The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

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The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#1  Postby Keep It Real » Jul 18, 2017 5:51 pm

So I've come off my antipsychotics and am diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Flupentixol, my antipsychotic medication, has a biological half-life of 36 hours and my last dose was 72 hours ago, so I've got a quarter of my regular amount in my system. This would not have been enough to alleviate the symptoms of schizophrenia in the past, but I've been taking antipsychotics for the last four years (since my last hospitalisation) and am not experiencing any symptoms of psychosis - I do however feel more energised and creative. There's no paranoia which is the main thing. Perhaps I'm healed, or perhaps one must sit without antipsychotics for a period of time before psychotic thoughts can manifest. Is psychosis a narrative which takes time to develop and take hold, or am I cured? Thoughts? Time will tell, but don't worry, I will take my meds again if and when I start to feel paranoid about hell or people or government surveillance or mind control or just anything which causes me fantastical anxiety. Anybody been through anything similar? Cheers KIR
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#2  Postby tuco » Jul 18, 2017 5:59 pm

Perhaps you should see professional to be a judge of that.

I have a friend with same diagnosis and, well, he has to take his meds else does things the voices tell him and those are not very cool.

btw I've heard there is Android app in development, perhaps even working already, that monitors moods and symptoms to help doctors to predict when there is lets say danger.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#3  Postby Keep It Real » Jul 18, 2017 6:07 pm

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.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#4  Postby tuco » Jul 18, 2017 6:17 pm

Well yes, individual conditions vary hence no general answers. If you dont have an app maybe you got someone else to check on you? I mean, I do not trust my own brain much when it comes to self-assessment.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#5  Postby Keep It Real » Jul 18, 2017 6:24 pm

I think I've been free from psychosis for so long now that I could tell if paranoid/psychotic thoughts began to manifest, although I'm currently staying with my mother so she can, as you suggest, check up on me. Going home in a couple of days though so let me know tuco if my posts start to look.....weirder than normal please.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#6  Postby tuco » Jul 18, 2017 6:26 pm

Good for you.

Actually yes, there are some people here who could make educated guess.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#7  Postby Keep It Real » Jul 19, 2017 9:57 am

Still not the faintest hint of the development of psychosis......give it a month and I'll be out of the woods. :)
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#8  Postby Nicko » Jul 19, 2017 10:39 am

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. :)


Given your posting history, I doubt it.

Get.

Professional.

Advice.

Aside from which, don't ask for medical advice on this site.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#9  Postby Keep It Real » Jul 19, 2017 10:48 am

Nicko 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. :)


Given your posting history, I doubt it.

Get.

Professional.

Advice.


Not all my posts have been drunken cognitive errors, I think you're being a little unfair. None of them have been psychotic. When I had a psychiatrist it was said to me that I might be able to come off the antipsychotics after a number of years, IIRC, so what I'm doing is compatible with professional thought. It is a well known fact that some schizophrenics make a full recovery, and to be honest I'm convinced that the negative symptoms of schizophrenia (lack of motivation, apathy etc) are more a result of the neuro-inhibitory antipsychotics than the underlying schizophrenia per say, so getting off the flupentixol could really improve my life.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#10  Postby Keep It Real » Jul 19, 2017 10:52 am



I'm not asking for medical advice - I've made up my mind.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#11  Postby Nicko » Jul 19, 2017 11:08 am

Keep It Real wrote:Not all my posts have been drunken cognitive errors,

Just most of them.

Keep It Real wrote:I think you're being a little unfair.


Nah.

Keep It Real wrote:None of them have been psychotic. When I had a psychiatrist it was said to me that I might be able to come off the antipsychotics after a number of years, IIRC, so what I'm doing is compatible with professional thought. It is a well known fact that some schizophrenics make a full recovery, and to be honest I'm convinced that the negative symptoms of schizophrenia (lack of motivation, apathy etc) are more a result of the neuro-inhibitory antipsychotics than the underlying schizophrenia per say, so getting off the flupentixol could really improve my life.


Possibly. I hear some of the side effects suck balls.

Get some professional advice anyway. Seriously dude. No one wants to see this thread go the way of, you know.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#12  Postby Fallible » Jul 19, 2017 1:49 pm

If you're going to ask people here about anything regarding your professionally diagnosed mental illness, anyone with any sense is going to tell you to ask a professional who knows your case. You may well be ok to come off your medication now, but you don't know that just because someone in the past told you you might be able to at some point.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#13  Postby Keep It Real » Jul 19, 2017 2:01 pm

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.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#14  Postby zulumoose » Jul 19, 2017 2:08 pm

The thing is, when you are losing perspective, you can't really tell, because everything is still in keeping with your new perspective.

As in "I'm not paranoid now, this time they really are out to get me"

I have had some experience of losing perspective, and always it seemed correct at the time, only long afterwards did I realise how distorted it was.

I can only suggest staying in regular contact with people you trust, and making it a habit to count their perspective on your behaviour as more reliable than your own, as well as taking a loss of that habit as a significant enough development to make seeking help fairly urgent.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#15  Postby Shrunk » Jul 19, 2017 3:03 pm

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.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#16  Postby Keep It Real » Jul 19, 2017 3:38 pm

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, and my schizophrenic positive symptoms were obviated by a relatively low dose of antipsychotics (6mg flupentixol a day) and so it could be said I am/was only mildly schizophrenic, although that did manifest as full blown psychotic episodes and hospitalisations.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#17  Postby Keep It Real » Jul 19, 2017 6:30 pm

zulumoose wrote:The thing is, when you are losing perspective, you can't really tell, because everything is still in keeping with your new perspective.

As in "I'm not paranoid now, this time they really are out to get me"

I have had some experience of losing perspective, and always it seemed correct at the time, only long afterwards did I realise how distorted it was.

I can only suggest staying in regular contact with people you trust, and making it a habit to count their perspective on your behaviour as more reliable than your own, as well as taking a loss of that habit as a significant enough development to make seeking help fairly urgent.


When I had my last psychotic episode the first thing I did was walk to the local loonie bin to try and get some help. It was the weekend and they were closed. So the next thing I did was go to a neighbouring town and knock on the door of their loonie bin. It was the middle of the night though and nobody replied. So it seems that, when psychosis takes hold, my first reaction is to try and find a psychiatrist to cure me of the psychosis. I'm not going to throw my meds away this time though so will hopefully reach for them if psychosis takes hold. I've been psychotic so many times now, and have been brought back to sanity by psychiatrists and antipsychotics so many times, that I'm pretty confident I'll reach for the crisis team and my meds if I go psychotic - it's deeply ingrained in my thoughts by now. I'm going home from my mum's tomorrow but am returning on wednesday so they can check up on me. I'm sure that if they say I need antipsychotics I will comply.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#18  Postby VazScep » Jul 19, 2017 7:25 pm

I came off antipsychotics (Quetiapine) four months after my break, and haven't had any symptoms in the same number of years. I came off with support from the doctor and crisis team.
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#19  Postby Keep It Real » Jul 19, 2017 9:02 pm

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?
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Re: The development of psychosis in a schizophrenic

#20  Postby Shrunk » Jul 19, 2017 9:09 pm

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.
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