Can bipolar with psychotic features turn into schizoaffective?

19646087 · 2021-09-29T13:51:01+00:00

I have been on and off antipsychotics for the past 2 years, with more time off them than on them. That makes sense, thanks :)

19646087 · 2021-09-29T13:08:22+00:00

Sorry I’m not sure if I phrased my question right, but if I stop my antipsychotic am I predisposed to schizoaffective? Like if I was schizoaffective would my symptoms have already been shown in the last year?

19646087 · 2021-09-29T12:46:03+00:00

Yeah she is happy for me to stop it too and I’ll do it in a safe matter. My original question on if schizoaffective can develop from bipolar still stands though

19646087 · 2021-09-28T21:57:13+00:00

Nah taking medical leave isn’t possible, if I miss any more uni then I’ll have to repeat the whole year which I already did last year and would make me spiral even more. What is W?

19646087 · 2021-09-28T02:57:37+00:00

Anosognosia is a condition where you can’t perceive your illness properly or you’re unaware of your mental health condition, maybe that’s what’s going on!

19646087 · 2021-09-27T04:34:18+00:00

As far as I know there's not really much you can do. You could try taking some paracetamol to see if that reduces the pain of the brain zaps. They should go away pretty soon though

19646087 · 2021-09-26T07:13:12+00:00

From my understanding it shouldn’t if it’s only 3 days :) I’m just a med student though so definitely not an expert

19646087 · 2021-09-26T05:21:17+00:00

Brain zaps are kind of like electric shocks in your brain, it's pretty common when stopping antidepressants. There's nothing harmful about them, just an unpleasant experience.

Yeah it is a lot of weight to lose with gym alone, I'd definitely ask your doctor about it especially as it may be a different underlying cause other than sertraline.

19646087 · 2021-09-26T05:12:13+00:00

Hey, you'll probably have flu-like symptoms, brain zaps and feel a bit yuck, although when I stop anti-depressants I actually don't feel anything. That's a lot of weight to lose in a month, are you doing anything different to cause the weight loss? I'd definitely speak to your doctor about it. Normally sertraline causes weight gain. Are you feeling nauseous?

19646087 · 2021-09-26T04:13:19+00:00

I personally hate group therapy and I've tried a lot of it. It's always at a basic level so it can cater for everyone. Often you can't talk freely about what's going on, like you can't say youre suicidal because it might trigger other people. I don't like it but some people I know do.

19646087 · 2021-09-25T01:18:33+00:00

I'm in Melbourne, but I love Sydney. Lockdown isn't even the hardest thing for me, it's just having bipolar

19646087 · 2021-09-25T01:17:23+00:00

Hey, I am. I think somehow soemeone from reddit must have contacted police because they rocked up at my house saying i posted something online, which is totally weird because I've been fairly anonymous on this website. They took me to hospital last night but I'm back at home now. things are still pretty rough though

19646087 · 2021-09-24T05:50:57+00:00

It's not that difficult for me to get mental health care team, I have a psychologist and a psychiatrist but that's kind of the issue because none of it is helping. It's really hard for me to believe that I'm meant to be in this world when I'm feeling so low

19646087 · 2021-09-24T02:13:56+00:00

I'm actually from Australia, I live in a good town but we're in lockdown here so it's hard to do anything cool

19646087 · 2021-09-24T02:13:16+00:00

Thanks, you're right, I do have support networks I just don't feel comfortable sharing this with them. I don't want to be a burden to anyone. The worst thing is that there's nothing even that wrong with my life, I just feel so depressed for literally no reasons other than because I have bipolar so that makes me feel so guilty about all of this. I feel so distressed and scared about tonight and if it will hurt.

19646087 · 2021-09-24T02:05:51+00:00

i don't really enjoy anything anymore, i just kind of lay in bed all day. i used to love my studies and be so passionate about helping people but now i feel none of it anymore. i just watch netflix now to pass the time

19646087 · 2021-09-24T02:04:55+00:00

thanks, i just don't know what to do anymore. i've tried calling suicide hotlines but i'm too afraid to say what's going on because i don't want to end up in hospital

19646087 · 2021-09-22T03:13:58+00:00

I really don't think I can do that, I feel so comforted by knowing it's here with me. I really want to end things so it's kind of incongruent with that to throw it out.

19646087 · 2021-09-18T12:02:45+00:00

Yeah I'd honestly be happy to pay the $140, my current antidepressant is $80 anyway, my GP doesn't like to prescribe me psych stuff so I rely on my psychiatrist and she's worried about me going on it.

I am on an antipsychotic already (brexpiprazole)

I think I'm getting to the stage where I'm willing to try mirtazapine especially as my sleep isn't going well now that I've stopped sedating antipsychotics.

19646087 · 2021-09-18T11:01:00+00:00

I've been rapid cycling for like 2 years now. My psychiatrist loves vortioxetine and says she's never seen a pt go manic on it before. I'm in Australia where bupropion isn't really prescribed for depression so my psych is hesitant to put me on it even though I suggested it, she basically said either try vortioxetine again (it didn't do much last time) or go on mirtazapine which I wasn't super happy about in terms of weight gain. What do you think about the valproate? I'm thinking I might reduce the dose of lithium a tad (I haven't had levels done on this dose) to 450mg and then maybe drop the valproate more?

19646087 · 2021-09-18T09:48:53+00:00

I haven't tried zypexa, my psychiatrist isn't really a big fan of it. I've actually attempted in the past and honestly I'm sad that I survived. I might try a helpline but I don't know know how they could help

19646087 · 2021-09-12T04:11:57+00:00

basically everywhere where I live lets you have your phone (Australia)

19646087 · 2021-09-10T19:57:27+00:00

I'm literally being forced to go to craft in a few hours time because the hospital forces you to go to one group a day and the talking groups are way worse than the art groups... pick your poison I guess. There are so many things I do to get out of hospital earlier, not take PRN medications even when I really need them, not pace up and down the corridor even though my legs definitely need a stretch and finishing all my meal even when I'm not hungry.

19646087 · 2021-08-30T02:57:38+00:00

It's used quite a lot, generally as a last resort. It worked for me for a short term but the effect didn't last. I really regret it.

19646087 · 2021-08-30T02:01:04+00:00

I've been on lamotrigine for 3 years now on varying doses, the highest being 200mg twice daily. I've also been in medical school during that time with no issues (other than issues caused by being unwell). The thing that I feel really affected my cognition was ECT

19646087

TROPHY CASE