Managing Medication side effects
How to deal with a dry mouth?
Take frequent sips of water throughout the day.
Chewing sugar free gum. Sucking on hard candy.
>Remember to tell your doctor or pharmacist!
Which one of these is NOT a side effect of Clozapine?
1. Sedation
2. Salivation
3. Insomnia
4. dizziness
3. Insomnia is NOT a side effect of Clozapine. In fact, Clozapine causes sedation which is why it is given at night!
Is ECT painful?
MYTH!
You are given muscle relaxant and general anesthesia - so you sleep during the procedure and you feel no pain. You will be continuously monitored by your treatment team
Something to take if you feel nauseous
Gravol - dimenhydrate
How to deal with not being able to sleep?
Why does Hypersalivation happen?
1. your body is making more saliva
2. you are not swallowing at much
3. It just happens - there's no reason
You are not swallowing at much.
It is not that Clozapine causes extra saliva to be produced. It is that you are not swallowing as much. Remember, salivation is a side effect that CAN be managed!
Possibly >90% of patients taking clozapine have hypersalivation
TRUE!
Although hypersalivation is a common side effect, there are ways to manage the SE such as chewing sugarless gum through the day and there are medications that can also be helpful!
Something to take if you are constipated
PEG
or
Sennosides
or
Lactulose
How to deal with salivation?
Any one of the following:
Eat sugar free gum during the day
sleep to the side
Towel on pillow
Use Atropine or ipratropium
Why is it bad to miss a dose or two of medication?
If you miss doses of medication you can become unwell.
It is also NOT recommended you restart taking the same dose of medication without talking to a doctor or pharmacist. Don't double up and take two doses at once.
MYTH!
There is no evidence to suggest that treatment with ECT can cause brain damage, Some patients experience memory loss of recent events but usually recover several months after treatment has ended
Eye drop that is used for hyper-salivation
Atropine 1%
How do you deal with chest pain or palpitations?
Tell a nurse or doctor immediately so they can run tests and monitor incase something is wrong.
If you are in community call 911.
If someone changes the amount they smoke, or decide to stop smoking cigarettes (yay) what can happen?
Clozapine levels can change.
Always tell your healthcare team - pharmacist, doctor or nurse if you think you want to change the amount you are smoking.
Medications will change who I am or make me feel unlike myself
MYTH!!!
Psychiatrists often hear from patients that they worry that medications will change who they are. The truth is that medications aim to reduce symptoms, not change who you are. Finding the right medication takes time and involves trial and error with your doctor to get the best results with minimal side effects.
Acetaminophen is the chemical name of which medication?
Tylenol!!!
How to deal with Constipation?
Eating fiber, drinking fluids, and staying active can help prevent this clozapine side effect.
Why do you have to do regular blood tests for Clozapine therapy?
To monitor for agranulocytosis (lower white blood cells) and to monitor you are at therapeutic/effective level of Clozapine.
Approximately 1 in 100 Canadians, or
roughly 300,000 to 400,000 people, are estimated to be living with schizophrenia
TRUE
You are not alone. Please reach out to anyone for support if you feel isolated or unsupported!
What is Metamucil?
Psyllium or Fiber