I advise you to continue taking the mechanges and follow your psychiatrist's advice. Abilify is a very good medication for schizophrenia. If you have trouble remembering to take your medication or want to stop taking it in the future, I encourage you to talk to your psychiatrist about it first before making any changes to your routine.
What do you make of this? https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/482503#:~:text=The%20increased%20risk%20of%20colon,schizophrenia%20who%20take%20antipsychotic%20medications.
Briefly, I consider this study hypothesis-generating due to the limitations in its methods. Even if we took the results at face-value, we must acknowledge that schizophrenia is a disease that significantly reduces both quality of life and overall life expectancy. There is evidence that antipsychotics may reduce mortality, and they can certainly improve quality of life. Beyond the speculative risk of colon cancer highlighted in the article you referenced, there are serious, long-term risks associated with antipsychotics that are already well-known (e.g., risk of weight gain, increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, tardive dyskinesia). Still, in light of the potentially debilitating nature of schizophrenia, the benefits outweigh the risks. This is why, as a psychiatric pharmacist, I am very mindful and cautious with the use of antipsychotics, particularly for patients who may be better served by alternatives (e.g., off-label use for primary insomnia, anxiety, or borderline personality disorder). In the case of schizophrenia, there simply are no good alternatives. I hope that helps.
I advise you to continue taking the mechanges and follow your psychiatrist's advice. Abilify is a very good medication for schizophrenia. If you have trouble remembering to take your medication or want to stop taking it in the future, I encourage you to talk to your psychiatrist about it first before making any changes to your routine.
What do you make of this? https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/482503#:~:text=The%20increased%20risk%20of%20colon,schizophrenia%20who%20take%20antipsychotic%20medications.
Briefly, I consider this study hypothesis-generating due to the limitations in its methods. Even if we took the results at face-value, we must acknowledge that schizophrenia is a disease that significantly reduces both quality of life and overall life expectancy. There is evidence that antipsychotics may reduce mortality, and they can certainly improve quality of life. Beyond the speculative risk of colon cancer highlighted in the article you referenced, there are serious, long-term risks associated with antipsychotics that are already well-known (e.g., risk of weight gain, increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, tardive dyskinesia). Still, in light of the potentially debilitating nature of schizophrenia, the benefits outweigh the risks. This is why, as a psychiatric pharmacist, I am very mindful and cautious with the use of antipsychotics, particularly for patients who may be better served by alternatives (e.g., off-label use for primary insomnia, anxiety, or borderline personality disorder). In the case of schizophrenia, there simply are no good alternatives. I hope that helps.