Still unable to get my son to increase his dose to the level approved by his pDoc. The pDoc checked his levels and agreed it could be higher, and potentially more therapeutic, but my son won’t hear it. I don’t bring it up often, as it will only set him off.
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I first posted around Christmas when my son was in the State hospital and they were going to start him on Closapine. Now it the middle of February, he is back home and improving some every day. It’s been a hassle making sure the doctors are monitoring his labs weekly and the Rx Can get filled again and he has gained weight. That being said, he is getting better. Day by day!!! I know its a scary choice but I have seen a few sides of my son that I have not seen in 10 years or more. Things like: he watched a football game (something he used to be afraid of) and actually commented on some of the plays!! It wasn’'t a mystical war of good and evil but a football game!!! Also, the other day I asked him if he had taken his am pill. He responded, yes, I took 3 today. I looked at him like what??? He was smiling and said, “Im joking mom. It’s just a joke!” He has not joked since he’s been sick. Also, he went outside one day and started clearing out our garden space and cleaning it up for spring. This was all on his own with no one suggesting it. I am so happy about these changes because it has on
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While other people wait for the next shoe to drop!
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Find the tiny spaceship!
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I’m so glad to hear he is doing better. Great news!
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I found a butterfly:)
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I found the little spaceship like the Jetsons.
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The more I look at the painting, the more I like it. The shoe variety makes me happy and reminds me that some of the shoes raining in our lives are those happy moments as well.
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Yes, and another meaning that only this group might get …what happened to that other shoe? I start buying two pair of shoes now, and at Walmart. Hint, hint.
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I know what you are doing Mom2, you have lined up the dropped shoes and are waiting for the other matching shoe to drop so you can box them and sell them.
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son’s doctor called clozapine the last resort drug…he also told me that if his child had my son’s illness it would be the drug he would want to use to help his own child
My brother in the middle East takes Leponex which is he same as Clozapine and he also takes “Camcolit” . they follow the french medicine over there.
My brother has been on these medicines for the last 20 years and he is stable. he communicates ok with others and have a normal interactions. He does sleep at least 10+ hours a day and has problem with drooling and washing his hands multiple times and splashing water all over when he washes his hands.he hears the slightest noise in the home during his sleeps. it is good that my dad’s home is about 3000 square feet and he room is away from kitchen and living room.
He is not motivated to do much. He is very sensitive and gets on edge(Irritated/tense) when someone makes negative remarks about his behavior or if someone calls him sick.
My sister and my dad are very careful on dealing with him and always try to make positive remarks when talking to him. he likes to be treated as a normal person because he still does not believe he is sick. My dad gives him the medicine daily.
He stays with my dad at home and and my dad always keeps trying to engage him to do little things around the house. He wait for some relatives to visit during the day and watches TV often. goes to bed about 11PM and get up next day about noon.
He likes visitor and like to discuss issues of the day. my sister who is a nurse sometimes brings friends home and he enjoys socializing with them.
I know it will a challenge when my Dad passes away and my sister who is a nurse will have to deal with him my herself.
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I am still hesistant to try Clozapine on my Son yet!
I wanted to see if Invega-Sutena works for him for at least 4 to 5 months. I have read one article in one of review about Invega-sustena that someone get his PHD while taking it and my brother who is a social worker told about few people who are on Invega theraphy and they are fully functional like have jobs and lead normal lives.
But I know everyone is different and what works for someone may not works for another…
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Thank you for sharing that. I appreciate it. I think my son would be extremely isolated if I didn’t do everything with him (outside of the house). If I try to come up with ideas on ways he could interact with others he says he is in no way interested. That makes me sad…but my sadness about that is my problem because he says he is not sad about it. I Just love him and would like others to see what is lovable about him too. He can be a fun guy to be around (now).
Regardless of what he has going on inside himself he exudes a calm, strong presence and at the most unexpected moments he can say something utterly hilarious. He makes a perfect companion. It wasn’t always that way so I enjoy what we have now. My sadness comes from hearing that he has no interest in dating or making any other friendships or revisiting old friendships.
I myself am reigniting old friendships and getting more involved in things that are just for me. Sometimes I feel like I am kind of leaving him in the dust so to speak, even though we live together and he can always count on me for anything. He spends more and more time alone.
By the way, my son has slept 10 or 11 hours a day since he was born. Unusual but normal for him. When he was first getting acclimated to the medicines he slept almost 18 hours at a time. That frightened me but it tapered off after about a month or two…and it got a little less each month after. He also gained about 90 pounds but now he has lost about 30 and continues to lose a couple of pounds a month, just by walking with me regularly and cutting back a little on snacks.
I would say that from my point of view as a caretaker, clozapine is a very slow but very progressive medication…the small improvements appear slowly month after month and continue appearing for years. I understand the hesitation, but after my son had been on literally every other drug and still had voices and visions and complicated delusions…the clozapine eventually stopped all of that, but it took time and even after progress was made there was a setback here and there…I discovered that if I got into an argument with him or tried to force him to do something he said he didn’t want to do or got very emotionally upset myself, there would be a setback for him…so I am careful today, I work on me and I pretty much live and let live…nothing he does or does not do today is so serious that I need to rock his “sanity boat” which has been floating smoothly for a good long while.
I wish you the very best with your son’s treatment. Again thanks a lot for sharing. 
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Thanks @hope honestly didn’t get it…at all.
Giggling here! Thanks @Vallpen!!!
That just hilarious. Printing out for “those” days
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So happy you are getting involved in things that are just for you - and extremely grateful when you grace us with your pearls of wisdom.
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@Vallpen - is it okay to make copies? Do you think you should start it on its own thread so people can appreciate it ? Its background on the clozapine thread might not do it justice.
@Nebuddy - yes, we all talk about waiting for the next shoe to drop - and we with family members with scz, live in a land where it rains shoes!
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I could start a new thread, definitely.
I’m fine with you copying the image. The artist also said she would make prints. If anyone is interested, they can let me know.
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I would say that from my point of view as a caretaker, clozapine is a very slow but very progressive medication…the small improvements appear slowly month after month and continue appearing for years. I understand the hesitation, but after my son had been on literally every other drug and still had voices and visions and complicated delusions…the clozapine eventually stopped all of that,
I am glad that clozapine worked for your son and he is very lucky to have you. you had figured out the correct medicine receipt for your Sonand on how to deal with him on daily basis. you have a peace of mind and enjoying his company.
i like this quote:" I pretty much live and let live"
I am still not there yet. My son is being conserved and with a Public Guardian. I miss him a great deal and I wish I can be in close distance to him.
he is still not nice to me on the phone. Always praying and hoping for little improvement
I hope I can learn from you and from your success with your son.
and I agree with Hope. we are grateful for your wisdom
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Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope you do get to get closer to your son in the future. When my son was very ill he was very mean and nasty to me, I tried very hard to not take it personally but everyone has their limits. I think the NAMI Family to Family class I took helped me the most to understand what my son was going through and it raised my compassion level for him much higher than it was before I took the class. Feel free to send messages here anytime if there is anything you feel like discussing. I can share what my experiences have been and hope that they might help in some way. Stay well my friend.
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