Posted by Novelagent on September 13, 2012, at 16:06:28
Forgive me, this is long, but may be of interest to those into diagnosis...
I had a psychotic episode where I saw people that weren't there (and I knew it as I saw them--I had a lot of insight).
It was probably induced by benzodiazepine withdrawal-- I was without klonopin for 2 weeks after I had a bottle of it fall beneath an oven in my apartment. I was also manically walking in the rain (and yes, even at one point hysterically laughing in the heavy downpour). Despite this, I was not diagnosed with mania, because I slept a lot in the hospital. But during my episode, I hadn't slept the prior night, yet didn't fail in walking through three cities (about one hour apart each).
I knew I was psychotic, but attributed it to my klonopin withdrawal, so went to the hospital knowing I'd be put back on klonopin there.
I stopped seeing people once I entered the hospital at night (12 hours from first onset) but I continued to hear voices. I was transferred the next day from the ER, which gave me klonopin, to a rehab hospital (the regulat psych wards were full). At the rehab hospital, I insisted on seeing a doc first thing, and a doc was called in at night to see me. I told him I was hearing voices and he rx'd me xyprexa. About 2 days later, I stopped hearing voices and was fine.
After my stay, I asked to be switched to Risperdal Consta biweekly injections. Later, I would switch to Invega Sustenna once-monthly injections. I've been on am antipsychotic ever since my episode, and have never relapsed.
I have no negative symptoms, either, which leads me to think I do not have schizophreniform, but can be instead classified as once having a brief psychotic episode.
Gabitril once made me psychotic for two hours, until I went to sleep and woke up and was fine. It is known to case psychosis, and may indicate I am prone to psychosis when my GABA levels go wary, as they did from my klonopin withdrawal.
I was also taking dexedrine at doses that were more than prescribed (although I now take Adderall, and no longer do this). It was probably the combination of dexedrine, stopping my fish oil that I took for years because I then couldn't afford it, and my klonopin withdrawal.
But the question is this: how likely is it that I have schizophreniform (schizophrenia that is shorter than 2 months, in my case, 1 day)? I have no negative symptoms. My chart claims I have social withdrawal, but this isn't true. I have a pre-existing social anxiety disorder, and engage socially despite it being painful to me now that my current doc doesn't believe in klonopin.
poster:Novelagent
thread:1025571
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120912/msgs/1025571.html