Why are you so against Clozapine? My son was on Saphris (first anti-psychotic) and after he became non-compliant, it stopped working.
1 Like
I think all anti-psychotics or most meds for that matter, are bad stuff. But many on here will tell you, including me, that Clozapine saved our loved oneās lives. My son has gone from what I saw your family member doing on that video, to being very calm, more involved and engaged in his life and generally just way easier to live with. He went from having no emotion to being affectionate again. To caring whatās going on around him, and everyday I see more and more improvement. General and sweeping comments about meds are not helpful. A med that didnāt work for my son, may work for another persons family member. Do some research on all these anti-psychotic, anti-anxiety, anti-depressants, and it can scare the hell out of you, but sometimes we have to weigh the benefits with the risks. My son has some of his life back and is working in a forward direction now, and I would recommend trying it to anyone who asked if they are treatment resistant.
4 Likes
post deleted, post deleted
I guess that we have been lucky. No heart, or white blood cell issues. The only side effect we have ever seen is tiredness after he takes it but since itās all in one dose before bed, it isnāt really affecting him. Time will tell, but for now, itās been a lifesaver.
3 Likes
My son hasnāt had any of the really bad, dangerous side effects from Clozapine.
However, I think being a little tired, gaining a little wait, etc., is worth the tradeoff of having his condition under control for the most part.
I do think he would have eventually gotten hurt or killed if we didnāt find something that worked.
Itās still in my mind that he had started just walking off, and not having the ability to stay out of traffic - and it wasnāt too long that another mother here had a son in a similar condition who was hit in traffic and seriously hurt.
2 Likes
Before this medā¦the final straw I guess, my son had taken a sharp knife that I guess he had hidden, and cut his own throat many times. Luckily, none of them were deep enough to cut his artery. This med did save his lifeā¦I have no doubt! This is a last resort drug but, I am happy with the results too. Glad your son is doing well @slw!
2 Likes
I used to garden (flowers and vegetable). My children were raised with gardening and pets. Other children loved our yard because of this, rabbits, guinea pigs, dogs, a cat ā¦ I loved all of it! My joy left when this devastating illness came.
2 Likes
I think Iām going to do all of this when I retire. I think it will be good for my son and us too! What do you think. My son loves his cat and dog. It will be good therapy. Our dog is really old now and weāre waiting till she passes to get a couple of pups.
1 Like
I think pets are important for anybody. I prefer dogs myself. I canāt imagine not having a dog or two (three currently!) And when my kids were little, we had all sorts of pets. And the gardening is therapeutic! If you think your son would be interested in gardening, go for it! And same with pets. My sonās just not interested in anything now. Iām hoping he does become interested in stuff like a hobby, socializing? Someday? Maybe? Heās 29. How old is your son?
He just turned 23 and has no insight into his illness. We just gave him a birthday party on Saturday. He said āmom, all of my friends have taken a powder, why donāt you invite your friends. I like your friendsā I could have cried but I did and my friend and her daughter came over to decorate. It made him feel special. Then a couple of his cousins came. The rest were my friends and their children. It was successful.
Itās sad but we are managing at present. I wish you guys the best too!
4 Likes
My hobby too! Itās always been something I wanted to get better at, and now I have the time. It can be hard to find a light when dealing with this illness. But I am finding itās getting easier to find the good in a situation. Very cute elephant 
2 Likes
I am sad to say it doesnāt seem to get easierā¦my son is 26-27 in two weeks and heās had it his whole lifeā¦getting worse as he gets older. It consumes my life as wellā¦I cry all the timeā¦constantely petrified he will commit suicide and I couldnt go on if he didā¦he is my middle child-not my only problem child but definitely the worstā¦I am also borderline personality disorder so its getting harder and harderā¦Ive been hospitalized due to my kids wearing me down years ago and its getting there againā¦I am his payee for his social security which he recently got once againā¦he was in the mental hospital for over a year so they completely cut him off and we had to start over which makes no senseā¦he has already been declared mentally handicapped-why must we continue to start over especially when it was due to a hospital stay FOR his mental disorder? All I can say is try and stay strongā¦you cant help him if your not ok yourself-I am trying to deal with this tooā¦go to the doctor and talk and get help-this is not something you can do alone-I know this as Iām currently failing from trying-and even though they dont mean itā¦they take and takeā¦both financially and from your poor soulā¦our sons need us so bad and they cannot help it and nobody else gets itā¦we doā¦the people on here with their hearts bleedingā¦hold on-pull yourself together and love your son but love yourself too!
5 Likes
Clozapine only med that worked for us. He is back to work and making friends and funny again. Itās been a life changer
6 Likes
Iām glad to hear about your son, very encouraging. What dose is he on?
1 Like
I hardly think of anything else but my son. If Iām alone too long I ruminate and think of all the terrible things that Could Happen. If Iām with friends or family (including my son) I can pull it together.
4 Likes
I feel exactly the same way as you. I guess we can all relate. Such a heartbreak. But yes, the good times are so precious.
1 Like
Yes I worry a lot tooā¦Iām worrying now because i donāt know where my 27 yr old son is ā¦heās roaming about town. tried to find him earlier no luck. I heard hes been sleeping on peoples porches. He has no money and is just gullible would go with anyone ā¦afraid he will get inside an unlocked car to steal stuff inside and get caught beat up or shot. Heās done things like that before. And he will do any drugs ppl give him. ā¦I always worry when I donāt know where he is ā¦
4 Likes
Now 450 mg. He has been stable now for almost 3 years. Holding a job for nearly a year now. Got him off respiradol, gabapentin, seroquel, artane and he is doing much better. He was a walking zombie before. He is only on a very small dose of lithium200mg and lamictal 25mg. And he has lost 53 pounds. Nice to see him involved in life again
2 Likes
His illness did consume me to the point where I was also sick. Then I reached a point where I had to save me not him. Because only he could save him not me. I almost had a breakdown but when I finally let go he started to work on getting better. It was so hard to let go but for me it worked
4 Likes
It is great to hear your son is stable and doing better. Thank you
2 Likes