[HALLIEBETH87]

I was dxd with rapid cycling bipolar for 11 years. I was recently hospitalized for 35 days where my dx was changed to schizoaffective which my psyd has suspected for over a year now.

It’s bittersweet,

[Blue_Bird]

Hi Halliebeth, sorry about your recent hospitlization, hope your new dx provides some clarity for you and helps your treatment

I was initially diagnosed Bipolar about 7 years ago but then after 2 or 3 months it was changed to schizoaffective bipolar type and it's been that ever since.

There's a lot of members with sza in the Schizophrenia forum here if you ever want to check it out, for some reason this particular board is never very active

[HALLIEBETH87]

Ok thanks

[ickydog2006]

Sorry about the hospitalization, although I hope it was helpful. I haven't been on here in a few years and it's nice to see a few familiar names still around.

[cptsdwhoa]

I'm so sorry about your hospitalization, but I hope that your dx helps to clarify things for you.

I know what you mean about it being bittersweet. It's taken me a very long time to accept my struggles with MI and this dx (dx with bipolar type). It does add up for me though and I'm learning to deal with it.

[HALLIEBETH87]

I was ok for a few weeks
And then slipped
Back into psychosis and ended
Up
In the hospital
For 20’more
Days

[Tamster]

hallie i am sorry about the hospitalization. but it was probably the best thing. Now you know you are sza, i have lived with sz for 47 yrs. you can get a handle on it for periods of time. it is a thankless dx but you can learn to manage it with some effort.
i am pulling for you to stabilize and prosper.
tams

[HALLIEBETH87]

Thanks. I see my dr tomorrow. I’m just so depressed

[cptsdwhoa]

I'm so sorry about your hospitalization. I've learned to be really thankful that hospital support is there though.

I agree with Tamster. You can learn to manage it with some effort. I've learned to accept every bit of help I can get that will help me to manage it. You can definitely get a handle on it for periods of time. I'm currently in a stretch of almost four years with no hospital stays so that is great progress for me. It seemed like I was going in back to back for a long time.

I'm pulling for you to get better and to have stability.

[HALLIEBETH87]

Thanks. I’m hoping this depression will go away soon. I recently switched back to my old dr though because my new pushed ECT only and it hasn’t been helping even after 7 treatments. My old dr saw me today but he still maintains I have bipolar with psychotic features while my psychologist says sza. It’s whatever. I just want stability and this dr has helped me find it in the past.

[franz kafka]

My diagnosis also shifted from bipolar to SZA. It led to much better treatment for me: clozapine. Mood stabilizers never touched my moods or psychosis.

[cptsdwhoa]

Originally Posted by franz kafka

My diagnosis also shifted from bipolar to SZA. It led to much better treatment for me: clozapine. Mood stabilizers never touched my moods or psychosis.

Now that I think about it my SZA diagnosis lead to much better treatment as well which was latuda. I've switched to vraylar, but that seems to be doing well so far. I was also diagnosed last year with PTSD which I think has helped boost my recovery journey.

[HALLIEBETH87]

So fAr the antidepressant my pdoc added last week has helped! Except I got involuntary eye movements and we had to significantly decrease my haldol dose

[cptsdwhoa]

Originally Posted by HALLIEBETH87

So fAr the antidepressant my pdoc added last week has helped! Except I got involuntary eye movements and we had to significantly decrease my haldol dose

I'm so glad it's helping you so far! How are the involuntary eye movements now? Did the haldol decrease help that?

[HALLIEBETH87]

Yes it did! Hasn’t happened since and no psychotic symptoms! I feel great!!!’it’s a Christmas miracle!

[hairpin]

I am late posting about your diagnosis. It did throw me for a loop when I got the diagnosis after being diagnosed with bipolar I for a while. It was discouraging for me. I have had the diagnosis for a long time. My schizoprenia part of me is worsening in a strange way. I have negative symptoms of it.

But one thing I am very grateful for is my meds and I never get tempted to get off of them. The price would be too high for me.

You can and will get better but you DO HAVE TO ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF all the time to make sure you get the right treatment. I am doing much better over the years. You also need therapy and as many support systems tthat you can get.

[cptsdwhoa]

Originally Posted by HALLIEBETH87

Yes it did! Hasn’t happened since and no psychotic symptoms! I feel great!!!’it’s a Christmas miracle!

Awesome! I'm so happy for you!

[WastingAsparagus]

Originally Posted by franz kafka

My diagnosis also shifted from bipolar to SZA. It led to much better treatment for me: clozapine. Mood stabilizers never touched my moods or psychosis.

I am interested in this post. I am currently taking Zyprexa and Abilify (as for the antipsychotics I take (I take antidepressants, too)) but was wondering if clozapine would help me more. I don't know. I am SZA and currently suffering from a lot of symptoms of irrational thinking, etc. I don't know if clozapine would help me more than my current meds. I am also taking four different medications. Effexor, Remeron, Zyprexa, and Abilify. Anyway, I thought I'd respond to this post. If anyone knows more about clozapine, it'd be nice if you could let me know your experience with it.

Originally Posted by skibum801

I am interested in this post. I am currently taking Zyprexa and Abilify (as for the antipsychotics I take (I take antidepressants, too)) but was wondering if clozapine would help me more. I don't know. I am SZA and currently suffering from a lot of symptoms of irrational thinking, etc. I don't know if clozapine would help me more than my current meds. I am also taking four different medications. Effexor, Remeron, Zyprexa, and Abilify. Anyway, I thought I'd respond to this post. If anyone knows more about clozapine, it'd be nice if you could let me know your experience with it.

I have a love/hate relationship with clozapine. It's considered the most effective antipsychotic out there, but you have to get frequent blood work because one of the potential but extremely rare but dangerous side effects is a lowering of your white blood cells. It worked really well for me as in completely got rid of all my psychotic symptoms, but I gained a lot of weight on it and eventually I quit taking it because the pharmacy ****ed up and I was too paranoid to begin taking it again and switched to Zyprexa. It also was not practical for me (who can't consistently drive to the pharmacy) to get blood work every week and go to the pharmacy the next day, so that's another reason I didn't go back on it. It made me sleep a lot too, but no more than Zyprexa.

[Tamster]

i'm with spikes with the love hate relationship with clozopine. the blood work is weekly for some time before it changes to bi weekly the lab has to forward the results to the pharmacy before it can be picked up for the week. I made it 6 months and was so over the med. it didn't work well for me although i was on a high dose. the accompanying slurring words and drooling was like thorazine and i felt so confused often. I went to the pdoc one day and said i won't take it anymore and that was that now i take Seroquel and Geodon and its better than nothing for me. i know clozopine helps lots of ppl if you are having psychosis and have never tried it , then talk to your doctor it might be the med for you, it just wasn't for me.

[still_crazy]

im sorry about the problems those of you on clozapine experience. it really is an effective, sometimes life changing drug. i declined it, because i do well with a different 'atypical' and i just...was scared, basically...but ive known people who did quite well on it, better than on anything else. in the big studies, I think zyprexa comes in 2nd in terms of improvements in quality of life and symptom control. i could be mistaken.