How can I choose the best psychosis medication for me?

Choosing the best psychosis medication, or antipsychotic, for you means taking time to understand how your meds work. It’s also helpful to know what kinds of symptoms they are better at treating and how they impact your psychosis symptoms. Keeping track of your medications’ positive impact and their side effects is an important part of learning to treat your psychosis, too.

If taking your meds doesn’t help you feel better, then it’s important for you to talk to your doctor or psychiatrist. And speak up about your experiences so you can choose the best treatment for you.

What do I need to know about antipsychotics?

Antipsychotics can be effective and work quickly. It’s helpful to learn about antipsychotics and what they are good at treating to find the right medications for you. There are different types of medications for psychosis, so it’s important to think about your needs when considering medication.

Why are there so many different meds for psychosis?

Think of psychosis meds like a new operating system or iOS. When a new phone releases, an update also releases that improves how the phone works. It’s the same idea with antipsychotics. With more learning and research, the medications improve over time. But many of the older antipsychotics still work and are still very effective.

Antipsychotics are usually thought about in generations. Think first, second, and third generations. This tells us how old the medication is and when it was first developed. Every generation improved on the last.

• 1st-generation antipsychotics were good at controlling symptoms but had many side effects.
• 2nd-generation meds, or atypical antipsychotics, have fewer side effects than 1st-generation meds.
• 3rd-generation meds started to treat negative symptoms of psychosis.
• The newest meds, like Cobenfy, treat negative symptoms, and it works differently in the brain than older generations medications. There are also different forms of meds, like long-acting injectables (LAI).

Just like our phones evolved to do more, like make calls, play music, send emails, and download apps, antipsychotics have improved too. Over time, the medications have done a better job of treating more symptoms. And they continue to improve treatment for a complex mental illness.

There are lots of different antipsychotics. So, there’s a chance that you can find one that works for you. If you don’t feel like your current meds are working, then you can learn and ask your doctor about different medications.

How do I know which type of meds I need for my psychosis?

The person in front of me is an expert in what it’s like to be them, what matters most to them, and what they’re hoping to achieve from taking medications, if anything.  And so, it’s about having an open and honest conversation about what those goals are, and whether or not medications can play a role in achieving them.

Knowing which type of meds you need for your psychosis means reflecting on your specific symptoms. Ask yourself:

• What symptoms do I have?
•  What do I want the medication to do for me?
•  What do I like or don’t like about my current medication?

When you think about your experiences, you can better pinpoint what you are looking for in a medication.

For example,

• Maybe you are on a med that works well for hearing voices or visual hallucinations, but now you’re realizing how not feeling your feelings or feeling empty bothers you. This means that you may want to look for a medication that treats the negative symptoms of psychosis.
• Maybe right now you find it difficult to focus on and remember everyday tasks. So, you don’t want to have to remember to take an oral pill every day. This means that you may prefer an LAI that works longer.

Your experiences and preferences matter when thinking about medication for psychosis. If you are prescribed medication, you can search for information about it online.  It’s also helpful to read and hear about other people’s experiences with a specific medication. This way you can learn how particular medications worked for others and what questions to ask your doctor.

When it comes to medication, you can advocate for and find the medication that works best for you.

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