act totally manic.