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.
Hello, this month of August has been both better and worse for me. My psychiatrist said no, to me going to a psych hospital ward. because I was not a danger to myself, to other people and lastly was not suicidal. In the last part of July, I had started a new schizophrenia medication called Saphris. The Saphris has helped me be more motivated, able to do chores around the house, participate in family activities, go shopping, help family, etc. My parents think I'm more bright and doing better with communication. As for the voices and visual hallucinations, I was only hearing a few voices and the visual hallucinations were less. I went to the psychiatrist with the good news. He seemed glad that I had made all these changes and finding a med that was working for me. Then I continued the success with Saphris the next 2 weeks. I again saw the psychiatrist on August 18th with good news , except for a side effect where I was getting involuntary movements of the mouth and hands/fingers. With my mouth, I was moving my tongue along my mouth and felt like I was trying to straighten my smile. The one with my hands/fingers was where I was clenching my fists. He was very much concerned about the involountary movements.He continued with one 5mg tablet in the morning and one 5mg of Saphris and lowered the Congentin dose to 1/2 pill in the morning and 1 !/2 pill at night of 0.5 mg.
Then that weekend, the involuntary muscle movements started to worsen and persist. I also experienced a strange new side effect where my tongue went numb. It felt tingly and hurt to move my tongue. It also made it difficult and hurt to talk. I struggled most of last week with the tongue symptoms.He lowered it to one 5mg tablet of Saphris. The numb tongue just went away this last saturday. The involuntary muscle movements have continued. Also, last week I started having muscle stiffness. Currently, it stiil hurts today. It seems like the stiffness makes my muscles hurt more and more each day. The voices/auditory hallucinations are still there off and on during the day telling me to hurt or kill myself or that someone else will hurt or kill me; or that my friends or family members will get hurt or killed. I refuse to listen to the voices because I know there not real and that i have respect for myself and other people. It's both horrible and frightening at the same time. The visual hallucinations have not been happening that much for me this month, except for once, which I find relief in.
I remember, this really wierd visual/auditory hallucination, where I was walking past the front door windows and thought I saw a shadow of a person walking past my dad's work van. The shadow of the person dissappeared rather quickly and when looked out the window, I did not see a real person walking farther down the street and am unsure if my dad's work van was really there. I questioned what I really saw. I remember going to the bathroom and while in the bathroom hearing, what I think is a man's voice and a woman's voice arguing back in forth in my head about whether I had a visual hallucination or not and if it was real or not.
The second hallucination I can remember is where I was walking to my bedroom to go to sleep. The house was quiet and when I locked the door behind me; I heard a murmered/whispered sound; that sounded like she-sha-she.
I said, what? aloud and the sound stopped and went away. I thought it was sort of creepy and just crept up on me, out of nowhere type of auditory hallucination. Then, lastly one sunday night, before falling asleep, I heard this strange sound that sounded like a person walking outside my bedroom, it was sort of a soft rustling leaves kind of sound, but the steps ot the person sounded like they were tip-toed. Before, this strange sound happaned I thought heard actual people talking outside on the street, close to my bedroom window. Then, the next day around noon, a neighbor came over and said that someone broke into his house and robbed him . He, had asked if anyone had heard anything strange, the night before? My mom, said no, she had not. I remember, I felt nervous and paranoid the rest of the day.
Anyways, I don't know, how much longer, I can take the muscle stiffness or get rather annoyed by the involuntary muscle movements. I'm hoping that at the next appointment September 13th, my psychiatrist can possibly choose another medication for the schizophrenia. I also hope, it will be the last med change for awhile. I am trying to stay positive and I hope for a much better month of September and get back to feeling better in the soon future.
Take care,
Silkroad
Then that weekend, the involuntary muscle movements started to worsen and persist. I also experienced a strange new side effect where my tongue went numb. It felt tingly and hurt to move my tongue. It also made it difficult and hurt to talk. I struggled most of last week with the tongue symptoms.He lowered it to one 5mg tablet of Saphris. The numb tongue just went away this last saturday. The involuntary muscle movements have continued. Also, last week I started having muscle stiffness. Currently, it stiil hurts today. It seems like the stiffness makes my muscles hurt more and more each day. The voices/auditory hallucinations are still there off and on during the day telling me to hurt or kill myself or that someone else will hurt or kill me; or that my friends or family members will get hurt or killed. I refuse to listen to the voices because I know there not real and that i have respect for myself and other people. It's both horrible and frightening at the same time. The visual hallucinations have not been happening that much for me this month, except for once, which I find relief in.
I remember, this really wierd visual/auditory hallucination, where I was walking past the front door windows and thought I saw a shadow of a person walking past my dad's work van. The shadow of the person dissappeared rather quickly and when looked out the window, I did not see a real person walking farther down the street and am unsure if my dad's work van was really there. I questioned what I really saw. I remember going to the bathroom and while in the bathroom hearing, what I think is a man's voice and a woman's voice arguing back in forth in my head about whether I had a visual hallucination or not and if it was real or not.
The second hallucination I can remember is where I was walking to my bedroom to go to sleep. The house was quiet and when I locked the door behind me; I heard a murmered/whispered sound; that sounded like she-sha-she.
I said, what? aloud and the sound stopped and went away. I thought it was sort of creepy and just crept up on me, out of nowhere type of auditory hallucination. Then, lastly one sunday night, before falling asleep, I heard this strange sound that sounded like a person walking outside my bedroom, it was sort of a soft rustling leaves kind of sound, but the steps ot the person sounded like they were tip-toed. Before, this strange sound happaned I thought heard actual people talking outside on the street, close to my bedroom window. Then, the next day around noon, a neighbor came over and said that someone broke into his house and robbed him . He, had asked if anyone had heard anything strange, the night before? My mom, said no, she had not. I remember, I felt nervous and paranoid the rest of the day.
Anyways, I don't know, how much longer, I can take the muscle stiffness or get rather annoyed by the involuntary muscle movements. I'm hoping that at the next appointment September 13th, my psychiatrist can possibly choose another medication for the schizophrenia. I also hope, it will be the last med change for awhile. I am trying to stay positive and I hope for a much better month of September and get back to feeling better in the soon future.
Take care,
Silkroad
You don't want to risk getting permanent tardive dyskinesia or whatnot so don't delay if things continue to get worse. I think the tardive dyskinesia is the movements. Pseudoparkinsonism is the muscle tension.
I had muscle tension so bad on Risperdal that I had to stop it. Of course I had other side effects too. But it's just not fun.
I wish you the best and I really respect how you know the auditory hallucinations are not real and how you remind yourself of this. Some others buy into the hallucinations and get delusional about them too. But you seem to have some built in resilience which is good.