I have been on anti-psychotics for 24 years. I have been on dipixol, olanzapine, clozaril and risperadal. The effects of these meds was for me to have no enthusiasm for life. I would drag myself out of bed and just somehow get through the day.

I consider that these strong meds have taken 20 years out of my life. I have spent hours just lying on my bed just contemplating the ceiling - because of the drugs not the schizophrenia.

For the past couple of years I was put on risperadol - I find that this is far less severe than the other drugs, and having been on this I was able to have my life back.

Unfortunately recently I took myself off all meds (unwisely). I was told that I had to go back to the dipixol depot injections by my psychiatrist or he would put in the mental hospital. I refused. So he committed me under section 3 of the mental health act - hospitalizing me. Now I am back on the dipixol.

I had my injection last week. I have been in bed most of the time for the last five days with no real interest in life. My main thought is how I can get off this drug which is wrecking my life.

if I need meds then I would choose the resperidone. Surely I have some say as to what drugs are put into my own body.

I had stopped the medicines but due to taking medicines like olanzapine,serenace,pacitane and sulphotec for past few days I m Lacking my natural sleep . Plz guide me.

My meds have ruined me as well. Like one poster said, "fat and ugly." I used to be so thin and beautiful before the pills. I literally gained 80 pounds over 3 years! Because of the pills, I have to be tested for sleep apnea, which most cases are related to obesity, meaning other people are noticing that I AM FAT! I'm surprised that I'm not diabetic from the pills. I break scales, that's how fat I am. Guys would NEVER want me (I am a woman). In fact, pills made me more depressed because of this. Thank God I took myself off the pills around a month ago, and to prove it was the pills, I am finally starting to LOSE weight after all these years. I know there are some people that NEED the pills for life. And yes, schizophrenia IS REAL. People who think otherwise definitely DON'T have schizophrenia or any other disorder, why post here? They are chemical imbalances in the brain, this has been proven over and over again. To be honest, the anti psychiatry crowd are well...how do I put this nicely.....stupid! I agree pills CAN damage you, but some people out there desperately NEED them or else they have a psychotic episode. Because of the lack of pills (and just remember this is only a month, some people it takes a whole year to have another episode) I am already having some symptoms of the schizophrenia again (well in my case schizoaffective disorder bipolar type...current episode depressed if you wanted the exact diagnosis which you probably think is a whole bunch of NOTHING) proving that its real. I do admit this however, even if my "psychotic episode" gets out of control, I WILL NEVER TAKE ZYPREXA OR CLOZARIL!!! I will NOT be 300 pounds!! I'd rather be "psychotic" than be that morbidly obese and have all the health problems associated with being that heavy. I'm so fat its depressing.

I said it before in another post, yes it's true that pills are bad for you in alot of ways, but it's our best option for the time being. So for *#@ sake, take your pills. I suppose it's easy for me to say though, they are very effective in controlling my hallucinations and delusions, ive seen people who don't seem to be helped by them at all, if thats your case then you have something to say I suppose, but if they help at all, I suggest taking them, you don't really have an option.

P.S. There are way more important things than being thin, way more. Think about it.

If you were talking to me, the only way I would agree to go back on dangerous pills is that I hear voices 24/7 or an extreme danger to myself. I am not hearing voices...just visual, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory "hallucinations" which still can be real. The auditory aka hearing voices, is very rare. Its mainly hearing my name being called or the gov agents talking, which the gov one is real...not a hallucination. The name thing however is confirmed as a hallucination when I go over to my mom and ask her, "did you call me?" and she says "no" I know it was just a figment of my imagination. How can one tell they are hallucinating? I can't tell because it seems so real. Like yesterday, I was in physical therapy for example and when you first go there, you have a heat treatment that lasts for 15 minutes. You are in a room all alone, and for some odd reason "weird" stuff starts happening in there. Yesterday's example was that the ceiling was coming down on me, and I kept on seeing people outside my door running across. Then there was another time where I saw midgets in the room with me, which were also the FBI agents which they can cloak! They ARE at least 200 years ahead in technology after all. They probably had computers (well early versions of it) in the 1700's or the 1800's. Right now? They have time machines, can cloak, have turned people into robots (including myself, had an MRI today and it was painful because of all the metal in me) I thought for a few weeks it was a delusion (after believing it for many months) but after today's MRI, I was proved it wasn't a delusion after all, and are in communication with aliens. Being "fat" can cause an early death, being "schizophrenic" doesn't unless you commit suicide. I'd rather have the "schizophrenia" than be a million pounds or dead at 30. I am already 26. The reason why I took myself off the pills is because I got an abscessed tooth and was on Vicodin and you can't mix the narcotics with any psych or even a lot of other physical pills for that matter. Still on the Vicodin for other reasons (like my severe shoulder pain...the reason for the physical therapy and the MRI in the first place) so even if I wanted to...I couldn't take the pills. And if you say, "stop the Vicodin" that would put me in so much pain that I can't do anything. So, its NOT just about being fat...there's a lot more to it than that.

i question whether any of you know true schizophrenia. my son is now 27. 3 years ago he was a software engineer living a full, intelligent life. he began withdrawing little by little and then more and more - until finally staying in his room - when finally medical personnel believed us and he was admitted to a hospital.
since then, he has been on olanzepine, risperadone, and olanzepine mixed with haldol. the drugs only made him become a zombie-like depressed creature --- STILL UNABLE to take off his coat nor cut/wash his hair.
6 months ago he quit taking all medication. he was evicted from his apt., found nearly starving and drinking water from a toilet in a bookstore..... STILL innocently incapable of taking care of his basic needs and totally vulnerable to anyone wishing to harm him.