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Originally Posted by jcgrace602
I'm planning to head back to school this summer and I'm worried I can't make the grades because I keep getting mad at the voices I hear from being schizophrenic. It's really irritating and provocative. I'm currently on Risperdal for the voices, but is there any medication that can help me sit still and focus so I can study. I get stressed out easily. I constantly want to move or do leisurely things because I can't concentrate. I'm easily disturbed. I'm dysfunctional, but I can't live this way or else I'm going to get in a lot of trouble in my older years. I'm currently 30 years old and am trying to pursue a college degree. How can I study better and tune out the voices. The voices purposely try to irritate me, although I don't believe in anything they say. Any advice? Thanks!
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Grace, I understand what you are going through. I made it through grad school being on 8 mgs of the Risperdal. My mind was fuzzy. There were times I did not know what was going on. I certainly had problems concentrating. Eventually, the Risperdal exacerbated my symptoms and gave me horrible side effects. I probably heard voices maybe once a week at the time, but I was even more paranoid. This was back in 2004. What got me through graduate was a lot determination. I was fully dedicated to my coursework. It was way high on my priorty list.
I had a psychotic break in late November of 2013. However, I did not think it was out of the ordinary from what I was going through since getting my diagnosis. I was slated to pursue another graduate degree for the spring semester. I was unraveling. I was having all these delusional thoughts that would not go away. They took over my mind and thought processes. I would be in the library thinking that I was a conductor of a band and the students played a symbolic musical instrument (their coursework). I was controlling the flow of things in the library. I switched locations so many times, thinking that a different environment would help me to concentrate. That did not help. At the time, I was on the Abilify and it also gave me bad side effects. Sadly, I did not graduate. I ended up being hospitalized for more than half of the spring semester and did not submit important coursework on time. The school was not even sympathetic to my situation. At the end of the semster, I spoke with the dean and explained to her my situation. Luckily, I read before seeing her that I can take medical leave, which includes mental illness as a reason. I asked her if I can take 2 years off, but she settled on only 1. I got the feeling that she never wanted me to return and she never did contact me to do so. My loans were already maxed out regardless.
Since then, I have been on the Olanzapine and Geodon. You can ask your psychiatrist about these medications. They did not give me horrible side effects. I also am in the process of applying for disability. I am working on taking care of myself, my sanity and mental health during this time.