Quote:
Originally Posted by Matthew H
Could you please in form me of these miracle drugs? I've spent a solid chunk of the last 15 years researching every single possible alternative to Zyprexa to no avail. Some drugs, like Geodon, Have actually drastically made things much worse.
I've been to every Board and Care in southern California. Every single individual living in these places resemble a zombie to me. I'm not trying to be argumentative, I actually really hope you know something that I don't.
-Matt
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Mark, argumentative is okay
I'm guessing you know all of this, as my experience is limited, but what I said is more true for those with bipolar disorder, as many can eventually get off the antipsychotics, leaving them on mood suppressors such as lithium, that in many cases have few, if any, side effects.
Schizophrenia is much more difficult because antipsychotics are always necessary, and too often cause side effects. Also, what helps one patient may be ineffective for another, and there may be other conditions that have to be treated at the same time, requiring a 'cocktail' of drugs. Finding something that reduces symptoms AND has few side effects, can be a lifetime battle. Zyprexa (olanzapine), from what I've seen, is pretty horrible for a lot of patients - muscle rigidity, hand tremors, general dullness. Haldol can also have very bad side effects. I've seen risperidone used with no side effects at all, but the dosage was low - possibly too low for a schizophrenic patient. I've seen schizophrenic patients who showed few side effects (if any), but I didn't know their baseline personality, or what they were on.
If you want to stay in touch about this, PM me. I have good resources to ask questions of, and I'll ask about antipsychotics and their side effects.