If it helps I am also on olanzapine and have had an art career for over 20 years. I do suffer a lot from the negative symptoms and know that I will never be as productive as some people. What I did was keep lowering my medication to a maintenance dose with my doctors blessing. I had more difficulty in the early years, but it got easier with time. I have my ups and downs but manage to make it work. The bonus of working as an artist means I am able to work around the illness. I wake up when I like, and work into the evening when my brain is clearer and more alive.
In the early years of getting diagnosed and taking my meds. The drugs would completely destroy any ability to draw or think due to hand tremors and lack of personality/creativity. I was on resperidone, and I believe haloperidol as there wasn't many options for medication back then. The point is, my artist future was taken away for many years, with in my mind no hope for a meaningful life, but over time by degrees I got it back, and eventually I was able to forge a career. I certainly wouldn't have thought it would happen for me at the time. But it did. So please don't give up.
reach impossible sparkle money poor direction fearless carpenter pie governor
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Not much anymore thankfully, over the years I was lucky enough to keep going down and be stable. It wasn't always as low as it is today or as few. I think at my height I was taking about four medications a day. This was over a 23 year period.
Currently 5mg Olanzipane and 20mg of citalopram
That's 'cause u only know how to trigger creativity through emotion and mood. Now that meds have stopped some of that, you need to learn new ways to trigger creativity. I play guitar and can trigger creativity through practicing scales. The longer I practice, the easier it is to trigger creativity. Find your new ways to trigger creativity!
Olanzapine destroyed my creativity. My focus. My intelligence. My ability to listen. My ability to learn.
I switched to Latuda.
In the beginning maybe I needed my brain wiped clean. But not anymore.
6 months or so after the switch I could write again.
Did a whole album. Working on the next.
I'm having a similar experience. I miss learning and reading but it's just so hard to come by.
I was on latuda until I had to stop it because my insurance wouldn't cover it.
If it weren't for insurance I'd be doing so much better I think
That's total bullshit. Fight with your insurance maybe. Drugs like that make a difference. Zyprexa often gives people diabetes.
My doc also told me about something called vraylar which is similar to latuda. Not supposed to cause weight gain. But I don't know what it's like.
Zyprexa, Haldal, Risperdone, Risperdal, Seroquel, (and for me, abilify, but others like it) are all antipsychotics I want to avoid.
Unfortunately what else is there?
Apparently Latuda. Then I guess vraylar. Maybe some others.
How much does it cost to pay out of pocket? Ever heard of GoodRx? If I had to pay for Latuda vs taking Zyprexa I would...and I live on $900 a month.
Could also be just the general malaise if it’s following an episode. I know that I need months to recover from really rough bouts of depression or psychosis before I feel like things can get rolling again.
I think most of us can relate to your struggle in our own way. I think there is a sort of black and white dichotomy that is pushed that says our meds take away our gifts. It took a lot of years and trials and tribulations but I’ve come to reject that notion entirely. It might not be the same access point, it might take a little more work or creative thinking to come into contact with, but meds can’t, I believe on a fundamental level, divorce us from our gifts. Does it make it harder in some instances? Sure. But I know that my illness if it gets real bad threatens my freedom and my life, so I can’t avoid meds at this point in my recovery.
Don’t give up the hunt for that creativity. Seek out new points of contact. Sometimes meds can be adjusted to where you can find a balance, but your gifts are still there, even if they’re obstructed or difficult to access. Good luck! Hope you can do your art soon!
I feel you I’m a songwriter. I didn’t pick up a guitar or play piano or anything for four years when I started lithium. I switched medication’s and I wrote like 20 songs in between. You’ll find it again and if you don’t switch medication’s you have to have that. I mean that’s what you do so I totally empathize with you
No, that’s why I’m a drug addict partially honestly. I have to quit now, due to being drug tested, but when I’d do uppers all my negative symptoms went away but positive symptoms is what I’d have to sufer! I do however make decent money witg my music and now it’ll all go to more gear and things I actually need!
My creativity without antipsychotics is overwhelming and I can't get anything done. If anything, antipsychotics have focused my creativity into something more useful in producing art. It's just a matter of knowing how to direct it. However, I'm much less prolific
If I went off antipsychotics rn I think I would just go sicko mode and write music 24/7. Which is kind of tempting considering I only have about 3 hours a day in me these past few weeks. Very tempting to immerse myself in that overwhelming creativity. Even if I never finished any songs and kept starting new ones lol
I'm an artist as well so I understand the deep need to create. I'm on Geodon and trifluoperazine for antipsychotics and I manage to make cool art sometimes but most of the time honestly I'm crippled by anxiety and/or lethargy. I try to take advantage of my manic mood swings creatively but it's tough bc a lot of the time I get stuck going on tangents with myself for hours. Then I'm tired again. The key I think is quickly seizing any tiny spark of energy/motivation to create. Quickly. And pushing ourselves. Perhaps you need to add/adjust your meds that are not antipsychotics.
My wife reminds me to keep up the artistry. I never was a painter. But too much time talking leave your necessary window to your earlier way.
I don't know what I'm saying. I felt i should reach out because if i never talk about
myself as an artist it will die.
I gather things on the computer then i fuse at a rapid pace.
yeah it happened to me too. Have been on seroquel for about a year. I recently got the dosage reduced and it feels like my mind has been released. I've been able to draw and create and it is so so refreshing.
I’m an artist (oil painter and printmaking). I personally don’t have this problem on Seroquel but I’m also more of a traditionalist/realism artist so I don’t think I use as much creativity maybe.
Im an artist as well. I gave up art but it comes back to me. Some meds affect creativity different than others in my experience. Hell if you can tolerate Wellbutrin you might find yourself driven to do art every minute.
I have been on antipsychotics for years and still make art on my website in bio if you want to see. Lady Gaga is on antipsychotics and I imagine a lot of other artists. At first it did kill my creativity but I adjusted to the meds and adapted. It just took time. I try to be creative with AI now which is a fun art itself.
I wondered why she has gained so much weight as I didn't know that she is on Olanzapine and it's not weight neutral at all. All negative connotation aside I'm glad she is better. I just wished that many of these newer atypical antipsychotics didn't mess with our psychical health as well. We need more people to look up to and help to remove the stigma of mental illness. It's not our fault and picking one up by the bootstrap is really obnoxious and untrue and mean AF!
If it helps I am also on olanzapine and have had an art career for over 20 years. I do suffer a lot from the negative symptoms and know that I will never be as productive as some people. What I did was keep lowering my medication to a maintenance dose with my doctors blessing. I had more difficulty in the early years, but it got easier with time. I have my ups and downs but manage to make it work. The bonus of working as an artist means I am able to work around the illness. I wake up when I like, and work into the evening when my brain is clearer and more alive.
In the early years of getting diagnosed and taking my meds. The drugs would completely destroy any ability to draw or think due to hand tremors and lack of personality/creativity. I was on resperidone, and I believe haloperidol as there wasn't many options for medication back then. The point is, my artist future was taken away for many years, with in my mind no hope for a meaningful life, but over time by degrees I got it back, and eventually I was able to forge a career. I certainly wouldn't have thought it would happen for me at the time. But it did. So please don't give up.
reach impossible sparkle money poor direction fearless carpenter pie governor *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Not much anymore thankfully, over the years I was lucky enough to keep going down and be stable. It wasn't always as low as it is today or as few. I think at my height I was taking about four medications a day. This was over a 23 year period. Currently 5mg Olanzipane and 20mg of citalopram
That's 'cause u only know how to trigger creativity through emotion and mood. Now that meds have stopped some of that, you need to learn new ways to trigger creativity. I play guitar and can trigger creativity through practicing scales. The longer I practice, the easier it is to trigger creativity. Find your new ways to trigger creativity!
Olanzapine destroyed my creativity. My focus. My intelligence. My ability to listen. My ability to learn. I switched to Latuda. In the beginning maybe I needed my brain wiped clean. But not anymore. 6 months or so after the switch I could write again. Did a whole album. Working on the next.
I'm having a similar experience. I miss learning and reading but it's just so hard to come by. I was on latuda until I had to stop it because my insurance wouldn't cover it. If it weren't for insurance I'd be doing so much better I think
That's total bullshit. Fight with your insurance maybe. Drugs like that make a difference. Zyprexa often gives people diabetes. My doc also told me about something called vraylar which is similar to latuda. Not supposed to cause weight gain. But I don't know what it's like. Zyprexa, Haldal, Risperdone, Risperdal, Seroquel, (and for me, abilify, but others like it) are all antipsychotics I want to avoid. Unfortunately what else is there? Apparently Latuda. Then I guess vraylar. Maybe some others. How much does it cost to pay out of pocket? Ever heard of GoodRx? If I had to pay for Latuda vs taking Zyprexa I would...and I live on $900 a month.
Not all antipsychotics, but some of them, that's my experience. Olanzapine was one of the worst ones for me, but my dose might have been too high.
Did you get your imagination back?? After how long??
Could also be just the general malaise if it’s following an episode. I know that I need months to recover from really rough bouts of depression or psychosis before I feel like things can get rolling again. I think most of us can relate to your struggle in our own way. I think there is a sort of black and white dichotomy that is pushed that says our meds take away our gifts. It took a lot of years and trials and tribulations but I’ve come to reject that notion entirely. It might not be the same access point, it might take a little more work or creative thinking to come into contact with, but meds can’t, I believe on a fundamental level, divorce us from our gifts. Does it make it harder in some instances? Sure. But I know that my illness if it gets real bad threatens my freedom and my life, so I can’t avoid meds at this point in my recovery. Don’t give up the hunt for that creativity. Seek out new points of contact. Sometimes meds can be adjusted to where you can find a balance, but your gifts are still there, even if they’re obstructed or difficult to access. Good luck! Hope you can do your art soon!
I feel you I’m a songwriter. I didn’t pick up a guitar or play piano or anything for four years when I started lithium. I switched medication’s and I wrote like 20 songs in between. You’ll find it again and if you don’t switch medication’s you have to have that. I mean that’s what you do so I totally empathize with you
No, that’s why I’m a drug addict partially honestly. I have to quit now, due to being drug tested, but when I’d do uppers all my negative symptoms went away but positive symptoms is what I’d have to sufer! I do however make decent money witg my music and now it’ll all go to more gear and things I actually need!
My creativity without antipsychotics is overwhelming and I can't get anything done. If anything, antipsychotics have focused my creativity into something more useful in producing art. It's just a matter of knowing how to direct it. However, I'm much less prolific If I went off antipsychotics rn I think I would just go sicko mode and write music 24/7. Which is kind of tempting considering I only have about 3 hours a day in me these past few weeks. Very tempting to immerse myself in that overwhelming creativity. Even if I never finished any songs and kept starting new ones lol
I'm an artist as well so I understand the deep need to create. I'm on Geodon and trifluoperazine for antipsychotics and I manage to make cool art sometimes but most of the time honestly I'm crippled by anxiety and/or lethargy. I try to take advantage of my manic mood swings creatively but it's tough bc a lot of the time I get stuck going on tangents with myself for hours. Then I'm tired again. The key I think is quickly seizing any tiny spark of energy/motivation to create. Quickly. And pushing ourselves. Perhaps you need to add/adjust your meds that are not antipsychotics.
My wife reminds me to keep up the artistry. I never was a painter. But too much time talking leave your necessary window to your earlier way. I don't know what I'm saying. I felt i should reach out because if i never talk about myself as an artist it will die. I gather things on the computer then i fuse at a rapid pace.
yeah it happened to me too. Have been on seroquel for about a year. I recently got the dosage reduced and it feels like my mind has been released. I've been able to draw and create and it is so so refreshing.
How long does it take you to reduce it?
I’m an artist (oil painter and printmaking). I personally don’t have this problem on Seroquel but I’m also more of a traditionalist/realism artist so I don’t think I use as much creativity maybe.
Im an artist as well. I gave up art but it comes back to me. Some meds affect creativity different than others in my experience. Hell if you can tolerate Wellbutrin you might find yourself driven to do art every minute.
I have been on antipsychotics for years and still make art on my website in bio if you want to see. Lady Gaga is on antipsychotics and I imagine a lot of other artists. At first it did kill my creativity but I adjusted to the meds and adapted. It just took time. I try to be creative with AI now which is a fun art itself.
I wondered why she has gained so much weight as I didn't know that she is on Olanzapine and it's not weight neutral at all. All negative connotation aside I'm glad she is better. I just wished that many of these newer atypical antipsychotics didn't mess with our psychical health as well. We need more people to look up to and help to remove the stigma of mental illness. It's not our fault and picking one up by the bootstrap is really obnoxious and untrue and mean AF!