[CRT1971]

Hi,

I am hoping that some of you can help me with a number of problems that my family are experiencing with my older brother.

He has been diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophenia and has been suffering from it for several years. He has been prescribed with risperidone which he does not take regularly. He currently lives in a house owned by my parents and lives off benefits.

I live 250 miles away from both my parents and my brother, my parents are now both in their 70's and are not dealing with the continuing situation. I am in my home town for a few days and visited him today with my parents and was very concerned by what I saw. The house was filthy, he was filthy and lay on the sofa for the entire time I was there drifting in and out of sleep. According to my parents this is how he lives everyday.

He sees an NHS psychiatrist every 6 weeks and has a community mental health team onboard.

Does anyone have any advice on how to persuade him to take his medication daily?

What other options are now available to us, he is after not a danger to himself or anyone else.

Any help gratefully received.

Thanks

[manic666]

CRT1971, on 08 May 2012 - 06:15 PM, said:

Hi,

I am hoping that some of you can help me with a number of problems that my family are experiencing with my older brother.

He has been diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophenia and has been suffering from it for several years. He has been prescribed with risperidone which he does not take regularly. He currently lives in a house owned by my parents and lives off benefits.

I live 250 miles away from both my parents and my brother, my parents are now both in their 70's and are not dealing with the continuing situation. I am in my home town for a few days and visited him today with my parents and was very concerned by what I saw. The house was filthy, he was filthy and lay on the sofa for the entire time I was there drifting in and out of sleep. According to my parents this is how he lives everyday.

He sees an NHS psychiatrist every 6 weeks and has a community mental health team onboard.

Does anyone have any advice on how to persuade him to take his medication daily?

What other options are now available to us, he is after not a danger to himself or anyone else.

Any help gratefully received.

Thanks

Its not going to be easy getting him to take his meds, with the way you discribe him. His mental health team are the ones to look to , they dont sound as if there giveing him the care he needs . But that said, you carnt force anyone to do what they dont want if he is not a danger to anyone.

[Monkerty Tunkerty]

Hi, you could try to get him on risperidal consta, which is risperidone in a fortnightly slow release injection. You know that he tolerates risperidone so that's half the battle.

I've been on it for eight years after being talked into it by my psychiatrist, I was under no obligation, I was just a bugger for not taking tablets.

[eyewashere]

.

[firemonkey]

robmac, on 08 May 2012 - 10:16 PM, said:

Hi, you could try to get him on risperidal consta, which is risperidone in a fortnightly slow release injection. You know that he tolerates risperidone so that's half the battle.

I've been on it for eight years after being talked into it by my psychiatrist, I was under no obligation, I was just a bugger for not taking tablets.

A good suggestion .I had a 40-60% rate of taking daily oral meds, due to forgetfulness, but have not missed a consta injection since starting on it in May 2009.
One injection a fortnight-job done.

[manic666]

You would have thought his medical team would have come up with that long ago, there,s got to be a problem somewhere. they carnt force him to inject his meds , if he said no then that,s the end of that therory. but if he was in hospital i have seen people tricked into takeing it.,by saying its just a vitamin shot.

[Admin - Rethink]

Hi, do you know about our Siblings project? www.rethink.org/siblings

[katie_d]

Hi there,
Snap! I have a paranoid schizophrenic brother who lives with my 84-yr old mother. His personal hygiene is not good to put it politely. I also live at a distance, but visit mum once a month. My brother won't let us into his room (which he also eats in) so we just sort of clean round him as best we can. He does take his pills, however. Our Mental Health Team has never shown any interest in medication. It's always just been assumed that the family will take care of it. I agree with comments above - if it's just a matter of not being organised enough to remember, that should be fairly easily fixed with an alarm and pill organisers. If it's that your brother actively can't or doesn't want to take his meds then you're going to have to get professional advice. Be prepared to make a fuss until someone pays attention. Good luck. I really feel for you because I understand your worries completely.