Can antipsychotics prevent severe confusion from developing?

[NullChamber]

i sometimes feel like my thoughts and feelings are so mixed up that they'll override the effects of the medications and il slip into a severe state of confusion (not anxiety, not panic attacks) rather than psychosis. would this be accurate? usually i redirect my attention to my senses and body in these moments, but for the sake of reassurance..

i'm starting to think that maybe i should commit to intensive therapy so i can safely release my emotions. its like my psyche is completely destabilized. i don't think individual therapy would be helpful enough as it's a once a week, and more time limited thing.

on the other hand, intensive outpatient therapy was never something i could commit myself to. i have these... trust issues ... about systems of therapy. it's a confusing situation. i don't want coping skills. i acknowledge the skills are PART of it, but i also want to work THROUGH the pain. not for the pain to be pushed aside. i want real release.

[dancesintherain]

I don't know much about saphris, but I once described risperdal to my pdoc as being like "brain glue." It sorted out my messed up thinking and helped get me cognitively back on track. I'm currently off it, but that's largely b/c I've been cognitive symptom free for a while and it was causing weight gain. If the symptoms emerge in the slightest, though, I'll be back on it.

That said, I feel like therapy's a really important part of releasing emotions, learning coping skills, etc. Are you in it and just not finding it effective? Or have you not been signed up?

[NullChamber]

i've been in outpatient therapy twice and have had several hospitalizations. only recently have i realized that all my issues are rooted in trauma. currently i'm not seeing anyone. waiting for pdoc to recommend somebody. but also second guessing that decision.

[SashaSue]

From what you've said about your symptoms, I'm not at all persuaded that all of your issues are rooted in trauma, and wonder if your pdoc shares this assessment? AAP's can definitely help with clarity of thought for some people. You're on a lowish dose of saphris, why not talk to pdoc about increasing it?

[Maddy]

I'm on a low dose (8 mg twice daily) of Fanapt and it's helped my cognitive capabilities significantly.

[enlightened_plutonian]

My Seroquel has helped me loads by blocking out the thought control, which was just proper messing with my head (especially when it was bad). I can think a lot clearer now than what I have been able to do in years.

Good luck with the therapy though. I think that too should help, especially with the trauma issues. But you do need to trust your therapist and it does also take time.

[NullChamber]

From what you've said about your symptoms, I'm not at all persuaded that all of your issues are rooted in trauma, and wonder if your pdoc shares this assessment? AAP's can definitely help with clarity of thought for some people. You're on a lowish dose of saphris, why not talk to pdoc about increasing it?

lol, are you a MH pro in disguise?

[jt07]

I take between 2 and 4 mgs of risperidone per day. I can say that it has helped my cognitively a lot. Today, I went to a completely unfamiliar place that was like a maze, and I was able to get where I needed to go and get back out without getting seriously lost. That I don't think I would have been able to do without the risperidone. If the Saphris is not working for you, tell your pdoc, and maybe he can adjust the dose or find a different AAP to help you.

[SashaSue]

From what you've said about your symptoms, I'm not at all persuaded that all of your issues are rooted in trauma, and wonder if your pdoc shares this assessment? AAP's can definitely help with clarity of thought for some people. You're on a lowish dose of saphris, why not talk to pdoc about increasing it?

lol, are you a MH pro in disguise?

Hardly, just some crazy lady on the internets.

[NullChamber]

It sounds to me like you're trying to talk yourself into going inpatient again. Why do you think individual therapy wouldn't be good enough? It seems to work for thousands upon thousands of people. You don't have to go just once a week. You can go twice, or even three times a week, or more. It certainly is cheaper than going inpatient. There is no reason you can't work through the pain without being hospitalized. Lots of people do it every day.

Why are you second guessing your pdoc when he hasn't even made a recommendation yet? Are you second guessing his choice? Or second guessing going to a tdoc at all?

i'll take your word for it. recently spoke with the therapist and i think on some level it might be helpful but iv yet to find out her philosophies and whether or not she'll be able to work with me. my last therapist who was a phd. actually said that i'm very difficult to work with. probably has something to do with the fact that my anger leaks out in illogical and senseless ways and the fact that i continually sabotage myself and abandon things that work for me. but i'm no longer second guessing it, i suppose.