I’ve been on a 3 year long journey trying to find the right meds… so far every single med has given me anhedonia… olanzapine, abilify and invega…. Has anyone tried multiple meds only to land on one finally that doesn’t cause severe anhedonia/depression?

It happens sometimes, no big deal. But it’s been pretty much non stop for almost a week now. It’s my right eyelid. I checked what can cause it but nothing applies. Could it be the start of tardive dyskinesia? I’ve been on all sorts of antipsychotics consistently for almost 10 years now, and on Latuda specifically for 4 years. I also feel a weird twitch in my lip when I’m lying down but that’s been happening for a bit longer. I’ll call my psychiatrist’s office tomorrow but I kinda don’t know how to bring it up without looking like I google scary shit lol.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and OCD, but I’m struggling to trust my diagnosis. I have a lot of doubts and fears about whether what I’m experiencing is actually psychosis or if it’s something else entirely, maybe just my OCD messing with me. I could really use some input.

Here’s what I’ve been experiencing:

1.Internal voices: I hear random internal phrases that feel uncontrollable. Sometimes they comment on my surroundings, my actions, or even my state of mind. They’ll say things like, “you’re schizophrenic,” or they’ll give commands, like “pick that up” or worse.
2.Hurtful language: A specific voice has started calling me, or people in my environment, the k-slur. This word is never something I’ve subconsciously used, and it doesn’t apply to me or the people it’s targeting, which makes it even more confusing and upsetting.
3.Doubt and spiraling: My OCD constantly makes me question if I’m really hearing voices. For example, if I ask myself, “Am I hearing voices?” I sometimes hear a voice respond “yes” before I even finish the thought. The doubt is paralyzing, and I end up spiraling—mentally checking for voices, replaying memories to try to figure out if I was actually hearing them, or researching symptoms obsessively.
4.Episodes: When I’m stressed or off my medication (briefly, in the past), the voices get louder and more distracting. I sometimes can’t tell if these are my thoughts, intrusive thoughts from OCD, or actual voices.
5.Manic/psychotic history: During my first manic episode, I had delusions, heard “God,” and believed I he was trying to reach me. I’ve also had multiple psychotic episodes triggered by stress and breakups in the past.

The biggest struggle is not knowing if what I’m experiencing counts as psychosis. My OCD convinces me that I’m making this up or that I’m misinterpreting internal dialogue as voices. On the other hand, the voices feel intrusive, distinct, and beyond my control—especially when they use words I would never use myself.

Does this sound like legitimate psychotic symptoms to you? How do you cope with the doubt and fear? Any advice or shared experiences would mean a lot.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I feel so alone in this, and hearing from others might help me make sense of what’s happening.

But when I realised that the mix was the culprit for me having all kinds of adverse effects to me I got off of the second of em 2.5 years ago. And this year am almost finished with tapering the other. But I’ll stay on the first antipsychotic I got put on and that’s for life.

I just want to appeale to all doctors to try the best that you can to avoid polypharmacoly of drug classes when ever possible. So if your patient has psychosis then handle one antipsychotic. Depression one depression pill and so on and so on. I have suffered for years because the mix of antipsychotics caused a proper lactic effect to me.

every single night i dream about my voices and i can hear them in the dreams. I’ve always believed they were real because of the crazy dreams I’ve always had. I can’t believe that my brain could come up with these kinds of dreams which is why I’m struggling with believing they’re not real. Anyone else experience this?

Gonna see what happens.

So far I have taken multiple antipsychotics but not at once. The problem is that they have all dealt with different things.

For example my risperidone got rid of my paranoia and hallucinations, but didn't really touch my delusional thinking at all, while so far it seems like latuda is helping delusional thinking but nothing else, and so my paranoia is through the roof and I'm hallucinating again, but at least I don't think my thoughts control the weather anymore I guess.

I was wondering if psychiatrists ever prescribe multiple antipsychotics for different symptoms simultaneously? And if so, which ones are you taking?

Hey does someone feel like something is controling their power of free speech? Like i can think a bunch of stuff and make sense to myself when im talking alone but when i try to put in words with someone else real the words seems to vanish from my mind and i even forget what i was thinking or it just doesnt make sense when i explain. I think something is controling whati can say so no one can see the true and i wish i could tell my theories but like i said i cant. Btw, writing helps but sometimes i cant undestand what i wrote and always forget when i wrote it so i just keep a bunch of texts inmy closet in case some day i remember them

Help!!! My entire body feels burning underneath the skin. Does anyone else deal with this?!!!!!!!!!

Hello. My LO is going to be discharged from the hospital and he seems a little stable. How can I best support him? I think he may have a little insight at the moment but what should I say or avoid saying? Obviously I want to push for him to stay on meds ( both for her and APs, but my main priority is his heart).

I just don’t know how to go about it. Last time he was discharged and was lucid for two days due to not staying on his meds? The approach I took last time was to not mention meds or bother him out of fear I’ll trigger his paranoia. Should I take advantage of the opportunity and strike the iron while it’s hot? What should I say? How do I word it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you🤍

I was reading a medical article and it said the most common delusion about what the voices say. It went on to say that the voices say " we are real". That kinda cracks me up, they try and say that all day long when they are doing commentary on everything I do. I now just say fuck off, you must have had a bad childhood. Little demons were babies at one point. Because the main demon tells them to say this or they are punished?

https://preview.redd.it/komw04421o7e1.jpg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=46f99d391b604a60c8551b1e8824bc5d268cec17

Ever since my illness hit me 5 years ago, my obsessions cause anger. They never did before. I have to suppress it with everyone I'm around. It affects my work life a lot too.

And inability to handle stress is also big - the kind where you flip out and just leave a situation. Except... these are really small situations. These things make it incredibly hard to stay sober because it's like being at war with my mind every day.

It makes me feel hopeless - that the rest of my life is going to be shit.

Anybody else quitting with me right now? How are the withdrawals?

Doctor advised me to switch meds back to olanzapine because it is better known to be safer for the children. But im on risperidone now..

We’ve been dating for 3 months. I’m 26, she’s 24. Within the first month we talked about a lot of the complicated stuff most people go through in a relationship because we wanted to get it out of the way. We got over them all and we now are starting to make some plans for the future. In one of those talks, she told me she has schizophrenia. And for a while I even forgot about it because nothing happened, she just lives a normal life for the most part.

During the past 2 weeks she started having psychotic episodes. This is the first time in my life I have to deal with any kind of disorder, so all of this is new for me. Based on what I can tell and some things she’s told me, she’s still accepting her condition and I’m not sure of what I can do to help, or if there’s anything for me to do. Whenever something like that happens I just try and keep her company, make sure she doesn’t hurt herself or anyone and just be there for her. And sometimes, like now, she gets overwhelmed with things in her head, plus the voices, and we talk about it. For the most part being there for her is what I do, but it kills me that I can’t do much.

Is there anything I could do to help her in any way? She was therapy weekly and a built trust with her doctor, but it’s once a week. I have this feeling that there’s a part for me in this, but I can’t think of it. Anyone with experience in this has any advice for me?

As my personal illness progresses (M25) I find myself comparing the various episodes of psychosis to better understand why and when they emerge.

How was your first psychotic episode different from subsequent ones? Did the triggers/content change or remain the same? Are they always so debilitating as the first?

I'm 25, no family history. A very distant relative of mine has it.

I suffer from severe health anxiety, general anxiety but recently I've been afraid of having schizophrenia. I don't wanna sound rude or anything but I'm genuinely terrified of having this disease coz I've seen that relative trying to commit suicide several times. For me this fear started with derealization and i sometimes get hypnogogic hallucination while falling back asleep. I keep reading stories and keep imagining how terrified someone with this disease must feel.

I really want to ask even if i ever end up getting this disease, is it possible to live a normal life? You guys living a happy life means my fear deminishing.

I gathered the courage to post here because i was afraid it would be rude of me. Sending you all hugs and healing

I since young always believed in UFOS, suffered terrible sleep paralysis and abduction like events but still enjoyed the thought of reading about it. Well, this entire week I have been hyper fixating on the drone chaos and it has been tough. Sleepless nights, afraid to walk my dog before sunset and terrified to sleep. I made the mistake to come on reddit to see evidence and went into a spiral of bad things. Can anyone else relate? I personally am eerie with the government’s vague response to them, but there are way too many in the skies all at once. How have you been coping? Thoughts?

...is frustrating. Lost my Medicaid (got a 2 dollar raise. Still not making a ton) and my new insurance doesn't cover my invega injection. Almost had a horrible meltdown when i realized this yesterday but my friend suggested i see if my doctor can appeal that and get it covered. I'm saving my freak out and spiral for when they tell me I still can't get it.

I don't really understand the insurance process and I think a lucky system/clerical error let me keep my Medicaid this long. It's gonna be such a bummer if I have to switch meds completely or go back to pills. I cannot be trusted to take my antipsychotic every day tbh. I started to think I'm too sedated so I stop and then I get paranoid and the the religious delusions start and then I'm in the hospital (or maybe dead for real next time, who knows). I'm trying so hard not to catastrophize but it is proving difficult.

Hello. I have to talk to a family member who is dealing with schizophrenia. They say unbelievable things and i don't know how to respond. I'm just nodding and acknowledge all the statements but do i continue and act like i believe what they seem to believe is true? or do i tell them i don't believe any of it. please help. thank you so much hope you have a great day lots of love ❤️

And how long did it take?

Hello everybody

The thing is since i got diagnosed with schizophrenia my “filter” has been broken.

I am overly sensitive to lights, electronics and other people’s energy. I can hardly watch tv, use my phone or play pc anymore because of all the stimulation, and I can’t function out in the world like this. Medicin doesn’t numb the problem. I’ve tried risperdal, ability, quetiapin and olanzapine without success so I’ve decided to quit.

Do any of you recognize this? And if so, what do you do that helps? Do you take any supplements? I can’t keep numbing my body with cigarettes.

Hi sometimes I read here that schizophrenic lo are lauging to themselfs and I wonder why is that? As a schizophrenic I dont really understand why

Attached below is todays video link to my “On Conquering Schizophrenia” YouTube channel. Today entails the trickiness of auditory hallucinations. Like all, todays video is ever brief and can be viewed amid a quiet mind.

https://youtu.be/favydTy-BFM?si=7j9qHPfU1JOWVfgp

Like some people wear pride flags, when I go into town it would be good if people could see that I have schizophrenia (I could pin it on a sunflower lanyard or something, something we have in the UK that differently abled people wear in public so they are given extra help), just thought it might be useful or helpful for others to know.

My father a (35m) has schizophrenia, my little sister (12f) has psychosis. Can I be able to help them if it gets better or worse. How can I be able to talk to them. I am the only person they trust and confide in. I listen to them but I have trouble finding the right words to say to them. Is there certain phrases that has helped you?

Ive got 3 different personalities, I try to keep to One. They're the most grounded. If I have any hope of making anything of myself, One is who I should follow

But then there's Two

Two is destructive. Two is vengeful. Two wants chaos.

One usually keeps Two in check

Every now and then, usually every couple years. Three comes around

Three is a nihilist. Three would like to watch the world burn. Three likes to provoke Two into Nagging One to start screwing up. Three is really good at it.

One is tired of dealing with Two and Three.

One thinks that without Two, and Three, they could do great things.