Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder and a mental illness, which is a lifelong illness. However, it does not have to be a terrible illness that is just so overwhelming that you cannot cope with life. There are many drugs and therapies that can help you live a normal life providing you keep to medications and follow through with your treatment program given to you by your medical team. Many people who have schizophrenia can live outside of the hospital and at home with their families because they do so well on the medication. Still, if there are periods of crisis you may need to be hospitalized again to get your symptoms back under control. Hospitalization is done to keep you safe and make sure you eat and sleep well and maintain your hygiene, in other words make sure you take care of yourself just like everyone does in daily life.

Normally there are a whole team of mental health specialists to help you in every way. There are psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, therapists, social workers, maybe even drama therapists or art therapists and music therapists to help you. You may have on the job training specialists and workshops, that teach you occupational and home skills. There may even be a case manager who coordinates the various functions of the team to see you have the proper care you need. Of course the type of treatment you have depends largely on the resources available in your area.

Medications

Medications are the mainstay of treatment for schizophrenia. They do have some side affects which may make you reluctant to take them, but don.t give up. They offer the most effective way to relieve your symptoms at this time. Work with your doctor to find just the right medication for you. You may go through a period of trial and error and then there is an adjustment period for the medication to take affect. It will however, be worth it in the end.

Antipsychotic Drugs

Antipsychotic Drugs work on the seratonin and dopamine, which are neurotransmitters in the brain to bring them back in balance. The first generation of antipsychotic drugs is called conventional, or typical antipsychotic medication. These drugs are very effective to control positive symptoms of schizophrenia such as hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorder. However, they can also cause tardive dyskinesia, which is uncontrolled motor movements, such as spasms, or twitting around the mouth. These medications include: Haloperidol (Haldol), Thioridazine and Fluphenazine. These older medications are also less expensive than the newer drugs. They can often be purchased in generic form.

Atypical antipsychotic medication

These atypical antipsychotic medications are what are called second generation. They are effective in treating both positive symptoms of schizophrenia and negative symptoms such as flat affect or lack of motivation. These atypical antipsychotic medications include: Clozapine (Clozaril), Risperidone (Risperdal), Olanzapine (Zyprexa), Quetiapine (Seroquel), Ziprasidone (Geodon), Aripiprazole (Abilify) and Paliperidone (Invega).

Clozapine needs to be monitored, it can cause the reduction of white blood cells and so bloods must be taken every two weeks to make sure that the white blood cells are fine.

Risperidone (Risperdal) is the only drug that is approved as a medication for children with schizophrenia at this time.

The known side affects of atypical antipsychotic drugs are weight gain, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

Sometimes antidepressants and anti anxiety medications are used to treat the symptoms. Everyone is different and will respond differently to treatment. Therefore make sure you work with your doctor to find the right medication for you. You will also want to combine your medication with therapy, which can help you cope with life stressors. You can be part of individual or group counseling. You may be included in a cognitive behavior program or psychotherapy. And you may have family therapy to include everyone who are close to you and interested in your good health. Take advantage of all these services to help you live a normal healthy, happy life.

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