Thank you for your videos! My adult son lives with me(mom and family) and has schizophrenia for as long as you have. Your videos have encouraged him in so many ways. He listens to your videos thruout the day he finds your voice and your dads soothing. He is now going to the gym! Thank you so much and please keep making the videos. My prayers are with you!
Thank you so much Laura. Hearing that makes me very happy. This is exactly one of the things I wanted for my channel! Best wishes to your and your son! And please stay in touch.
The current treatments for schizophrenia are designed to suppress symptoms rather than target underlying causes of the disorder. These drugs only partially relieve symptoms and can produce unwanted side effects like fatigue. In some cases the doctor may need to adjust your dosage or recommend additional medications to help manage these symptoms. Sending so much love and hugs to everyone suffering from mental health issues! ❤Don't give up hope, stay strong and thanks for sharing it with us Stephen! 👋🌷
Thank you very much Jim! Yes! You are completely correct. It is sad for me that there is not any medication currently that treats the underlying disorder. Also I know Clozapine causes sedation and fatigue. I really appreciate your support!
Yes some of the meds cause sedation, fatigue, tiredness no matter how much you sleep. They can cause constipation, high blood sugar, liver and kidney problems, weight gain.
Paul, thank you so much! I have been responding to the comments for the last hour and a half, and am so happy with all the amazing things people have said, including you. I’m very tired now and am going to go play a strategy game and relax. Have a happy and healthy rest of your day!
Sometimes it is best not to overanalyze the origin of one's physical feelings. Occasional fatigue is nothing to be concerned with unless it becomes a chronic state that interferes with basic functioning. Your good days seem to be the rule rather than the exception. My psychiatrist said that I was too focused on my body at one time; he described it as being overly somatic. It is hard to ignore how our body feels, but clearly it is unhealthy to exaggerate the significance of many of these feelings. Finally, never feel guilty about being tired or just wanting to sit quietly. All the best - Ron.
This is very profound and as someone who is overly somatic it can actually be exhausting and unnecessary as most of my symptoms lead nowhere and are waste lots of time.
Hi Stephen! I am currently really struggling with falling asleep at night. I am usually up until 4am and then once I fall asleep it’s hard to wake up. I wake up about 12pm. I am also struggling with anxiety and hallucinations. Going to see my psych doc today. Hopefully I can get better. You’re very inspiring! Love your vids! It’s nice to know I’m not alone!
Hi Stephen. Sometimes I do not sleep well. Then the next day I sleep late. Today I got up at 1:00 pm. Tomorrow I have to get up later because the maintenance workers are coming in. Yesterday I was out and about. It felt great. I hope that you feel better. I know that with exercise that you can live a normal life. I worked for thirty years for pay and a few years as a volunteer. You are a RU-vidr and you do a great job. Sometimes I binge watch your channel because you are uplifting when you talk about nature and talk about your walks on a day when the weather is nice. You go guy.
Thank you very much Laurie for your kind and genuine comment! That makes me feel so happy and accomplished that you binge watch my content! Have a happy and healthy rest of your day!
I never comment on Videos, I am 62 with grown grandchildren. I just wanted you to know I have prayed for you and I think you have amazing courage. I know what it's like to be afraid of your own thoughts, it's crippling and for you to win this struggle everyday is amazing. God bless you young man 🙏❤️🙏
Stephen, great video! My friend, you just shared with your channel community that you have MANY reasons for feeling tired! I hope it's ok for me to say this and I could be wrong, but comparing yourself to a 9-5'er is like apples to oranges. First, your meds make you tired, so you have a late start to your day - nothing wrong with that! Also, did you know that the brain requires 20% more energy than the body? That's why sleep is sooo important for everyone. I really enjoyed hearing you describe your energy ebbs and flows. It made me reflect on my ebbs and flows and the many years it took me to honor my unique, natural biorhythms. Second, you are a content creator who loves what they do. That means your brain is working even when you are trying to rest. Brains are a funny thing - they are like a bratty kid who will take an inch if we give it a mile. As a creative myself, I can fall into hyper focus and "lose" myself. Part of me likes when that happens, but life has taught me that hyper focus should be an exception (during emergencies or crisis) and not a rule. I've been learning to tame my bratty brain with yoga and meditation - overtime it really really helps re-train a brain that "can't sit still." Finally, Labor is labor. Your offering to the world requires more from you than it would from another person, and the very nature of what you provide is rooted in being a neurodivergent person which means you roll differently! I gently suggest that you not compare yourself to anyone - not even the you of 10 years ago (unless it's to see how much you've grown!) Our time on this Earth is meant to change us, like clay in a kiln. I certainly am not the same person I was 20, 10, or even 5 years ago. Our grandmothers knew to follow the wheel of the year and to take advantage of the energy that was available and the energy that was needed: a season to till and tend, a growing time, a harvest/reflection period, and rest/hibernation, then back to tilling and tending. Sometimes we have a full wheel in one day or sometimes it plays out in a week; sometimes our bodies tell us it's winter...and rest is needed. Stephen, you've given me much to ponder. I look forward to my own journaling on this subject later today! Thank you!! Sending a donation in gratitude for this topic!
Thank you so very much Lisa! I didn’t know that the brain requires more energy than the body. That’s fascinating! I am thinking of doing a video on my “Activity Resilience Menu,” something you mentioned in a previous comment. Hopefully it will be up soon. I really appreciate your insight and caring. Thank you!
I have schizoaffective disorder,the medication makes me tierd too all the time.loving your RU-vid channel,thank you for your support and simgatzing schizophrenia.great video's.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉
Thank you for the RU-vid channel. It's truly awesome that you're out here busting myths about schizophrenia and explaining how exhausting the condition is for us. This is just my opinion, but I don't think people who work fast food jobs have it easier mentally. They have to commute to work and maintain relationships with their coworkers and higher-ups. As a college student, I commend those who work 9 to 5 for a minimum wage salary because I don't think I could handle all the anxiety. I feel like managing your RU-vid channel is similar to attending college, but it's not quite the same as working.
Thank you for your very thoughtful comment and for joining my journey! I see that your profile picture is a turtle. I have a pet turtle and your picture made me smile!
@@SurvivingSchizophrenia Thank you. I made my profile pic a tortoise because I’m a super slow driver haha; I don’t think I’ve ever driven in the carpool lane. Also, I’m actually thinking of getting a pet tortoise because my current pet is predicted to only live 8-12 years and her 8th birthday is next month. Do you have any recommendations?
Hey Stephen, I can totally relate to you here, my life on Zyprexa is constant fatigue, lethargy, hypersomnia... Occasionally it gets better, I have a little more energy for a while but majority of time I'm just tired, to put it simply like that. That being said I'm able to do simple tasks for my family, like going for groceries, taking out trash, work in garden for a while, drive a car for shorter distances etc. but having a full time 8 hours a day job just seems so impossible for me at the moment. Still, despite everything, I can't say I'm in a bad mood, like you said for yourself, I'm just tired, exhausted. And I too am on a relatively small dose of medicine, 7,5 mg of Zyprexa per day, and some people take 20 mg, or even more. Thanks for the video Stephen, I hope to be there when you go live, even though I'm in Europe, so the time difference might prevent me (I'll still try to make it :)
My son is on a low dose of propanolol for his high heart rate due to clozapine. His blood pressure has also gotten a bit high. Propranolol also helps with anxiety. Just sharing, you may already know this info. Thank you for sharing Stephen. You are doing an amazing job!
Thank you for this honesty. My daughter has Schizophrenia and she presents well but as we move toward independence we ith her I need to remember how quickly her brain can fatigue just doing even the basic thi gs. Keep up the good work and thank you for your videos.
The medication makes you tired. You get use to it. It can be a bit frustrating but I wouldn’t worry about it is quite common with the meds you take. It seems you are doing a lot anyway. If you’re body is tired it is telling you to rest so if you have a tired day rest and relax recharge your body. Keep up the good work 👍
Hi Stephen. It sounds like you are exhausted and so very valid you might feel that way, especially with the influences of medication and navigating schizophrenia which may contribute to 'zapped' energy! I wonder if specialised naturopathy and/or nutrition experts may support your experiences around ongoing fatigue. When I went through a mental health crisis (bipolar diagnosis and went on antipsychotics) a little later along I looked into getting support with nutrition and natural herbs. I found Ashwagandha supported anti anxiety, Rhodiola a great adaptogen which supported stamina in my day, I worked to ensure protein first meal so I had longer energy in the day not just a coffee and getting all my vitamin levels checked (Bs, zinc, D,iron,etc) which may contribute to tiredness if not at optimal levels. I'm not sure what could work with your medications and diagnosis, but could be worth exploring avenues that go hand in hand with psychiatry approaches. I hope this might help. Great videos and thanks for sharing your experiences with us :-)
Last thing my son said to me was he mentally exhausted. Please be careful and honest with your dad. Words can be misleading. I believed everything he said to me. I should have listened closely to what he meant. You're worth your life.
You're very welcome and for everyone who is reading this, its too late for me but maybe other parents will understand how important this is and how listen to what their child is really trying to say. My son kept saying he didn't want to die, now we know "his other self" was making him. We was happy to hear him say he didn't want to die. As a family member you just have to ask, are you going to try to kill yourself? Do you need me to take you to the hospital? Also look at the faces of everyone who loves you, suicide follows suicide. One other person will succeed in suicide because they can not handle the pain of their love one leaving them. My sons 12 year old cousin hung herself a week later because she loved Chris so much.
Hi there Steve, I just found your channel tonight n watched a bunch of your vids both recent and older. You have an amazing chanel here and you are an amazing person. I am an ex homeless person in recovery and have many years sober now , living a good life now. I look forward to learning from you n your vids. Congrats on moving into your new place when you do.
Hey Stephen, sorry for the link, wasn't sure, just wanted you to see so no problem. But hope you are able to conquer the fatigue! I know it's one of the most challenging aspects of schizophrenia and related illnesses as it's not uncommon for those affected to sleep 12+ hours. ✌️
@@SurvivingSchizophrenia oh, in case you didn't see it, you inspired me to make my own RU-vid channel! I had posted the channel ID. Thanks for inspiring your community 🙏💯✌️
@@SurvivingSchizophrenia absolutely, I was skeptical about reaching out because my son was paranoid, well you know. But I had to express how important you are. Glad you're safe and strong.
I've admired you for some time. You are more normal than many people seem to be. You'll see, one day you'll reduce your medication and you'll be less tired, also thanks to your physical activity.
It looks like you are helping others along with yourself in making these videos. I wish you great success as you continue your journey of healing. As far as your fatigue goes, maybe consider adjusting your sleep sarcatium by waking earlier in the morning at like 7:00 or 8:00 a.m., and going to sleep at 10:00 or 11:00 p.m.. Our bodies were made to rise with the sun and to start winding down for the day as the sun sets. Also a healthy balanced diet as well as getting out into the sun as much as you can, along with daily exercise is very important as well. I'm not suggesting that this has anything to do with your schizophrenia but it might help with your fatigue, as I have found for myself that If I don't do anything all day long, it makes me super tired. I'll pray for God's blessing for you and your family and I wish you well!!!
I don't have any particular mental disorder (as far as I know), but I do suffer from anxiety. I can totally identify with you feeling tired. I recently had a full-time job, and I found it really exhausting. We would start early in the morning (8:15), and this didn't allow me time to go to the gym for a run before work, which strangely, made me feel even more tired during the day. I also found it difficuly fitting in with the corporation culture.
Sleep disturbance is very common, which can cause fatigue. Doctors seem to agree that the disturbance is caused by the schizophrenia, though I know someone who quit sleeping normally first and suddenly, and then started having strong daytime symptoms. So we have things to learn. I think the anxiety is tiring, but also there can be things to rule out, especially sleep apnea. Also, caffeine can affect your sleep and raise your heartrate. Best of luck, you have a wonderful smile!
you should give yourself more credit for what you do because it's not nothing. you work really hard on improving yourself and you work really hard on this channel and it shows despite having shizoprhenia which makes everything ten times harder. maybe think of it in this analogy that you have this weight you're carrying and other people all running around with out this weight and seem to do things easily but maybe you're getting stronger in the long run. it's not an exact analogy because you know the difficulty is real. in reality things shouldn't be that difficult but it's good way to visualize it. imagine going for a walk with 50 pound weighted vest like obviously you're going to be more tired that someone who isn't wearing that. regardless though never beat yourself up about how much you do and always celebrate your accomplishments. even if it's like oh you made a cup of coffee enjoy it. really as long you enjoy your day and you have a good day and things like that you're living life.
@@SurvivingSchizophrenia you're welcome Steven, and I shall try to live more by own words as well. but no seriously follow your own insights I was just giving some encouragement. 😁
Please take nutriton suppliments with high dosages such as Niacin, B complex with B1, Magnesium etc. Please study nutrition and it will help you. Stay strong and positive!!
Thank you very much Lisa! I’m just about to head out to the dentist for my cleaning and will respond to your comment a little later. Just wanted to say thank you first!
Hi Stephen, not sure if your doctors told you but caffeine interferes with the metabolism of clozapine. I think you're only drinking a small amount of coffee so it's probably fine. My daughter is also on clozapine and she has gone on the keto diet to manage metabolic disorders as well as to improve her brain functioning. She takes exogenous ketones and MCT oil which seem to help with brain alertness. Just sharing.
Thank you Catherine for sharing. This is excellent information. I do know that caffeine interferes with the metabolism of Clozapine so I limit my intake to a small cup of coffee in the morning. I also limit chocolate and very rarely drink soda. Thank you for watching and commenting! Have a happy and healthy rest of your day!
You seem like a good person. I have found that in almost all physical and mental issues, that most often there are a few things that cause it. 1 if you ever took antibiotics, they alter the gut microphone which the imbalance may contribute to some microbes of fungus that normally exist, to over reproduce and they often rewire the brain to eat more sugars. Candida will flourish and create having with not only the the gut. This in turn creates vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Also if it creates low stomach acid as in the very contagious H helotbacter pylori. Will lead to low vitamin mineral absorption. Go low to no carbohydrates or sugar. Even reduce fruit to maybe 5 strawberries, 6 raspberries. Do healthy keto as the body must learn to use fat not sugar for fuel. I hope you look into this advice as I am telling you the truth ps add garlic, olive leaf, neem, black walnut hull powder, clove herbs to get control of the gut biome as well as fasting, not long but even short 12 hour fast with 3 meals and no snacks will help you.
You should check your glucose levels checked, if it's high it will make you tired. Your meds. may cause that, but there are things that can help if that's it.
We sound similar, Stephen as far as energy goes. I feel tired all the time and I think it's trying to function to a degree of normalcy. That takes a lot out of me. Also the side effects of invega, clonidine and duloxetine plus blood pressure medication make you tired and dizzy. Sometimes I have to nap 😅
The fatigue absoLUTELY comes with Clozapine. I take about half as much as you do and when I go back up even a little bit I am exhausted all day. I honestly can't understand how people take 300mg without toppling over.
Hey Stephen, hope you're well man. I wanted to ask you if you have found yourself studying the biology and psychology behind schizophrenia following your diagnosis? Do you think you've learned a lot about the antipsychotics and the illness itself and how it affects the brain? Thanks
The side effects of your medication can make you feel very tired. I have always grappled with my energy levels throughout my life without taking antipsychotics. Sometimes a simple vitamin or mineral deficiency.
Hi Tom, thank you for the great question! Abilify is being used for its antidepressant and neuro-protective properties. There have been some studies, though not many, showing that adding Abilify to Clozapine treatment provides benefits to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. I plan on doing a video on this topic.
Stephen, that high heart rate seems scary- but i hope iam not scareing you- your dopemine level must be really high, did you ask your Doc or your Dad about adrenal fatigue? Did you ask your doc about adding L Theanine which effects GABA(Gammaminobutric acid) and puts the brakes on the Dopamine? Or adding Vitamin B1(Benfotiamine)and or Magnesium- i have the same problem with Schzioaffective disorder and these nutro supplements help, i have days with lots of energy and other days ka-pluut- nothing.but these suppliments have helped me. Also i Love you, Stephen and your really brave and strong self, but i wish you could refrain from eating cheap cereals and foods like that, maybe because your Dopamine is so high its harder to eat things like egg omellets and bacon or ham, im not trying to pick on you youve come so far in so many ways,i say these to try to help, never do i wish to shove some suggestion and expect anyone to agree if it doesnt fit a persons personal needs- Hugs to you, ive learned alot from you,Thank you, Stephen
I read othe comments on one of your other posts. Your father said you are on a relatevely low dose. As you said some people are on much higher doses. There seems to me to be some really irresponsible prescribing out there. I met somebody once who was on 900 mg. I dont know what else he was on
Thank you very much for your comment. It’s a very important subject and I am going to record a video on this topic hopefully soon. I have never been on more than 200mg of Clozapine
@@SurvivingSchizophrenia I think that's why you have been doing reasonably well. It's a travesty what happens to some people. My son got prescribed 575mg and 600mg of amisulpride and 750mg of depakote. He could barely walk when I used to take him out. It's damaged his health. I'm traumatised from it all. I'm sure he is. You were lucky you had one of the better doctors. I'm of the belief that my son doesn't metabolize drugs very well. There is a test than be done. And I spent years trying to get doctors to listen to me.
Hey Stephen, I can confirm Abilify 5mg is the reason why you could possibly feel sedated/tired/exhausted, since I personally tried it myself and I stopped taking it mainly due to those reasons. If you have trouble sleeping for a long time you could possibly look into Mirtazapine 15mg, it's a antidepressant that makes you fall asleep with little to no issues and works wonders for me. Mirtazapine also works in conjunct with antipsychotics and SSRIs. Not entirely sure personally on Clozapine although psychiatrist recommended diff antipsychotics for me that were less sedating not exactly my alley, just speaking from personal experience since I obviously was on the same meds you on. Ritalin and caffeine obviously does the job. Lexapro and Citalopram are good antidepressants so I recommend staying on that! :)
Thank you Vince! I will look into Mirtazapine for helping my sleep. I really appreciate that you shared the information with me and our community! Thanks so much!
@@SurvivingSchizophrenia All good my friend, let me know how it goes. Mirtazapine is really one of the best out there, may give you energy since its NaSSA.
You better be happy you have your parents or you would be dealing with what I deal with on a daily basis .thank them every morning and every night.dont be a spoiled punk
How do you comunicate so much beauty? It's Incredible. I just look at it and it brings me to tears. Because I'm looking at it and I'm looking at myself. Yeah you've never really seen porn until you've seen it on 5meo DMT. Until you recognize that it's you and that's basically what Infinity is. Sort of like I love you, no I love you, no I love you, no I love you, no I love you more, I love you more, I love you more. Who can love who more? And whoever can love who more is God. You see that long laundry list of stuff about you that you don't love. God loves all of it. I'm sorry for not loving more, that's the only thing you have to be sorry about. Thank you. Thank You For Love! And at this point you realize that that's it, that's the point. That's the only lesson in life. That's my only job. Is to love. Everything else is idiocy and then what you do is you say I love you. For the first time in your life you say I love you because you really understand what that phrase means and you fall in love with God. But as it throws it out there, it's gentle so he throws it out there but then you say oh I can't love it and then what God will say in return is, it's okay. I love that you are not capable of love. I love that. And when that hits you. That's what fills you with enough love to overcome your resistance to love even that next level thing that you could do. No it can't be love. Of course it's love! what else could it be! It's love! No oh my God this is impossible! Of course it's love how could it be anything else!? How could I be so stupid as to think it's anything else. And God is like of course it's love.
