Hello
I was fine after the birth of my first 2 children but, after the birth of my 3rd child (combined with a move to Switzerland in August 2007), I became psychotic. I started thinking my husband was in league with the government and they were working against me. I thought that there was also another group of less powerful people who were fighting these people and that I had to choose between the two sides. I thought there was a chance I would lose my passport if I sided with the weaker side and all sorts of other weird stuff.
I took various medication for about 2 years and kept on stopping taking it because it all had bad side effects (falling asleep all the time, being incredibly slow, fainting, feeling agitated etc). My symptoms were sometimes better, sometimes worse. In autumn/winter 2009, I started thinking that someone had hypnotized me when I was little and that I was acting like a robot, not fully aware of why I was doing the things I was doing. I was admitted to hospital and managed to leave after 2 weeks but on a high dose of medication. Now, almost 2 years on I am on a reduced dose of medication, 5mg Abilify and 10mg Cipralex (anti-depressant). I don't mind taking the Cipralex but want to stop taking the Abilify because of the side effects. It makes me feel agitated, fall asleep during the day and dulls my senses. The doctor has said that, if you have 2 episodes of psychosis you are very likely to have a third one and that it is normal to stay on medication for at least 5 years after a 2nd episode.
I don't want to stay on this awful medication for another 3 years + and would hate to think that I am now very likely to get recurring psychotic episodes for the rest of my life. Does anyone know about any alternative (non-medication based) therapy? Is there a way to get rid of this psychotic label and become a normal human being again?
Thanks
Clare
