Should my sister try the new medicine that doctors recommended for her schizophrenia or should we wait 1-2 weeks to see if the old medicine works?

@Rivulet

One question I would be asking is did your sister relapse because she stopped taking her meds or did the relapse happen while she was medication compliant?

RANZCP treatment guidelines of schizophrenia and psychotic disorders are readily available online and here is the link:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.ranzcp.org/files/resources/college_statements/clinician/cpg/schizophrenia-disorders-cpg.aspx&ved=2ahUKEwjvmvLfmcrsAhWVYysKHRQJAQIQFjABegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw0ix7gP6rplBuR7oPRFueJM

Dear @Rivulet ,

I'm sorry to hear that your sister is still struggling with psychosis. If her current medications aren't working I would be inclined to follow her doctors advice to change it.

Thinking of you all,

Schitzo 🤗💚🌼 xx

@Former-Member and @Schitzo thank you so much for your reply! I'm sorry I forgot to mention that in my post. My sister relapsed because she stopped taking her medication. We didn't realise until two weeks before her hospitalisation, but according to her friends, they said she had actually told them that she stopped taking her medication at least 1-2 months before her hospitalisation. I guess that's why I'm wondering if we should let her continue on with the current medication for a few more weeks to see if her body really became resistant to it.

Based on past experience, her current medication did take a good 2-3 months after she was released from the hospital before all the voices and thoughts she had fully 'disappeared'. Like in her last hospitalisation, she was released as the medicine seemed to work and her condition was stable despite the symptoms still persisting at the time of release. That's sort of why I'm a bit hesitant to immediately jump onto the new medicine.

Thank you so much for the link @Former-Member! I will definitely give it a read. I've been literally googling and trying to get as much information as I can about changing medicine so this helps a lot 🙂

@Rivulet Hey Rivulet and welcome to the forums. I know the meds you are talking about and I would suggest to honestly try a bit longer with the current medication. I have schizoaffective disorder and am not on these meds my son2 has schizophrenia and also is not on these meds but on other medication. Does your sister have a good psychiatrist outside the hospital system? having a psychiatrist outside the hospital would be my first point of call. Is your sister a cause of concern re violence to the family or herself? That is a biggy. While she is in hospital she is safe. Keep her in there as long as possible so that you and your parents can do all the detective work in what is the best way to go regarding your sister. Also how old is your sister? If she is over the age of 18 she is an adult and doesnt have to take the meds as long as she is not a danger to herself or others. I hope I have helped a bit. Take care of yourself. greenpeax

Hi @Bunniekins , first off thank you so much for sharing with me your opinion. I'm sorry to hear that you have schizoaffective disorder and that your son has schizophrenia. I hope that you both are doing well and continue to do so! If you need any support too, I'm here (though I might not be the best help I can listen and give my support!) and everyone else in this forum too!

It's a bit difficult as the hospital psychiatrist is actually already in consultation with my sister's psychiatrist (who's separate from the hospital), and apparently, my sister's psychiatrist was the one strongly advocating to switch to the new medicine. We are going to try and talk to my sister's psychiatrist to see what their thoughts are directly, at the moment it's just the hospital doctors talking to us.

My sister is not violent to the family or herself; she just expresses great hatred and disbelief that her family is actually her family; so I guess that's why the doctors are concerned that she might become aggressive? She's also 24 years old.

My family's plan was to see if we could let my sister stay in hospital as long as possible with her current medication as it worked really well until she stopped taking the medicine herself, but the hospital seems quite rushed and wanted to try the new medicine; I think it might be due to limited spaces in the hospital due to COVID…

Thank you again @Bunniekins! I really appreciate your response as well >_< It's good to see what others think especially when I'm feeling a bit confused and don't know what is the best solution for my sister.

@Rivulet Hi Rivulet medications can take a couple of months to truely kick in. I feel that you are doing everything possible. Your sister is lucky to have such a caring family. All I know is with that medication it is a medication of last resort as the side effects can be miserable. I was offered it to my son2 but declined. He is delusions and hallucinations are not under total control but it is far better than the pill of last resort. No one wants that. Yes I was talking with my psychiatrist and she told me that the mental health wards are hard going due to co-vid and that I wouldnt want to be there ..... I would love to go off my meds BUT I have promised my children that I will stay on them.

Thank you for your offer of support I really appreciate that :). Love greenpeax

@Bunniekins Thank you for sharing your valuable knowledge and experience. Medications can be really tricky as for some, side effects can be really challenging, but it is important to remember that it can be a different experience for each individual depending on a lot of different factors. It is important to ultimately be taking advice from the psychiatrist and specialists working directly with your loved one @Rivulet

@Former-Member Thanks Basil 🙂

Hey @Rivulet ,

Im sorry to hear things are still not ideal.

How long does the current medication take to fully 'kick-in'?

I think I know which antipsychotic the specialists want her on. Are you fearful of the side effects and the fact that once she goes on these, it is very unlikely she can go back to anything 'less'?

BPDSurvivor

Also, @Rivulet ,

Is your sister in a private or public hospital at the moment?

BPDSurvivor