My mom has paranoid schizophrenia. She had a relapse end of last year and recovered a few months ago but fell into depression instead. She has been seeing the psychiatrist and took some medicine../but after quite a while the psychiatrist said she's only recovered about 10-20%. So, he talked to my father about a new medicine that's according to him very effective but has a side effect that is it will weaken the body's immune system..something about affecting the bone marrow which is important to produce red blood cells and protect the body against diseases. My father told her about the medicine but hasn't told her about the side effects.We're deciding whether to let her take this new medicine which has quite a troublesome side effect. Any opinions? Thanks for reading:-)
2006-09-12 01:14:20 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Mental Health
the drug that you are talking about is called clozapine. It works very well for SOME people who have so-called "treatment-resistant schizophrenia." For those is helps, the results can be transformative. It can have a huge positive benefit. There are risks, but the risk to bone marrow is very low. The number of deaths as a result of this problem are very small, especially when compared to the tremendous reduction in risk of suicide that has been attributed to clozapine.
Also, the effects on bone marrow are monitored every week with blood work. With care, this medicine helps a lot.
Also, remember that the treatment of schizophrenia requires more than just medication. See the links below.
2006-09-12 01:33:15 · answer #1 · answered by adamsjrcn 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are many medications that help with schizophrenia. I would ask the doctor about other medications before taking something with that serious of a side effect profile. Also if your mom had depression she might be misdiagnosed. It could be schizoaffective disorder which is treated with an antidepressant, mood stabilizer and an antipsychotic.
2006-09-13 00:51:46 · answer #2 · answered by nicole26 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Typically, if the psychiatrist is recommending a particular drug with sides effects such as those, another alternative is offered or perhaps other medication to off-set the effects... work with the psychiatrist - ask him/her questions until you are satisfied your mom will be okay taking any medication.
2006-09-12 08:24:07 · answer #3 · answered by tampico 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are many meds that don't cause that kind of a side effect..don't let her be a guinea pig...Risperdol is supposed to be a life saver but you can go on line and research the medicine yourself, actually..to be sure.
2006-09-12 09:21:09 · answer #4 · answered by MotherKittyKat 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think he should take quatapine fumarate because it can treat schizophrenia and less side effect
2006-09-12 08:16:23 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋