Thank you So very much for sharing that with me. I pray my son gets to the point he is able to take a job and drive his car again.
I’m really hoping the B12 we are taking and the folate and Omega 5 That I ordered from Dr. Amens website helps him.
I’m going to talk to the doctor from UCLA today about the other options. Clozapine, etc…
I’m very tired. This has just made me an absolute mess. I have to be so strong in front of him but have many breakdowns by myself.
I am just trying to research and I’m so thankful I found this forum. The people on here have been so sweet and helpful.
You can’t imagine what that means to me.
Thank you!
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Your tears will eventually dry up a bit, never entirely, but it does get a bit more easy/tolerable! Xo
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Hi, I don’t know anything about Amen but since you mention you are putting your sun on B12, Folate and Omega, I’ll share my experience: When my son started with initial psychotic symptoms we read about schizophrenia being an auto-immune disease and decided to go in that direction with him (very unusual). We went to the Coimbra Protocol specialized in treating auto-immune with high doses of vitamin D plus some other suplemments such as Omega3, B family vitamins and others. My son has been on this Protocol for the last 3 years (no conventional medicine)with no manifestation of positive (psychotic) symptoms although his negative (cognitive) symptoms remain the same. His inflammatory parameters have dropped dramatically since he started and I believe this has had a lot to do with the elimination of the positive symptoms.
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My heart goes out to you! Our journey began when our son turned 19, he had the first psicotic episode then but the year prior to it he always said the very same things like a broken record saying the same things at the same time. He was suicidal at the second hospitalization and was put on haldol which is probably a first generation medication and rough, he got do stiff one day and fell forward, I thought he was going to have a very bad broken face. That was very scary. He’s about to turn 48 and has been hospitalized many times (4 times committed to the state hospital): we’ve had good times with him in between but once he feels better he had stopped taking the meds and he goes there again! Each time he stops the meds he gets so deteriorated. A few times the has thanked me for putting him in the hospital others he blames me. Meds take a while to work, at least 8 weeks. New generation meds are better and of course it’s a matter of trial and error. Lastly I’d like him to try the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation but right now he doesn’t want to hear it.
That’s an option for you to consider.
It takes a long while to ‘digest’ this ‘gift’!
I used to go to a support group. We have taken the Family to Family education twice through NAMI.
Empower yourself with education, it isn’t easy but you meet people that go through the same and make the best of friends.
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It’s truly like 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. I having been going through this off snd in for several years and he will get better then he will get worse than he was before. I’m just praying to God and whoever else is up there that will listen to heal him. That’s my baby.
He is just 20 years old. This should be the time of his life! He should be out with friends and have girlfriends going to college or making money how he did before in the Internet. I truly have lost him. My tears won’t ever go away. I cry by myself every night. It’s so so lonely!
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I am wanting to do this all natural with the supplements. I have researched so much. With schizophrenia there is a Vitamin B deficiency and also the fatty fish oils also known as the Omega 3 which I am giving him. The folate is supposed to work with the B12.
So I’m very happy to hear the supplements work for your son. I am really so concerned and trying to find what supplements can help with the cognitive functions.
My intelligent (before schizophrenia) son could not even write his own name! I’m having such a hard time accepting that he may never be able to do the simple things he did before. I just want him to be happy and enjoy life. It’s so sad to watch this.
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@momlove My wife has been crying every day also. It is almost unbearable. I’m trying to accept my son’s illness and have begun meditating every day. Also, realizing that if something isn’t in my control I have to accept it and work with it the best I can.
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Try New Roads Behavior in Provo, UT. Our 20 year old son was there for 5 months after several violent episodes and recycled attempts at local facilities (we live in Dallas: he’d been to Children’s Medical, Green Oaks, Timberlawn, Methodist, and Baylor psych units.
Felt HOPELESS for YEARS. Kept grinding. Found New Roads. Found a new therapeutic approach. New meds. FINALLY our son agreed that he felt better and has remained compliant.
It’s still a daily grind. Will he stay compliant? Will he use illicit drugs again? Will he be homeless again? Unfortunately- the answer is ‘probably’. But, you’ve got to keep trying. Love wins.
We’ve finally found peace for a season and got our son back for a day at a time. Love to all we 1%s whether in a season of shit or a season of peace. Keep the faith.
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Yes, there are always steps back, sigh! I too pray very regularly, but have cursed God out in the past - it’s just so hard! My baby is only 21, broke at 16 - it’s been a long road to get to our ‘stability’. Acceptance took years for me - NAMI Family to Family helped me, but only after the 2nd time that I took it. I moved counties, so I’ll be taking the class for the 3rd time soon, lol, but resources change, especially in a different county. Just keep educating yourself and try to find understanding individuals for supports. Sending Xo, Jen
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It’s so hard! I had to go to LA for 2 days and he did not eat anything. When I got home he finally ate for me. He was so cold. We almost took him to hospital to get his vitals checked but very concerned of outcome because he is over 18. What if they kept him? We would not be able to do anything or have a say in anything medical and he is not mentally there. I had to get him dressed in his shorts for bed last night.
I need to get legal guardianship until he gets better.
Do you know anything about legal guardianship? If so please advise me.
Maybe I should start a discussion. I’m clueless. We may need to get attorney to take care of it.
This is bad.
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Jen,
I know. This is terrible. My baby is only 20. It breaks my heart to watch him like this. This should be the time of his life! I will try the NAMI. I would probably go to a different county than we are in if that’s possible. He seems to be getting worse. I’m just numb.
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Jen. Maybe I can go with you to the classes. Let he know what you think.
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I feel like moving from IL! At the same time I wonder if our son would be willing to go with us. Would New Roads accept the medicare medicaid cards!
In 2019 he spent most of the year in and out of the hospitals, 3 weeks in 3-4 days out, he was the ‘frequent flyer’ because he was not complying with meds and though he was at the hospital it doesn’t mean he was getting better for the same reason. He used up almost his entire lifetime days coverage by Medicare! Now we’re at a crossroads again; there’s supplements that he is trying but one little supplement now and then it’s not going to work.
He’s very hard to talk to into even vitamins or alternatives; I’m doubting myself, what others do to succeed in getting their loved ones into treatment?
I realized each case is a little different and it is what it is!!!
I need to check into New Roads.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us the 1% (I really think it’s more than that)
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In Los Angeles, the psychiatrist at the hospital has to submit a conservatorship referral. I have BEGGED doctor’s to help me with this process, but it costs more money to keep the individual the extended time for the court date. I actually got into a fight with one doctor because he had the nerve to ask me, why isn’t your son conserved? I snapped back so hard, doctor, with all due respect, you know why - because your the one that has to submit the referral and your not going to do that because it costs time/money for you to keep my son in here longer and because the whole mental health system is a joke - I was screaming, I was so irate! His reply, oh yes, you’re right - he knew I was 100% correct and had no come back because there is none. Do some more research, but try talking to the social worker for assistance as this comes from the hospital. In Orange County and for low income, I was referred to the company linked for help because it’s a complete different process and the hospital doesn’t have to submit the referral. You might want to start a discussion, but search through here as there is more information. Oh, I just checked their website and it it for LA and OC - awesome! https://www.communitylegalsocal.org/
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They’re all zoom right now, I’m waiting for in person, but I’m going to go through the NAMI in Santa Ana, Orange County for classes. I would love to go with you, I’m on the wait list - this is the organization: https://www.namioc.org/
Also, I attended any class that I could find on conservatorship and settled on one in LA at Kaiser. The whole department from The Los Angeles Department of Mental Health, I’m talking the biggest players, were there and when I told them my son’s story and how unsuccessful that I was, they gave me their personal phone number to help with the process. That card, although a few years old is still in my purse and if your son has Medical/Services with the LADMH, I will give you the contact/number - it’s GOLD!
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I’m not sure where is even the best place to live. No one seems to know what to do with them when they get into the hospitals.
We have insurance and when our son was in the hospital he wasn’t getting better and they just literally drugged him up. We wanted to take him out but couldn’t because they wouldn’t release him to us. When we got the breakdown of the insurance Bill we saw why the kept him so long.
Our Insurance was paying $10,000 a day to the hospital.
It’s just all so sad. I am so physically and mentally exhausted.
I wish you the best. There is no way unless someone experienced this for themselves that they could even understand. I’m so tired and just broken hearted and trying to stay on track to get him better.
Dear momlove.
Many years ago when we had our son at the hospital one of the social workers set up the guardianship for me and I didn’t have to pay a cent; you can inquire about that now that he’s in the hospital.
Our guardianship covers everything but sometimes the laws of the State where you leave not necessarily mean the same thing; last year at one cop’s advice I checked with a personal lawyer and I ended paying about $1300 unnecessarily. My letter has not been modified but the laws still protect the mentally ill.
In 2019 I was in your same situation, our son is about to be 48 next month, he had stopped eating or drinking water for about a week and I was constantly checking on him, trying to entice him with his favorite food but the way they think and process is so far off, he “wasn’t hungry because he wasn’t doing much” but he wasn’t sleeping much either do one morning at about maybe 2-3 am he went to the bathroom and I fell asleep so when I got up he was still in the bathroom standing up just staring downward; I had to take his hands and pulled him out of the bathroom and called 911, once outside with ambulance, cops and firefighters it took another 30-45 minutes to put him in the ambulance’s gourney because his mind was just not there, he was cold and definitely in an awful state of mind.
Once at the hospital he even forgot how to walk or to eat, I was trying to feed him like a baby but not there, he lost control of his bladder also! Under those circumstances he was admitted shortly.
Sometimes having the guardianship has helped to a certain point; others I have been frustrated with our laws regarding involuntary treatment because I feel that it’s been necessary to court ordered his meds and the court doesn’t do it because is up to the doctor’s judgement: if he doesn’t think the person is a threat to himself or others they don’t court order the meds because they’re psychotropics!
I hope you can get the help you need; talk to the social worker at the hospital.
My heart is out to you.
May God bless you and strengthen you in this difficult journey.
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Got it!
I’ll register.
I’ll be so happy when things are in person again. 
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I just checked the schedule. Where do I go to get on the in person waitlist? What is start date?