Keep It Real wrote:You had just the one episode? I had many; thus the diagnosis. 4 years on antipsychotics has given me a taste of sanity as an adult and I won't forget the sane perspective in a hurry. Did you experience negative side effects of the Quetiapine? Were you keen to get off them or were you following medical advice VazScep?

There is an issue with doing this your self:

to illustrate:

A neurotic and a psychotic are snapping their fingers. The psychiatrist asks each why they are doing this. Both answer - to keep the lions away. The psychiatrist points out that there are no lions free in that country. The neurotic responds that he/she knows that but feels to compelled to continue the activity anyway. The psychotic that the finger snapping is working.

The point being - that by the time the paranoia becomes an issue - you won't recognise that it is occurring - you need an external unbiased observer.

Shrunk wrote:

Keep It Real wrote:

Shrunk wrote:

Keep It Real wrote:Still not the faintest hint of the development of psychosis......give it a month and I'll be out of the woods.

Afraid not. It could take months, even years. But it also might never happen. The odds are just against that.

Do you mean the odds are against my being cured Shrunk? For some reason I have it in my mind that 20% of schizophrenics make a full recovery....against the odds yes but a fair chance....

That may be about right. So, as long as you're making a decision based on accurate information, that's the best you can do.

Needless to say, I do not offer this as medical advice. You should get that from someone who is familiar with your situation. But you don't need me to tell you that, I'm sure.

I'll give it a try with those odds - the side effects of the antipsychotics are severely harmful IMO. BTW, if you've read this thread you're more familiar with my situation than any other psychiatrist.

Keep It Real wrote:You had just the one episode? I had many; thus the diagnosis. 4 years on antipsychotics has given me a taste of sanity as an adult and I won't forget the sane perspective in a hurry. Did you experience negative side effects of the Quetiapine? Were you keen to get off them or were you following medical advice VazScep?

I'm not sure what counts as an episode. I had thought disorder for several months. At its worst, on the few days before and after being actually committed (twice), I was completely non-functioning.

I felt that Quetiapine made me drowsy, and yes, I was keen to quit all medication.

Keep It Real wrote:It's been 4 years...if I can't try coming off them now, I never will, and will be stuck with a lack of motivation for the rest of my life.

You don't know that, it's something you've just come up with. You might well be ready now, but this is serious shit that you probably shouldn't attempt without the help of a medical professional.

Did you have any more motivation prior to being on antipsychotics?

Keep It Real wrote:

Shrunk wrote:

Keep It Real wrote:Do you mean the odds are against my being cured Shrunk? For some reason I have it in my mind that 20% of schizophrenics make a full recovery....against the odds yes but a fair chance....

That may be about right. So, as long as you're making a decision based on accurate information, that's the best you can do.

Needless to say, I do not offer this as medical advice. You should get that from someone who is familiar with your situation. But you don't need me to tell you that, I'm sure.

I'll give it a try with those odds - the side effects of the antipsychotics are severely harmful IMO. BTW, if you've read this thread you're more familiar with my situation than any other psychiatrist.

Then see a psychiatrist. Tell them this stuff.

As. Soon. As. Possible.

Rachel Bronwyn wrote:Did you have any more motivation prior to being on antipsychotics?

Yup. I was a hive of activity - making music, writing, socialising....I also drank a lot less alcohol (because I wasn't so bored as my brain was more active).

Nicko wrote:

Keep It Real wrote:

Shrunk wrote:

Keep It Real wrote:Do you mean the odds are against my being cured Shrunk? For some reason I have it in my mind that 20% of schizophrenics make a full recovery....against the odds yes but a fair chance....

That may be about right. So, as long as you're making a decision based on accurate information, that's the best you can do.

Needless to say, I do not offer this as medical advice. You should get that from someone who is familiar with your situation. But you don't need me to tell you that, I'm sure.

I'll give it a try with those odds - the side effects of the antipsychotics are severely harmful IMO. BTW, if you've read this thread you're more familiar with my situation than any other psychiatrist.

Then see a psychiatrist. Tell them this stuff.

As. Soon. As. Possible.

OK Nicko - I'll call my old CPN when I get home later and tell them the score. I know what they'll say though - GET BACK ON THE ANTIPSYCHOTICS!!!! Will I? Not a chance...I'm going to write on my wall "if anxious, take antipsychotics".

It's my decision Fallible - I'm not on a community treatment order (any more). So there's a circa 20% chance I won't relapse - that's a chance I'm willing to take. The only person I ever hurt when psychotic is myself and besides, I'm being monitored by friends, family and now the established medical community (assuming my CPN gets the message I left) so if I start to lose the plot and don't catch it myself, others should, and a full on trek of the country psychotic should be avoided.

What that I have written gave you the impression that I don't think it's your decision?

You seem to think I should seek the guidance of psychiatric workers - I don't need any guidance from them; I've made my decision.

I do think that. That has nothing to do with thinking it isn't your choice. Obviously it is. I'm allowed to express disagreement with it, aren't I?

I don't see why you would disagree with it - you know what a substance abusing waster I am on antipsychotics.

I don't know anything of the kind, and I thought I made it pretty clear in my earlier comments why I disagree.

I feel high. All that extra dopamine neurotransmission.

Fallible wrote:I don't know anything of the kind, and I thought I made it pretty clear in my earlier comments why I disagree.

You've participated in the "Will I give up drugs, fags and booze from midnight" thread, so should be well aware of my substance abuse problems and how my motivation is lacking. If I saw a psychiatrist and they said that I desperately need to get back on the antipsychotics because the chances of a relapse are so high, do you think I should take that advice?

Why are you asking me? I'm not a psychiatrist and I don't know your case. As a general rule of thumb, I would tend to listen to a qualified professional over an unqualified amateur. If I was not happy with what the professional told me, I would seek out a second opinion from another professional . Sometimes individuals know what's best for them. Sometimes they just think they do. The graveyards of the world are filled with the latter group.

Fallible wrote:Why are you asking me?

Because I value your opinion.

As a general rule of thumb, I would tend to listen to a qualified professional over an unqualified amateur. If I was not happy with what the professional told me, I would seek out a second opinion from another professional . Sometimes individuals know what's best for them. Sometimes they just think they do. The graveyards of the world are filled with the latter group.

Psychiatrists agree with me in my experience that being deprived of some dopamine neurotransmission is preferable to being psychotic. I'm sure they'd also agree that having full neurotransmission and being free from psychosis is preferable to either. Where I think I disagree with psychiatrists in general is that they seem to think living a half-life on antipsychotics is advisable as a permanent solution...but I don't know this for a fact as I haven't spoken to one (other than Shrunk) for 3 years.

I really need to chase down some professional advice and support tomorrow; perhaps I'll call the crisis team if my CPN doesn't get back to me...the trouble is I've been discharged so perhaps he feels no duty of care toward me anymore. I can't afford to wait 2 weeks for a GP appointment and subsequent referral.

I agree that I should listen to the professionals, only for some reason I am adamant that it's time to try full dopamine again because I'm wasting my life and killing myself with substance abuse because of the apathy and boredom which goes along with having one's dopamine neurotransmission decreased significantly. BTW, I haven't had a drink for 3 days and have no craving for alcohol now I'm off the meds. I doubt a psychiatrist could persuade me to go back on the antipsychotics unless I was really suffering with psychosis...but I should give them the chance to try, if that is their professional opinion.

Keep It Real wrote:Well, I never heard voices and aren't hearing them now. What I did was twist real world sounds, images and voices into the narrative of my psychosis. I'm not in touch with a psychiatrist although I should probably make an appointment with my GP.

There's your huckleberry.