What do I have to consider when stopping the medication?
Schizophrenia is a long-term condition that often leads to relapses. Thus, schizophrenia accompanies some patients throughout their lives. Medication must therefore be taken over a long period of time, even after the symptoms have subsided, to prevent relapses.
If they are discontinued too early or too quickly, the risk of relapse is very high. If the patient no longer wishes to take his or her medication, he or she should definitely discuss this with his or her doctor. If the doctor agrees, the patient must stop the medication very slowly and over a longer period of time.
The dose is reduced more and more and the medication is “sneaked out”, as the doctor calls it. If the patient remains symptom-free, the drug can be omitted completely. This does not mean, however, that the patient should not be treated at all. Psychological care in particular should be maintained, and the patient should always come back for check-ups in order to detect a possible relapse as quickly as possible.
Can I also refuse medication?
By law, every patient is entitled to his or her free will, so he or she can refuse any treatment. Only if he represents a danger for himself or others may he be held and treated against his will. However, this is only very rarely the case, even in schizophrenia patients. The doctor can therefore only advise you to undergo treatment and take medication, but cannot force anyone to do so. This is another reason why a good doctor-patient relationship is essential to make the person concerned understand the importance of regular medication.
What is the course without medication?
The course of schizophrenia is very difficult to predict, especially at the beginning of the disease. What is certain is that it is a so-called periodic disorder, so the symptoms are sometimes worse and sometimes better. It is known that early drug treatment of the massive schizophrenia symptoms, such as delusions, has a positive effect on the further course of the disease.Without medication, the risk of a permanent limitation due to the disease is consequently higher.
This is due to the fact that these massive symptoms usually do not disappear on their own and only medication can bring about a sufficient improvement. In addition, the so-called negative symptoms, such as apathy and flattening of emotions, are more pronounced in patients without drug treatment. As a rule, these do not go away on their own and permanently impair the person concerned.
