1. Keep Taking the Medication
One of the big concerns with schizophrenia medication is getting patients to keep taking it. Studies show that a sizable percentage of schizophrenics will stop their medication within the first year of treatment, either because they don't believe it is working or because the side effects are too great. Never go off medication once you it has been prescribed to you, especially for conditions as serious as schizophrenia. If you have trouble remembering to take your meds, ask family members to help, or set an alarm on a watch or clock to remind you. Acknowledge any fears you have about taking the medication--issues over admitting the mental illness, concern about being controlled by doctors and similar justifications--and work on overcoming them. Even if you don't believe the medication is working, stopping and starting can have a severe effect on your mental state.
2. Explore the Difference Between Newer and Older Antipsychotic Drugs
Schizophrenia is often treated with antipsychotic medication, which addresses the hallucinations, delusions and loss of control that frequently accompany the condition. These meds are usually divided into two basic categories. Typical antipsychotic drugs mostly work by inhibiting dopamine levels in the brain. They include chlorpromazine, haloperidol and fluphenazine, and they have been available since the 1950s. Atypical antipsychotic drugs are much more recent developments and tend to treat a much broader range of symptoms. Their numbers include clozapine, risperidone and aripripazole. Some of them affect dopamine receptors in the brain differently while others affect serotonin levels as well as dopamine levels. They tend to have fewer side effects than typical antipsychotics, making it easier to keep taking them. Learn how your medication works, what the side effects are and whether the medication you are on is the best one for you.
3. Combine Medication With Therapy
Medication is the principle treatment for people with schizophrenia, but psychotherapy and similar forms of counseling can increase its effectiveness. Individual therapy can help you interact with the world better and improve your communication skills, letting you respond more effectively when symptoms arise. It can also help you acknowledge the condition more readily and shrug off the perceived stigma surrounding schizophrenia. In addition, family therapy can help educate those close to you about the specifics of your condition while social-training programs can help you learn skills like cooking and provide vocational training. Not only can therapy help you cope with schizophrenia, but increased understanding also lets you see how your medication is working for you and why it is so important to keep taking it.
