Negative symptoms becoming completely intolerable
My negative symptoms feel almost feverish. This is intolerable for me and I simply cannot take it anymore. I mean I sometimes question whether I actually have schizophrenia or some other disease because when I wake up I feel like I have a fever with no energy what so ever. Words can't describe the suckiness of this feeling!
a quick recap into my previous symptoms. I used to have severe positive symptoms with paranoia that the gov or some faction of it was trying to torture me with electromagnetic weapons. I thought President Bush, at one point, was killing Jews with some secret weapon. It was crazy I kept looking in the papers headlines to see a mention of "thousands of Jews killed," etc!
I thought all these poltiicians like Bill Clinton and celebs like Tom Cruise were in on a huge conspiracy to torture and kill people; it was crazy. So yeah I also heard so many voices talking to me, I had thought insertion, thought people on tv were giving me signals and even could hear people's inner thoughts, or so I thought at one point.
Now I don't harbor any delusions and don't really hear any persecutory voices anymore, just some stupid random voices of my high school friends picking on each other. Really stupid and silly stuff.
But the negative symptoms and the cognitive impairment has grown absolutely horrific and is keeping me from working or doing much of anything.
So let me ask you; is it normal to have such horrible negative symptoms? Is there anything that can be done about it? Help me obi won you're my only hope!
I am wondering if you might be experiencing depression as well as sz. Ask your doctor if that might be the case. Depression can leave you feeling fatigued and desperate to find relief, and there are many antidepressants that might help.
There is a type of schizophrenia that is mostly characterized by negative symptoms, called "residual schizophrenia." There must first be at least one acute psychotic episode, then a progression to mostly negative symptoms. And there seems to be some evidence that the atypical antipsychotics are more effective against negative symptoms than the older antipsychotics. You didn't mention what meds you are taking right now.
As for myself, I used to have acute symptoms for about 8 years, then debilitating negative symptoms for another 5-6 years. And now for the past couple of years things have dramatically improved. I don't think I am ready or able to work, but I am now able to socialize w/o paranoia and am able to live alone and take care of myself. So there is hope for you that things will get better.
Carolyn
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dfowler1976
Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 10:13 PM
Hello dfowler1976,
I understand how you feel about your negative symptoms.
I would feel the same way if I had them to the severity it seems you do.
Before I comment, I want to suggest you take your SZ meds regularly even if they don't seem to be working. Some of the symptoms might not go away even with the meds, yet a lot of us believe that taking the meds prevents further loss of functioning.
As Carolyn said, it could get better with time. I know you don't want to have to wait.
What I mean to say is that things can change.
Also, there is a drug that was developed that I believe will shortly come on the market that may help better with cognitive deficits. It's called lurasidone and you can Google it. Also the drug Cymbalta is advertised as helping the phyiscal pain as well as the depression.
I can tell you an anonymous story of someone who tried every anti-depressant out there and when his doctor said, "OK, now I'll try this" the drug he tried worked right away. So if you've been on the Lexapro for awhile, ask your doctor if he thinks it may be time for a change, or let him know if you think it's time for a change.
I honestly wish you didn't feel this way physically and emotionally, I also would of course want that your negative symptoms are under control or minimal and it would be great if they were totally absent.
Please continue to reach out for support as much or as little as you feel you want to at the Connection.
Have a good night.
Regards,
Christina
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dfowler1976
Friday, July 03, 2009 at 06:53 AM
Hello Christina,
Always thankyou for your timely and always thoughtful replies. This is getting ridiculous as I've been sleeping all day for ten hours or more and I can't seem to fall asleep at night, even when I stay up all day forcing myself. I have no idea why this is, the body is just such a mystery as to why it does the things it does!
So I'm getting my Risperdal shot this Tuesday, but my dad might have to bring me in as it's 45 min away in Boston. I chose the Freedom Trail Clinic because it's one of the best but now I'm thinking perhaps I should stay local as it would be much easier on me. I just want an open minded doctor that will try out anything that could stand a chance at working.
yeah I thought I was beating these neg symptoms for a while and now frustratingly enough they have come back to haunt and torture me! I can't do anything to reemphasize this again. I can't even leave the couch. This is certainly no way to live, and it makes me very angry that people aren't making health care and mental health a first priority. Well I think diseases that cause death should be first priority than debilitating stuff like SZ. Is there anything I can do to get Congress to allocate more money to SZ research?
Christina Bruni
Sunday, July 05, 2009 at 10:55 PM
Hi dfowler,
I would write or e-mail your senator and congress person at both the state and national level. NAMI sends me e-mail Updates about federal legislation they want me to write in about, complete with a boilerplate letter I can cut-and-paste. They have my name and address and zip code saved so all I have to do is hit send and the software knows which elected official to send it to. You can sign up at www.nami.org. You can also have NAMI send you Updates about new schizophrenia information.
One thing: I'm not sure how long your lapse was in getting the Risperdal Consta shot so I wonder if that is partly why the negative symptoms have returned. I also will go out on a limb and say that in this dire economy a lot of people are stressed out over money and the activities of daily living that require money. Even if you are not this is a tough time for us all and I could see how the negative symptoms could return.
Please, this doesn't mean they will be permanent or that you won't ever be able to deal with them if they linger longer than you'd like.
I don't recommend a sleeping pill at night as they are quite addictive, especially Ambien even though the makers of that drug claim it is not. They are lying. Seroquel is sometimes used as a sleep aid. Risperdal is not used to regulate sleep. My friend was recently put on Trazodone (sp?) an anti-depressant that her doctor is using to help her sleep and it had the effect of boosting her mood. This friend had been telling her doctor for seven years that she was depressed and the pdoc wouldn't consider an anti-depressant and then when my friend was given it for sleep things changed.
Staying local might be a good option for your treatment. Please don't rule out this option thinking a local center won't be good. I know someone who chose a mental health center in his neighborhood because it was recommended and he wasn't disappointed; he's pleased with his treatment team, which consists of a nurse practioner for meds and a therapist. My great therapist used to be five blocks away.
Although it may not seem like it, your body could be telling you what it needs to do. Are you under stress? Maybe your body is telling you that now is the time to take action on an unresolved issue. I was on one SZ drug for 20 years and it suddenly stopped working, which was a blessing in disguise because I consider the newer atypical I'm now on to be a miracle drug. Had I not made the change, I wouldn't be doing as well.
So keep up a positive spirit as best you can, educate yourself about the latest treatments, and explore your options..
Have a good night.
Regards,
Christina
dfowler1976
Monday, July 06, 2009 at 12:54 PM
Hey there!
Well I finally had my Risperdal Consta shot today and we'll have to give it a few days at least, to see if it betters my negative symptoms. I had significant anxiety going to the clinic, as I often do when I don't sleep and even when I don't sleep!
I'm quite sure that my negative symptoms are a result of the economy or even the fact that I'm not working. I believe it's all due to some kind of chemical imbalance. I am considering Wellbutrin again and I was on it before, not too too long ago.
Alot of people recommend the new drug Solian or Amisulpride, but that isn't available in the U.S. as of yet I believe, at least not covered by insurance.
Basically this was the first independance day that I slept through and even though I was awake for a while and had the chance to go out on our lobster boat I simply was too depleted of energy and almost felt physically ill.
The past two days have been somewhat bareable as I at least have done lots of reading and writing on the net.
Well until there are better drugs I'm stuck with what they have! A few people told me that having a positive attitude can often be the best drug and through hell I'm trying to maintain mine!
Devon
Christina Bruni
Sunday, July 05, 2009 at 10:57 PM
Hi dfowler,
I would write or e-mail your senator and congress person at both the state and national level. NAMI sends me e-mail Updates about federal legislation they want me to write in about, complete with a boilerplate letter I can cut-and-paste. They have my name and address and zip code saved so all I have to do is hit send and the software knows which elected official to send it to. You can sign up at www.nami.org. You can also have NAMI send you Updates about new schizophrenia information.
One thing: I'm not sure how long your lapse was in getting the Risperdal Consta shot so I wonder if that is partly why the negative symptoms have returned. I also will go out on a limb and say that in this dire economy a lot of people are stressed out over money and the activities of daily living that require money. Even if you are not this is a tough time for us all and I could see how the negative symptoms could return.
Please, this doesn't mean they will be permanent or that you won't ever be able to deal with them if they linger longer than you'd like.
I don't recommend a sleeping pill at night as they are quite addictive, especially Ambien even though the makers of that drug claim it is not. They are lying. Seroquel is sometimes used as a sleep aid. Risperdal is not used to regulate sleep. My friend was recently put on Trazodone (sp?) an anti-depressant that her doctor is using to help her sleep and it had the effect of boosting her mood. This friend had been telling her doctor for seven years that she was depressed and the pdoc wouldn't consider an anti-depressant and then when my friend was given it for sleep things changed.
Staying local might be a good option for your treatment. Please don't rule out this option thinking a local center won't be good. I know someone who chose a mental health center in his neighborhood because it was recommended and he wasn't disappointed; he's pleased with his treatment team, which consists of a nurse practioner for meds and a therapist. My great therapist used to be five blocks away.
Although it may not seem like it, your body could be telling you what it needs to do. Are you under stress? Maybe your body is telling you that now is the time to take action on an unresolved issue. I was on one SZ drug for 20 years and it suddenly stopped working, which was a blessing in disguise because I consider the newer atypical I'm now on to be a miracle drug. Had I not made the change, I wouldn't be doing as well.
So keep up a positive spirit as best you can, educate yourself about the latest treatments, and explore your options..
Have a good night.
Regards,
Christina
Thanks Carolyn, basically I'm on Risperdal Consta fifty mg once every two weeks and Lexapro. I have neglected to get the Risperdal for some time and am long overdo. However I never got better at all I think when I got the shot. The lexpapro just isn't helping and I need to try a new med.
I'm not sure if this is depression or just negative symptoms. I just know it feels terrible and I'm left helpless with no where to turn. I can't even get out of bed most of the time. I hate this life...