Health - Paranoid Schizophrenia - Alternative Drugs and Advice?

[King Otoss]

I have a very good friend who has been diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia for a couple of years now and has been prescribed with various anti-phycotic pills (as he puts it...) he's never said adsactly what they are though....

Anyways things have gone really bad for him after a recent phycotic episode which has left him homeless after arguing with family and they have booked him into some sort of mental institution, informerly so he doesnt have to be there but its shelter at the end of the day....

This guy is a really good person, i've known him for years but about 5 years ago he moved around 5 hours drive away on the other side of the UK with his family and this is when his real problems started....
I had no idea things had got this bad but now I do, I want to try to understand his situation and try and help him get through life the best he can...

He suffers from extreme paranoia and as he puts it he hears voices telling him to do bad things (but not always bad)

I think all this could have been elevated by situations he has had to deal with in life and ABUSING various recreational drugs....

Anyways he has to take "anti-phycotic pills" on a daily basis just to feel some what normal...

The thing I'm worried about is, are these pills doing him anygood in the long term Phycologically and Physically?? Will he ever be able to live a normal life without drugs?

Do these types of drugs have a negative effect on your physical health like pain killers do?

If so are there any natural drugs that he could take INSTEAD to help his phycological problems?

Is there any advice you could give me to help understand his problem and advice on how I could help him (bearing in mind that we live 5 hours apart)

Also does anyone have any advice for him on what to do next? He is moving into a bedsit/hostel soon but he's never had to depend on him self to live and I think living alone could be a big problem for him....he doesnt have many good friends where he lives that look out for him....
He knows I'm always there for him but with the distance between us its hard to give him the help he needs....at the moment were on the phone to each other daily and I think just having someone he trusts to talk to helps greatly....

Any advice would be much apreciated....

Cheers
King Otoss

[fiveleggedrat]

Here you go.

Other options

• Tetrabenazine (Nitoman in Canada and Xenazine in New Zealand and some parts of Europe) is similar in function to antipsychotic drugs, though is not, in general, considered an antipsychotic itself. This is likely due to its main usefulness being the treatment of hyperkinetic movement disorders such as Huntington's Disease and Tourette syndrome, rather than for conditions such as schizophrenia. Also, rather than having the potential to cause tardive dyskinesia, which most antipsychotics have, tetrabenazine can actually be an effective treatment for the condition.
• Cannabidiol One of the main psychoactive components of cannabis. A recent study has shown cannabidiol to be as effective as atypical antipsychotics in treating schizophrenia. [5]

The most common typical antipsychotic drugs are now off-patent, meaning any pharmaceutical company is legally allowed to produce generic versions of these medications. While this makes them cheaper than the atypical drugs that are still manufactured under patent constraints, atypical drugs are preferred as a first-line treatment because they are believed to have fewer side effects and seem to have additional benefits for the 'negative symptoms' of schizophrenia, a typical condition for which they might be prescribed.
Metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 agonism has been seen as a promissing strategy in the development of novel antipsychotics.[6] When tested in patients, the research substance LY2140023 yielded promising results and had few side effects. The active metabolite of this prodrug targets the brain glutamate receptors mGluR2/3 rather than dopamine receptors.[7] It is currently in phase-2 clinical testing (2007).

Side effects

Antipsychotics are associated with a range of side effects. It is well-recognized that many stop taking them (around two-thirds of people in controlled drug trials) due in part to adverse effects.[9] Extrapyramidal reactions include tardive psychosis, acute dystonias, akathisia, parkinsonism (rigidity and tremor), tardive dyskinesia, tachycardia, hypotension, impotence, lethargy, seizures, intense dreams or nightmares, and hyperprolactinaemia.
From a subjective perspective, antipsychotics heavily influence one's perceptions of pleasurable sensations, causing a severe reduction in feelings of desire, motivation, pensive thought, and awe. This does not coincide with the apathy and lack of motivation experienced by the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Detrimental effects on short term memory, which affect the way one figures and calculates (although this also may be purely subjective), may also be observed on high enough dosages. These are all the reasons why they are thought to affect "creativity". Also, for some individuals with schizophrenia, too much stress may cause "relapse".
Following are details concerning some of the side effects of antipsychotics:

• Antipsychotics, particularly atypicals, appear to cause diabetes mellitus and fatal Diabetic ketoacidosis, especially (in US studies) in African Americans.[1][2]
• Antipsychotics may cause pancreatitis.[10]
• The atypical antipsychotics (especially olanzapine) seem to cause weight gain more commonly than the typical antipsychotics. The well-documented metabolic side effects associated with weight gain include diabetes, which can be life-threatening.
• Clozapine also has a risk of inducing agranulocytosis, a potentially dangerous reduction in the number of white blood cells in the body. Because of this risk, patients prescribed clozapine may need to have regular blood checks to catch the condition early if it does occur, so the patient is in no danger.[citation needed]
• One of the more serious of these side effects is tardive dyskinesia, in which the sufferer may show repetitive, involuntary, purposeless movements often of the lips, face, legs, or torso. It is believed that there is a greater risk of developing tardive dyskinesia with the older, typical antipsychotic drugs, although the newer antipsychotics are now also known to cause this disorder.
• A potentially serious side effect of many antipsychotics is that they tend to lower an individual's seizure threshold. Chlorpromazine and clozapine, in particular, have a relatively high seizurogenic potential. Fluphenazine, haloperidol, pimozide and risperidone exhibit a relatively low risk. Caution should be exercised in individuals that have a history of seizurogenic conditions such as epilepsy, or brain damage.
• Another antipsychotic side effect is deterioration of teeth due to a lack of saliva.[citation needed]
• Another serious side effect is neuroleptic malignant syndrome, in which the drugs appear to cause the temperature regulation centers to fail, resulting in a medical emergency, as the patient's temperature suddenly increases to dangerous levels.
• Another problematic side effect of antipsychotics is dysphoria.
• Following controversy over possible increased mortality (death) related to antipsychotics in indivdiuals with Alzheimers, warnings have been added to packaging.[11]

Some people suffer few apparent side effects from taking antipsychotic medication, whereas others may have serious adverse effects. Some side effects, such as subtle cognitive problems, may go unnoticed.
There is a possibility that the risk of tardive dyskinesia can be reduced by combining the anti-psychotics with diphenhydramine or benztropine, although this remains to be established. Central nervous system damage is also associated with irreversible tardive akathisia and/or tardive dysphrenia.

Structural effects

Many studies now indicate that chronic treatment with antipsychotics affects the brain at a structural level, for example increasing the volume of the basal ganglia (especially the caudate nucleus), and reducing cortical grey matter volume in different brain areas. The effects may differ for typical versus atypical antipsychotics and may interact with different stages of disorders.[12] Death of neurons in the cerebral cortex, especially in women, has been linked to the use of both typical and atypical antipsychotics for individuals with Alzheimers.[13]
Recent studies on macaque monkeys have found that administration of haloperidol or olanzapine over two years led to a significant overall shrinkage in brain tissue, in both gray and white matter across several brain areas, with lower glial cell counts and increased neuronal density. It has been said that these studies require serious attention and that such effects were not clearly tested for by pharmaceutical companies prior to obtaining approval for placing the drugs on the market.[14][15]

And actually, these are much worse for one than painkillers. Swim uses painkillers recreationally all the time with no problems.

Reputation Comments on this post:

you quoted wikipedia, but good info nonetheless

[Synesthesiac]

Well, none of these things are going to cure him, and doctors would laugh at most of them, but they could all help a little. But then again, doctors dont have a clue about basic things like food supplements and minerals, because the pharma companies that educate them cant make money off them.

a) always seek professional advise from someone before suggesting/doing anything drastic.

1) Always act normal and happy around him and keep telling him he's getting much better and what brialliant life he has infront of him. Positive outlooks can work wonders.

2) Make sure he's getting good nutrition. Some comprehensive multi-vitamins and minerals would be good.

3) Try to do things he used to like doing to remind him of how he used to be.

4) Try to make hiim socialize. Being by himself for long periods is not advisable. Encourage him to make new friends wherever he is, or invite people that he used to know to see him frequently.

5) Lots of omega three fatty acids and fish oils are good. A lack in diet of these has been associated with increased risk of mental illnesses and shizophrenia.

6) The nootropic Piracetam improves cognitive performance of schizophrenics as it does with non-schizophrenics, but it should be said does not improve or worsen the actual condition.

7) Consider MDMA therapy to help him open up and discuss any issues he may be hiding deep down. But definately get advise from an expert who is aware of his condition who works in this area before taking this step. Sinse its technically illegal, this can be hard to do unless you know the right people.

8) Some information from here may be of use, some of the remedies may have marginal positive effects, but is by no means a proven cure and should not be taken too seriously, the good thing is that most of the things listed are quite benign and natural items: Schizophrenia & Natural Remedies

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good recommendations

[tryptamaster]

uh jsut for swimmers fyi, in south carolina there is a psychiatrist who will do and is approved for research mdma therapy. so if you friend is interested h can look him up.

[seeingred]

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[RaverHippie]

A common qualitative comment from those taking anti-psychotics is that these drugs take away the bad symptoms of their mental disorders, along with the good emotions that would sporadically appear prior to the prescription. Doctors call this a success because the mental disorder is "cured", patients feel like zombies and suffer emotionally due to this.

[Synesthesiac]

Originally Posted by King Otoss

He is moving into a bedsit/hostel soon but he's never had to depend on him self to live and I think living alone could be a big problem for him....he doesnt have many good friends where he lives that look out for him....
He knows I'm always there for him but with the distance between us its hard to give him the help he needs....at the moment were on the phone to each other daily and I think just having someone he trusts to talk to helps greatly....

Does he have to go to that bedsit? The vital question is, Is that what he wants to do?

Try this, just enter a postcode to find the nearest local mental health charity to any address and he could come and visit you or something, some are free to use: http://www.mind.org.uk/Mind+in+your+area/

I know quite a few people that work in this area, so I know my way around mental health support in the UK pretty well.