I wanted to look into this a bit more.
I just finished reading a few
articles, and from one it shows some
results of cognitive effects of the drug.
It all seems good of these
patients they were testing.. The
article: http://www.Medscape
.Com/viewarticle/474626_4
(need to login to view it)
the article reads that after some testing
all their patients cognitive functioning
improves after a six week trial of the
drug.
I just disagree in my own perspective.
Something tells me that people if
functioning would respond better to no
drugs at all. In fact I think
that it can lessen a person's ability to
memorize, respond and analyze different
forms of information.
For some reason I can't stop getting the
movie "a beautiful mind" out of my mind.
The man was a genius and the whole
story is great...
His disease evaporated just by getting
back to his work. He managed to
overcome it and shows he did not need the
drugs to keep him stable in the end.
in the movie,
nash -- just before he receives a nobel
prize -- speaks of taking "newer
medications." the national alliance for
the mentally ill has praised the film's
director, ron howard, for showing the
"vital role of medication" in nash's
recovery. But as sylvia nasar
notes in her biography of nash, on which
the movie is loosely based, this brilliant
mathematician stopped taking antipsychotic
drugs in 1970 and slowly recovered over
two decades. Nasar concluded that
nash's refusal to take drugs "may have
been fortunate" because their deleterious
effects "would have made his gentle
re-entry into the world of mathematics a
near
impossibility."
it goes on to talk about people in
undeveloped country suffering from
schizophrenia, after five years time
usually doing fairly well compared to many
in america becoming chronically ill.
Anyways i'm not really here to preach.
I would like any of your thoughts on the
drug.
So I will be frank. I want to stop
taking the medications because I believe I
was better to a degree before. I have
no real way of judging my intelligence
since I never did anything great. But
I always found school easy and got good
grades if not good I passed easily but was
at the same time lazy, sometimes
irresponsible.
Now that I have graduated I feel that
being on olanzepine for my gr.12 slowed me
down. I know that while I was in my
psychosis I was obviously not exactly fit
for school but.. Anytime before I did
well in school without trying.
Lately, I feel like I have to do
everything in my ability to get by. I
know i'm not stupid because I get decent
marks like everybody else maybe worse or
better...
But I know before I was always was able to
pick up in things from gr1-9, no problem.
Gr.9 math easy as it is and was I
finished with 82%. Easy...
Then it went downhill till now. I did
some hard courses but I had to work
extremely hard. I know that as you
move through school it gets harder.
But i'm comparing it to my peers.
They literally seemed to get smarter then
me and I lagged behind. This could be
because of marijuana, but I do not do it
anymore. The doctor says it is my
choice but advices against it due to my
family history of schizophrenia and how I
have been reacting to lowering my doses...
drugs for schitzophrenia can be rough...
I understand. I don't know if I would
advocate going off of them though -- the
on/off drug roller coaster can really
suck. If you go off the drug, and start
to experience another psychotic episode,
you'll realize why you were on them in the
first place -- and have to transition back
onto them.
You really really shouldn't smoke pot
while you're on these drugs. Or drink,
or add any other drug to the mix -- even
caffeine, really. I've found that taking
care of my body and giving myself space
has helped. I'm not schitzophrenic, but
have a close friend who is. I do suffer
with other mental issues. And I watched
my friend go through a few rough patches.
I guess it's all your judgement, but I
think you should try to ride out the drugs
for now -- this may sound silly, but
trying to deal with the hormones and
things you experience as a teen, and
trying to gain a grasp on mental illness
can be hard. Does school really matter?
Is it a test of your intellegence? No.
You shouldn't judge yourself based on
previous standards only -- it's not
helpful. You should judge yourself on
how well you do from day to day, and what
you learn about your experiences.
Anyways, good luck. Everyone has to make
their own decision about drugs, prescribed
or recreational.
|
slam
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 100
Posted: 08-15-05 13:19pm
It doesn't seem your side effect is that
bad. It probably can change later. Pay
close attention to the side effects. It
can get worst.
Anti psychotic drugs can damage the brain.
|
MickyS
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 10 Jul 2005 Posts: 29
Olanzepine Posted: 08-15-05 15:34pm
Well I stopped smoking pot when I had my
first psychotic episode .Since then i've
tryed a few times but it didn't go well,
now who knows.It was my decision.
About olanzepine :it is considered the
least dammaging antipsychotic because it
is known to have fewer side effects.I was
on olanzipine for sometime and I decided
to take me off medicine cause I decided
that I was ok.After 3 mounths I was back
on them because I felt bad I dunno if I
was just afraid to face the world without
meds but I felt bad so I went back to
zyprexa.I am not saying that there is not
a chance you feel better off meds but
there is a chance you woun't, and there is
a chance also to have another psychotic
episode so they say.
Take care
