Hello Taktobak,
It is entirely too soon to expect to change the medication, if your son has been on the Zyprexa only four days.
Some people find symptom relief within three to four weeks; others don't, and need a change of meds.
However, like Janet commented, it could take weeks before the medication kicks in.
As well as writing the expert's blog for this website, I'm a contributing editor to Schizophrenia Digest, where I write the Recovering Together Q&A. I recommend you log on to www.schizophreniadigest.com, and buy a subscription.
Robin Cunningham, also a blogger here, is one of the panelists I interview for the Q&A. The spring 2007 article, out now, is all about "medications."
Robin states:
"I feel strongly about this. Although most of the meds I took in the first 10 years didn't provide significant relief from the positive symptoms (hallucinations and thought insertions), I'm firmly convinced that the fact I was on the medication prevented any deterioration of my mental capacities and what I could achieve in terms of functionality."
In short, I urge your son to stay on his meds, even if the drug he's on now doesn't seem to be working.
Mental health clients who repeatedly go on and off their meds, in a "kindling effect," are less able to recover from their episodes and their functioning will increasingly be eroded.
The bottom line is, keep the faith and have the hope that if the medication isn't working now, it could turn out to work if you give it time, and then, if not, keep trying all the meds out there until you find the one that does the trick.
This is what Robin did. He lived with symptoms for 10 years until he found the medication that worked.
Ideally, the first drug tried would provide relief. It doesn't always. However, a full, productive life is possible even though a person has schizophrenia.
The key is to remain on the meds, work with his psychiatrist, and both your son and you should have each your own therapist.
Another thing to consider is that if a medication previously worked, and now isn't, a person may need to examine what's going on in his or her life that could be causing an intermittent flare-up of symptoms.
Since your son is new to the diagnosis (you said he began having difficulties in March 2007), it is entirely too early to switch meds so quickly. Also, certain studies have been done that tend to indicate the non-stop swtiching of meds from one to another isn't always the best course of treatment.
In closing, I urge you to talk openly and honestly with your son and his psychiatrist. Mental health clients, today, are more likely to be able to be out and about in the world in a full, productive way, so it's critical he stays on whatever medication he's on until a better one is found.
Peace,
Chris
Hello:
I was on Zyprexa for 10 years. It took 14 days to go into effect. Zyprexa is notorious for causing severe, uncontrolled weight gain, and all the complications that can cause; i.e., diabetes, etc.
Abilify works equally well for me, and I've lost ten pounds.
I hope your son finds just the right medicine(s) to help. Be patient.
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To be totally honest with you I really don't know how many medications I have been on. I was first diagnosed with schizoaffective illness when i was 23 years old. I am now 47. I don't mean to scare you or discourage you but I would like to offer you some advice. First of all you must be patient and give the medications time to work effectivelly for your son. I read once some medicatons can take up to two weeks to finally work for the individual patient. Also most important is that you must be honest and upfront with your son's doctor. You and her son granted he lives with you are faced with this illness 24/7 so it is up to you and your son to be upfront with his doctor. I would like to close by saying different drugs work different for each patient and Seroquel has worked best for me. I feel like I lead a pretty normal life and while I understand there is no cure for this illness a person can be stablized and that is how I would describe how I am now.