anyone else suffer from pyschosis/psychotic episodes?

[TheArmadillo]

Had a psychotic episode a few weeks ago. Have had them before but this seems to be a lot shorter (last one was about 9 months long and took about 2 years to recover).

Currently taking anti-psychotics and having therapy. Coming to terms with the idea that this is not going away forever and will come back whenever I get completely stressed out. Also dealing with money troubles as a result.

I don't know anyone who has the same/similar. Just wondering if there is anyone else out there? Dh is a sahd partly because of this, others are supportive but don't understand what psychosis is.

I take
1000 mg lithium
100 mg lamotrigine
25 mg aripiprazole
2 mg flupentixol
Diazepam prn

Works okish

Those lists sound scary! I'm on 6mg diapazem, upping sertraline to 100mg tomorrow. What does prn mean ?

It means as needed.

They just add new meds on and on. I am not even a bad case.

Ah, Ok. Does it take a while and blood tests and things to get stuff right?

Katkins I was diagnosed four years ago and they think they have found the right mix of meds for me now. But they are not sure if they are going to up my dose of olanzapine.

I had a very bad reaction to arirpiprazole as in it made me more psychotic and suicidal and depressed. I also tried seroxat which made me manic. Trazodone which also made me manic. Depakote which made me lose over half my hair. They did take blood tests as they were going to start me on lithium but decided on sodium valproate instead.

As far as I'm aware you only get regular blood tests for lithium. But for 15 months of those four years I refused medication as I had accidentally became pg and afterwords would not take anti psychotic meds while nursing a baby under 6 months.

That's helpful for me to know. I was told I have a complex presentation, because I'm very calm and measured and aware. I was also told that my actual physcotic symptoms are complex, too. I didn't think they were. I think it's the delusions, voices and hallucinations mixed in that confused the duty nurse. It's complex because I left it untreated for nearly two years, looking back, I've had symptons for that long in varying forms. It may also be complex because it is mixed with a past trauma and that will need therapy, rather than meds. I've had therapy before, but just as part of life, not for anything pyschosis related. I paid for it myself; was very useful. If no is around (or anyone else) is around, might they be able to help me with a question, please? I'd like to know if it's common for patients to present with delusions, voices, varying hallucinations and tactile sensations (st spiders crawling on the skin), and impulses all at once? They do sometimes happen at the same time, and there are common themes. Insects, voices which I know are related to past abuse fanatical creatures like dragons and fairies. Objects have faces and talk, and I often see people that aren't there.

Hi Katkins, patients with all sorts of diagnoses present with all sorts of delusions and hallucinations at once, it's not uncommon. When I'm ill I often hear voices outside my head and see things that aren't there. I also get the feeling of things crawling on my skin and smell things that don't exist. In my professional opinion you need to see a psychiatrist soon and I would expect you to get prescribed anti-psychotic medication. Be aware that it can take some time to get an official diagnosis and you might have to do a lot of medication switching as what works for one person might not work for another. I'm at work now and can't write more but I'd be happy to answer any other questions you have this evening.

I had visual hallucinations, heard noises and smelt things. I also believed that some people were lizards. (I still feel that way, but don't think so). Anyways I was here so no full blown psychosis just psychotic symptoms. Medication helped a lot. My diagnosis is bipolar but I think you can have psychotic symptoms in depression or borderline personality and of course in psychotic illnesses.

You get regular blood tests with clozapine too, starting off weekly then going to two weekly then four weekly. I've tried aripiprazole, quetiapine and olanzapine. My dr has suggested injections for antipsychotics, but I'm not keen on that.

Has anyone else tried clozapine? My psychiatrist says she thinks more people should be on it, but I think the side effects are bad.

When I asked my CPN yesterday, he sad yes I need anti-psychotics, and that we are probably looking at the more serious illness side of things; given that I've had a four month (intermittent) duration, and active symptoms for a month now. There's also other symptoms (again intermittent) that have built over a period of 2 years or so. My Mother has a serious psychotic illness (though I didn't know her growing up), so I think the likelihood is that. I don't mind what it is- as long as I get proper treatment, really. Doctor Friday.

What are more serious illnesses? Just curious. I had symptoms for some months, or longer but they were just psychotic features (bipolar with psychotic features)

I hope Friday sorts things out for you, Katkins

Serious mental illnesses, as we classify them, include bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

I get delusions that God is sending me signs through the telly and radio and I get confused about whether people are speaking for themselves or if God is speaking through them to me. The message is always that I should hurt/kill myself. I take an anti-psychotic which really helps. When I had my first episode of being delusional (last year) I was sectioned and spent four months in hospital.

Mental, I know you can't offer much advice; but given what you have seen here, and from what I have said (and my own knowledge of illness), how likely do you think it is I'd be looking at something on the side of schizophrenia? I don't have bi-polar (no manic phases at all, level mood) and in general, I have positive things in my life. My depression tends be oppositional to my psychotic episodes; and generally, I feel optimistic and a great outlook, there are things I enjoy, but the depressive episodes are in between psychotic symptoms- when one ebbs away, the other manifests in self harm/ suicidal thoughts. It's present at other times, and gets worse after the psychosis ebbs away. I know you can't really, but I have ruled out brief reactive, bi-polar and seem to be left with depression with psychotic features or schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Given the two year duration of the symptoms (on and off) with a month's duration this acute time- I'd welcome any thoughts before I see the Doctor. Obviously, I trust them to get it right, but as my care's been so lacking, I'd be interested to hear what others think...

Like I said earlier, there are a number of diagnoses that include psychosis. They may want to wait and see if you have further episodes and what they're like before giving diagnoses like schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder (which can be depressive, or bipolar), psychotic depression or bipolar. So they might say you've had a psychotic episode.

I originally was labelled with a depressive episode, then psychotic depression, and more recently schizoaffective.

I expected that, Snowy. I'm having a 'calm' day, so I'm thinking more clearly. I've studied this (and have mental health training, too), so I think I do tend to jump to conclusions. I know they will be tentative.

I've had mental health training too, but not as far as diagnosis goes. Handholding you for tomorrow.

My diagnosis is borderline personality disorder and it was explained to me that with bpd when you are very very stressed you can start to develop psychotic symptoms. I also suffer with self harming and suicidal thoughts. I find the stress vulnerability model really helpful to make sense of my delusional thinking.

Well I finally managed to contact CMHT. They say not to restart the clozapine, apparently that can be dangerous?(????) [but having stopped it might be dangerous too??? - the line was very poor so I couldn't get much info]. They want me to see a doctor, not sure when, they're going to contact me.

I get anxious about seeing medics, I feel ok but that doesn't mean anything, the first time I saw my last consultant she sectioned me from outpatients when I was feeling ok, and I have had 3 people turn up to assess me under the MH act before

I'm just looking for a hand hold really, might take some temazepam tonight.

I hope you are ok snowy xx

Can feelings be psychotic? I still feel that some people are lizards, but I can rationalise that they are not. The feeling is quite strong. Or I am I having intrusive feelings, since I am on antipsychotics already.

How are you snowy and katkins1?