Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that affects you for life, and the cause is unknown. Symptoms of hallucinations, hearing voices and illogical thinking or believing people are reading your mind can start in the late teens to 20s for men and mid 20s to early 30s for women, according to MedlinePlus. Finding the correct medicine to treat your symptoms can take several rounds of various medications. Some patients may turn to herbal drugs in order to find relief from schizophrenia episodes when traditional drugs fail, though these should not be taken without strict permission from your doctor.
Traditional Drugs
The first line of defense against schizophrenia symptoms for doctors and health care providers is traditional drugs. "The New York Times" explains that traditional methods of treating schizophrenia include antipsychotic or neuroleptic medications that change the balance of brain chemicals. While these medications are effective, they can have side effects such as sleepiness, weight gain and restlessness. There are, however, newer medications on the market, called atypical antipsychotics, which have fewer side effects. These new medications also seem to help those patients who haven't improved with the older medications.
Risks of Traditional Drugs
While the newer schizophrenic drugs work more effectively than their predecessors, there are still risks associated with these traditional drugs. Serious side effects that you may experience, according to the National Institute for Mental Health, include dizziness, racing heartbeat, uncontrolled body movements and weight gain. Talk to your doctor immediately if you notice any of these effects. "The New York Times" states that schizophrenia sufferers are at risk of developing a substance abuse problem, and the use of alcohol or other drugs increases the risk of a schizophrenic episode. This can also cause issues because many prescription medications interact with alcohol and other drugs, so always check with your doctor about possible complications.
Outlook
With traditional drug treatment, symptoms will improve. Some people can gain control over symptoms and maintain a semblance of normalcy in daily life. Others, however, have repeated episodes of schizophrenia and have a functional disability that can interfere with treatment.
Herbal Drugs
Some patients may choose to include herbal remedies in their medication regimen in order to either improve upon the traditional medical drugs already prescribed, or in the hopes that herbal remedies will help where traditional medicines have not -- and with less side effects. In a study published in the "Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine," patients who suffer from schizophrenia were given certain immunoactive, or immune system-boosting, herbs over a period of six weeks. Research showed that these immunoactive herbs may be an agent in preventing a relapse in schizophrenia patients. However, more research is needed in order to narrow down which of these herbs can be the most effective.
References
- MedlinePlus: Schizophrenia
- "The New York Times"; Health Guide; Schizophrenia
- "Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine"; Immunological Study of Inefficiency Schizophrenics With Deficiency Syndrome Treated With Xin Shen Ling; Q.H. Ma, et al.; April 1991
- National Institute of Mental Health: Schizophrenia
