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Suggest Treatment To Cure Schizo Affective Disorder
Question: Hi, I have a friend diagosed with schizo affective disorder. His medications are 1) FenoFibrate 145 MG per day, 2)Seroquel 600 mg per day 3) Lithium 1800 mg per day, 4) Gavapantin - he eats them like candy,
His illness is not getting any better. He is in therapy, and likes his therapist, but his mood swings are massive, He still hears demonic voices at night, and he is always very tired. He is also overweight at 305lbs. His mother and father are active heavy drinkers. Q what do you think of the meds, and Q what can I do to help him?
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Brief Answer:
Can try changing his medication...
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to Heslthcare Magic. Thanks for your query.
First, let me review the medication he is currently on.
Fenofibrate is a cholesterol-lowering medication and I presume that he must be having high cholesterol related to his obesity.
Seroquel (Quetiapine) is an anti-,psychotic medication, which is used for treating psychotic symptoms like hearing voices, etc.
Lithiu is a mood stabilizing medication used to control the mood swings.
Gabapentin is a medication that has sedative and mood stabilizing effects.
Now, Schio-affective disorder is a tough condition where the person has symptoms of both Schizophrenia and Mood disorder. So, the recommended treatment protocol is to give both anti-psychotic medication and mood-stabilizing medication. So, in your friend's case, I think he is on the right line of treatment.
However, the current combination of medication do not seem to be controlling his symptoms fully. He is also on a good dose of these mefication (1800 mg of Lithium is rather a high dose). In this case, the next option to consider is to alter his medication. An anti-psychotic from a different class can be tried. Seroquel has a side effect of causing weight gain, so this may be another valid reason to try a change in the anti-psychotic medication. Sometimes, in resistant cases, if all other mefications fail, an anti-psychotic called Clozapine can be given.
Unfortunately, Schizo-affective disorder is a chronic condition and the response rates to treatment are very variable. I would suggest that you discuss about the options that I have mentioned with his psychiatrist to see if his medication can be modified.
Best wishes,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar
Consultant Psychiatrist
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Dr. Sundrakumar:
It is my understanding that sometimes a doctor must pay acute attention to the symptoms as a results of the drug therapy. And that the doctor must be willing to change medications if the medications that the patient is on, are not working in the manner that suits everyone. My point is; is it not true that there are many different types of medications that can be tried and sometimes it may take a while until the right cocktail is found. Is this true?
Brief Answer:
'Individualized' treatment with close monitoring..
Detailed Answer:
Hello again,
I agree with you that it is very important that the patient should be regularly monitored while on treatment and that the treating doctor should keep a close eye on the effects as well as side effects of the medication while on treatment. It is also true that different persons may respond differently to treatment and it is essential that the treatment should always be "tailored" or "individualized" according to each patient and each specific situation.
The other point that you have rightly made is that there are indeed different types of medication available and very often, in clinical practice, the doctor has to try different combinations before the right combination and the right dosage of medication is achieved. This is especially true in psychiatric practice because people often present with a wide range of symptoms and the choice of medication has to be absolutely individualized.
Best wishes,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar
Consultant Psychiatrist
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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