I've been on and off meds since I was 14 (am 25 now). I'm also currently on a depot antipsychotic. I tried a short time off it earlier in the year but unfortunately relapsed. The response from my psychiatrist and HTT was essentially that I could try again in early 2014 but if it didn't work out I might have to stay on it forever.
Like you, I'm really worried about long term effects. Late-onset diabetes runs in my family and I have noticed a fairly large weight gain too over the years (in me). Currently I'm attempting to improve my health via diet, exercise and quitting smoking (again!) but am concerned about my apparently raised prolactin levels.
However, I think my life would probably be a lot shorter without the medication, so, weighing things up I think I'll stay on it. Ideally, there would be a better social and occupational set-up for people with psychotic illness (or any mental illness) which has been proven in other countries to reduce the need for medication.
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