- So today's the day where I'm getting my injection,
I get these injections every three weeks.
It used to be every four weeks,
but I was having breakthrough symptoms by the time
the fourth week came around
so they switched it to every three weeks.
I'm on this injection because it's an antipsychotic,
which helps with my Schizoaffective disorder.
I'm on an injection because I was having problems
with adherence to oral medications.
So one of my delusions is that
psychiatrists or doctors are using medications to poison me
or using them from mind control or that sort of thing.
So when I, when my breakthrough delusions came through,
I was having a lot of difficulties around
taking my medications.
I also kind of struggled sometimes with just accepting
that I have this illness.
And so sometimes I will convince myself
that I'm not sick enough to need this kind of medication
and so I just wouldn't take it,
or I would try to reduce too much or things like that
so myself and my doctor made the decision
to switch to injectables
because then I don't really have that immediate decision
to make every day
about whether or not I'm going to take my medication
is just kind of a once a month sort of,
or once every three weeks decision that I have to make.
And that's it.
pharmacy(laughs)
So the way this injection works is that
it has to be administered by a healthcare professional
because they want to monitor you while you're on it.
I'm just kind of checking in with you.
I get my prescription filled at the pharmacy
and I take it to the mental health clinic down the street
where my mental health therapist, who is a nurse,
administers it to meet there.
I've got my injection, it's in a box like this
I also got
the antipsychotic that I'm taking,
as well as Propranolol,
which is for agitation from these antipsychotics
and now we're off to get the injection.
I recognize that there's a tremendous amount of privilege
and being able to just go to the pharmacy
and just pick up my medications
without having to pay anything at all.
I'm really fortunate to have private health insurance,
as well as public health insurance
that covers the cost of my medications.
But I realized there are people even in Canada
who don't have access to this kind of coverage.
And I know that there are people in other countries
who definitely don't have access
to this kind of drug coverage
while I recognize that this is a huge barrier
to a lot of people.
And it's not really something that I can relate to
in terms of not being able to access affordable medication.
It is a really important component of treatment.
And I would really encourage you to keep trying
to obtain access to proper medication.
Probably the worst part about it all
is the stigma around it.
So, I mean, there's stigma around telling people
that you're on antipsychotic medications to begin with,
but then you tell them that you're on an injection
of antipsychotic medication it's even worse.
And so I kind of face the stigma throughout the process,
even of going to the pharmacy to get it.
I'm worried about what the pharmacist think.
And then there's also the internalized stigma
that I have myself around it.
So I would prefer not to be on this medication
because it's really not something
that sounds great to me,
like being on an antipsychotic injection.
It's not something that I'm like, yeah, sign me up for.
So, I mean,
the end goal is to reduce
the amount of medications that I'm on
so I'm currently also taking an oral antipsychotic
while the injection stabilizes.
So I'm kind of working right now at reducing that,
and hopefully I'll be able to gradually reduce
all of my medications
and we'll be able to cope in other ways as well.
I'm feeling pretty okay about my injection today.
I know that it's something that I need to do
to take care of myself,
but there was a time not too long ago,
probably two or three injections ago where I was at a point
where I was really, really paranoid about the injection
and to the point where I was in tears in the office,
when my therapist was giving it to me,
it was a really, really scary experience
because I was unsure about what the medication was for.
I was unsure about what it was going to do to my mind,
and to my body.
And I was just really scared about the whole process.
I was also having hallucinations that were telling me
that it was bad for me
and that it was going to be harmful
and that they were plotting against me.
So that was really hard to deal with.
But I think I'm getting to a place with this injection now
where we figured out the best timeframe to take it
as well as the best dosage to take
and things are kind of stabilizing for me.
Thank you - You're welcomed
- Ouch(laughs)it hurts(laughs)
so that was a little bit harder than I let on at first
I got a little bit paranoid.
When she was getting the injection ready but it went okay
my arm hurts now but I have it
so good for another three weeks.
So these injections are really helpful
in terms of managing my symptoms,
but there are some immediate side effects
as well as prolonged side effects.
So right after I get my injection,
I'm usually pretty run down, they slow me down a lot.
I'm more lethargic, tired.
It's hard to concentrate on what I'm doing.
Those sorts of things,
medications work differently for every person.
So I found this injection works well for me,
but I was on a different injection
before about a year and a half ago or so,
which really did not go well for me.
So if it is something that you're interested in,
talk about it with your doctor,
to just kind of get a sense of,
if it might be a good fit for you or a good option for you.
And then if you do try it out
and it's not working out for you,
don't be afraid to tell your doctor
that it's not working for you.
Cause there are other options.
So all of this that goes into getting my injection
does take a little bit of a toll on me,
but it is really worth it in terms of symptom management,
as well as just improving overall quality of life for me.
Thank you so much for watching this video
and have a great day.
Thanks so much for watching this video
on antipsychotic injections(laughs).
The end
I get it here, not in the buttocks because of you.
- It's not the butt its the hip,
- Whatever.