I'm supposed to be taking Abilify for my Schizophrenia, if not for my mental issues since I usually seem to do a decent job of controlling them myself through self awareness+effort+diet (fresh breads, pastas, and potatoes all apparently help with the bloodbrain barrier, making hormones/meds/natural nutrients absorb better), then to at least slow down or prevent the degeneration. Long Story Short, if I don't take it regularly, in about ten years,
at the "late stages" I'm looking at not even knowing who I am, let alone anyone or anything else, due to the inner structure of the brain (I forget the name, but that center part) expanding, leaving less room for the left and right halves of the cerebral cortex inside my skull, resulting in them shrinking down over time to compensate, which in turn results in progressively reduced memory and higher thought processes as it contiunes.
It's highly possible that's already begun, because my memory definitely is not as good as it was 4 years ago....and I'm about to turn fucking 22 in a few months.
Good news is, I have the pills with me in my room in plentiful supply, and "scientific studies have shown" Abilify is able to help slow down or even halt the effects of Schizophrenia while being taken.
Bad news is, I don't trust a thing any drug company says about any capsulated lab chemical they pop out, because majority of those studies are funded with the goal being to "show what their drug is good for", while only "showing" enough about it's potential side effects and dangers to keep the initial FDA reviewers happy enough to approve it, and sometimes even falsifying what it is even "good" for in the first place. Class Action Lawsuits over older drugs having caused life damaging long term effects, as well as fatalities are not uncommon these days, and you know that's what happened every time a commercial comes on TV saying "If you or a loved one suffered/experienced X while taking Y, you may be entitled to compensation." about a drug. That, and I just don't like the idea of taking them to begin with......
So yeah, forcing a pill down each night to keep my brain in semi-desirable condition is a bit of a personal struggle for me.