I have a brother I care for dearly and am trying to get him the most help possible,
he's been in and out of hospitals as long as i can remember and we've never gotten a chance to be close because of this. Now I'm older i feel a responsibility to make sure he has the right doctor, the right meds, the right hospital, and eventually the right environment to live in (everything parents didnt care about). He is on a lot of medications and I am trying to get insight into his disease through previous treatments, interactions with him, and what they are doing for him now.
this is what he is prescribed to take:
depakote
lithium
clozaril
I hear these are very strong drugs for schizophrenia and are usually a last hope when you combine all three. Is it possible the drugs interact negatively? do you think him being on all 3 is a sign his illness is severe? I can not tell if the drugs are helping, even being on schedule everyday he will sometimes have delusions or feel depression, and on occasion have "episodes". i get the feeling his overworked doc doesnt care anymore, and it makes me feel terrible that he is an overlooked patient instead of someone who has lost half his life to his disease and deserves a fighting chance to live the rest of it somewhat ok. Our mental health care in california is terrible, understaffed, overworked, and stripped of a budget, its really sad.