Two years ago it was red basketball shorts, we hot them in Florida for him. He wore them constantly, then he was hospitalised and he wore them constantly there too. Then thankfully it got colder. I think* they disappeared after two summers.
2 Likes
Thanks interesting about the dopamine blocker v regulator.
2 Likes
Am not a doctor so take this as only an idea, but my elderly mother complained of being cold when it was 80 this summer. I assumed it was due to aging/general confusion but turned out her thyroid was way out of range. So maybe could be an underlying medical condition too?
2 Likes
Thereās always that possibility. Thanks for the tip.
Omg!!..Iām new here todayā¦my 26 yr old son has schizoaffective disorder combined I-polarā¦he paces non-stop and says he cannot stopā¦this is with or without medsā¦he has had this for most of his life but itās getting worseā¦heās been to prison over itā¦many many stays at psych wards-shock threatments-you name it and continues to get worseā¦I am lost-I have my own problems as I am borderline personality disorder so trying to handle him is taking me further and further down but I cannot lose him. He camps in the woods-stays on the streets-he has an rv on his dads property but they argue so he tries to stay awayā¦he cannot live in the house with anyone as he drives everyone insane and does stuff thatās just too crazyā¦and the pacingā¦it never ends and he has that I know of 7 different people in his head all with diff names and voicesā¦he has called me to say heās going to hang himslef and I immmediately lose it-we get him in the hospital immediately and then they send him home. He has just started receiving social security again as he lost it because he was in the hospital over a year-we had to start all over with the process-Iām trying desperately to get him on invega injections and am having no luck even with getting his Medicaid throughā¦they sent the papers and I called for an appt and it wasnāt even a doctors office or doctor period!!..I am so lost and cry every dayā¦Iām so sorry for everyone here having To go through thisā¦what do we do to save our loved one?
2 Likes
@Zenahildebrand - if the pacing is constant, itās a symptom called psychomotor agitation.
My son was on Invega injections for 6 months. We had very big hopes for it, and several times it looked like it would be a miracle drug for him. Sadly, it didnāt work out, but there are lots of people on here that have family members who do really well with it.
Heās on Clozapine now, the only drug thatās ever kind of scared me, and doing well compared to how he was just a few months ago. Have they ever tried that with your son? It seems to have some anti-depressant properties too, so itās often recommended for people with suicidal tendencies as well.
No he has never tried that that I know ofā¦heās been on a lot of meds so Iām not sureā¦heās spent a lot of time at Laurel Ridge and the state hospital where they gave him all sorts of medsā¦hardest part i think is that he leaves his home for days on end and goes to the streets where he feels free-i guess-then he self medicates with street drugs further exacerbating his condition-he wants so badly to live with me but he cant live in the house with anyone-it might not be safe truthfully and Id probably end up divorced making me completely unable to help him then as wed both be on the streets. His own dad has land and we put an RV there for him but he hates his dad cuz heās not good to him but it keeps him out of the eyes of the law if hed just stay and he and his dad wouldnāt argueā¦they live about 10 acres apart yet still cant get along. Iām in the process of working on his Medicaid to come through because the invega is too expensive to pay and even then I dont know if Medicaid will pay. I found an online coupon for it but its only for 6 months or 2k whichever comes firstā¦so sad it costs so much for help.
Welcome and I hope things improve.
Our family member had a full prescription assist for Risperdal Consta shots which are every two weeks. It lasted awhileā¦
Look up āextrapyramidal symptomsā - they refer to the physical symptoms often associated with antipsychotics, in particular the typical (first) generation of antipsychotics ( which is how zuclopenthixol is classified). The second generation antipsychotics (paliperidone) often list the restlessness as a side effect but the medication switch could be why you are seeing an increase in his movement and restlessness.
Definitely mention this to his pdoc at your upcoming appointment and if it makes you feel any better, Iām lucky to get my son to shower once a week let alone put on fresh clothes. His delusions center around the chemicals found an anything from water to toothpaste - sigh. It can be tiring.
Hang in there and more importantly, enjoy your holiday!!
Hugs
3 Likes
My daughter also lives in hoodies, all year long, regardless of the temperature. If I ask her, on a 90 degree day, are you going to be too hot, she sometimes will remove it, and ties it around her waist. She also has autism. I know from studying autism that many people like heavy or tight clothing because the pressure is calming. WHen she was 3, I found her, in summer, with 4 blankets and 2 pillows piled on top of her in bed, sound asleep. The weight helped her feel calm enough to sleep.
3 Likes
Have you seen the movie Temple Grandin? This is a must see in my opinion.
2 Likes
Whatās this about mom ?
It is about a woman who was Autistic and developed a close fitting contraption that helped her relax. Her mother was unrelenting that she have the same opportunities for college. She has several degrees and it turned out okay but it shows how she had to struggle through. Itās a great movie of perseverance and I would recommend it for anyone with a special needs child.
2 Likes
My son has a blanket that he sits on the couch with every day. The first thing he does is put his blanket on the couch even when itās hot outside. I think itās his security blamket.
1 Like
My bf paces. He says that it is a coping mechanism for him. He calls it walking. Sometimes he actually goes for walks but if he feels he needs to stay where he is, then he just paces. He does it when heās upset about something. Sometimes it helps if I go talk to him; sometimes he needs to calm down on his own. If I feel that he is upset about something I might be able to help with I will approach him, but I donāt follow him. If he is ready to talk about it, then he will stop, or alter his pacing so we can talk. If he doesnāt, then I let him do his thing. Heās not hurting anything and it helps him.
2 Likes
Thatās good and if it helps him itās beneficial. This doesnāt help my son, he literally walks in circles, round furniture etc if heās not sleeping he is walking.
Today he has been given some meds for ot. Also we are changing his AP at next review. This isnāt the med for him, itās made him worse if anything.
2 Likes
Whenās his next review?
Thereās so much in common with my son, Iāll be interested in what happens.
Even if my son is on a good med now, thereās always the chance heāll have to try something else later.
I hope they find the poor guy something helpful soon.
2 Likes
Thank you, next review is 9 Oct, I spoke on Thursday to his Dr on the phone and it was agreed that he wouldnāt get the next dose of zuclopenthixol which would be due on 6 Oct.
We did discuss oral meds . My son is on a cto because he was non compliant with meds, however he is now agreeing to take oral as he doesnāt like the depot, I think itās a step forward and he is taking a little more responsibly now.
They also said with taking the procyclidne it would show if he is med compliant. So far heās taken three, still doing the walking though.
1 Like
That sounds like akathisia to me. I did the little kicks, too.
My son was non-compliant too.
Then, the shots got him to a place where heād take them.
Now he jokes about me being a dirty pill chucker, but he takes them.
I wonder if my change in attitude has anything to do with it. I used to get really nervous every time - now I just give him his pill (I put everything in one capsule so it looks like heās taking one thing), something to drink, and expect him to take it. And, now & then, I tell him the pill is better than him not sleeping and having to go back to the hospital.
Since weāre a big dog family, I always think back to the dog training shows on TV. With problem dogs, they never train the dog - they train the owner. And, on those nanny shows with the bad kids, they train the parents.
3 Likes