Alright so she has the real deal ... but is there any evidence that anti-psychotics do anything but sedate, no matter what deal they are being prescribed for?

If there is I'd like to see it.

Is your friend in King County? Then, by law, the docs must make her well. Has she been given the Walker Exam -
http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/stradford.htm/?
Has she been checked for the 29 conditions that may present as Schizophrenia - some as simple as infection, copper overload, food allergy or Niacin deficiency -
http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/?

you need to keep in mind that she has the real deal schizophrenia in all its tragic dimensions
:(

Link to article on the 29 Causes of Schizophrenia.
http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/causesofschizophrenia.htm#Dementia%20paralytica

"BTW, for those of you who might be tempted to think she shouldn't be on antipsychotics at all, you need to keep in mind that she has the real deal schizophrenia"

errrrrrrrr there is a large body of work out there on the use of nutritional thearpies in schizophrenia. Go google " Dr Abraham Hoffer " niacin etc & also " Dr David Frederick Horrobin " poly unsaturated fatty acids.

I don't know what age you are Philip, but when I was at University, Niacin (vitamin b3) was used by hippy students to break psychosis induced by recreational drugs.

Sara XXX

actually the Schizophrenia Association of Great Britain used to give away free nutritional therapy packs to patients with persistent & enduring mental health issues.

I wish her all the luck in the world!, what an inspiration she is! forging through college with all of this.

The shrink is obviously crazier than the patient.

Why didn't the shrink try her on the Provigil first. I think adding TWO drugs is a sign of incompetency. Drugs should be added one at a time so if there are any side effects, the shrink will know which drug is causing it. The shrink should have given her the Provigil and, if she could then stay awake, she might also be able to focus.

I doubt that she is a real deal schizophrenic because the "real deals" aren't suppose to be given antidepressants. Numerous studies have shown this over the years.

Also, for each additional antipsychotic a person is given, their chance of sudden death rises by 2.5. Thus they are two and one-half times more likely to have the adverse reaction of "death" than if they were on only one antipsychotic. Studies have also established this theory.

Yes, the ADHD drug is similar to cocaine and I can understand why the young lady wants to try it again.

She needs a second opinion on all this.

I wish your friend the blessings of the world, may happiness and health be upon her. Schizoprenia is a complicated and nasty illness that no one deserves.

~Shiv

Hope your friend gets better soon. People are labelled schizophrenic for any number of reasons. Hopefully, she'll identify her trigger and be able to reorganize her lifestyle accordingly. At the very least, she obviously needs a new doctor.

"Antipychotic" is a misnomer, as no drug on Earth has such properties. All these neuroleptics do is depress the central nervous system. Sure, hallucinations and delusions decrease, but so does your ability to think and function.

I was declared schizoaffective in the late 1980s and recovered pretty much on my own. If biological psychiatry's agenda was the truth (i.e. if it were all about neurotransmitter activity), such a drug-free recovery would be an impossibility.

For many, the drugs do far more harm than good. If oncologists got the kind of results that psychiatrists do, the whole model of cancer treatment would be up for review. No such luck for us loonies.

What I wouldn't give for a Provigil prescription.

What is "psychosis" to you? To me, it means "the mind has given up all desire to function and becomes inert. Sometimes, it's emotions - after a traumatic hurt by a loved one's leaving, mine quit on me, as I became on some deep level terrified to FEEL ANYTHING since it couldn't be trusted. Clinical types call this "depression". But to me, "depression" is a phase. This hasn't gone away for years.

My most functional and fascinating times in life have been when I looked at "bipolarity" as something more like a different order, not a "disorder". The sharp-spike swings balanced. I sometimes used drugs, sometimes went for half a year or more without them. I avoid alcohol and tobacco completely. But during these times, I can write. I can actually get beyond social phobia and talk to people - and just as importantly, LISTEN to them.

I'm diagnosed as borderline schizoaffective bipolar. What a mishmash of words. This brain thing up here is so much more complex than something that has workings one can neatly classify into pie-slice, DSM-4 personality-test pieces.

I have strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes the drugs are good for me. Unfortunately, the illegality means product quality control lacks, and paranoia about ending up in prison permeates the culture of users. It was different when I was in college in the 1980s.

When does a drug become a medicine and verse-vicea? The most fascinating people I have known in my 43 years have either been drug users, ex-users or users in-between extremes. And if people would stop looking at drugs as either perfect things or monstrous evils, they'd be far saner. Don't you think?

AP asked "When does a drug become a medicine ...?"

As far as I can tell, that happens when the chemical is produced by Big Pharma and controlled by the government. I've even heard the term "ethical drugs" used to denote pharmaceuticals. It's an entirely arbitrary distinction, as exemplified by society's attitude towards alcohol, as opposed to pot.

I'd be curious to know by what criteria you say this person has the "real deal" form of schizophrenia. Even if she had raging psychosis before any drug or substance trigger, that still doesn't mean a cocktail of antipsychotics and antidepressants was the optimal form of treatment. And once that treatment is in place who knows what the trajectory of the "illness" really would have been without it? At this point her hospitalization sounds iatrogenic based to me. I'm not surprised Adderall helped her stay in college for a time -- it's a steroid for the brain after all. But at what neurological and psychological risk is one obtaining that benefit especially if one is already vulnerable? I hope she can get back on track without it.

I don't understand why a doctor would add 2 drugs of dubious merit and safety instead of taking away one of the 2 neuroleptics she was on to reduce the sleepiness? It makes no sense at all. Why not take gradually reduce the neuroleptic dosage and add psychotherapy instead of stimulants as another alternative that has a lot of backing in the literature? Sounds like your friend needs a new psychiatrist more than anything else. I don't know what real deal schizophrenia is either, no one does, it's a wastebasket diagnosis which is being considered for elimination and replacement with several different diagnoses. And calling it tragic is not exactly empowering. When people tell me my kidney failure is tragic they depress the heck out of me, just saying.....

"I was declared schizoaffective in the late 1980s and recovered pretty much on my own."

Francesca, could you tell me how you became diagnosed? And what was your method of recovery? Did you have to isolate yourself from others for a while?