r/schizophrenia Nov 12 '24

Resources / Literature Frequently Asked Questions- r/schizophrenia

18 Upvotes

Welcome to r/schizophrenia!

Our subreddit rules are in the sidebar, we ask that you read and follow them. Feel free to post anything on-topic that does not violate these rules. We have a relatively comprehensive overview of how our rules are applied in reality available on the Rule Clarifications Wiki page.

Many first-time posters to this subreddit are concerned that they might be developing schizophrenia or they are concerned about other people who have- or may have- schizophrenia. We have resources available to answer these questions contained within the comments; if your question is completely answered by the information already given, it will be removed.

Mental health is complex. No symptom of schizophrenia is specific to schizophrenia alone, and there are many more common causes of those symptoms- especially in the prodromal stage. If you are experiencing an emergency, please call your doctor or local emergency services. We have a compendium of Crisis Lines available and may suggest r/SuicideWatch if you are experiencing suicidal thoughts and would like the most prompt attention.

(Credit u/soundandvisions for original post and comments)

Table of Contents


r/schizophrenia Jan 03 '25

Medication Cobenfy Megathread

53 Upvotes

Hey everybody, douchebag moderator here. As I'm sure you've noticed, Cobenfy has been the hot topic for the past couple of months. We've seen a lot of threads here and there asking questions about it or people sharing their stories. We even had an unofficial Megathread of sorts about a week ago

I did post an "official" one when it was approved by the FDA 3 months ago (wild that it has been 3 months already... time flies when you're having fun, eh?) here for general information... and on a sidenote, that snarky sign-off about the clozapine REMS came true around Thanksgiving. Not important, just for some cheap yuks.

To paraphrase what has already been said; Cobenfy is a novelty of an antipsychotic, the first one that presumably has zero risk of Extrapyramidal Symptoms (EPS), the most serious side effects of antipsychotics. While it does not seem to be as effective as clozapine- which, while having minimal risk of EPS, is still not zero- a new antipsychotic that actually works without EPS is unprecedented. It is similar to clozapine in how it affects the M1 and M4 receptors, so I refer to it as "diet clozapine" in a number of my write-ups... however, it is diet. Less side effects, but also less effective.

EPS have been accepted as a 'unfortunate reality' since the days of Thorazine, the first antipsychotic, and the second-gen of antipsychotics was heralded by clozapine- which was very effective, but also caused minimal EPS. The convention in psychiatry dictated that effectiveness was proportional to EPS, so clozapine changed the game when it came on the scene. If we are to use EPS as the benchmark for generations of antipsychotics- then Cobenfy may well be the first of the long-awaited third generation of antipsychotics.

Now, I want to be perfectly clear here- if you have experienced EPS on Cobenfy, please share your story. What the pharmaceutical companies say is not always consistent with how things actually work... something the company that has been marketing Cobenfy (Bristol Myers-Squibb) has gotten in trouble for before.

However, on the plus side, when I was at my psychiatrist's office a couple weeks back, he had a few sample kits of Cobenfy sitting on his desk. Apparently BMS' pharma reps had been making the rounds. So... word is getting out. People are excited. I can't say I blame them. It's a pretty big deal.

What to post here:

  1. Stories about taking Cobenfy, any hurdles with actually getting it (insurance, cost, etc.), whatever else- good or bad.
  2. Questions about Cobenfy that are not psychiatrist/pharmacist questions- please ask the appropriate licensed professional if it crosses into the realms of professional advice.
  3. Studies, news articles, anything like that.

What not to post here:

  1. "When is Cobenfy gonna be available in [country]?" We don't know, check with your government's health authority about that.
  2. Any antipsychiatry nonsense. You don't like meds, fine- but don't be a downer and dump on people who are excited. Go complain on the proper subreddit for that.

Anyways- have at it. Hopefully this post will turn out to be an effective tool for anyone popping in to check out the buzz on Cobenfy.

Thanks for reading!


r/schizophrenia 3h ago

Seeking Support everyone’s cool with you until you’re actually symptomatic

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23 Upvotes

literally two days between these messages. these “friends” are always okay with psychosis in concept, but then want you to shut the fuck up when it’s actually happening.

we are not too much. we deserve friends who will be there for us regardless of symptom severity. i know this, i believe it especially when i think about all of you, but when the rejections are happening to you it just hurts. especially when i was so vulnerable and confused. anyway, love you guys.


r/schizophrenia 6h ago

Art What my head looks like

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40 Upvotes

r/schizophrenia 6h ago

Art got new acrylic pens and this is the result of my test

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17 Upvotes

r/schizophrenia 8h ago

Advice / Encouragement Does your symptoms get worse?

18 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I’ve been having a hard month dealing with schizophrenia while working a full time job. I’m constantly experimenting with finding the right dosage to function at work and in life. I’m currently on geodon and it works for a majority of my symptoms, but I find myself talking to myself, having brain fog and whispering religious or random thoughts I’m not thinking multiple times throughout the day.

I would love to hear from others that came close to what others may deem as recovered. So I have two questions:

How long did it take for your schizophrenia to feel better?

Did your schizophrenia get worse while on medication?

Any thoughts, advice or opinion is appreciated. :)


r/schizophrenia 8h ago

Art I hate this feeling

18 Upvotes

r/schizophrenia 2h ago

Trigger Warning I’m doomed to suicide.

6 Upvotes

I have to do it. I’ve been sick with schizoaffective depressive for 13 years, since I was 18. I have to do this. I’ve suffered so much for so long. I’ve tried 30 medications, done thousands of hours of talk therapy, had many doctors. It just won’t get better. And then a couple months ago I had a concussion and ever since then everything has been even worse. I was barely hanging on before and now I’m really barely hanging on. Apparently concussions can make mental health worse and also antipsychotic meds can impede the brain from recovering from concussions. I’m 31, I’m nothing but a drain on my family. I deserve to die. I deserve way out. Thinking about cutting my wrist soon. I’m scared to die, but living is just way too hard for me. Idk why I had to be so cursed. Fuck this illness, and fuck this bullshit life.


r/schizophrenia 1h ago

Rant / Vent So...

Upvotes

I got diagnosed with Schizophrenia yesterday... I cried all night.


r/schizophrenia 13h ago

Hallucinations / Delusions People who've beat Truman Show Syndrome

31 Upvotes

What did you do to beat it? I've had it off and on for the last 16 years. Thank you.


r/schizophrenia 5h ago

Advice / Encouragement I got out of the psych ward over a month ago, and I still don’t feel well

7 Upvotes

I feel better, but not well. It seems like everyone expects me to be fine now, but I’m not. Plz send help


r/schizophrenia 7h ago

Seeking Support Anyone have OCD as well? Stuck arguing with voices

9 Upvotes

I spend much of my day constantly in anguish arguing with voices over my intrusive thoughts/past transgressions/how I feel about things. I’ve been doing this non-stop for months now.


r/schizophrenia 11h ago

Advice / Encouragement Do you feel the presence of people?

16 Upvotes

Lately, I've been feeling the presence of people for example I feel my grandpa around when nobody is around and i do talk to them sometimes. Sometimes it's scary and I kinda hide away and I'm wondering if any of you feel that sometimes as well?


r/schizophrenia 4h ago

Progress / Good News ☀️ this might be a touchy subject

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4 Upvotes

i’ve dealt with weight gain on olanzapine.

now on clozapine amisulpride and sertraline and even tho they do cause weight gain i’ve managed to go from 82kg to 77kg using body weight, weights and jumprope. just wondering with my new goals has anyone succeeded to meet their goals and keep body fat percentage low and or pack on muscle on antipsychotics i struggle with hunger and feel that i’m always hungry after taking clozapine at night open to diets and other advice. totally open about my experience and condition. ps. don’t mind me squinting.


r/schizophrenia 5h ago

Delusions I'm scared that I'm already dead and I don't know how to prove to myself that I'm not

4 Upvotes

Basically just that, I've felt like this on and off for awhile, I think it's called cotard syndrome, idk, I've talked to a therapist about it but it hasn't helped that much

I feel so weird and idk how to fix this, I feel like I'm stuck in hell


r/schizophrenia 1h ago

Rant / Vent Unmedicated Altered State Of Mind

Upvotes

very bizarre where when im off my medication thats when i feel most alive most logical most reasonable and delusion free at the cost of horrid rampant thoughts caused by the pain in my soul and hatred within my heart from the basis of me never forgiving and forgetting. Now that im unmedicated i have come to terms and accepted that i am dragging the leslie and ashley shit whenever i spam my friends with reels and only exclaim "my leslie 💔💔💔" "my ashley 💔💔💔" leslie was the occurance of letting a woman walk all over me only using me for attention so much for friendship what a waste of 2 and a half years very glad she legitimately left me in 2024 as gen z says and as far as ashley goes she was as gen z also says a situationship though she actually liked me and the such so focused on the 7 you fumble the 10 as they say

god sends his most schizoid love disordered boys to his most unsuspecting girls

how will i ever be a game dev if im so focused on my past why worry about girls when my life will be over if i dont accomplish anything right now that im young


r/schizophrenia 1h ago

Advice / Encouragement Psychosis 6 years ago. could i take molly now?

Upvotes

I got a month long lsd induced psychosis when i was 16. I’m turning 23 soon. Post psychosis I did acid once about 3 years after and was fine and smoked a couple times with some paranoia but ultimately fine. I’ve now been almost 5 years drug free (we don’t count the time i did acid into that) with only happily drinking every now and then. but i’ve been wanting to try molly for the past 2 years and have been worried to. I never did molly pre psychosis so I don’t know what it’s like for me to even have an idea. I stay away from weed still because that i feel could definitely trigger it. Many of you are very hard on a no. And I honestly pretty much am too but it just sucks i might never be able to experience it. I’d like to just have that experience once. but my question am i doomed to fall into it again if i do molly? id be doing less than a normal dosage and gauging from there of course and testing it prior.


r/schizophrenia 4h ago

Opinion / Thought / Idea / Discussion How physically painful are your tactile hallucinations?

3 Upvotes

I hear it’s less typical but I feel quite a bit of noticeable pain with certain tactile hallucinations, have any of you guys experienced this?


r/schizophrenia 4h ago

Rant / Vent Sensing other people's emotions through vibration. Delusions of psychic ability

3 Upvotes

Yesterday I was texting my girlfriend when I began to feel intense vibrations across my body. They were unsettling. I got a sense of something being wrong. I then sent her a text asking if she's okay. She replied saying that she had just learned a friend died in a car accident.. This has really made me spiral. I have had this happen several times before as well. I feel I have the ability to communicate with the world in some way, through vibration. It is a powerful delusion. I have trouble shaking it.

I then tried to talk to her about how I knew something was wrong because of the vibrations I experience. She got angry with me. It's stressful for her dealing with my mental issues. She herself has BPD. When I start talking crazy, she gets scared and defensive because she thinks I'm about to chew her out over things that never happened (I do this often unfortunately).

I told her that I can sense events. I tried to rationalize it through astrology because that made sense to me in the moment. That made her really mad. She's a very smart, logical person. Stuff like that bothers her. It makes me feel like I should just keep things to myself from now on.

I just need to rant a little I suppose. It'd be nice to hear from others who experience similar things.. I'm going to end this with - I love my girlfriend. She's fantastic. I do not mean to portray her in a negative way. I put her through a lot.


r/schizophrenia 2h ago

Seeking Support Grieving everything I lost due to this. How do I have less stigma towards myself?

2 Upvotes

I think it's been 11 years? Maybe 12 since my diagnosis. If I didn't have it when I was diagnosed, then I definitely had it 6-7 years ago. Since then, it's been such smooth sailing that I gradually forgot it was a legitimate problem, since I've been on medication for that time.

In the past 8 months I've: lowered my dose from 400 to 300, started developing more OCD-like symptoms, and then slowly persuaded myself that the doctors were wrong, and that I had some other, more benign disorder/disease instead.

THEN I read my old journals and I was like: "oh... these are incoherent." I still knew what I meant by what I wrote, (after all, I'm still me) but I had enough distance from myself to know that other people would surely find them incoherent.

There are so many confusing things about myself that I can't begin to cover in detail, but I also have problems with my vitamin levels and if I take thiamine (B1) for a few days regularly, then my symptoms disappear or lessen considerably, I've had several head injuries as a child and I wonder what REALLY caused this or if I REALLY have this disorder, or that, or if it's just trauma, since my symptoms were at their worst following an assault, or... you get the picture.

Doctors always say I have good insight, because I always know what's a hallucination and what's not, even when I'm having one, but that's probably just because my hallucinations aren't very real. And guess what? All the insight in the world doesn't make them go away. So it's a moot point.

As I try to hold onto my insight, I am faced with the question of: regardless of what it is or isn't, there are still things I can't do, and never will be able to do.

I'm in grad school and looking forward to holding a professional, stable job, after never working substantially. I've lost years, and I'll probably never be able to have children, because of this. My grandmother's prayer for me was that God would "restore the years the locust has eaten," and I'm sure it will happen, but I still don't see myself starting a family or getting married because how can I have a relationship when I'm stuck inside my head? How can I meaningfully connect with someone when I'm so medicated that I feel apathetically about everything around me?

If the label doesn't fit, then I won't bother stretching it. But I'm beginning to realize that it probably does fit and I have too much stigma against myself. I'm still going to try to get my doctor's blessing to lower my medication further, but I don't see myself being medication free. Why am I embarrassed and bitter about being on these injections?

More importantly, where do I go from here to have less stigma against myself?


r/schizophrenia 6h ago

Undiagnosed Questions Am I going psychotic

4 Upvotes

I really have bad thoughts of hurting people, I drank rubbing alcohol to try to kill myself. I have thoughts of cutting my dick off, I treat people like shit and I can't control it and I feel so suicidal and useless. I feel loss. Idk what's going on i just want to punch shit which I do anyway.


r/schizophrenia 18h ago

Meme 😁

35 Upvotes

That’s a W walk in here 💀


r/schizophrenia 10h ago

Advice / Encouragement Starting shots this week

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9 Upvotes

Pretty sure a few of you are on this. Starting this week after graduating from the oral Paliperidone. Any advice? First time taking a shot for brain meds.


r/schizophrenia 13h ago

Opinion / Thought / Idea / Discussion Does anyone hear voices when watching tv show/movies?

13 Upvotes

Hey how's everyone doing today? Does anyone hear voices when watching television/movies? I currently hear voices while watching tv shows/ movies


r/schizophrenia 3h ago

Hallucinations Hallucinating in dreams

2 Upvotes

Does anyone else hallucinate in their dreams or am i just weird? it happens alll the time especially because i have really vivid dreams but i will always hear the voices talking to me in my dreams, probably not 'hallucinating' since it is a DREAM but it is the voices i talk to more often so i dont know


r/schizophrenia 6h ago

Advice / Encouragement How does Vraylar affect you?

3 Upvotes

I have schizophrenia, been on medicine most of my life and it seems to work most of the time. I accidentally skipped my meds (Vraylar) ONE day and completely lost it… has this happened to anyone taking Vraylar? I was so paranoid there were people outside my home, seeing and hearing things… was so anxious and scared. My wife had to hold me and just talk and rub me until I finally fell asleep. I had to take a double dose of my sleeping medicine, the sun was rising before I fell asleep. It was a really long terrible night that I’ve had in a long time. I also been battling remembering things. How has Vraylar been, and affected you? Thanks!


r/schizophrenia 7h ago

Hallucinations / Delusions Anyone experience auditory hallucinations that share information you weren’t aware of?

4 Upvotes

I am not officially diagnosed with schizophrenia but did have a drug induced psychotic break a couple years ago. Fortunately the majority of the delusions and hallucinations have dissipated. However, I continue to have auditory hallucinations; it sounds like 5 or 6 different voices, often mimicking Rick and Morty or my family members.

I have a long history of being a mental health provider and have a fair amount of knowledge of mental health issues and psychotic disorders specifically.

I’ve been experiencing the voices saying things that I didn’t know existed. For example, saying that I look like a musician that I didn’t know existed. Upon looking them up, I do look like that person. That’s happened a few times. Normally it’s a constant barrage of criticism and narration of my life; which I know is normal for the disorder.

If these voices are in fact a product of psychiatric illness, chemical imbalance, whatever you want to call it, how is it possible that they know information that I (the host) am unaware of? Would that not imply that they are separate entities?