Schizophrenia Support Group
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a mental disorder characterized by impairments in the perception of reality and by significant social dysfunction. Untreated schizophrenia is typically characterized by demonstrating disorganized thinking and experiencing delusions or auditory hallucinations.
Recently I got the opportunity to comment on why perhaps newer drugs are used by certain doctors as opposed to old ones. I thought I'd share it with you to see what you guys think.
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I can tell you right now why your pdoc is avoiding the older meds: look no further than the suited gents and ladies who can often be found loitering in the offices. These medical drug reps get paid very well, dress well, look the part, and pass out more pens than Bic. And most doctors are quick to prescribe the latest wonder drug. I later found out after taking $300 Invega that it's simply Risperdal in a fancy time-released pill that pushes the medication out of two holes over time. The medication is the same, and the website for Invega shows a graph of two different lines representing levels of the drug in the blood, but adds that this has not been shown proven to make a different in treatment.
Thorazine is a cheap drug that was only used on me after attempts nearly every other AP was used, including geodon, zyprexa, abilify, and seroquel and haldol. Haldol also worked great on me (like Invega does), but it's side effect of RLS is worse than Invega, and I cannot stand it. I'd rather be paranoid than on either of those for more than a few days.
Doctors are also aware that patients feel new drugs are inherently safer, when in fact they haven't been used and tested as much as the older ones. Doctors often cite too that older drugs have more side effects, but that is definitely not the case for me many times I can mention. Are we supposed to believe the FDA has new guidelines or something?
The doctors who often prescribe cheaper drugs can be found in mental health clinics in cities with limited budgets for providing free medication to patients without insurance. I've been down that road, and I know what I can expect from what I'm given when I have no choice versus nice offices and pleasant secretaries and doctors available for phone calls 24/7. I greatly prefer the latter, but I wouldn't know what I do today were it not for being on the other side.
Give the insurance companies a break, please. The cost of healthcare is so expensive because of people like medical reps and doctors who cooperate with them almost as partners. Often medical reps I see are waiting, but often too I see patients being seen behind schedule.
I hope I'm not the just being paranoid about this.
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I can tell you right now why your pdoc is avoiding the older meds: look no further than the suited gents and ladies who can often be found loitering in the offices. These medical drug reps get paid very well, dress well, look the part, and pass out more pens than Bic. And most doctors are quick to prescribe the latest wonder drug. I later found out after taking $300 Invega that it's simply Risperdal in a fancy time-released pill that pushes the medication out of two holes over time. The medication is the same, and the website for Invega shows a graph of two different lines representing levels of the drug in the blood, but adds that this has not been shown proven to make a different in treatment.
Thorazine is a cheap drug that was only used on me after attempts nearly every other AP was used, including geodon, zyprexa, abilify, and seroquel and haldol. Haldol also worked great on me (like Invega does), but it's side effect of RLS is worse than Invega, and I cannot stand it. I'd rather be paranoid than on either of those for more than a few days.
Doctors are also aware that patients feel new drugs are inherently safer, when in fact they haven't been used and tested as much as the older ones. Doctors often cite too that older drugs have more side effects, but that is definitely not the case for me many times I can mention. Are we supposed to believe the FDA has new guidelines or something?
The doctors who often prescribe cheaper drugs can be found in mental health clinics in cities with limited budgets for providing free medication to patients without insurance. I've been down that road, and I know what I can expect from what I'm given when I have no choice versus nice offices and pleasant secretaries and doctors available for phone calls 24/7. I greatly prefer the latter, but I wouldn't know what I do today were it not for being on the other side.
Give the insurance companies a break, please. The cost of healthcare is so expensive because of people like medical reps and doctors who cooperate with them almost as partners. Often medical reps I see are waiting, but often too I see patients being seen behind schedule.
I hope I'm not the just being paranoid about this.
deleted_user
I have been on Haldol one time too many. Haldol kills my soul. I refuse to take it, it makes me feel dead, it makes me feel empty, it is as far as I am concerned, the worst drug on the planet. I have also been on thorazine, and I really...well, it gets rid of some of my symptoms but not all of them. As far as I am aware, side effects like tardive dyskinesia are much stronger in the typical antipsychotics than the atypical...for me, amisulpride works...it makes things quiet in my head where no other drug has been able to do. I think...whatever drugs help, those are the good drugs. If the older drugs help, great, fine, take those...if the new ones help, great, fine, take those...but no one should have to suffer from schizophrenic symptoms when there are drugs out there to treat them.
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