Other Medical Problems Occurring as a Result of Psychiatric Medication

From the practical side of taking medication, we are all advised that there may be side effects related to consumption of our prescriptions. Some more serious than others, thus needing specialized care. This entry in my blog is going to deal with the side effects and possible side effects of my medication over l0ng and short term use. The older anti psychotic drugs such as Haldol then to cause muscle contractions in the body along with involuntary body movements. These types of conditions can be referred to as Extra Pyramidal Side Effects. These can effect people in different ways and parts of the body depending on the individual. In my case I always went through muscle contractions in the lower extremities of my torso, from my buttock through out my intestinal region. My spouse, when I first met her, noticed the flexing of the butt cheek muscles at different times. My uncontrollable muscle contractions at work, periodical coming about. Depending on the amount of medication administered to me, controls the frequency and severity of the Extra Pyramidal Side Effects (EPSE) . Even during the years I was self medicating at low dosages and working, I had slight EPSE in my buttock and intestinal region. Constipation was n0t really an issue when I was young but now it is while tolerating the muscle contractions in the same region. It was really bad when I was on Court ordered injections of medication for two years. Near the end of this this time period or while on higher levels of pills, I started getting a lot of blood in my bowel movement. At the time, I got scared by the amount of blood and pursued getting urgent treatment through the Psychiatric Out Patient Clinc attached to the Montreal General Hospital. Through the family medicine Doctor at the Clinic and Emergency, I received excellent follow up in the Gastroenterology Department. As it turned out, a year ago, I was treated for hemorrhoids and polyps. The hemorrhoids were tied with a new procedure, while the polyps were removed and a biopsy done for cancer. By the the grace of the Gods and Goddesses they were not cancerous. With discussions with the Doctor in Colostomy, I learned that the polyps are an out pouching on the wall lining of the colon, which is part of the intestines. With the regular constipation, the rubbing of the hard excretment against the wall lining of the intestinal track, agitated by the EPSE in the region, could be a cause for the polyps. I had thirteen polyps removed a year ago and five today through a yearly treatment plan to monitor the condition. In a month I will get the biopsy results again and a chance to discuss the situation more with the Doctor. With the short meeting with the Doctor before discharge from the Colostomy Clinic, he seems to be under the inclination that I am one prone to getting polyps as an individual. In the closer discussions in a month I will bring up the fact that I know another person with schizophrenia about my age, that has had long term treatment of antipsychotics with muscle contractions in the same relevant region of the body as me, who has gastrointestinal intestinal problems as well. It is a whole new type of issue brought on by schizophrenia that I have to deal with, I just wonder how the Doctor that I see in Colostomy will feel enlighten with this information when I tell him? Are there many other people with schizophrenia that have been under long term care with antipsychotic medication, that have gastrointestinal intestinal problems too? E-mail me if any one reading my blog has any information regarding this issue or is in the same situation,

docgmcreations@hotmail.com

The second issue relating to side effects of antipsychotics is blurred vision, as a result of taking medication for muscle contractions and/or EPSE. The higher the side effect medication level for serverity of EPSE, the more the vision becomes impaired with reading capabilities. To compensate for the vision impairment, one has to has to find the right strength of reading glasses from the Dollar Store or Pharmacy. In my case while I was on the Court ordered injections, as my vision started to go with having to consume Kemadrin or Cogenten, I had to invest in reading glasses. I have had prescriptions for both drugs over the years, I forget which one I was taking during the Court Ordered injections, but they both blurr the vision proportional to consumption. At first I started using+125 reading glasses. As the side effect medication built up in my system my impairment got worse so that I worked up to +325 reading glasses. During this time period my parents were quite concerned for my sight and strongly urged me to get my eyes checked by a Optometrist. I took up the issue with my Psychiatrist, who always insisted more on my eyes degenerating because of my age. Eventually I was checked by the Ophthalmolgy Department from the hospital. The reading glasses I was using at the time of the visit to the clinic, were a bit stronger than what I needed upon examination, my eyes would ajust to the small difference. The Doctors in Ophthalmology agreed that my eyes were not damaged and the medication was the most probable cause of my vision impairment. Now that I am consuming a lower medication limit of my antipsychotic prescription and not requiring side effect medication, my vision is more or less coming back to me. In two stages I have dropped down to +175 reading glasses for most reading, while still using +225 for that very fine print. I am hoping that my eyes will adjust to the weaker lens as they would the stronger lens. It makes you wonder how long it takes to get a drug out of your system to get your vision back, it has been just about four months since I have taken any side effect medication. I am able to start making out more and more on the computer screen without looking through the glasses on my nose. At present, I am always beating up my glasses at work, the Dollar Store glasses do not have the strength built into the frame to last on the job with physical labour. Especially when you wear them around your neck on a string to have them on and off at easy, so you can see what you are doing at different distances. I keep a good quality pair of reading glasses from the Pharmacy to go out dressed with my spouse, while using the same magnification from the Dollar Store for work. It was always a pronouced concern of mine due to being an artist and requiring my eyes to produce, also well and improving so that is all for now.

Pursuing My Apparitions/Hallucinations for Twenty Years Pays it Debit Ends in Life

It is funny how the childhood pursuit of ghost stories really helped me with coping and dealing in my mind regarding my sightings of images that not all can see. When I first had these experiences it was in the early eighties when people in general were very closed minded about the supernatural or its close cousin of schizophrenia. What is what? Are some of us more proned to certain phenomena of the unknown and get diagnosed by mordern medicine as a person with schizophrenia. When I had my experiences that got me into psychiatry, when I spoke about it, people called me crazy any way. I was told that I should see a psychiatrist, no one wanted to deal with it as a bit of a ghost story and talk me through it as a friend. I was cast into isolation from the experiences that drove me even more crazy and acting eccentric. I was always trying to find an angle into the another realm or state of mind to be influenced some how with the power of internal prayer. Years later I have quite the list of tales from the crypt of things I have seen that others could not. Yes at certain times I could smell things that others could not, while on an even less occasion, hear a voice I totally can not explain. In a round about way they guided me through me believing in them on a rational level all my life. The teachings I got by watching and learning while developing a comprehensible relationship with the subject matter is irreplacible. It is funny how a Psychiatrist once said to me " Oh yea, you like playing with your hallucinations". Well what on earth else are you supposed to do with them, at least I try to figure something out of it all. In a way it was easy for my due to a lot of my apparitions/hallucinations were of the religous nature. The first one I ever drew as a reproduction is posted on my website at:

http://angelfire.com/folk/docgmcreations

I have others drawn up in sketches that will become painted on canvas now that I am making a little bit more money and able to invest in my art. The Medical Professions here in Montreal that over saw me, never took much interest in what they deemed just hallucinations and not worthy of discussion, so much for the church and God in mordern science. Part of what held me together all these years is believing in something more than just the Psychiatrists, like the "apparitions/hallucinations" themselves that I experienced and what are they for. I always felt that there was more to it than just righting them off as hallucinations, here I am now finding my self total fulfilled in life in general while having my own type of glittering light show on the strings of my guitar when I am practicing my music. It is such a glorious high watching my colours of creation as I call them, coming and going in a guidance fashion while developing various technique on my guitar. It is the positive side off the subject matter where it does not harm any one and nobody would know unless I them them when it is happening. My spouse and I used to get comfortable snugging in bed together and I would meditate towards seeing the light, and when it came forth I would describe to her what I was seeing. I did one painting of one of these images I shared with her and it is now called the "Ugger Skulls". It is in the art show with Ami Quebec in their Out There magazine, a link is in my website as written above. I created a lot out of my "schizophrenic" approach to life in creative writing and now doing the artistic side of creativity m0re as a form of expression. Doing searches on the Internet I am still trying to find other images of paintings done by people with schizophrenia, based on actual "hallucinations". The search continues for this type of art that I would like to see, if anyone reading my blog knows where there are paintings shown on the Internet that are actual reproductions of "hallucinations" , e-mail me the link at docgmcreations@hotmail.com

Physical Labour of My Job is Helping Me Loose My Coke & Pepsi Belly

It has been a month now that I have been holding down two clients while providing customized services to building owners doing cleaning and maintenance. The new client that owns several apartments buildings needs dwellings fixed up for re-rental with a new lease and other building repairs. The physical labour in my trade always kept me in good physical fitness with endurance muscle for my small phyique, that was initially built in my Canadian Coast Guard College physical fitness and endurance training for a rugby field, showing Canadian colours in sport. I even used to practice my work out every so often for a bit in local parks or when I was in hospital. I used to use the limited exercise equipment in recreation room in the psychiatric ward. The exercise mats and bicycle were put to good use, on higher phases on the ward I would bring my skipping rope from home for use in the rec room and the multi-layer parking lot of the hospital. I would even do chin ups on a overhead support I beam in the parking lot. An African/Canadian Nurse said to me in comment while taking my blood pressure and heart rate, that I sounded very strong and health with good pressure. I worked out every day and ate three square meals while practicing playing my guitar along with some art and creative writing. When I came out of hospital and put on Court ordered injections for medication at higher levels, I ended up sleeping most of two years away and using the computer for my art. My muscle when to flab and I developed quite the Coke and Pepsi belly from consuming them as a beverage during the day around the house. With the added part time work in my trade, my muscles have been getting a good work out again. My belly has shrunk and it is getting some of its ripples back that used it used to have. My upper shoulders are also showing the ripples too, every night after when I do work work, I feel the pain of my developing muscles again. I still sip on my cold Coke & Pepsi while working for the sugar intake while sweating it out in the Montreal summers doing physical labour for a living, which I throughly enjoy. With more money in the budget for the apartment and my spouse and I, we have been able to eat a bit better while we get to enjoy to small beer together for the high protein drink for my developing muscles. My Lady Love will have her little baby glass while I have one a little larger. Both glasses together empty a 341 ml bottle of beer, so we get two glasses each. I have my own medical herbal remedy to relax sore muscle and constipation caused by the medication, along with taking fish oil again for Omega 3 fatty acids for the brain. Now that I am only taking 2 mg of haloperidol, I have very little extra paramidal side effects. They struck one day while working when I was up a fifteen foot ladder. It rattled my nerves a bit but I made it through the day and skipped my medication for three nights to keep them at bay. My new boss/client gets on well with me and comments that I am a hard worker. Today, doing some grass cutting and gardening a passer buyer said my work really looked good, that I sould do it for the city. I ended up giving her my business card for her niece is looking to get someone to do similar work at a building. So I am gaining weight with muscle again and it always feels like getting off the rugby field of my youth in the evening. Maybe one day I will get close to the weight class I was in, when I graduated from the Canadian Coast Guard College, with some of the muscle back and a more flexible expanding mind for future endeavors.