If ADHD is associated with low dopamine, and mania and psychosis are associated with high dopamine, how can someone have all of the above? I am diagnosed with combined type ADHD and the bipolar type of schizoaffective disorder. I can’t take stimulants because they make me manic and psychotic, but on the flip side, my antipsychotics and mood stabilizers don’t worsen my ADHD.
Is anyone here on metformin due to antipsychotics? If so, what is your experience like? How does it affect your weight?
I take 800mg of Seroquel and am currently being switched from Risperdal to Invega and am going to be getting the injections and I’m thinking about asking my psych about metformin. I have schizoaffective so will likely be on two antipsychotics long-term, especially since Seroquel is arguably stronger for mood than it is psychosis.
I’m 23, only mildly overweight, and have no signs of type 2 diabetes, but I have definitely gained weight since starting my meds.
Anyways, I would love to hear about any experiences you all have!
I’m class of 2025 but am taking some gap years before grad school. Anyways, I’m thinking I may want to pursue pharmacology as a PhD instead of neuroscience, and I’m still set on becoming a psychiatrist on the MD side so they would pair well together. Anyways, has anyone here pursued that PhD? What has your experience been like?
My treatment time has been going back and forth between bipolar 1 with psychotic features (my original diagnosis) and schizoaffective, bipolar type, for a while, but I just had a severe psychosis episode with no mood symptoms that confirmed it’s definitely schizoaffective.
I know schizoaffective is considered more severe than bipolar 1 with psychotic features, including in terms of cognitive deficits and level of disability. It can sit between BD1 and schizophrenia in severity.
All that said, how have you all worked toward accepting your diagnosis without feeling doomed? I’m young (23) and have a lot of goals and don’t want severe mental illness to get in my way.
I have severe schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, and I have severe combined type ADHD.
Every time in the past I tried ADHD meds (including stimulants, nonstimulants, and wellbutrin), I’ve gotten manic and/or psychotic. However, I was not on all the bipolar meds then that I am on now.
What are you all’s experiences like with ADHD meds? (especially if you experience full mania and psychosis)