Working closely with your doctor is key to managing your schizophrenia treatment.
Ask questions. And learn as much as you can about any medicine your doctor prescribes,
including GEODON.
Ask lots of questions. Take the time to learn everything you can from your
doctor about schizophrenia and any medicine he or she prescribes.
Download questions to ask your doctor (PDF) about treatment, and bring this
list to your next doctor visit.
Be open with your doctor. To get the best results, your doctor needs to know:
- Any symptoms and any side effects
- All medicines you take and any illnesses you may have
- Any major changes in your life
- Any medical problems in your family
- Any heart problems you may have had
- If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
“Tell your doctor about your symptoms before and during treatment, and about side effects. Your doctor can’t address these issues unless you let him or her know about them.”
—Dr. Suarez
Keep your appointments and be on time for them. There may be times when you
forget your doctor appointments—or just don’t feel up to going. Consider asking
a family member or friend to remind you of your appointments. Or to join you for
your visit and give support.
Be your doctor’s partner. Getting improvement in your schizophrenia symptoms
is worth the effort. Working closely with your doctor and any other health care
professionals involved in your care will make it more likely that you’ll get the
full benefits of treatment.
Don’t stop taking your medicine or try to adjust your dose on your own. If
your symptoms improve, you may feel cured. If you don’t see improvement right away,
you may think your treatment isn’t working. Or you may find your medicine is causing
side effects you can’t live with. If any of these things happen, be sure to tell
your doctor. Don’t stop taking your medicine without talking to your doctor first.
“I learned my lesson. I thought I didn’t need medicine, so I stopped taking it.
My symptoms came back just like my doctor said they would.”
—Justin
Schizophrenia is a lifelong illness. If you and your doctor determine that medicine
is a necessary part of your treatment, you should not stop taking it without talking
with him or her first. If you stop taking your medicine, you run the risk of your
symptoms returning.
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Based on conversations with real patients. |
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† |
Dr. Suarez is a practicing psychiatrist. He did not treat the patients depicted on this Web site. Dr. Suarez received compensation from Pfizer, the makers of GEODON, for his contributions to this site. |
Next: About schizophrenia
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