[Crazygrl882]

I feel like I am unable to do much of anything. Somehow I'm able to work out once in a while which gives me energy for a bit then it's gone. I had to take time off work because I was dozing off at work and my manager even asked if I was on medication. Problem is I'm still having paranoia and psychotic thoughts. I feel there are cameras on me, I'll think suddenly that I have fangs and it makes it very hard to be in public I feel like everyone is staring at me. It's not as bad with these meds - doesn't bother me as much and my mood is more stable. I almost doze off every afternoon and can barely drive and my doctor wants me on this higher dose of haldol to help the psychotic symptoms. What kind of life is this?? I'm about to stop working and file for disability since my prior disability case from a time I couldn't work was approved.

Meds - seroquel, haldol, lamictal, topamax, lyrica, klonopin, butrans, muscle relaxers (various) as needed, singulair

[newtus]

I recently have gotten off a lot of meds. Im down from 4 to 2. Half of them i guess. Was on haldol, vistaril, xanax and ambien. Now down to haldol and vistaril.

I tried to goto college halftime but the commute was an hour and a half and very stressful. I was very tired driving. I had to drop out and im going back to online classes.

[laffer75]

Mother****....that's hard *** for sure

[still_crazy]

it can be rough. I tapered off 2 of my 4 psych drugs recently, and I'm doing much, much better. Vitamins help me (Orthomolecular), but not everybody's into all that.

Why Haldol? Its generally not sedating, but its The Rough Stuff. If you can get disability, maybe a non-sedating, newer drug? I take Abilify. Its not amazing or whatever, but it gets the job done without heavy sedation, twitches, tremor, etc., and it doesn't make me slow or depressed.

Seroquel AND Haldol is weird to me. That's like back in the day, when they'd put people on Thorazine+Haldol, or Thorazine+Stelazine, or...you get the picture. 2 tranquilizers at the same time=chemical cosh, generally speaking.

Topamax can make people stoopid. Its apparently the nature of the beast. High enough dose of Lamictal often have that effect, too, although I think the lamictal is safer for a lot of people and effective w/ mood problems.

I don't get your doctor. Can you get a different one? They do this to people. It happened to me as a teenager, and then the shrink blamed me for all of it, which is apparently how a lot of shrinks roll. I don't know what the deal is, but a lot of psychiatrists just love to ruin peoples' lives. Maybe you'd be better off with a family doctor?

I think its worth noting that heavy drug cocktails can make psychosis worse, especially when you start throwing in anticonvulsants (they can worsen and/or cause depression, psychosis, etc.). Its bad news.

Just some random thoughts I got as i looked over your medication list...you seem to have 2 antipsychotics, 2 sedatives, 2 anticonvulsants, etc. Its potentially dangerous and counter-productive. I don't blame you, clearly, but your doctor is useless and probably doing this to other people, too. I'd bail, if I were you.

[Crazygrl882]

Well the reason for seroquel and haldol is that the newer drugs don't work for m I get all the horrible side effects that you supposedly aren't supposed to get and don't get the side effects of the older drugs. The seroquel is necesary because otherwise I am a severe insomniac. I don't want to go off it. The other pain meds are prescribed by a pain specialist. They are trying to work together but I just started with a new pain dr and this psychiatrist. I hadn't been seeing anyone for a while because i Felt great. Turned out it was a manic episode. I up and quit my job and spent $8000 moving across the country with no plan. Oops. Then depression kicked in 5 months later - debilitating and severe pain a couple months before that. Seemed seroquel and lamictal and lyrica weren't cutting it anymore. Obviously it's all related. So had to start with the dr's.

[neodoering]

Originally Posted by Crazygrl882

Well the reason for seroquel and haldol is that the newer drugs don't work for m I get all the horrible side effects that you supposedly aren't supposed to get and don't get the side effects of the older drugs. The seroquel is necesary because otherwise I am a severe insomniac. I don't want to go off it. The other pain meds are prescribed by a pain specialist. They are trying to work together but I just started with a new pain dr and this psychiatrist. I hadn't been seeing anyone for a while because i Felt great. Turned out it was a manic episode. I up and quit my job and spent $8000 moving across the country with no plan. Oops. Then depression kicked in 5 months later - debilitating and severe pain a couple months before that. Seemed seroquel and lamictal and lyrica weren't cutting it anymore. Obviously it's all related. So had to start with the dr's.

Hi, Crazygrl.
It sounds like time to try another psychiatrist, or at least different drugs. I'm not an expert on drugs, but if your current meds aren't doing the job, it's time to make changes. $8000 in mania is a painful lesson! I stick to my psychiatrist and my meds religiously, even in times when the symptoms aren't as good. Too many horror stories of people going off their meds and then crashing.