3 ms·

Not a psychiatrist but I am schizophrenic. I agree, medication should be the first line of treatment. I developed major symptoms in my early 20s but didn't get

Not a psychiatrist but I am schizophrenic. I agree, medication should be the first line of treatment. I developed major symptoms in my early 20s but didn't get diagnosed until I was in my early 30s. No amount of therapy would have made a difference. It fundamentally changes your perceptions. All the paranoia and delusions make perfect sense and seem completely logical when you're in that state. I never knew to seek treatment because I didn't know anything was wrong, even in spite of my life being in complete shambles. It wasn't until I got on medication for the first time and didn't experience major schizophrenic and psychotic symptoms that I finally realized the full extent of what I had been experiencing. I do agree with environmental factors being a major contributor to the severity of the symptoms but the symptoms themselves are a major contributor to the environmental factors. The symptoms prevent you from achieving or maintaining any semblance of normalcy or stability which in turn create stressors that exacerbate the symptoms. Without medication there's no way to break the cycle.

tcj_phx 9y ago
Thanks for sharing your experience. I agree that there's a sort of negative feedback loop for people who exhibit symptoms of schizophrenia. A few years ago I went to visit someone in jail whom I'd only known from an internet message board. He couldn't stop talking, and had probably been arrested for being disruptively psychotic. He's doing much better now. > Without medication there's no way to break the cycle. Metabolic therapies break the cycle too. The simplest form of this is Niacinamide, one of the B-vitamins. Also useful are T3 thyroid, topical progesterone USP, CO2, good nutrition, etc...
- microwavecamera 9y ago
  Diet and nutritional supplements do help but it really depends on the severity of the symptoms. I don't know much about T3 thyroid and topical progesterone USP, so I can't say how effective they are. I had been researching alternatives to prescription medication, mostly because of the issues I've had getting steady access to ones that don't have major side effects like Haldol and other 1st generation anti-psychotics. I found out about studies done with Tetrahydropalmatine (THP) a naturally occurring compound found in corydalis plants that target the same dopamine receptors as atypical anti-psychotics and found it to be moderately effective. I had also read studies done with L-Stepholidine a naturally occurring compound found in Stephania which is a more potent THP analog. The studies found it to be more effective but haven't been able to find a US supplier. I also came across studies successfully treating schizophrenia with the cannabinoid CBD and tried that recently which I found to be highly effective.
dm319 9y ago
Wow, thank you for sharing your experience.

tcj_phx 9y ago

Thanks for sharing your experience. I agree that there's a sort of negative feedback loop for people who exhibit symptoms of schizophrenia. A few years ago I went to visit someone in jail whom I'd only known from an internet message board. He couldn't stop talking, and had probably been arrested for being disruptively psychotic. He's doing much better now. > Without medication there's no way to break the cycle. Metabolic therapies break the cycle too. The simplest form of this is Niacinamide, one of the B-vitamins. Also useful are T3 thyroid, topical progesterone USP, CO2, good nutrition, etc...

microwavecamera 9y ago
Diet and nutritional supplements do help but it really depends on the severity of the symptoms. I don't know much about T3 thyroid and topical progesterone USP, so I can't say how effective they are. I had been researching alternatives to prescription medication, mostly because of the issues I've had getting steady access to ones that don't have major side effects like Haldol and other 1st generation anti-psychotics. I found out about studies done with Tetrahydropalmatine (THP) a naturally occurring compound found in corydalis plants that target the same dopamine receptors as atypical anti-psychotics and found it to be moderately effective. I had also read studies done with L-Stepholidine a naturally occurring compound found in Stephania which is a more potent THP analog. The studies found it to be more effective but haven't been able to find a US supplier. I also came across studies successfully treating schizophrenia with the cannabinoid CBD and tried that recently which I found to be highly effective.

dm319 9y ago

Wow, thank you for sharing your experience.