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I think the only way to go off my medication is if I do it gradually if my psychiatrist says it’s okay. That’s the only way to keep mom around because she said she’d abandon me if I went off it all at once. I’m worried I will go nuts anyway because I’ve had some issues here and there after having it reduced. I hate that it’s making me gain weight. Read online that a few people said it made them gain 100 pounds. Mom will also abandon me if I get my medication reduced and start having anger issues like last time. I was going through something very traumatic when I went crazy enough to have to take medication. I wonder if it would happen again if nothing is going on in life to upset me? I don’t want to take antipsychotic medication. I know it’s not good for the body. What if I need it though? What if I don’t need it and stay on it all my life because they convinced me I need it and it gives me health problems...

I just feel really trapped right now. Don’t feel like I have a lot of control in life.

That doesn't sound too nice.

But you know, suddenly dropping a strong medication entirely could cause unpleasant withdrawal reactions, so dropping it bit by bit is probably the safest thing to do.

Also my mom, who's a nurse, said that meds that actually cause weight gain are extremely rare. Most meds that are said to do so actually just increase appetite, which results to people eating more and gaining weight for it. So, if you can control yourself and resist the urge to eat too much, you won't gain as much weight.

What exactly happens when you get anger issues? Are there some particular triggers?

I haven’t been eating more than I did when I wasn’t on medication.

The strong emotions would happen when I was living with mom and we would fight over stuff. I live in a rooming house so I wonder if living with the crazy people would make me overwhelmed by my emotions too if I went off my medication.

Are you back in the rooming house?

Mom wants me to go back at the end of may.

Are you scared of moving back with your parents since I think you mentioned that they are rednecks?

Huh, that's weird... some meds cause swelling though, so maybe that's the problem. Or maybe your meds actually are on the list of those rare ones that cause weight gain.

How about walking away when things start to escalate? People don't usually like that, but it might be a lesser evil, especially if you told them about your anger control problems.

Prednisone frequently causes weight gain.

And some corticosteroids in general.

Yes I believe my medication does cause weight gain because they told me at the hospital that it does.

I've tried walking away from mom when she was yelling at me and she just gets angrier and says she hates it when people walk away when she's talking and yells at me to come back.

My parents really aren't all that redneck. They drive me nuts sometimes but I still love them.

Most antipsychotic medications cause weight gain. Of all the antipsychotics I am aware of, Saphris(Asenapine) has the least reported weight gain. You can also ask your doctor to take metformin, that drug will prevent weight gain associated with antipsychotics and may help you lose the weight you have already gained.

Doctors I find just don't care about weight gain as a side effect even though its a serious side effect that can have many negative implications for your mental and physical health. You have to tell the doctor that it is important to you and demand that he/she do something about it, your suggestion would be metformin and ask about Saphris.

If he/she doesn't like your suggestion ask them to explain why and demand that they come up with a better solution. Tell your doctor doing nothing about it is not acceptable. There are options out there for you, you just have to inform yourself and put your foot down. You are on antipsychotics for a reason but that doesn't mean you have to settle for garbage treatment outcomes.

Show the articles below to your doctor to support your argument.

Source for metformin: https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com ... 016-1049-5

Source for comparison of antipsychotic weight gain potential: https://www.bap.org.uk/articles/antipsy ... ight-gain/

See if they can find you a med that doesn't cause weight gain.

That and people who yell at you for walking away from them because they were yelling at you, especially if you're autistic, are being abusive. My ex did that. Major shutdown and PTSD trigger. That behavior should be investigated by a psych professional and possibly controlled via medication.

Good luck with your family and living situations.

Your mom (the way you describe her) comes off as very much like my mom; a total control freak who thinks she will always get her way, but sometimes that doesn't happen.

Whenever she yells at me and/or my NT sister, such outbursts happen without warning. In fact, even the smallest things can set our mom off.

On another note, I am on three anti-seizure prescriptions; one of which causes weight gain. My mom sees no connection between the prescription that causes weight gain and the dosage. She believes that me being overweight is caused by me eating junk food (even though I avoid junk food as much as I can) and a perceived refusal to get exercise.

She also believes that the only way to lose weight is to go on a 30-minute walk every single day, which IMO is not enough to maintain a healthy weight.

I also wish you best of luck with your family and situations with them.