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In 1979 the side effects from Haldol overwhelmed me and I jumped off a bridge. The Haldol made me feel as though I had a huge weight on my head. I thought(at the time) that the bridge - jump would fix it. Today I am partially crippled due to that landing on cement.
A lot of the medication that I've been on has had side-effects, chloropromazine had kind of a drowsy feel, also modecate shared that sensation. Years ago, I got kind of a speedy feeling from Imap, Piportil, and Fluanxol. The older drugs all seemed to have the visible effects. I got a pretty standard reaction from all of them.
All the atypicals have a few that I've experienced with the exception of Rispiridol (made me scream with pain) The drug regime I'm on now has very few side-effects and I have nothing to complain about.
Shalom !!
Don Fraser
I was Thorazine some time ago. The side effect was what we called the "thorazine shuffle." This is where you can barely move your feet..thus the shuffle. I felt like a zombie.
Haldol made my muscles tense and my tongue swell.
Another drug Prolixin, I called the dancing drug. I couldn't stop my legs from moving, standing or sitting. At night my feet would sway back and forth. I told the pdoc at that time it was a side effect, which he denied. After going off Prolixin the dancing stopped.
Clozaril was a wonderful med. Of all the meds I've taken that was the best. I had to stop taking it because it lowered my white blood cell count. And I put alot of weight on. I stayed out a hospital for 7 years in a row. I plan on topping that.
Serqueol is next. I called that the "Wizard of OZ" med. I got really paranoid on it and ended up in the back of a police cruiser. I can elaborate if you like.
Abilify was like taking speed. My thoughts raced and it was hard to concentrate. I lost 100 lbs while taking Abilify.
Remeron helped put the weight back on.
Prozac made me suicidal.
I currently take 5 meds-Cogentin, Risperadol Consta, Wellbutrin, Tegretol, Buspar. The Cogention makes my mouth dry. The Risperdol Consta makes me anxious. I'm not sure which one makes me constipated. One of those makes me not sleep. Hence the early morning shareposts and the nickname "earlyriser."
I took Effexor and Zoloft but can't remember the side effects.
I think that's all. At least all I can remember.
When I had to stop taking Clozaril, is when my sleep pattern got messed up. That was about 5 or 6 years ago. I've been hospitalized 7 or 8 times since stopping Clozaril.
And last but not least, not one of the above meds has ever stopped the voices. Clozaril made me "feel" normal. I felt like a human being. I had a good job and met my wife. Those were the best years of my life when I was on Clozaril and married to Margaret and my job.
Thanks,
Dave
Hi, I'm back. I'm going to talk about Geodon. One of the items on the warning label given with the bottle when I pick up the prescription is to avoid heat. That's why I'm going to buy an air conditioner for my bedroom in the new apartment. New York City had a heat wave early last week and I fell asleep in the afternoon and when I woke up, I could barely get out of bed, I was so weak.
Even on the Stelazine I couldn't be in direct sunlight for more than 10 or 15 minutes in the summer. I fear it will be worse with the Geodon. Heat stroke is a real possibility now.
Some considerations if you have to avoid heat:
Drink at least eight glasses of water when it's hot outside. Take precautions: wear sunscreen, wear a hat and sunglasses, walk on the shady side of the street, go places where there's air conditioning, tell whoever you're with that you may have to leave early and go home if the heat has you beat.
If you must be indoors during hot weather, try to do interactive things like listen to music, surf the Internet, write a SharePost here, or call someone on the phone to talk. Staying inside and ruminating or worrying or giving in to negative thoughts is something that people with SZ should strive to minimize.
Consider buying an air conditioner if you have the money. At the least, buy a table top or floor fan for each room.
Tofranil made me thirsty and a little drowsy but helped with the depression.
Depakote made my hair fall out both times that I took it for a while.
Tegretol had no side effects and was not helpful.
Lithium made me extremely nauseated.
Eskalith didn't make me nauseated, but it didn't help, either. I overdosed on it once and had to be kept in the "regular" hospital for several days till the level went back down.
Xanax helped with anxiety, no side effects.
Prozac took away my appetite and I lost down to 93 lb. It also gave me momentary waves of euphoria but did not help the depression.
Effexor, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, Serzone didn't have side effects but didn't help, either.
Risperdal made me deathly nauseated to the point where I couldn't even keep down water. I thought I was going to die.
Seroquel worked for 2 1/2 years and helped me sleep. But its effectiveness slowly wore off. I also experienced nightmares while taking Seroquel.
Clozaril -- I didn't give it but a 2-week trial because I was too ill to drive to a lab and a long way to the pharmacy every week.
Geodon -- made my bladder hurt and made me very agitated and jittery. I couldn't stay still and I couldn't sleep on it. My thoughts were also disjointed.
Abilify had the same side effects as Geodon except for the bladder pain.
Zyprexa made me gain about 90 lbs very quickly but is responsible for my gradual recovery since 1997. I am supposed to take 20-40mg per day, but usually vary between 5 and 15mg to try to lose weight. Zyprexa tends to make me hungry all day and all night to the point where it is impossible not to eat everything in sight.
I have taken Trazone for many years to help me sleep, anywhere from 50 to 150mg. I do not sleep well without it. However, I have overdosed on it a couple of times along with some other meds.
Currently, I am taking Wellbutrin and Zoloft and have no side effects, and they do help.
I think there were other meds, but I don't remember any with side effects.
Carolyn
The only real side effect I might be experiencing from the Geodon is that ever since going on it my sugar has been elevated to around 114. So I take two cinnamon tablets in the morning with breakfast to regulate my sugar. You can get a bottle of cinnamon tablets in the Vitamin Shoppe for $12. Even doing this my sugar has remained elevated, yet luckily it hasn't shot up any farther. Dr. Krall monitors my sugar along with everything else, every three months she tests my blood.
Christina
I've been taking the anti-psychotic medications now for seven years. I started out on Zyprexa taking higher and higher doses till I maxed out on that. Zyprexa caused me to gain 70 pounds and to consistently oversleep, though I think that was also due to some severe depression at the time. There was also a period of muscle tension just as I was trying to fall asleep. That was a bit scary, but it passed in a few months. Now I am taking nearly the highest dose of Abilify and a moderate dose of Risperdal, along with generic Prozac which I've been taking all along. Though Risperdal causes weight gain, I am finding that it is possible to lose weight while on the drug through diet and exercise (though I've still been losing weight despite not exercising in a few weeks). I've lost 17 pounds so far. Since taking the Abilify, I have suffered from anxiety, but have not treated it with drugs, instead I talk into a tape recorder for added therapy and that seems to help lessen the anxiety, that and napping. I have also had memory loss, but I don't know if that is due to the drugs or due to the negative effects of schizophrenia itself in conjunction with getting older too. I still suffer from depression, but now it comes and goes. I am an artist and I've found being creative, in any form, is extremely helpful for both depression and psychosis.
Despite the various side effects, I consider myself very fortunate. I still hear voices, but mostly they are fairly muted, so I am able to be creative, which is my salvation really. Other things that have helped me stay stable and relatively well have been writing in my blog and journaling as well, posting on message boards related to mental illness (NAMI--National Alliance On Mental Illness has wonderful message boards for all kinds of mental illnesses--check them out!), keeping in touch with friends (mostly online friends since in my community I am very reclusive due to the schizophrenia), spending time with family, loving my pets, listening to music and audiobooks, making jewelry, crocheting, song writing and, of course, drawing and painting.
I'm afraid side effects will occur for most of us, though perhaps new drugs will be created with fewer and fewer side effects for all of us. That's my hope, but until then it's important to cultivate a resilient attitude towards difficulties. Be creative. I have found that having faith in a higher power is also good for creating balance and a positive attitude. Don't give up. Don't ever give up. I've been through some very hard times, we all have, but I'm here to say that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The drugs, despite the side effects, have helped a lot to make that possible.
yes, I've beenaround the block with the medications.
stelazene: low dose no side effect
trilafon: don't remember
clozaril: since 1992. weight gain;kept me put of the hospital
abilify: with the clozaril made me very anxious and even confused
Zoloft: makes me say things off the top of my head
I don't know if sould try again for a change
Roy
I have also noticed that although at first Zyprexa had devastating side effects (weight gain and sleeping up to 16 hrs a day) over the years those effects have subsided some, even when I am taking 20-40mg. Now I sleep only 7-8 hours a night and maybe an hour and a half during the day. And although I still have strong urges to eat I have a little more self control.
Carolyn
I used to be on melerril years back and it made me worse. It made me try and poison my dad with the meds and made me want to stab my brother and talk to myself. There is now a worldwide ban and I can see why, those pills are dangerous. I am on risperdal and have done many things on it. Studied for 6 years, become well qualified and overcome fear and paranoia. it does take some work though. You have to think positive and try as hard as you can to get better. I know it causes short term memory loss or it can, that is why I take things calmly and I have no worries, I am an organised person. when I rush, I forget as does everyone. I have gained weight but think I look much better as I used to be extremely thin and look terrible. I look healthy and the side effects outweight the symptoms by far.
Hello family and it is good that we are good enough to comment and strong enough to do it. I also have been on a lot of drugs, legal and illegal but it was onlywhen my undiagnosed in denial self was doing legal and illegal did I have my worst side effects. Acceptance of my illness and aggressive seeking of help has helped. We suffer from a disease that tells us that we dont have a disease and we all have a great story to tell from symptoms to treatment and if given the chance we all could provide very valuble insight to the researchers of our illness. Keep hope and stay forward looking. Ysraal
Hello folks,
Well, I've been proved wrong. I thought that what was going on was something under my control. I would fall asleep in the afternoon nearly every day at work. This had been going on for close to two years. It was brought to my attention and a friend said to talk to Dr. Altman about this. He switched the extra 40 mg dose of the atypical I'm on to the evening instead of in the morning.
Voila! I'm awake in the afternoon now and don't sleep anymore at work.
So I just want to vouch that a simple dose change can work wonders.
Cheers,
Christina
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For 20 years, I was on a low dose of Stelazine that was barely a maintenance dose yet worked for me until five years ago. I had no side effects-or so I thought until I began blogging for the Connection. It was here on this web site that I read Stelazine could cause drowsiness and fatigue. I took 5 mg every night and for the last four years of that routine, 10 mg at might.
Something clicked after I read the news item-it accounted for why I had trouble getting up in the morning. I always thought I wasn't a morning person, yet in reality it was the medication that caused my lethargy. Maybe in the back of my mind I knew it was a side effect and didn't consciously put two and two together.
For 17 years, I was late to nearly every job I had, every day. Most bosses looked the other way. [One knew I had been hospitalized and was on medication.] The boss I have now brought my lateness to my attention. What could I do? I didn't want her to think I willfully disregarded my set hours, so I e-mailed her a ntoe disclosing I was on medication that caused me to be fatigued in the morning. From then on, she told told me to call in if I was going to be late rather than just showing up whenever.
Can you imagine? For 17 years I lived with a side effect.
Hi there, I can relate to your story because just like having sz, being on meds doesn't give you insight... so we can be experiencing side effects and not even know it.
Everytime I go to the doctor, I dont know what to talk about because of this. I usually say Im fine. But later I realise a few things. Then when I see the doctor again I forget them... anyway...