Schizophrenia - General Discussion

Larry Lewis said:I was on Seroquel myself and it worked wonders for about a year—until, out of nowhere, it just stopped doing a damn thing, so I ended up switching back to my old reliable Zyprexa.

Ran into an old buddy today—he’s dealing with both psychosis and epilepsy, and man, life isn't treating him kindly. We talked for a bit, and since I know he lives for basketball, I invited him over this Sunday to join my guys for a game. He’s always been one of those people you just gravitate toward, but seeing him like this... it weighs on you. Knowing he can't even hold down a steady job because of all this... well, it's just the cruelty of illness, I suppose.😢

My doctor mentioned she might try putting me back on Lexapro, but we need to see how I react first—I really don't want to deal with the headache of adjusting if I can help it, so we'll just see how things unfold.😍
Life is hard, and sometimes you just have to face the music, but even if he can't work right now, at least he can still get out on the court and play some hoops.

Lennon is in the exact same boat as me—my psychiatrist actually tried to push it on me, but I shot it down immediately. Honestly, the thought of having to get blood drawn every single month? No thanks. I absolutely loathe needles. It’s just... well, you'll see how it sits with you once you're in the thick of it, but there are millions of these different medications out there; statistically speaking, one of them has to click with your chemistry eventually. I’ve been toyed with the idea of tapering off my meds on my own little bit—just a thought, mind you—but I suppose I'll have to see how things shake out before I make any reckless moves.
Anyway, I'm doing alright—manageably alright, at least—though as you so aptly put it, roses don't exactly bloom for everyone in this life.

I really just need to find myself a girlfriend, that's the real solution here.🙂

George Clark19 said:Quick question—can a stroke actually trigger schizophrenia?

Look, you really need to be asking medical professionals—not us—because, let's face it, we're all just patients sitting here in the same boat.🙂>

So, doctors say that brain issues might actually trigger all sorts of mental health struggles—it’s wild, really. I know someone who ended up being diagnosed with schizophrenia, and get this: once she was hospitalized due to some kind of sudden neurological disorder, they actually found old scarring on her brain from previous strokes. It wasn't even obvious until that specific crisis happened, but apparently, she’d been dealing with these silent, past strokes all along. Before all this chaos, she didn't have any major issues, just maybe a little bit of paranoia here and there, so I'm guessing that's when the damage first hit. Now that she's dealing with everything, she doesn't really talk about it much, and honestly? She isn't even taking any medication, which is... well, something.

alright folks, just throwing this out there—good luck to everyone

Hey, where have you been hiding?! How’s that new treatment treating you? Feeling any better yet?

Larry Lewis said:Hey, where have you been hiding?! How’s that new treatment treating you? Feeling any better yet?

The ringing in my ears has actually quieted down quite a bit, which is surprising since I’ve only been on this new regimen for about a week, so I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see how things progress over the next month.😍
How are things going with you? Are you feeling alright?

So, I’ve gone ahead and cut my antipsychotic dosage in half—just a trial run, really—and, strangely enough, I actually feel better. If things start getting heavy or if a crisis hits, I’ll just take another pill to level out, but honestly? For the last few days, I’ve felt more alive... more present... just in a better headspace overall. At the end of the day, the main thing is that the voices have quieted down significantly, and I’m holding onto this hope that, given enough time, they might just fade away for good.👍

Larry Lewis said:So, I’ve gone ahead and cut my antipsychotic dosage in half—just a trial run, really—and, strangely enough, I actually feel better. If things start getting heavy or if a crisis hits, I’ll just take another pill to level out, but honestly? For the last few days, I’ve felt more alive... more present... just in a better headspace overall. At the end of the day, the main thing is that the voices have quieted down significantly, and I’m holding onto this hope that, given enough time, they might just fade away for good.👍

They’ve actually vanished completely—they're gone😍 but it all feels like it's happening a bit too fast, considering I've only been on this specific regimen for a very short time.

vividnomad2 said:They’ve actually vanished completely—they're gone😍 but it all feels like it's happening a bit too fast, considering I've only been on this specific regimen for a very short time.

It’s pretty obvious you’re on the right stuff if they're actually disappearing—that's really what I was hoping to hear. As for me... those intrusive thoughts are still kicking my teeth in quite a bit, though they are finally starting to fade, slowly but surely.

Larry Lewis said:It’s pretty obvious you’re on the right stuff if they're actually disappearing—that's really what I was hoping to hear. As for me... those intrusive thoughts are still kicking my teeth in quite a bit, though they are finally starting to fade, slowly but surely.

I suppose 😍 it sounds like I'm the one struggling with those intrusive thoughts, as that's what keeps getting to me.

I’m not entirely sure what you mean by "intrusive"—that’s a bit vague, isn't it? Anyway, I actually have some news of my own—I finally found something to keep me busy. It’s a warehouse gig, and they’ll be paying me through a temp agency, but honestly, it beats sitting around the house wasting my life away. If the job turns out to be decent, I’ll give it my absolute all to see if I can land a permanent spot... but if it doesn't work out? Well, that’s just how the cookie crumbles, I suppose. We move on.🙂

Larry Lewis said:I’m not entirely sure what you mean by "intrusive"—that’s a bit vague, isn't it? Anyway, I actually have some news of my own—I finally found something to keep me busy. It’s a warehouse gig, and they’ll be paying me through a temp agency, but honestly, it beats sitting around the house wasting my life away. If the job turns out to be decent, I’ll give it my absolute all to see if I can land a permanent spot... but if it doesn't work out? Well, that’s just how the cookie crumbles, I suppose. We move on.🙂

Honestly, anything is better than sitting around doing absolutely nothing; I think I’d actually lose my mind if I didn't have something to keep me busy. 😍

Honestly, even when I’m ostensibly "off the clock," I find myself spiraling back into work mode—it’s an endless cycle, really. There is simply no finish line in sight... someone please, just grant me some semblance of freedom!!🙂

Larry Lewis said:Honestly, even when I’m ostensibly "off the clock," I find myself spiraling back into work mode—it’s an endless cycle, really. There is simply no finish line in sight... someone please, just grant me some semblance of freedom!!🙂

Look, there’s always going to be something on the to-do list, isn't there? It feels like as soon as you cross one thing off, two more pop up in its place. But I’ve learned over the years—especially during those frantic weeks when my workload at the firm felt completely unmanageable—that you really have to learn how to distinguish between what actually matters and the stuff that's just noise. Some things are essential, sure, but so many tasks are just secondary distractions that don't actually move the needle.
How has therapy been treating you lately? I’m curious if you feel like it's actually helping you find some balance, or if it just feels like you're constantly adding more weight to your mental load instead of lightening it.

Schizophrenia? How does it actually present itself? Is it primarily hearing voices and seeing things that aren't there, or is there something else entirely going on under the surface?

vividnomad2 said:Look, there’s always going to be something on the to-do list, isn't there? It feels like as soon as you cross one thing off, two more pop up in its place. But I’ve learned over the years—especially during those frantic weeks when my workload at the firm felt completely unmanageable—that you really have to learn how to distinguish between what actually matters and the stuff that's just noise. Some things are essential, sure, but so many tasks are just secondary distractions that don't actually move the needle.
How has therapy been treating you lately? I’m curious if you feel like it's actually helping you find some balance, or if it just feels like you're constantly adding more weight to your mental load instead of lightening it.

Well, I decided to take matters into my own hands regarding the alcohol—stopped drinking it entirely—and I tapered down the antipsychotics a bit, too... and, well, the result isn't exactly a miracle, but it isn't a disaster either. Honestly, the biggest change is just that I don't feel like a total zombie anymore—which, frankly, was the main issue with being on that Valax medication; it felt like living in a fog. Anyway, I went ahead and scheduled an appointment with a private practitioner—just to get a professional opinion on where I stand and see what the roadmap looks like. She isn't even that expensive, $67actually.

William Fowler11 said:Schizophrenia? How does it actually present itself? Is it primarily hearing voices and seeing things that aren't there, or is there something else entirely going on under the surface?

Look, just go find something on schizophrenia online—Google it or whatever—and you'll see everything you need to know.

Larry Lewis said:Well, I decided to take matters into my own hands regarding the alcohol—stopped drinking it entirely—and I tapered down the antipsychotics a bit, too... and, well, the result isn't exactly a miracle, but it isn't a disaster either. Honestly, the biggest change is just that I don't feel like a total zombie anymore—which, frankly, was the main issue with being on that Valax medication; it felt like living in a fog. Anyway, I went ahead and scheduled an appointment with a private practitioner—just to get a professional opinion on where I stand and see what the roadmap looks like. She isn't even that expensive, $67actually.

That’s probably the lowest rate you'll find, though, since they usually charge a bit more for initial consultations after the first visit, maybe around $133. I’m still mulling over the idea of starting psychotherapy or something similar; I’ve thought about seeing someone privately to figure out the best path forward, but if I’m being completely honest with myself, I just don't think I'm quite ready for that step yet.

vividnomad2 said:That’s probably the lowest rate you'll find, though, since they usually charge a bit more for initial consultations after the first visit, maybe around $133. I’m still mulling over the idea of starting psychotherapy or something similar; I’ve thought about seeing someone privately to figure out the best path forward, but if I’m being completely honest with myself, I just don't think I'm quite ready for that step yet.

I actually sat down with a private therapist today, and it wasn't half bad—just some light introductory small talk and getting the lay of the land. She started digging into my past, though, and I have to admit, it felt incredibly awkward and frankly a bit ridiculous to be rehashing all that stuff, but what can you do? Go when you feel like it, I suppose, but don't go in expecting any miracles—I certainly don't know what to expect from them myself.