Schizophrenia and medications not being taken

[TheBabyEater]

I know that not a lot of users here know much of anything about schizophrenia, or any mental illness which causes psychotic symptoms, so I don't expect much of a response here...

But, here's the bottom line. I hear voices, and sometimes see things that aren't there. I'm also having a hard time keeping in touch with reality, what I imagined and what actually happened. I'm on some antidepressants and an antipsychotic, but they never seemed to help too much. They do kind of, but never made them go away. Only helped me handle it better.

ANYWAY, I'm home for winter break, I go away to University, and its very hard to keep up with my medication. I have a very complex system with all the mental illness medication, birth control, and physical medications I have to take. I have some I need to take in the morning, some I take right before bed, and some I can take whenever, usually 30 minutes before bed since that's what I always do. (that's birth control, you SHOULD take it about the same time every day, but it has to be separate from other medications in order for it to work) Anyway, since I've been home it's been very hard to keep to this schedule. Being away from my boyfriend and friends, having nothing to do, fights with my parents have not helped me remember/want to take them. At first I skipped doses on accident, lately it's been on purpose. I'm getting worse, and it's really showing. I've been causing a lot of fights that I earnestly do regret and try to apologize for a little later. To make things worse, my boyfriend's medication for his depression doesn't seem to be helping while he's away at his grandparents either. So my big support is no longer there. My psychiatrist is a moron, and my therapist is on leave (and also both in St. Louis where I go to school)

On a side note...
To make things more fun, my roommate got with alcohol in our room, thus getting me temporarily, and possibly permanently kicked out of my dorm room, and my parents are so upset at my less than perfect grades and this alcohol debate, I'm being forced to leave home after the new year. So far, I have nowhere to live. Possibly my boyfriend's, but I don't want to stay there too long. I love him, but I hate being a burden to him or his family.

I'm sleeping 12 hours a day, not showering, eating one meal, it's hard. Any help on getting me back on track? A schedule helped me stay on my meds, but it's hard to have a schedule when you're so far down, with NOTHING to do all day here in shittown Indiana...

Thanks

[LeapOfFayth]

Well I don't have Schizophrenia, but I have bipolar so I know about the whole run-around with meds and forgetting doses and psychosis and the whole lot. I also have to balance/remember to take medication for physical reasons like you.

What I used to do was go to the pharmacy and buy one of those pill organizers that say the days of the week on it, if you need to buy 3 (morning, noon, night or however your specific medications work). Put them somewhere where you'll see them at the right time, (morning one by your toothbrush, noon one on the kitchen table, night one on your nightstand or wherever works for you). I used to do that but recently I've had weird anxiety about my medication touching one another so I've just been remembering to take them on my own for now.

As for the medication not working that well, how many different antipsychotics have you been on? Like actually on a full dose for a full trial length (I say this because my psychiatrist is notorious for putting me on an entry level dose for one or two months and then deciding it didn't work when really I was never on a high enough dose). Maybe ask to be put on a different dose or a different drug?
I'm sure you've done this but make sure your medications for phsycial reasons don't interfere with your medications or mental health concerns. Again, I only ask because I have this problem, my steroid for my crohn's causes mood swings and psychosis especially in those with bipolar and schizophrenia.

I had more to say but it's slipped my mind, hopefully one of the things I said might help. Although you've probably thought of them all.

[Kate*]

Aside from what Rick said, is there a way to set some kind of alarm for yourself, with your phone maybe so that it reminds you when to take what? As for things not working very well, the only thing to really do is talk to your doctor(s) and it's always a good idea to check for side effects/possible interactions when you're taking multiple drugs. I know that's supposed to be the doctor's job, but I'm not sure my regular doctor even knows what my eye doctor has put me on, even though I tell her every time I'm there.

[TheBabyEater]

I've got a nifty little pill organizer with an alarm set on it, but it's not the forgetting thats the problem these days. It's my messed up schedule I'm ending up sleeping through any alarm in the morning, and completely sleeping past noon and stuff. Then there's the pills I'm supposed to take right before I go to bed, except I never know when I'm going to go to bed... The ones in the middle, my birth control, I seem to remember Guess my priorities are straight! lol

I think what I'm going to do is just force myself to go to bed at midnight, whether I want to or not. And hopefully the meds I take at night will just make me so sleepy I fall asleep instantly. Or close to instantly. Then hopefully I don't sleep past noon and stuff, and I'll remember/want to take my medicine. =/ That's been a problem lately, just not wanting to take my meds for whatever reason. I don't even know. A mix of depression and paranoia I guess. I get to the point where I don't want to take them because I'm convinced people only put me on them so they don't have to deal with them or something. Doesn't help that people are constantly harping on them, and I always get hurt when my boyfriend tells me to take my medication whenever I'm upset.

[Millarw12]

I was going to say that the only way to fix this, is when you decide that you want to. By making yourself go to sleep and waking up and getting your schedule back on track yourself, that is probably one of the only ways that will help you. We can give you tricks and hints but they work for us and might not work for you.

But you seem to genuinely want to start getting better, and with that drive you'll be able to get yourself back on track. I know self belief and motivation are stronger than the battles within our minds. You can do it