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How has mental illness affected your life?

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Reply 580
ah ok, just i keep having some ideas of reference and wondering if im gna go back to how i was (hopes not)
what meds are you on? have you found it makes you gain weight? ive put on two stone since oct however that could have been due to comfort eating / depression too...
Original post by eaasy
ah ok, just i keep having some ideas of reference and wondering if im gna go back to how i was (hopes not)
what meds are you on? have you found it makes you gain weight? ive put on two stone since oct however that could have been due to comfort eating / depression too...


If you're concerned, you should bring it up with a mental health professional and create a relapse plan. This is what I'm going to be doing in my therapy sessions when they restart, since clearly this is something that will continue to happen throughout my life.

I'm on Sertraline and risperidone. It's actually made me lose weight rather than put it on. I'm overweight anyway due to overeating :yes:
Original post by eaasy
ah ok, just i keep having some ideas of reference and wondering if im gna go back to how i was (hopes not)
what meds are you on? have you found it makes you gain weight? ive put on two stone since oct however that could have been due to comfort eating / depression too...


Some of those drugs can make you absolutely pile on weight. Though I've read aripiprazole tends to do it less than certain others.
both my parents have mental illnessses... with a severely autistic mum and a dad who has had depression for longer than i can remember my life has been one long battle with them and there conditions. i feel guilty for yelling at tthem but i cant look after them all the time. my brother has escaped to uni but i feel bad leaving home in september and leaving my little brother to cope on his own. i am lucky that it is not me with the affliction but sometimes i wish i was so that i could be looked after.
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
The thing to bear in mind is that you're aware that this isn't really a normal state of mind and a common belief in society. Self awareness and reasoning skills aren't something every mentally ill person has. Being able to identify this as an unusual belief is a good step in a good direction :smile:

Do mention it. It probably would speed things up/get you taken more seriously. It can be a bit daunting telling someone but you must remember that medical professionals hear all kinds of weird stuff from a wide variety of people and respectfully and sensitively deal with that. My care team, for example, have clearly never had a religious Catholic patient before and thus find it a bit weird, but they're very nice and accommodating about it and are willing to listen and learn :yes:


Guess so. I never went off the deep end, and kept it firmly in mind that what I perceive/project is just the product of my own imagination. I think I'm just being stupid and acting out certain obsessions and fantasies in a rather extreme manner, like I want to test my own psychological integrity. But we'll see. It's very confusing and sometimes terrifying.

It's good that your doctors are so understanding. :smile:
Reply 585
Original post by Sabertooth
Some of those drugs can make you absolutely pile on weight. Though I've read aripiprazole tends to do it less than certain others.


yeah thats true, i might try bringing up switching meds or reducing dosage, at my next meeting with my MH worker. but im only on 5mg i dno if theyd lower it anymore
Original post by eaasy
yeah thats true, i might try bringing up switching meds or reducing dosage, at my next meeting with my MH worker. but im only on 5mg i dno if theyd lower it anymore


Sorry to butt in between you and The_Lonely_Goatherd. :tongue:

Yeah I'd say ask to change or reduce the dose (although 5 is pretty low no?) it might make a difference. Though I'd be wary of olanzapine or quetiapine between those two I put on 5 stone, not good at all. :no:

I lost a lot on risperidone however. But yeah, they all work differently on different people.
Reply 587
yeah i was previously on olanzapine and they tried pushing my dosage upto a 'therapeutic dose' of 15mg which totally knocked me out, same with aripiprazole so got it down to 5mg.
sorry to go there but it gives me bad constipation which obvs isnt healthy.

are you still on risperidone? how long you gotta be on it?
Original post by Anonymous
both my parents have mental illnessses... with a severely autistic mum and a dad who has had depression for longer than i can remember my life has been one long battle with them and there conditions. i feel guilty for yelling at tthem but i cant look after them all the time. my brother has escaped to uni but i feel bad leaving home in september and leaving my little brother to cope on his own. i am lucky that it is not me with the affliction but sometimes i wish i was so that i could be looked after.


Oh gosh, I'm sorry. I live with my mum who has a seizure disorder, and my sister's severly autistic. Autism is very difficult to live with as a sibling, as the child of a parent with it, it must be very hard. Do you get any support at all, for example young carers? And what about other relatives?

Remember you are never alone. Whatever's going on, someone else out there is going through the same.

PM any time, I'm always here for a chat x

I can fully empathise with your last statement by the way. I've felt that way many times.
Original post by eaasy
yeah i was previously on olanzapine and they tried pushing my dosage upto a 'therapeutic dose' of 15mg which totally knocked me out, same with aripiprazole so got it down to 5mg.
sorry to go there but it gives me bad constipation which obvs isnt healthy.

are you still on risperidone? how long you gotta be on it?


I think I can top your constipation with some of the side effects I've had :colondollar: Horrible drugs. It's been a while since I was on olanzapine but I think I was on 10mg and it was insanely zombifying I agree with you, totally knocked me out too.

Yeah I'm still on risperidone, no idea how long I gotta be on it for but going to stop in the next few weeks so I can think so I can pass uni exams. For me it has really messed up my concentration, it's hard to join thoughts together. I don't know if that's a really common side effect though.
Reply 590
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd

Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
Gosh, I'd forgotten about this thread.

So far 10 weeks of psychotic episode and no sign of it ending anytime soon. My meds have been increased and I've been given a new diagnosis of nonspecific psychotic disorder. Nonspecific coz I'm that special and confusing. Urgh :sigh:


Tell me to go away if you like, but have you had your thyroid checked?
Reply 591
Original post by Sabertooth
I think I can top your constipation with some of the side effects I've had :colondollar: Horrible drugs. It's been a while since I was on olanzapine but I think I was on 10mg and it was insanely zombifying I agree with you, totally knocked me out too.

Yeah I'm still on risperidone, no idea how long I gotta be on it for but going to stop in the next few weeks so I can think so I can pass uni exams. For me it has really messed up my concentration, it's hard to join thoughts together. I don't know if that's a really common side effect though.


hah yeah olanzapine was bad i literally didn't know what day it was!
its hard to pin it down on what causes what. for me it was the psychosis that seriously messed up my concentration.

do you still drink? i know they all say avoid alcohol but with being at uni i bet its hard to avoid the stuff.
Original post by eaasy
hah yeah olanzapine was bad i literally didn't know what day it was!
its hard to pin it down on what causes what. for me it was the psychosis that seriously messed up my concentration.

do you still drink? i know they all say avoid alcohol but with being at uni i bet its hard to avoid the stuff.


That's what my psychiatrist claims, that it's psychosis messing it up, but tbh I'm fairly sure it's the risperidone. When I stop I can think but then I think too much, so only stop for a few days, it's getting the balance that's the problem. :colondollar:

Yeah I drink quite a bit - not noticed any effects from drinking on antipsychotics. On antidepressants I tended to get drunk really really quick but on these not really. If you're going to drink take it slow so you can make sure it's not having a bad effect and things don't get out of control.
Original post by Juno
Tell me to go away if you like, but have you had your thyroid checked?


They initially thought it might be a thyroid problem but the blood tests didn't indicate that :nah:

What makes you think that? :smile:
Reply 594
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd

Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
They initially thought it might be a thyroid problem but the blood tests didn't indicate that :nah:

What makes you think that? :smile:


I'll PM you
Reply 595
Original post by Sabertooth
That's what my psychiatrist claims, that it's psychosis messing it up, but tbh I'm fairly sure it's the risperidone. When I stop I can think but then I think too much, so only stop for a few days, it's getting the balance that's the problem. :colondollar:

Yeah I drink quite a bit - not noticed any effects from drinking on antipsychotics. On antidepressants I tended to get drunk really really quick but on these not really. If you're going to drink take it slow so you can make sure it's not having a bad effect and things don't get out of control.


yeah i drink abit and havent notice any difference (although my rents say otherwise...), its supposed reduce the euphoria of drink and increase the soporific effect anyways.

when did you have your first episode?
Original post by eaasy
yeah i drink abit and havent notice any difference (although my rents say otherwise...), its supposed reduce the euphoria of drink and increase the soporific effect anyways.

when did you have your first episode?


Heh, funny you mentioned that, I generally drink to fall asleep/slow stuff down. Can't say I noticed increased effect now, even off the meds alcohol used to make me sleep.

I dunno if you can call it a first episode but I've been on antipsychotics 4 years, things have been on a pretty constant downwards slope the whole time. Thank **** I finish uni in a month because I couldn't do another year. How about you?
Reply 597
Original post by Sabertooth
Heh, funny you mentioned that, I generally drink to fall asleep/slow stuff down. Can't say I noticed increased effect now, even off the meds alcohol used to make me sleep.

I dunno if you can call it a first episode but I've been on antipsychotics 4 years, things have been on a pretty constant downwards slope the whole time. Thank **** I finish uni in a month because I couldn't do another year. How about you?


went to uni in september and it all happened in freshers week, doctors reckon i might have been spiked, but i reckon thats ****. probs a combination of alcohol, anxiety, stress and all that which made me go psycho. heading back to uni this september and hopefully things will go better this time!

sounds like you need some time out to get your head together after uni if you dont mind me saying ha, whats the plan after graduating?
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by eaasy
went to uni in september and it all happened in freshers week, doctors reckon i might have been spiked, but i reckon thats ****. probs a combination of alcohol, anxiety, stress and all that which made me go psycho. heading back to uni this september and hopefully things will go better this time!

sounds like you need some time out to get your head together after uni if you dont mind me saying ha, whats the plan after graduating?


Ah, yeah, freshers week can be pretty damn stressful, I know I always feel a hell of a lot worse when stressed so I think perhaps you're right it could have been the stress and anxiety. Good luck for this year. If you haven't already, it's might be a good idea to tell your uni about stuff, they can help you out then if you feel things slipping or just need someone to talk to or anything like that.

No idea. :tongue: Probably should have a plan....do not. Might try some low stress part time work and yeah just take some time out.
Reply 599
Original post by Sabertooth
Ah, yeah, freshers week can be pretty damn stressful, I know I always feel a hell of a lot worse when stressed so I think perhaps you're right it could have been the stress and anxiety. Good luck for this year. If you haven't already, it's might be a good idea to tell your uni about stuff, they can help you out then if you feel things slipping or just need someone to talk to or anything like that.

No idea. :tongue: Probably should have a plan....do not. Might try some low stress part time work and yeah just take some time out.


soundsound, can you get any extra time in exams or anything remotely helpful, yeah im gna be in touch with the nottingham early intervention team who'll look after me.

have you tried CBT, im sposed to be trying that out sometime, its all about trying to stop us being paranoid about everything etc. Does it work?

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