Posted by Quintal on February 29, 2008, at 6:45:24
In reply to xanax has unbelievable affect, posted by jgmw on February 28, 2008, at 19:48:14
I had a psychotic episode back in December and I'm still trying to convince my pdoc that it was the lorazepam and zopiclone that helped me most in hospital. They seem to have an exaggerated faith in dopamine blockers. Anything that calms and soothes like Xanax does will have an 'antipsychotic effect' to some degree. I think sleep and anxiety levels are critical in managing bipolar disorder, because the more anxious you get, the more your thoughts race, and the faster your thoughts race, and the more anxious you are, the less you are able to sleep. Sleep deprivation is a major risk factor in precipitating mania. Mania leads to psychotic symptoms. So it's a viscious circle, and Xanax can break the cycle that leads to psychosis. It can be hard to find a doctor who appreciates this.
I'd bet your sister could lower the Clozaril safely if she had a sleeping pill to make sure she got plenty of rest at night, with maybe some Xanax p.r.n for anxiety during the day.
As for the diagnosis, there is some overlap between Bipolar I and Schizophrenia. I was given a book by my mental health team "Madness Explained: Psychosis and Human Nature" which describes how the diagnostic categories were invented. Some psychologists believe Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder are different manifestations of the same process. They recommend treating complaints symptomatically, according to whatever works best for that particular individual. I would strongly recommend a read if your life, or someone in your family has been affected by psychosis.
Q
poster:Quintal
thread:815259
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080221/msgs/815321.html