Originally Posted by
Steel Maiden
I think seeing your dr is a good idea. I am not entirely sure if you "need" to be treatment-resistant schizophrenic (because I am so I don't know otherwise) for clozapine, but be warned that clozapine has side-effects of its own.
I am considering clozapine at the moment, and you do not neccessarily have to be treatment resistant. The qualifying criteria is that you have had to had at least two antispsychotics before they can prescribe it for you. At the moment quetiapine is keeping me reasonably stable (and have been for nearly a year now, before that it was 3 years), so if I decide against clozapine I will continue with the quetiapine. My psych also suggested injectable antipsychotics as an alternative to clozapine, but I decided against those because I would have to go to the clinic once a week and the truth is I cannot be bothered. If I was allowed to have the injection at home and always the same person doing it, I would be more likely to take it up. So I am not considered treatment resistant, as the quetiapine is working (though with horrible muscle stiffness, and due to the fact it makes me extremely tired/dopey I have to be very strict with when I take the pills - within 10 mins otherwise I will suffer!!).
As for your original post, I would seek advice. When I took Risperidone, after 3 months I developed Parkinsonism and painful muscle spasms. I had an emergency appointment with my GP, who told to immediately stop taking it and prescribed me lorazepam in the meantime. It took over a week to recover fully. During that time, I could not do anything on my own - that included going to the toilet and getting dressed (which as an adult was highly embarrassing). So one of the antipsychotics may be causing that. Quetiapine I have been on for nearly 7 years now, and has not caused (other than the stiffness) any muscle effects.
You also mention sickness. Until Jan this year I was on Sertraline, and I found that one particular brand (marked Sertraline Aurobindo) of Sertraline made me sick and dizzy. Other companies (for example Generics UK) did not make me sick and dizzy. Unfortunately due to my chemist always getting in the company's Sertraline which disagreed with me I had to discontinue as it was working extremely well as in the end I was not taking it for weeks. My CPN also told me a couple of months ago about another patient of hers who had the same problem as me - so it wasn't just me. So it could be the Sertraline that could also be making you sick! I have tried other antidepressants, and none of the others made me sick, with the exception of mirtazapine. However I do think part of the reason why mirtazapine was making me feel sick is that it was a dissolving tablet - where I was living I could not drink the tap water as it was foul (and I didnt have enough money at the time to buy bottled), so I dont think diet coke agreed with it!
That is my opinion, I may be wrong, but that is what I discovered when I had symptoms similar to yours.