About to get started on Anti-Psychotic medication... need advice

So I've been taking anti-depressants for a while now to combat my mood swings and anxiety, however my symptoms didn't really improve but rather evolved, so my parents spoke to my GP again, describing my behavior, and it's been decided I need to get on "Seroquel", an anti-psychotic medications for bi-polars (me) and schizophrenics (definitely not me, but i am paranoid).

I consider myself an emotionally-driven thinker, and I worry that both my emotions and intellect may be diminished as a result of such medication. Anyone been treated for similar problems? Any advice, warnings, or soothing words to be shared?

I am also a spiritual person and have concerns in regards to how these medications affect the Pineal Gland and the chakra's, but perhaps I have nothing to fear.

Thanks!

I have been taking Olanzapine, which is similar. I haven't really suffered from any side effects other than being sleepy. You do not have much to fear, but please expect the medication to take about 3 weeks to properly kick in before you give up on it.

reply to post by RenegadeScholar


Oh dude, I had no idea you're in Adelaide. Same here.

Do you meditate? I think medication is bad.

Don't Medicate. Meditate.

I believe that some of the greatest and most influential artists, scholars, and people in general have faced mood swings and anxiety, without psychotropic substances to regulate their behavior or their outlook or intake of their perceptions. Are you a child? Why must your parents speak for you?

Seroquel is a good low-medium strenth med for psychosis and mood swings. Expect to be tired after taking it and Im sure your doc will let you know to take it at night. Maybe an increase in appetite, too. Im not positive but I think it can be used as an anti-depressent. Ive taken it in low doses for sleeping issues and depression. As far as meditation goes, it might be difficult to get into a truly relaxed state on any medication. Tired, no problem, but for me the kind of relaxation and peace of mind I need for meditation was always a struggle on any kind of meds throughout my life. Ask your doc about abilify. Ive seen infomercials about it lately that call it an antidepressant but a few years back it was being used as an antipsychotic and it was a night and day difference when I was prescribed it. Its been a few years since Ive been on any meds but abilify is one of the few with little to no side effects and it actually works enough to see a difference.

I would attempt to steer you to lithium myself.
It is probably the best drug with the least side effects that I know of.
I am very wary of the newer drugs myself.

Anti-depressants/psychotics are nothing but poison that serve no purpose other than negatively altering brain chemistry. They are no more effective than placebo in true clinical trials and are simply a crutch pushed by an industry formed from the legacy of junk science founded by S.Freud and A. Crowley.

Your own mind is a far more powerful tool than any substance used to damage and subvert it. You can know peace simply through sheer will and learning how to be a master of your own self and personal balance and well being. Eat right, exercise, immerse yourself in things that interest you and learn the sheer power of mind and will over matter.

It's your own choice to rise above the problems you perceive and those that an industry based solely on profit and pushing pills would have you believe you are afflicted with.

I am a 13 year schizophrenic seroquel is not as bad as many others such as risperidone but it still has a weight gain affect,it will not impact your mental acuity much but you can be tired on it,for less symptoms again ask whether solien or even better still abilify might be suitable but if not I have no great problems with seroquel other than its possible weiht gain effects.

Are you mad?! Sorry about that, but I do mean it.
1. Do you have mercury fillings?
2. Do you take shots with mercury in?

What i am getting at is your brain is probably filled with this crap and you should detox my freind. I bet once you have detoxed the mercury and heavy metals from your brain and body I bet you wont need any meds, period.

Check it out, tablets are a slippery slope to a big fall.

How old are you , and what sex ?

I am going to tell you a bit about my personal story...I was a foster child , and as a female ..I got a bit moody around my monthly .. (common sense ) and I was also very sensitive to rude people and happened to be introverted . I didn't express my feeling very much because I had been "taught" that emotions show weakness , and that those weaknesses will be exploited , exposed and taken advantage of.
So I was diagnosed with everything under the sun . The diagnosis changed every year , and several year s later I know more than most would about on psychotropic drugs because I had been on so many.

I have not taken anything for over two decades in my adult life , because I was not convinced by others that I am "crazy" and need to be medicated . I have been successful , raised my child very successful and have shed my pain of that psychological abuse.

DO YOU feel you need this ? Meds may calm you down ..but they certainly do not define your sanity being on them ..I have no Idea who you are , or what the issues ..but you need to be ON TOP of this ..and do some research ! we CANNOT give you the best advice ..because we don't know you

Please take care ...I wish you the best .

Blessings

reply to post by paleorchid13

we CANNOT give you the best advice ..because we don't know you

Agreed and I would caution you to ignore all the people that will be clamoring for you to just do it the natural way. If what the doc gives you messes with your life, tell him. Keep a journal. ATS is probably one of the worst places I can think of to solicit medical advice. I wish you the best.

Originally posted by LaughingatHumanity
Anti-depressants/psychotics are nothing but poison that serve no purpose other than negatively altering brain chemistry. They are no more effective than placebo in true clinical trials and are simply a crutch pushed by an industry formed from the legacy of junk science founded by S.Freud and A. Crowley.

Your own mind is a far more powerful tool than any substance used to damage and subvert it. You can know peace simply through sheer will and learning how to be a master of your own self and personal balance and well being. Eat right, exercise, immerse yourself in things that interest you and learn the sheer power of mind and will over matter.

It's your own choice to rise above the problems you perceive and those that an industry based solely on profit and pushing pills would have you believe you are afflicted with.

Could you please back up your claim about Aleister Crowley? I only ask because your views on using sheer will tend to back up AC's perspective. It is the foundation of Thelema. Could you point me to anything that supports your contradiction. I am greatly interested in this.

In my experience on this site, people on this site do not understand anything about mental health or medication so this is not the place to ask about such inportant thing's.
Find a forum where health professionals visit and ask them your question's.
Ask your Doctor's and remember to talk to people.
Also don't every be ashamed of your illness.
Good luck dude.

reply to post by RenegadeScholar


It doesnt seem to me that you should be taking Seroquel. I agree with Bluemooon2 and maybe Lithium would be a better stabliser for you. Ive been diagnosed with psychosis/bipolar with psychotic symtoms and now they say Im schizo effective. Had this since 1999.Im a spiritual person as well and would not accept I have a mental illness. Anti psychotics are bad bad bad. They dumb/sleep the brain down,dont make us better. Ive been on Lithium since 1999 and that for me hasnt had side effects and even though I hate taking them,my brain is reliant on them to make me 'normal' One psychiatrist says' I'll be on them forever' Another said ' With time it is possible to stop them slowly ' Basically shrinks dont have a clue,but they know how to kill our brains and make us like zombies. They can give us pills to stop being 'high/manic' and pills for being so low but is messing with our emotions and minds.


If you could jump into your body in a years time after taking Seroquel Im sure you wouldnt want them.(Will mess with your thinking)

reply to post by Domo1

I second , keeping a journal. It may seem trivial , but I Iost two years of my life due to major memory loss while I was heavily dosed on meds. It will also give you hindsight ..years later to any long term effects any meds have on you . And if anything , please keep a journal on any new meds .........many of the meds in my years are just Now coming out and saying within the last few years , have caused side effects on youths that they didn't admit to then .

Be active ..next post you have on this matter ,I wanna hear some analogy on the treatments available and your critique !

blessings

Really people, everyone is different and what med's work for one person doesn't work for another so let's let qualified people give advice to the fella and not just us lot.
The advice we give him if wrong can cause alot of damage....

I would personally recommend you research 2 things and decide whether or not you think they're worth a go. I agree with the last poster when it comes to messing about with people's medication. I wouldn't try anything without researching it myself, so please do read up and educate yourself.

The first is magnesium supplements. Most people these days are deficient in magnesium to some degree, and a lot of depression and anxiety sufferers who try magnesium supplements find that their depression can lift very quickly. To address a deficiency, it's best to attack from all angles. Try supplements, plus eating magnesium rich foods (dried apricots, sesame seeds, kiwi fruit are just 3), and take regular long soaks in an epsom salt bath, which will help you sleep as well.

The second is serotonin. Again, this is something that's missing from our modern industrialised diets. 5-htp is very good if you want to go down the route of supplements, but my personal advice would be to get some milk kefir (ebay has it) and incorporate it into your diet, it's a good source of tryptophan, which is what serotonin is made from.

reply to post by boymonkey74


I agree that some meds can benefit some people but can only say Ive been in and out of mental hospital for over a decade and majority I see in there say the meds make them worse.I lost all means to communicate for 2 and half years because the qualified people was wrong in prescribing a certain pill,,that is now off the market because of how wrong it was.But the damage was already done.

The qualified people have only read from a text book,,,we should know our own minds more than another person.At the end of the day they would advise on a pill that makes the brain dead.

(I would look into natural remedies as your a spiritul person.RenegadeScholar)

Originally posted by LaughingatHumanity
Anti-depressants/psychotics are nothing but poison that serve no purpose other than negatively altering brain chemistry. They are no more effective than placebo in true clinical trials and are simply a crutch pushed by an industry formed from the legacy of junk science founded by S.Freud and A. Crowley.

Your own mind is a far more powerful tool than any substance used to damage and subvert it. You can know peace simply through sheer will and learning how to be a master of your own self and personal balance and well being. Eat right, exercise, immerse yourself in things that interest you and learn the sheer power of mind and will over matter.

It's your own choice to rise above the problems you perceive and those that an industry based solely on profit and pushing pills would have you believe you are afflicted with.

I had to quote, said so well. Let me only add that I truly and whole heartedly say get off those meds. They can only do harm, no matter how much they seem to help. It's a trick. Get out. I have literally, recently, lost a friend to those kinds of meds. She's gone, left her family for crying out loud, goes to a shrink now, and wont come home or talk to anyone. She was my friend for many years, and a damn good woman who loved her children, and her husband, and liked people. She was my damn inspiration for hope at a time when I desperately needed one.

Now, she's gone, gone gone.

This is as true a story ever typed on the internet. Real life sucks.

reply to post by Alienmindflare

It's no where near perfect and Iam sorry that the field didn't help you but did you see what the other patient's were like before they had the med's?
I work in a secure mental health unit and everyone working in the place do everything we can to help people have a better quality of life.
Also yes I know people who took med's that did more harm than good and now those med's are off the market, but the med's being devoloped are getting better results.
You can say the same thing for any type of medication, physical or mental.