What are the most effective medications for individuals with psychotic disorders, and why?
414024
Do you know which disorder?\n\nTest yourself first then tell me!\nhttp://www.4degreez.com/misc/personality_disorder_test.mv
1058025
Unfortunately, there is no absolute best. Each person metabolizes medication differently, and reacts to medication differently. Prozac might be the absolute best thing for one person, but another person is allergic to it or it doesn't do anything for them. Trial and error is still the best way to find an anxiety medication that works.
169776
i don't think you will ever 'get over' the disorder.  the meds will help mask or suppress the symptoms like cough syrup does but there is no cure.  i have bipolar and have wondered the same thing before.  once the meds are started it might take 2-3 wks to see results and get back to a normal balance or mood.  don't get too down.  millions are affected my mental illness.  we're a special group of people with talent and dreams like the rest of the 'normal' population.
330799
i'm a biopsych major and i think what you're looking for is drugs such as ritalin that affect dopamine synapses in the brain and play a role in the patient's behaviour.  other antipsychotics also have behavioural affects resulting from different neurotransmittors in the brain.
533652
I've found that a lot of mental health meds were originally used or developed for epilepsy. When I read the inserts that come with my prescriptions several say for epilepsy. I suppose that is because they all work on brain chemistry.
947203
This set of problems you describe are definitely symptoms of a severe psychosis, which is generally characterized by the person losing contact with reality, hallucinating, personality confusion, unhealthy and eccentric  habits, etc.\n\nYou mentioned that she has already taken so many drugs and that nothing has helped, but the more severe the illness is, the harder it may be for her doctor to make a good diagnosis and drug prescription.\n\nMore specifically, she may have 1 of the following mental illnesses: schizophrenia, psychopathy, delirium, delusions, paranoia, etc. and the full list is on my link below.\n\nShe needs to be on either 2 of the more mild anti-psychotic drugs or 1 of the heavier ones like Abilify or Seroquel, and these medications should be accompanied with psychological therapy weekly, if possible.
813296
Doctors do not always know best. Educate yourself and do not hesitate to be a partner with your doctor in your treatment. If you are uncomfortable with a proposed treatment, let the him/her know. Any questions or concerns that you have should be addressed and taken seriously.\n\nAbilify is an anti-psychotic that has some antidepressant effects as well. "Anti-psychotic" sounds a lot worse than it is...they can help stabilize moods, slow down racing thoughts, help with sleep, etc.\n\nI'm bipolar and was on Abilify for a short time. It wasn't for me...it made me unbearably restless. But I have a friend that does exceptionally well on it.
1159491
Abilify is an antipsychotic which treats:  racing thoughts, agitation, and a variety of symptoms associated with psychosis.
143059
Schizophrenia appears to be a combination of a thought disorder, mood disorder, and anxiety disorder. The medical management of schizophrenia often requires a combination of antipsychotic, antidepressant, and antianxiety medication. Unfortunately, after the first year of treatment, only a minority of schizophrenic outpatients remain on their oral medications (Long, 1996). \nAntipsychotic medications help to normalize the biochemical imbalances that cause schizophrenia. They are also important in reducing the likelihood of relapse. There are two major types of antipsychotics, traditional and new antipsychotics. \n\nTraditional antipsychotics effectively control the hallucinations, delusions, and confusion of schizophrenia. This type of antipsychotic drug, such as haloperidol, chlorpromazine, and fluphenazine, has been available since the mid-1950s. These drugs primarily block dopamine receptors and are effective in treating the "positive" symptoms of schizophrenia.\n\nThe newer antipsychotics, serotonin-dopamine antagonists (SDAs) block both serotonin and dopamine receptors, thereby treating both the "positive" and "negative" symptoms of schizophrenia. These newer medications are effective in treating a broader range of symptoms of schizophrenia, and have fewer side effects than traditional antipsychotics.
1107301
Depakote is a very effective mood stabilizer. It is approved for the treatment of bipolar disorder, migraine headaches, and seizure disorders. Depakote is especially effective in treating the manic symptoms of bipolar disorder, as well as "atypical" forms of bipolar disorder such as "rapid cycling" (alternating quickly from one episode to another) and mixed episodes (simultaneously exhibiting manic and depressive features). It's not quite as helpful for acute depressive episodes. Side effects can include weight gain and sedation. Serious side effects can (RARELY) occur, including liver or pancreas problems. These can be monitored by your physician. On the whole, Depakote is an excellent choice for bipolar disorder, particularly when manic symptoms are prominent.
644531
If there is another adult in the home, you need to ask them to get ther the help she needs. There are medications that can help her psychotic symptoms. If she's the only adult in the situation, see if you can get help from someone outside your home that she will listen to. Unfortunately, if she's out of touch with reality in any area of her life then she does not see the need for doctors, medications or getting help, so sometimes you have to get help to make her do what she needs to do. If you don't have any relatives or friends nearby who can help, then consider going to a pastor or teacher. They may at least be able to help you get her some aid.
687536
Schizophrenia is a profound disturbance in human activities; thought (delusions, loosening of associations), perception (hallucination), language (word salad, disconnected ideas) and affect (emotions often flat or absent). It is not clear in definition so psychologists divide schizophrenia in 5 subs, as follows:\nParanoid schizophrenia\nCatatonic        ''\nDisorganized     ''\nUndifferentiated ''\nResidual         ''\n\nSince there is a biological basis of schizophrenia the sufferer must see a doctor immediately. There are many approaches to the psycological disorders within which you have to pick the most proper one. Cognitive-Behavioral therapies, humanistic therapies, psychodynamic therapies and biological therapies(medication) are some of them... To guarantee a positive progress, I think iti is best to get a diagnosis first, because as I mentioned schizophrenia is not one simple ilness but a complex one, and then get the treatment. Emotional support is important as in all disorders but since the sufferer is emotinally floating it is hard to cope with that. All these therapies may help to some extent but an integrated one, a little bit of this a little bit of that, is more effective, I guess.
590383
I work with people with various types and levels of mental illnesses and I think medication help reasonably normalize their living conditions, however, considering the long history of mental illness amongst us, and the advancement of our medical technology, I think we should have come up with a one stop gap medication that could help the condition without having to take over 15 different medications.
820352
Here is the official web site for this medication which will tell you all you need to know. http://www.risperdal.com/
681680
What exactly do you mean? Are you referring to the effects of antipsychotic medication or those of psychotherapy?
155480
concerta\n\nUsed to treat ADHD or also used as a street drug
1029805
I'VE HAD BI-POLAR DISEASE FOR YEARS.  I HAVE BEEN PUT ON EVERYTHING FROM PROZAC TO LITHUM.  A YEAR AGO I GOT A DIFFERENT DOCTOR.  HE PUT ME ON A COMBINATION OF TRILECTAL 600 MG, ABILIFY 30 MG AND LURICA 100 MG. I KEEP AN EVEN BALANCE IN MY UPS AND DOWNS MORE THEN I EVER HAVE AND THIS IS THE BEST I'VE FELT IN SEVERAL YEARS.  I HAVE NO SIDE EFFECTS FROM THESE DRUGS.  BUT REMEMBER EVERYONES SYSTEM IS DIFFERENT, WHAT WORKS FOR ONE PERSON MIGHT NOT WORK FOR ANOTHER.  HOWEVER, YOU COULD ASK YOUR DOCTOR TO TRY YOU ON THESE COMBINATIONS.  FIRST HE WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES AND ANY OTHER MEDS YOU'RE ON TO SEE IF THIS COMBINATION IS RIGHT FOR YOU.  IF IT IS, GREAT! TRY IT.  IT MIGHT BE A LIFE SAVER FOR YOU, AS IT HAS BEEN FOR ME. HUGS!