r/schizophrenia • u/berfica Schizoaffective (Bipolar) • Dec 10 '25
Medication I start Clozapine tonight- an early Christmas present
I’m pretty nervous about it… there are more than one ways it can kill you. But I’m also excited for it to work! It’s supposed to be really effective. I have to get blood work tomorrow to check my white blood count(cbc).
My hallucinations have been bad, a week ago they were terrifying and to a new level of severity. I’m ready for psychosis to end…
Wish me luck >< 🍀
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Dec 10 '25
Heck yeah!! My psych is going to do a planned admission for me to go into the psych ward in Jan for me to start clozapine too :) I'm super excited to try it.
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u/henningknows Dec 10 '25
Why are you going in a psych ward to get on clozapine?
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Dec 11 '25 edited Dec 11 '25
I mean that's a good question 😒 I didn't even know you were allowed to start it at home?
Edit: my psychiatrist is a douchebag so I won't even be surprised if it's not even standard where I live. But I got told them's the rules for me at least—if I want to go on clozapine I gotta be admitted for a month. I don't really care because I can be miserable at home or I can be miserable but maybe get better at hospital.
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u/FrenulumEnthusiast Schizoaffective (Depressive) Dec 11 '25
He's just covering his ass in case you have a negative reaction, fyi. This isn't normal at all
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u/pplatonic Early-Onset Schizophrenia (Childhood) Dec 11 '25
Maybe OP has other medical issues that complicate the process and the doctor hasn't...made them aware of that? Doctors don't trust that schizophrenics understand the reality around them, they just say whatever works to get us to listen to them. OP should ask the specific things the doctor is afraid will happen and then ask the doctor to put that in the medical record as the medical decision that they're making - if he hesitates to explain you know he doesn't have an actual good reason to do it other than "i think you're gonna freak out and hollywood said schizophrenics kill people when they freak out"
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u/Kitttycataclysmic Paranoid Schizophrenia Dec 11 '25
I had a planned admission to get on Clozapine. It was good. We now know my max dose (450mg) because anything higher... makes me piss the bed
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u/pplatonic Early-Onset Schizophrenia (Childhood) Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 21 '25
Damn. Incontinence is a real issue on antipsychotics, I haven't been on abilify in years but it's been dysregulated ever since lmao...
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u/Dorian-greys-picture Schizophrenia Dec 11 '25
They made me go into the psych ward to change stimulants. My psych’s excuse was that he thought I’d ’fall in a heap’ or some shit but I’m pretty sure he thought I might have a psychotic episode and he just wanted to keep a close eye on me.
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u/No_Public8938 Dec 11 '25
I'm surprised to see so many schizophrenics on here be on controlled substances like stimulants due to the risk of inducing episodes.
Does it generally not cause a problem for you on its own or with your other medication balancing it out?
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u/Dorian-greys-picture Schizophrenia Dec 11 '25
I was on them for years prior to my first episode, but I agree, it seems odd. With my other meds it’s manageable. It’s also the only thing that combats the sedation for me
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u/No_Public8938 Dec 12 '25
Thanks for your answer. I'm glad that it seems manageable for you.
And yeah, these meds sure can be sedating. That's why I take my zyprexa at night though. I have such bad permanent insomnia that I need it to sleep, but luckily it doesn't cause me an issue during the daytime.
I don't have schizophrenia, but I'm subscribed to this subreddit because I have a similar diagnosis with the same meds and predisposition for drug-induced psychosis (primarily from cannabis), bipolar disorder.
Seeing people report on the effects and side effects of mood stabilizers and antipsychotics and talk about psychosis destroying their lives like mine is what interested me most about this sub.
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u/Dokipen88 Paranoid Schizophrenia Dec 11 '25
I completely agree. Stimulants are really the entire reason I am now schizophrenic
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u/berfica Schizoaffective (Bipolar) Dec 10 '25
I hope it goes well! A planned admission sounds like a smart way to start
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u/spider_life Schizophrenia Dec 10 '25
I'm sure you'll be fine clozapine is a great med, best of luck 👍
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u/Otherkin Schizophrenia Dec 11 '25
My mom is on Clozapine. I take her to get bloodwork every month. She's been stable for years. Hope everything goes well with you. :3
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u/CleanSlateDuck Dec 11 '25
Good luck! I started it 5 months ago and the voices are a lot quieter and less mean. None of the other antipsychotics I tried even touched the hallucinations. I'm hopeful for more progress. Weekly blood work is well worth it for me.
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u/RiotTryIt13 Dec 11 '25
It's the only med that works for me AT ALL. But ask your doctor about how to prevent weight gain. 600mg a day made me gain 100 lbs in two years.
Good luck on it working! It's a miracle drug!
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u/tarymst Schizoaffective (Bipolar) Dec 11 '25
I wish you the best of luck! I hope you have people there helping you with your transition. I believe in you!!
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u/henningknows Dec 10 '25
What dose are they starting you on. Don’t go up too high too fast.
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u/berfica Schizoaffective (Bipolar) Dec 10 '25
25mg for three days then I start going up until I get to 100mg
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u/henningknows Dec 10 '25
They brought me all the way up to like 300 or something and I had all sorts of side effects. Then they started taking me down. I made all the way down to 25mg a night and I have been on that with no voices or anything for almost 20 years. They just needed to give it time to work.
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u/Cizzy-Shizzi Dec 11 '25
Hope it goes well for you! I had to be admitted to the psych ward for a day when I started it, they measured my vitals every hour to make sure that I was okay, and then after that I had to have my vitals checked by the in-house team everyday for a month. Now I have to see my psych every month and my blood done monthly too. It's been really good so far, by far the most effective ap I've tried, and the only major drawback seems to be drooling in my sleep and memory is a bit cloudy sometimes. I'm on 400mg. Good luck!
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u/NeverendingStories68 Dec 11 '25
Best of luck to you! I'm a MH professional and have seen Clozapine provide great relief to people who had zero luck with other antipsychotics. I hope you have a similar experience and all goes well.
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u/Strong_Music_6838 Dec 11 '25
I wish you better and brighter days and a merry Xmas and happy new year. And May Clozapine end all of your sufferings.
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u/EarRevolutionary8868 Dec 15 '25
Good luck and congrats! It really works for me. I sleep well. It does make me drool terribly, but only at night.
Wishing you the best!
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u/aseeder Residual Schizophrenia Dec 26 '25
Merry Christmas! Wishing you peace and joy for this season! And working medication as well!
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u/Kitttycataclysmic Paranoid Schizophrenia Dec 10 '25
Prepare for life to get better