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Bipolar and Schizophrenia Meds I Have Tried

Medication is awesome!

By Iria Vasquez-PaezPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Long before I found Geodon, I tried quite a few medications in order to get stable. The first I tried was Zyprexa, which didn’t take care of the whole problem right away. I was on a dose of 10 mg of Zyprexa when I was in junior college working on my A.A. in creative writing and my A.A. in anthropology. I was also on something like 75 mg of Effexor, and I was started on thyroid hormone at 20 in 2001. It didn’t get stable until 2002-2003. I was on Effexor until I got boils at San Francisco State, which appeared on my face. I had to beg them to lower the dose because of the side effects.

My quest for medication continued in 2004 when I graduated from Foothill College. I quit meds for half a semester, and then I managed to get back on Abilify—Abilify that took care of the problem half-way as well. Abilify helped me get to class, do my work, ground myself, and stand up to my teachers, but I had to eventually switch meds again when I got out of college and started working. I was also on trileptal, which I once overdosed on, and that had given me a seizure. My psychiatrist that I was allowed to see back then was able to prescribe me Gabapentin for my acne pain. I was also given Lamcital at 25 mg. In 2009, my internist tried to prescribe me Seroquel, but I found a psychiatrist and insisted to my family I went to him. I decided to quit drinking caffeine in 2010. The alcohol went in 2008-2009. I’ve managed to be sober for nearly a decade now, then in truth.

I have no idea how long I’ve managed to avoid alcohol, but I have managed to avoid alcohol quit a bit. The way alcoholism works is that your enablers make you drink and encourage the bad habit to continue. In and around 2009-2010, I tried Haldol by self-administered injection. My doctor had left it up to me to decide. Haldol was supposed to be injected once a month but I was scared of it so I blew it off. Come 2012, I saw a psychiatrist my age that I blew off when I heard “oh, you know, germs,” in a condescending manner. I still was able to get Zyprexa, which was making me gain weight.

Zyprexa made me gain weight to 139 lbs. I then signed up for the YMCA gym and started working on losing the weight. I finally found the right psychiatrist in May 2012. I got the right medication in that general time frame. I got my OCD meds in 2013. I have been stable ever since. So you see that stability is hard earned for us mentally ill people, however. You have to work consistently at it. I’m now stable daily. I, unlike others, would never mess myself up by doing unspeakable things with my meds like not taking them. How horrible to do to oneself. Don’t piss me off by not taking your meds. That makes me feel incensed. Very.

I got on Geodon in 2012, and I’m now on 140 mg of this medication. I’m stable. I had to fight for this stability. I take Buspar instead of lorazepam like I took for many years. Buspar is non-addicting but I advise never quit lorazepam cold turkey. It is harsh. I take 20 mg of Buspar daily, and 10 mg of eschitalopram (lexapro) for my OCD. I feel much better since I quit all caffeine. I feel great, in fact. I have no comparison to feeling good because I never knew what it was like until I got on Geodon. Geodon may have a bad side effect of broken bones, but it is worth it. I know that some people don’t break any bones while on this medication. I love medication. It is a great solution to the problem despite the organ damage it might cause. I feel good talking to my older friends who have bipolar and who have reached their age by watching over how they take medication. I only hope to get old and get older in one piece. I also have type 1 diabetes, in addition to schizoaffective bipolar 1. Not taking my medication one day could flat out kill me. Some of my older friends whom I no longer talk to are not aware of this. Skipping or lowering medication doses without your doctor’s permission is evil. That can also kill the person doing this. I take my medication daily and do not forget it since taking medication is a deliberate act.

medicine
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About the Creator

Iria Vasquez-Paez

I have a B.A. in creative writing from San Francisco State. Can people please donate? I'm very low-income. I need to start an escape the Ferengi plan.

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