My oldest son lives in Washington and is on the grey hound headed here to Missouri. He didn’t want to take his medicine while on the bus because it makes him sleepy. Now, he’s hearing voices and talking about how he just needs to get it under control and doesn’t need the medicine. He’s done this before because he thinks that someone is tampering with his pills. What do I say to him?
If you remind of times in the past that he didn’t take his medications and how that led to hospitalizations, etc…Do you think he will remember?
If he stops taking them abruptly (cold turkey) he will very likely experience significant withdrawal symptoms (insomnia, very intense chills and fevers, uncontrollable shaking and tremors, nausea and vomiting, etc.), and the positive symptoms of schizophrenia will increase dramatically during the withdrawal period. It would be a difficult thing to experience out in public on a bus. Hope he gets home safely.
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Sad, no words… hope for the best and try not to worry.
We established medical guardianship through the court. When our son refuses medication that is absolutely necessary such as his antipsychotic meds or say antibiotics, my husband can have him put in the hospital until he agrees to take his medication or sometimes they change his meds while he is there. We can also resort to this if he is doing something dangerous to himself or others.
My niece is also off her meds. I am new to this game. Finding a reasonably priced psychiatrist who would prescribe the med she did best on was very difficult. The med is Latuda 80 mg. One pill per day. She made it very hard because she would only want one psychiatrist, and that psychiatrist refused to give her a prescription. The psychiatrist she was seeing before also refused to write her a prescription because my niece was no longer in her care.
I finally gave up and started giving her the same non-prescription supplements I was taking for brain health. She seemed to be doing fine on them (over a 6 month period) until recently. I was giving her one pill of Procera AVH for brain health and 2 pills of Procera Mood formula. Was doing great for quite some time. Her aunt suggested I get her Sarcosine, which I have intended to do, but needed to find a reputable source. Are the ads on this page a good source?
Procera is advertised on television, can be a bit pricey, but I already take it, and have been taking it for several years now.
I think when schizophrenics go off their meds, they have to spiral down to a low, where they need medical intervention before they can dig themselves out again. Hopefully, they don’t hurt themselves or others in the process.
Also, no one in her immediate family will have anything to do with her. Before I retired in 2015, I had no time to work with her. Managing her could be a full time project, but I want her to be independent and not so reliant on someone else.
He’s here now. He keeps talking about the spirits telling him to do bad things. He keeps forgetting where he is. Im doing my best to get him to agree to take the medicine but he thinks the police have tampered with the pills. i offered to cut the pills in half or go get new ones tomorrow.
I feel your pain. My son goes off his meds frequently and after 10 hospitalizations in five years, one lasting a year, he went off them for a week and felt bad enough to go back on them without a hospitalization a few days ago. He stayed with me until the symptoms died down. I wish there was something magical to say but I have never found anything. I have learned not to be confrontational. Wish I could be more helpful. Good luck.
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He drank some vodka and is asleep now. He hasnt been back here in quite a few years and this is the worst Ive seen him.
I did mange to get out of him where he’s seen in Seattle and that he’s ourt ordered to take these medicines. I’m so sad . I finally get to see him again and now this.
Your age and his?
Are you alone in this, you have a husband or wife?
What prompted his return home to you?
In CT we have a mobile crisis team that is comprised of a psychiatrist, social worker and CIT trained officers who will come to your house and if the psychiatrist deems the ill family member a danger to self or others they will order them to a mental hospital against the ill family members will. It is unpleasant but a safe way to get help. Any local hospital could tell you if that is an option.
Those are withdrawal symptoms.
I am 45 and he is 25 and his dad and I have been divorced since he was 3. He just wanted to come and visit everyone because we haven’t seen him for five years.
So, I called this PACT place in Seattle where he told me he goes and let them know where he is and that theres a court order for him to take these meds. The main office is supposed to call me tomorrow. He keeps trying to leave and is telling me he has to kill himself. The spirits are telling him to. So far, he has come back in the house each time ive asked him to and even ate some mac and cheese. He was complaing of leg cramps so i bought some leg cramp pills today that are PM but he wont take them. Im scared to go to sleep tonight but I told the people in Seattle that I’m prepared to call the police here if I cant get him to come inside.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this. My heart is with you. Please keep yourself safe tonight
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Thank you 
It’s a difficult situation for sure
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yea, the sleeping in peace part, I always lock and dead bolt my bedroom door and also use a security stop from floor to knob and a 357 on the bedside table…