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Mental Health anyone else have schizophrenia

sam05

Bluelighter
Joined
Aug 20, 2005
Messages
180
i was diagnosed as having schizophrenia after years of smoking too much weed during my teens and early 20's.

im making this thread because i want some advice from other people who can relate to what i experience.

without going into too much detail, what i experience on a daily basis is a constant fatigue from the anti psychotics im on and a general feeling of 'nothing is worth doing, cant be bothered to do anything so i might just try and sleep' type feeling. i dont have an interest in much of anything, it all seems so over rated and i get bored easily, ive had my playstation 4 just sitting in my room for months and i have played it probably 3 times and lost interest, just as an example.

i dont have any friends, so i dont socialize as i find it hard to open up to people, any negative criticism about anything and i feel totally crushed, that pushes me into a people equal shit mindset and i isolate myself.

exercise does help, but its very difficult to get moving and to say i lack motivation is an understatement.

i dont have a job because i cant deal with stress and too much stimuli does my head in. i have been on these meds for about 6 years and have found no way to stop this constant fatigue and lack of motivation, ive tried lowering the dosage and that made me feel so out of it i couldnt function, ive tried anti depressants and they drained my energy even further to the point where i couldnt get out of bed.

it just sucks, knowing i have to be on this shit for life and constantly feeling this way. i want to be able to get excited about something, i want a reason to wake up in the morning and just want to feel alive for one day.

can anyone relate?
 
i have schizoaffective (schizophrenia and bipolar) it's a bitch to deal with both that and the meds.
 
I have a family member with paranoid schizophrenia but they refused any sort of treatment, I had to move out and we don't talk anymore, it was that tough to deal with. I'm glad you're taking medication at least. From my experience pretty much all psychiatric medications are terrible in some way, but obviously if you need it, you need it. I don't have schizophrenia but I have features of pretty much all the other mental disorders out there. I've never been officially diagnosed with anything so I guess you could say I have anxiety and depression. I understand the depression, that's my biggest struggle. If you ever need someone to just talk to, I'm here to listen even if that's the only way I can help.
Try your best to take care of yourself. People love you. I'm sure in time you can grow to share love with others if that's something you truly want.
 
that sucks, maybe join a group (sports, interests, etc;) or get a girl/boy friend to pull your ass out of the lethargy morass. maybe get a new shrink and adjust your meds, there are some real artists in psychiatry that can find the perfect balance on your meds. do some research and see what options are available in your area. move to a new house or apartment, man change cities if thats what it takes.

you wont just wake up tomorrow and say yep this is it i feel great! you gotta shake it loose with some big changes and then wake up and say yep this is it!
 
I have no idea how that winking fucker got in there, i think he is stalking me .... or its the semicolon
 
im pretty much over seeing shrinks because this happened years ago and ive been on the same medication for a long time now, in the beginning it was trial and error and i felt like a fucking lab experiment, "lets see how he reacts to this one and this one and this one" they said. ive been through them all and im not prepared to go through hell again and no one is willing to help me.

i dont really know what i was expecting with this thread, i cant move anywhere because i cant live independantly, im almost 27 and cant even cook. ive been living the same bullshit existance for the last 6 years, waking up every day thinking 'not this shit again, another fucking day of misery' all the while doped up to the eye balls on zombifying medication that gives me the personality of a brick wall.

i really feel like i changed my brain chemistry from too many drugs and this 'life' or existance is it for me, i sometimes have hope but thats short lived. the only way i really did find happiness was when i was stoned. i guess im just having a whinge and alot of people out there have it much worse than i do, i should be greatful im not homeless or something worse.
 
I'm 27 too and just got out of group homes a few years back and I'd been in them almost 5 years. There's always hope.
 
I don't have Schizophrenia but i do have bipolar disorder with some psychotic features (though i have gotten psychotic features less and less over the years) and i can certainly relate to the Anhedonia you describe. There are times when i have been in a severe depressive episode where getting out of bed is a hard task. In my case it's not the meds doing it though i am on Seroquel and have been on other anti-psychotics such as Risperidone (which i was on for maybe a year) as well as Chlorpromazine aka Largactil aka good ol Thorazine and Methotrimeprazine aka Nozinan. The latter 2 just for nausea and sleep though. I also take Lamictal as my mood stabilizer and Wellbutrin as a anti-depressant. I did find the Risperidone zombiefying in doses i needed to control Mania but i don't get this effect from Quetiapine at any dose. Oddly enough i found Risperidone to be more of a zombie drug then older typicals such as Thorazine aka Largactil or Compazine aka Stemetil

What medications are you currently on anyway? You might be able to find one that works for you without turning you into a zombie.
 
I don't have Schizophrenia but i do have bipolar disorder with some psychotic features (though i have gotten psychotic features less and less over the years) and i can certainly relate to the Anhedonia you describe. There are times when i have been in a severe depressive episode where getting out of bed is a hard task. In my case it's not the meds doing it though i am on Seroquel and have been on other anti-psychotics such as Risperidone (which i was on for maybe a year) as well as Chlorpromazine aka Largactil aka good ol Thorazine and Methotrimeprazine aka Nozinan. The latter 2 just for nausea and sleep though. I also take Lamictal as my mood stabilizer and Wellbutrin as a anti-depressant. I did find the Risperidone zombiefying in doses i needed to control Mania but i don't get this effect from Quetiapine at any dose. Oddly enough i found Risperidone to be more of a zombie drug then older typicals such as Thorazine aka Largactil or Compazine aka Stemetil

What medications are you currently on anyway? You might be able to find one that works for you without turning you into a zombie.

im on resperidone, and invega which is just resperidone in a slow release form. i dont know why im on this combo but thats what im on. i have tried so many and this seems to be the only combo that works for me, all the others gave me side effects. im hesitant to switch them though because when i tried to lower my dose by even half a milligram i felt so out of it and slightly psychotic like an unfocused scattered type feeling.

the only complaint but its concerning me is the laziness and unmotivated feeling i get every day, its such a struggle to get moving or do anything with my day so i just sit on the computer for most of the day and watch videos on youtube.

im sleeping about 10 hours every night, an improvement on the 12 hours i used to sleep, but when i wake up its like im carrying so much weight in my body and i feel so heavy and tired that coffee doesnt even touch it.

do the anti depressants work well? ive been on several different types of anti depressants before such as duloxetine and effexor and they relieved what i describe the burdens of life from me but also killed my sex drive.

ah i dont know, with this kind of mental illness i guess it can only be so bearable, maybe im expecting to much.
 
Invega is Paliperidone which is the main active metabolite of Risperidone. As it is responsible for most of Risperidone's effects Paliperidone has the same binding affinity and side effects as Risperidone does more or less. It comes in slow release form but i don't know if Risperidone does besides the IM injections that is. I don't see the sense in giving you 2 different anti-psychotics especially since they do the same thing. I know 4mg's of Risperidone makes me feel like a total zombie unless i am really manic. It causes the zombie effect worse then any other anti-psychotic i have tried and that is most likely due to it's potent D2 antagonism. From what i have heard Paliperidone is no better in causing this effect.

Have you tried Seroquel or Zyprexa? They are more sedating then Invega or Risperdal but not as zombiefying. The sedation from Seroquel usually goes away fairly quickly for most people especially when you get into the higher doses. With Zyprexa i found it too work far better and much faster then either Seroquel or Risperdal and even at 20mg's it never gave me much in the way of sedation or any zombie effect.
 
Invega is Paliperidone which is the main active metabolite of Risperidone. As it is responsible for most of Risperidone's effects Paliperidone has the same binding affinity and side effects as Risperidone does more or less. It comes in slow release form but i don't know if Risperidone does besides the IM injections that is. I don't see the sense in giving you 2 different anti-psychotics especially since they do the same thing. I know 4mg's of Risperidone makes me feel like a total zombie unless i am really manic. It causes the zombie effect worse then any other anti-psychotic i have tried and that is most likely due to it's potent D2 antagonism. From what i have heard Paliperidone is no better in causing this effect.

Have you tried Seroquel or Zyprexa? They are more sedating then Invega or Risperdal but not as zombiefying. The sedation from Seroquel usually goes away fairly quickly for most people especially when you get into the higher doses. With Zyprexa i found it too work far better and much faster then either Seroquel or Risperdal and even at 20mg's it never gave me much in the way of sedation or any zombie effect.

yeah i was on zyprexa for a while, cant really remember that much about it. ive also been on seroquel and that made me fall asleep within about 10 minutes of taking it.

i dont know why im on the resperidone + invega combo either, the shrink must have had a reason for it though.
 
^i'd see a different doctor TBH. risperidone should be illegal IMO. it will fuck with your body in all types of ways, from weight gain to hormonal imbalances (prolactin increase.) it's not healthy and it made me feel like shit.
 
can anyone relate?

Are you sure you are not on too high a dose of anti-psychotics?

Treating schizophrenia isnt as simple as just taking your medication and then trying to be normal. You should look in to mindfulness, NAC, Fish oil, Yoga. Mindfulness of sound could help decrease the sensory overload.

What were your symptoms exactly before you went on meds?

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]
^i'd see a different doctor TBH. risperidone should be illegal IMO. it will fuck with your body in all types of ways, from weight gain to hormonal imbalances (prolactin increase.) it's not healthy and it made me feel like shit.
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Is the prolactin increase permanent? I am currently tapering off risperidone.[/FONT]
 
K cool, I am getting bloods done next week and will follow up a few weeks after quiting.

I am taking 25mg zinc which helps regulate dopamine and prolactin.
 
I was diagnosed with various issues and in the end, it was the meds that seemed to be my main problem (dare I say only problem? No, but most of it, for sure). I was originally just depressed, then anxiety, then bi-polar of every type, then generalized psychosis was the final detriment handed down to me.

I did nothing but sleep and suck at (my own) life for multiple years (age 27-32), let myself get thrashed by an ex, blew up to 265 pounds, then suffered horribly to get off all the meds while offering care for my terminally ill grandmother and "deflated" to 150 pounds. Now, I'm building a family and own a side business repairing electronics along with working full time at a clinical lab while attending school. My first son is due come May and I'm set to be married in July shortly thereafter. Life has offered nothing but trouble, but the trouble is manageable now. I've accepted my various aspects that most people don't seem to need to deal with as just my various aspects that are my own, and I've made sure that this is okay, too (for my own person, at least). I've even become "okay" with my severe and incredibly bad insomnia (I average 3-4 hours max, commonly 1.5-3 hours of sleep a night). Seems best to accept myself, forget the rest?

If your meds are definitely required to live your life but do all this to you, I would definitely suggest that you try to explore other options, but only from the perspective that I'm not a doctor and I'm not claiming to be qualified as such. Personally, I read lots of books (big focus on technological and spirituality), watch lectures, avoid television and mainstream, learn as much as possible, eat well, exercise, meditate and remain clean to be okay. I have next to zero urge to socialize and still despise almost everyone.

When I was on the meds (anti-psychotics, mood stabilizers, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety) I felt mostly the same. Restless, miserable, in mental chaos at all time, interested in nothing, etc. etc. etc. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. I hope you find what works for you.
 
^i'd see a different doctor TBH. risperidone should be illegal IMO. it will fuck with your body in all types of ways, from weight gain to hormonal imbalances (prolactin increase.) it's not healthy and it made me feel like shit.

It does work for some people when nothing else does so it does have it's purpose. It's also used a fair bit in autism in low doses that doesn't fuck with you hormones much. It's only when you hit about the 2mg mark that it really starts messing with your hormones. Haldol is even worse but again it does help some people so it has it's place.
 
im on resperidone, and invega which is just resperidone in a slow release form. i dont know why im on this combo but thats what im on. i have tried so many and this seems to be the only combo that works for me, all the others gave me side effects. im hesitant to switch them though because when i tried to lower my dose by even half a milligram i felt so out of it and slightly psychotic like an unfocused scattered type feeling.

the only complaint but its concerning me is the laziness and unmotivated feeling i get every day, its such a struggle to get moving or do anything with my day so i just sit on the computer for most of the day and watch videos on youtube.

im sleeping about 10 hours every night, an improvement on the 12 hours i used to sleep, but when i wake up its like im carrying so much weight in my body and i feel so heavy and tired that coffee doesnt even touch it.

do the anti depressants work well? ive been on several different types of anti depressants before such as duloxetine and effexor and they relieved what i describe the burdens of life from me but also killed my sex drive.

ah i dont know, with this kind of mental illness i guess it can only be so bearable, maybe im expecting to much.

Are you still on the doses you were on when you were diagnosed? If you were actively psychotic when you were put on meds (which most people living with schizophrenia are) they would have put you on a higher dose than is needed for maintenance. If you've been without symptoms for a while, you should be able to get your dose lowered. You said that was a bad experience last time - do you mind if I ask how long you gave it? The withdrawal period after a dose reduction can be hell, but should stabilise if you don't go down too far.

As for antidepressants, duloxetine and effexor are both SNRIs, which are known to kill libido (there's a t-shirt that says "No sex, please, I'm on Effexor :) ). Do you have mood symptoms? Something like lamotrigine/Lamictal might help if you are "part bipolar" like a lot of people living with schizophrenia, but it's not that effective for unipolar depression.

I totally empathise with the 'feeling like a guinea pig', but unfortunately the only way to find the right meds for you is trial and error. That's kind how psychiatry works at this point in time.

Are you sure you are not on too high a dose of anti-psychotics?

Treating schizophrenia isnt as simple as just taking your medication and then trying to be normal. You should look in to mindfulness, NAC, Fish oil, Yoga. Mindfulness of sound could help decrease the sensory overload.

What were your symptoms exactly before you went on meds?

I would also suggest therapy - some psychologists do a good line in mindfulness and motivation boosting.


Is the prolactin increase permanent? I am currently tapering off risperidone.

Nope, only happens while you're on the meds. It's not dose dependent, though (it either happens or it doesn't and the prolactin increase won't go away if you just lower your dose) so you may not notice a change in your levels unless you're completely off the risperidone.

Hyperprolactinaemia isn't the big deal everyone makes it out to be, though. Most of the physical effects are cosmetic (breast enlargement, lactation). Depleted calcium in the bones, which is the biggest worry, can be counteracted with supplements and load bearing exercise. It works for little old ladies, it'll work for psych patients.
 
I know exactly what you mean there... :( I have ended up in a similar situation to yourself accept I'm not even on meds at the moment. I'm not sure what to do about it... It's difficult reading your post because it is very similar to my life accept I'm a bit older than yourself. I've regressed a lot in the last say 12 months since I moved back home "temporarily"... That's half the battle because it's a good feeling having independence. Have you considered starting to get in the kitchen at all? Even if others are cooking, if you start to be present when things are being made, you can start to help out a bit and just doing that will lift you and then the more you start to help, the more you will pic more up and soon before you know it you'll be able to make simple things and it's something you'll feel great about because you would have achieved it all on your own. I do know it is hard sometimes putting yourself out there communicating with others because things they say can annoy you but the trick I've tried to use is to just try and let thse things slide and not to focus on them, because without focusing on them it prevents you from being annoyed by them... easier said than done but the more it is practices the easier it gets but using this technique on the general public is often harder I do admit that. People say things all the time and I just think "are you TRYING to annoy me"? :) I just found this thread after posting a reply to a thread you responded to uncookmybrain. I hope this post cheers you up a bit. One thing is for sure, it is a sticky situation and I'm in something similar at the moment and it does suck the big one.
 
Schizophrenia is a lack of a barrier between the external and internal. I have it too. Delusions and such are a result of internalizing the negative input. You either go numb emotionally or have delusions. I recommend getting off the antipsychotics and managing your input. Don't watch bad tv, don't read bad things, don't be around negative people. I find that reading the Bible and studying prophecy helps me. I actually went to get treatment and I am on invega sustenna right now. Things have never been worse. The voices are still there and I am unable to get dopamine to my receptors.

Look at what antipsychotics actually DO to us. How does blocking the chemicals that make you FEEL GOOD treat symptoms? By slowing you down. Benzos would probably work just as well.

I wasn't warned. I have received 3 injections of invega sustenna. I'm never getting one again. I can't believe they didn't warn me they were going to block the chemicals that make me feel good. They said it would help with the voices and slow my thoughts down. That's all they said. They didn't say anything about blocking my dopamine receptors.


Schizophrenia is only an illness once the negative input has been internalized and retained. This leads to delusions, hallucinations etc... the problem isn't you my friend. The problem is the fallen world you live in. If the world wasn't full of negative input, your schizophrenia would be a benefit not an illness.

The thing is negative input will always be internalized with you - and AAPs DO NOT STOP THAT. That's the worst part. AAPs don't treat ANYTHING about schizophrenia. Psychosis is NOT caused by an overactive dopaminergic system and the theory has never been proven because it never will be proven. They should be giving people benzos if they want to slow people down.
 
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