[Turpintine]

Hey everyone. I'm here because recently I've been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. I'm a 22 year old female with a history of mental illness in the family. I was always mindful of it, but I never really thought it'd happen to me..

I went through a few month period where I just wasn't myself... wary of people, withdrawn, paranoid, hearing weird noises, convinced demons were attacking me at night, I couldn't focus, my motivation plummeted, I was apathetic, nothing was enjoyable anymore.... all things that are so out of the ordinary for me. I finally was able to see a doctor at the local health department who gave me 400 mg of Seroquel. Not a big fan of the drug, but it seemed to help for a few weeks. I felt better, I felt more like myself, but I seemed to cycle and went hypomanic (I've been on lamictal for about 8 months and this hasn't happened since I started taking it.) After I leveled out a bit I had a few more positive psychotic symptoms. Even the smallest bit of stress seems to bring it on. I'm currently taking a semester of school to try and get a bit more stable and figure out what I can and cannot handle.

I'm so frustrated with this diagnosis because nobody I know understands. So I guess I'm here just looking for support and people who understand since I'm so new at dealing with this. Any experience you have to offer would be greatly appreciated

[Blue_Bird]

Hi Turpintine, welcome to the forum There's lots of support here. It takes awhile to find the right med combination. It's great you're going to school! I wish you the best of luck,

-Take care,

[insilence]

I've been through similar things. I got through by keeping my sanity the best I could and using logic and reason to guage how. Why and where they were coming from.

[dmhobbit]

I just started a titration dose of Lamictal for violent mood swings and that is 25mg to 50mg in one week then if i need more my p-doc visit two days ago said to call the office and she would send a script request to my pharmacy for further increase. One of my Yahoo SZA support group admins says she is on 200mg and is doing well managing her symptoms. I just think 25mg to start is way too low and from what I've read on webmd.com and drugs.com that it takes "weeks" to feel the full effect. OK, but that sucks cause my mood swings are pronounced and I can go from feeling fine and friendly to mean, cursing, and throwing tools at the farm I work at for a small family business I work as a farm hand. Anybody on Lamictal find that it works for you if you've been on it a while? Thx!

[worthit]

I'm doing well on latuda and klonopin. I still get 1-2 hallucinations a month, but I just tell myself it's not real. It's my illness" it's taken a few years of reading books on sza and therapy to better understand my illness. I take it easy. Don't allow myself to go to places with too much stimulation where I can get overwhelmed. And I only work 14 hrs a week. Good luck.

Hi Turpintine,

I have bp, not sza, but I like it here because people are very supportive. I'm glad you're getting treatment and taking time off from school to figure that out. It does take time, and it's good to focus on getting symptoms under control.

dmhobbit: I used to take lamictal and it worked very well for me in combination with other meds. I've just started it again after being off it for a few years. The thing about starting a low dose is the risk of THE RASH, so they are usually very careful about how it's increased. For me it takes 6 weeks to get to my goal of 200 mg, but already I may have to go off it because I'm not responding well at all. So you see, it works differently even with the same person, at a different period in life. Going slow is a good way to make sure the adverse effects aren't life threatening.

[worthit]

I got "the Lamictal rash" a couple of years ago and still have the scars.

worthit: At one point (dosage or week) did you get the rash? How did you know it was different from a regular rash, and did you have to go to the hospital?

I'm still on this until I can reach my pdoc on Monday. Slight rash yesterday, from itching, but it's gone today.

[worthit]

Started maybe 4 weeks in. Burned as well as itched. My liver and kidneys were aching. All around my midriff ached. I did go to the hospital. I went off the Lamictal immediately and the hospital gave me an ointment for pain.

Good to know. Thank you for telling me. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. 4 weeks in, too...sheesh.

[Turpintine]

Thanks for the support everybody Its nice to be around people who understand what its like!

And dmhobbit, I started feeling the effects of Lamictal maybe, 5 weeks into it? It helped my depression more than anything and reduced how often I was cycling. I've never had better luck with any drug like I have Lamictal.

[brackenbeard]

Welcome to the forum! It sounds as though you're handling this life-altering issue much better than me! In the beginning I was a mess with no direction. You're already testing your limits, smart thing indeed. We're here to help in anyway. There's probably not one thing we haven't been through so ask away

[SmileHere]

Hi Turpintine,

Are you a painter? Just thought I'd mention turpintine can irritate the central nervous system when inhaled, so it's good to air the room you're painting/using it in thoroughly, and ideally not sleep in that room.

Also fish oil has been beneficial for bipolar and schizophrenia and other brain problems, so I'm thinking it might be good for schizoaffective too - you might want to check with your doctor if it's okay to take it. For me, nutrition makes a big difference with the mood swings too ('sugar high' leads to 'sugar blues'/anxiety, especially if not backed up with some 'real food', ideally proteins). Maybe you can observe what you eat and keep a food/mood/activity journal too?

[worthit]

I take fish oil, too. Good for the brain. And I need all the help I can get. I don't drink caffeine after my one coffee in the morning and keep the sugar to a minimum also. Sleep is a big one for mood swings,too.

[worthit]

I mean, sleep is important to lower the mood swings.