Schizophrenia - General Discussion

Greetings, everyone.

Schizophrenia is something one can actually overcome, leading to a full recovery. I say this because I was personally diagnosed with schizophrenia, yet I managed to recover completely and now lead a perfectly normal life.

I would suggest reading the book by Ronen David.

http://www.psychosisbook.com/

I also might recommend looking into the story of Daniel Fisher, who defeated schizophrenia himself and went on to become a respected psychiatrist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP_EW...layer_embedded

Hey everyone, I have one more question for you all, and all I'll ask is: Moditen? Prolixin? What’s the consensus on them?
Today my doctor prescribed that medication, and based on what I've been reading online, I'm feeling a little... uneasy.

Aaron Bennett30 said:Hey everyone, I have one more question for you all, and all I'll ask is: Moditen? Prolixin? What’s the consensus on them?
Today my doctor prescribed that medication, and based on what I've been reading online, I'm feeling a little... uneasy.

I’ll give you an indirect answer: Aren't you more worried about the symptoms you're actually dealing with right now and where your head's going to be, rather than some side effects that might—or probably won't—even happen?

Henry Garcia9 said:I’ll give you an indirect answer: Aren't you more worried about the symptoms you're actually dealing with right now and where your head's going to be, rather than some side effects that might—or probably won't—even happen?

Exactly, and that’s precisely why I want to get better. But I'm fully aware that Prolixin is your standard antipsychotic—one of those older-generation drugs people say can actually cause holes in the brain or leave you with permanent side effects... goodness 🤷

Aaron Bennett30 said:Exactly, and that’s precisely why I want to get better. But I'm fully aware that Prolixin is your standard antipsychotic—one of those older-generation drugs people say can actually cause holes in the brain or leave you with permanent side effects... goodness 🤷

Look, just ask your doctor why they went with a typical antipsychotic in the first place. From what I understand, those things are pretty rare nowadays—maybe only used if someone is actually hospitalized. There are so many atypical options on the market now. Sure, maybe fine-tuning the dosage is a bit more of a headache than with the old stuff, but the side effect profile is much better, especially when you consider the movement issues. And don't sweat the side effects too much... you'll probably pay a much higher price down the road if you don't get treated at all.

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Timothy Wood38 said:Look, just ask your doctor why they went with a typical antipsychotic in the first place. From what I understand, those things are pretty rare nowadays—maybe only used if someone is actually hospitalized. There are so many atypical options on the market now. Sure, maybe fine-tuning the dosage is a bit more of a headache than with the old stuff, but the side effect profile is much better, especially when you consider the movement issues. And don't sweat the side effects too much... you'll probably pay a much higher price down the road if you don't get treated at all.

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I was actually prescribed Seroquel XR, but I couldn't get it covered by my insurance, so she said she would give me something else that's easier to get through my prescription plan.

Aaron Bennett30 said:I was actually prescribed Seroquel XR, but I couldn't get it covered by my insurance, so she said she would give me something else that's easier to get through my prescription plan.

Wait, why on earth couldn't you get the Seroquel XR? I pick mine up at my local CVS without any drama at all, so I'm honestly scratching my head here.

Aaron Bennett30 said:I was actually prescribed Seroquel XR, but I couldn't get it covered by my insurance, so she said she would give me something else that's easier to get through my prescription plan.

Look, this thread is specifically for discussing schizophrenia. You should probably head back over to your own thread and hash everything out there. Everything you're looking for is covered in that one, plus we have a dedicated topic for psychotropic meds...

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Larry Lewis said:Wait, why on earth couldn't you get the Seroquel XR? I pick mine up at my local CVS without any drama at all, so I'm honestly scratching my head here.

Honestly, I suspect this boils down to her doctor wanting to prescribe the XR version specifically, but the diagnosis on her chart just doesn't quite justify that particular medication.

Timothy Wood38 said:Look, this thread is specifically for discussing schizophrenia. You should probably head back over to your own thread and hash everything out there. Everything you're looking for is covered in that one, plus we have a dedicated topic for psychotropic meds...

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My apologies, I completely forgot we had a separate thread for psychotropic meds; however, since this specific medication is used to treat schizophrenia, I figured there was a better chance of getting some insight here.

Larry Lewis said:Wait, why on earth couldn't you get the Seroquel XR? I pick mine up at my local CVS without any drama at all, so I'm honestly scratching my head here.

It is most likely because my doctor didn't want to officially record the diagnosis in my medical file, as having that on my permanent record could jeopardize my career and future education... I might be barred from certain universities because of it.

Man, honestly, it’s probably for the best they didn't put that on your permanent record. Why let one thing kill your chances at picking a decent college later? 🙂 I really hope you get switched over to something more effective though, and that you guys can figure this whole situation out soon. 🙂

What on earth are you all talking about? Since when did an "f" diagnosis become some sort of prerequisite for getting into college? Honestly, I have to say, both you and your doctor are talking nonsense here. If you actually care about where you end up working or what you study, maybe focus on getting some treatment first—not to mention finding a decent quality of life.

Timothy Wood38 said:What on earth are you all talking about? Since when did an "f" diagnosis become some sort of prerequisite for getting into college? Honestly, I have to say, both you and your doctor are talking nonsense here. If you actually care about where you end up working or what you study, maybe focus on getting some treatment first—not to mention finding a decent quality of life.

Look, sorry to burst your bubble, but some universities actually require proof that you aren't dealing with mental health issues—basically, they want to know you're mentally fit. I had to go out and grab that exact same kind of clearance just to get into my program, so honestly, I think they're doing the right thing by handling it this way.

I’m circling back to my previous thread regarding antipsychotics, and as I’ve already stated, I simply have no idea what the deal is with that damned Seroquel... period.
I was only asking here to see if anyone could provide some insight on the medication Modem, but I managed to track it down and everything; I took my first dose yesterday, and today it has completely stripped away my will to live—it's devastating.

Aaron Bennett30 said:I’m circling back to my previous thread regarding antipsychotics, and as I’ve already stated, I simply have no idea what the deal is with that damned Seroquel... period.
I was only asking here to see if anyone could provide some insight on the medication Modem, but I managed to track it down and everything; I took my first dose yesterday, and today it has completely stripped away my will to live—it's devastating.

Look, I gotta be honest—hearing that someone loses their will to live just from taking one dose of a pill? I’m having a hard time buying that. Usually, those meds are actually supposed to help you find your spark again, not take it away. 🤷
Maybe it’s just pure bias against the medication?
Or maybe it’s just another symptom of that depression you mentioned feeling...

Henry Garcia9 said:Look, sorry to burst your bubble, but some universities actually require proof that you aren't dealing with mental health issues—basically, they want to know you're mentally fit. I had to go out and grab that exact same kind of clearance just to get into my program, so honestly, I think they're doing the right thing by handling it this way.

I mean, obviously, someone living with schizophrenia couldn't be a neurosurgeon, just like a blind person wouldn't be able to perform eye surgery. It’s common sense. But that’s not really what we're debating here, is it? We’re talking about a fifteen-year-old girl showing symptoms of psychosis where even her own doctor isn't entirely certain about the diagnosis. As far as I know, every university has a responsibility to conduct medical screenings on their students. If we’re looking at the long-term implications, I can't bring myself to agree that they handled this correctly.

I think they made the right call because you can't just go around discriminating against people based on a medical condition... especially one that's totally manageable. If someone with schizophrenia wants to be a surgeon, why not? Would we strip a doctor's license just because they developed a condition after their teen years? I’m planning on going into the medical field myself, and honestly, my own health issues haven't slowed me down one bit when it comes to studying or hands-on work. The stuff > brought up doesn't even sound like typical teenage behavior, regardless of what you say... plus, we're just random people on the internet. If a doctor handed out that diagnosis, then that's what it is. We should take her word for it.

Michelle Lopez56 said:Greetings, everyone.

Schizophrenia is something one can actually overcome, leading to a full recovery. I say this because I was personally diagnosed with schizophrenia, yet I managed to recover completely and now lead a perfectly normal life.

I would suggest reading the book by Ronen David.

http://www.psychosisbook.com/

I also might recommend looking into the story of Daniel Fisher, who defeated schizophrenia himself and went on to become a respected psychiatrist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP_EW...layer_embedded

How?

As far as I'm concerned, you're being vague. Are you living a normal life with medication or without it?

My first diagnosis was F23.0, then after a while, a psychiatrist labeled me with F20.0. Later, another psychiatrist argued it wasn't F20.0 at all, but rather psychosis combined with PTSD.

Officially, based on that second doctor's assessment, I am on 1mg of Risperdal, and I live a normal life with it.

Now I'm wondering—based on your opinion and the links you're sharing—could I potentially exist without that 1mg of Risperdal, or without any medication at all?

That 1mg of Risperdal slows me down a bit, though I am also 100% certain that without it, I would slip back into psychosis very quickly.

Is there some trick to getting off that 1mg of Risperdal, even though it really is a minimal dose?

Robin Lopez2 said:How?

As far as I'm concerned, you're being vague. Are you living a normal life with medication or without it?

My first diagnosis was F23.0, then after a while, a psychiatrist labeled me with F20.0. Later, another psychiatrist argued it wasn't F20.0 at all, but rather psychosis combined with PTSD.

Officially, based on that second doctor's assessment, I am on 1mg of Risperdal, and I live a normal life with it.

Now I'm wondering—based on your opinion and the links you're sharing—could I potentially exist without that 1mg of Risperdal, or without any medication at all?

That 1mg of Risperdal slows me down a bit, though I am also 100% certain that without it, I would slip back into psychosis very quickly.

Is there some trick to getting off that 1mg of Risperdal, even though it really is a minimal dose?

Man, if you have even the slightest hint of F20 in your profile, you should honestly be grateful it's only 1 mg a day. I'm taking 25 mg every two weeks (which averages out to about 2 mg daily), and I don't deal with any of that sluggishness or stiffness. If it's really making you feel heavy, you should probably ask for something like Artane to help with that.
On top of the Risperdal, I'm also on 5 mg of Zyprexa, and I originally started out on 50 mg of Risperdal and 100 mg of Lamictal every single day. Just take it slow, listen to your doctor, and I truly believe you'll eventually be able to phase off the Risperdal entirely. In my experience, with acute psychotic disorders, people usually stay on a minimal dose for about five years before they can successfully taper off completely.