I got a letter from Joey, and I hope someone will come along and explain me what he means !! :confused:

I quote:

"My roomy finally went to sleep !! He takes psycho medication which knocks his ass out !!! I am considering it myself, because all psycho inmates will serve CM (close management) at Florida State Prison !!! All inmates on psycho medication are psycho 3s, this way I leave here and can start fresh. Believe me my Frenchy, it's for the best."

Isn't it a stupid way to change prison ?? What kind of medication is it ?? Is there a way to cheat, meaning, he doesn't actually take his medication ? Besides a transfer to FSP, what will it change for him ? For us ?

I personally think it's a very stupid idea !! I guess this medication is a very strong one, and he might mess up with his health !!! Besides, what will his surrounding be at FSP in a "psycho" environment ??

Gosh !!! Sometimes he just kills me with some of his ideas !!! :mad:

Any input would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Phil

Phil, I only know one thing- sorry. He would not be able to cheat with the medication- unless he finds a way to vomit it out As soon as possible. Which is not healthy, either. :(

I really hope others will be able to help you more than I did.

xoxo

Tanya

Phil, I don't have any information for you either, but I agree this doesn't sound like one of his better ideas. My thoughts and prayers are with the two of you. You must be worried, but hang in there we all are here for you.

Hugs from California
ompa

Phil- if you find out the name of the medication I can tell you more. Do you know what type (specifically) of psychiatric problems his roomies have?

Some meds --trazadone-for exampke are used to help sleep specifically--there are other psychotropic meds that can make you drowsy--etc.

If you can get any of this info. i might be able to shed a little more light on the situation.

I don't think ANYONE should take meds that are not clinically indicated

good luck!


I do not know what a "psycho 3" is either-anyone else know?

Thanks Tanya and Ompa !! :)

Sherri, I haven't the faintest idea about what his roomy takes for medication, and if he has psychiatric problems or not, and what those problems are !!! Anyway, your reply is right on time before the post office closes !! :) I'm currently finishing answering his letter, so I'm gonna ask him those info, ie meds names and roomy psycho problems !!! Then I will let you know. Thank you for this Sherri !!! :)

All the best
Phil

hé, Phil I remember your very own postoffice...too bad I don't know anything about the info you need...but you know what ,there are times when they write something and then they just sent that letter but don't really do what they write, they do change their minds a lot...just because he writes it does not really have to mean he will do it....he is a smart man, he will think about it and maybe see why it is better not to do this...hang in there okay!

Surely he will reconsider and not want to take a drug that will cause him to be comotose state. LOL FOr what I hear of him he likes to party.

Just my wild guess but sounds like hyperactive, ADD type of problems to have med's that cause such a stupor of sleep.

I don't think this would be a easy system to fake. The DOC may allow 'false diagnosis" and hand it out loosely just to get all the inmates to sleep instead of raising hell.

Believe it or not, there is tons of men and woman in prsion that take these meds cause they cant handle the daily living in Prison, i can understand that, but i disapprove of the way they go about treating it.

Some men that are lock up, ( the woman as well) in seg cant handle the isolation. They have to then depend on the drugs to help. That to me is understnable as well, but again, I disapprove how they handle it. Instead of getting them help while taking the meds, they cover it up. That will NOt work when they get out.

Dear Phil:

Please try to reason with Joey. Sounds like he's feeling really desperate to consider this. Mention to him the fact that, depending on the drug, he could become addicted. So many worries for you, Phil. I'm sorry.

Philippe - I am so happy that Joey trusts you enough to tell you these things... I agree with the rest. Making a decision to take a drug like this would and could be dangerous to his health and will not be the answer in the long run! Or even the short run!

I hope that you can talk to him and convince him not to.

Thank you all for your advice. Besides I'm so glad you all agree with me that this is not a good decision. I wrote him yesterday about this, and told him it could be dangerous to his health, and yes Linda, he might get addicted to this stuff and is certainly desesperate to ask for this !! This kind of thing doesn't match his personality. That sucks !! :(

I still haven't found out about those psycho 3 inmates !!! Any idea Floridian fellows ???

Thanks everybody
Phil

Phil, this is one of those ideas that looks good, but once your into it you realize, it's not what you thought it was. I have known two guys who have gone this route, both guys are as sane as any criminal can be I guess, but there is nothing wrrong with them. One guy is a very good friend. Both regret getting on psyche meds, and one is in now, & has been trying to get off being a psyche patient for a couple years now. The only way I can think that it will effect you is you may notice a change in him as these meds take effect. Yes he can not take the meds, it is possible to "cheat", but it seems it's the meds he wants. Most of the time psyche patients don't work, or they get light duty kind of work. He see's this guy sleeping a lot, & sleeping your time away is an attractive way to do time. There are a variety of meds used on psyche patients, & most are fairly strong, as they use the meds to control the prisoner. I would advise against it in the strongest terms. There are people who are better on meds, but if he doesn't have problems & they dose him up with strong stuff it will change him. I watched a friend turn into a zoned out shell. It wasn't pretty.--------------Ken

Ken, thank you for your input. In fact I don't know if he needs the meds as much as he needs a transfer to FSP, or both !! What is sure, is that this kind of thing doesn't match his personality, and yes he might change !! :(
So you say "psyche" no "psycho" ?? He actually wrote "psyche" in his letter, but I thought he mispelled, so I corrected into "psycho" . Thanks for correcting me :)

Sherri, I hope you'll read this, now I need your help. I got a letter this morning and of course he still hasn't received mine !! So he saw the psyche doc and is now on medication !! :mad:
Prozac. Visteril. Flourentine.

I know what Prozac is, I don't know about the other 2. Hope you could tell me!!! Gosh !!! 3 different meds is a lot !!! :(

Thanks
Phil

Dear Phil:

If you mean fluoxetine, I know that's a generic form of Prozac 'cause I took it at one point. I would question why two forms of the same drug are being administered. You're such a caring person, Phil. I hope you get some answers soon. Take good care of yourself.

Phil Linda is right Fluoxetine is the generic Prozac, all thought Prozac has fluoxetine in it. Fluoxetine does not have all the ingredents prozac has in it, but it is used for the same thing.
If you want all the effects of it and Prozac I can type it out of my drug book I use for work. Depending on the Docotr and the problem a lot of them won't prescribe the generic version of Prozac, I know I never did. Some drugs I did but prozac I didn't.

The other drug is spelled Vistaril and it is used as a tranquilizer to treat anxiety and motion sickness.

I hope this helps Phil, if you need more information just yell I will help with what I can.

softie

Linda and Softheart thank you for your help and concern !! :) I guess you have the good spellings for those meds.
I never heard of fluoxetine and vistaril before. I don't understand why they would give him both prozac and fluoxetine if it's more or less the same thing !!! Those meds are all tranquilizers aren't they ?? This will gonna mess up his health that's sure !! :(

Softie, one of my best friend is a doctor and I will ask him about those meds. We have prozac in France but I'm not sure for the other 2. If he can't find them, I will ask for your help. Damn I do hope he will carefully read my letter and reconsider his position about this !! It's definitely not one of his brightest ideas !! :mad:

Thanks again
Phil

Well Phil I can tell you if he is given all the drugs he won't care about a thing, he will be like a zombie. And like any medication if you don't need them and take them the effects can be quite bad.
If you need any more information please let me know Phil.
My email is
(e-mail address removed per PTO policy)

Hopefully it was just a passing thought with Joey and he will have changed his mind by now.

If you need me to write to Joey and talk to him as a professional and how these will effect him I will, just let me know.

Love and Hugs
softie

Phil, unfortunately in Florida their are some benefits to being in a "psych" unit. Due to the side effects of some of the drugs, there is always aircondition as well as the meals being bigger. One he gets out of Cm he has a good chance of going to Zephyrhills. This camp is very small and from what I hear a easy camp to be at. Many of the inmates in this camp have minor mental health problems such as depression, etc. awhich can be stabalized with medication.

Phil, let's talk again by phone or through PM's...this thread brought to mind something Mr. Slone said when him and I spoke about cousin Joey. I don't want to post it here...It's NOTHING bad....nothing bad at all so don't become alarmed...just something you may not want posted in the open forum.

Once you get classified as a "psyche" patient, you can't just change your mind. He's already done it, if he's getting meds.

Softie I PMd you.

Bella you know what ? At first I thought that Zephirhills was a medication !!! Damn he's driving me crazy !!! Please PM me your phone # once again, this time I will definitely write it down in my book !! :D May I call you today ?

Ken do you mean he will be a psyche patient til the end of his sentence ??? I hope not !!! He's still in for 9 years. Damn I hope he won't take those meds for the next 9 years !!! Just to be transferred to another prison !! Gosh all this is so stupid !!! :mad:

I got another letter today, dated 03/20. I quote:

"It's me my love. Well I thought I'd write so you know all about my medication. I seen the doctor and she gave me 2 types of meds: 1 in the morning, prozac, and vistaril at night to relax. The nurse tonight said I'd probably start tomorrow"

So now he's been taking those meds for about 1 week !! :( And then, is the stupid reason why he did this, I quote:

"This is what I was speaking of !! See all psyche 3 inmates which are guys on psyche meds are all housed at FSP that are on CM !!! So they'll have to transfer me soon hopefully !! :) "

And he actually drew this smiley, meaning he's so proud of his idea to get a transfer !!!! Argh !!!!!

Phil
The two drugs he is taking are pretty common I was concerned that they were also going to give him Fluoxetine. Phil take a deep breath he is going to be fine. Neither drug is going to hurt him, yes they have side effects, but there isn't one that doesn't. If he has any kind of depression the Prozac will help that and the Vistaril will help him sleep because Prozac does a lot of times stop you from sleeping.
These two drugs are not heavy duty drugs and he might be a little wigged out until they get the levels right in his system. They are many drugs they could have given him that are 100 times worse.

I promise you Phil it is going to be all right.

Love and Hugs
softie

Phil, I PM'd you

Thank you Bella, I just called you !! :D Now I'm gonna go sleep !! :)

Thanks again
Phil xoxo

anytime...and you know if you need me to call Mr. Slone I will definately do so...
(((HUGS)))

Phil,

When you go to the extent of claiming some kind of problem that is serious enough for them to change his classification as a mental health patient, & to prescribe medication, you just can't walk in & say "I'm cured", or "Never mind". Being a psyche patient limits many things in prison, so guys who are mental patients try to get off to get these, also guys try to get off because they don't want to take meds anymore. It's a lot easier to get a psyche crono put in your file than it is to get it out. I know personally guys who have been trying for years. It not only follows this sentence, but any other future sentences. Also his parole officer can make it part of his parole to take meds, & go to doctors &/or therapy. -----Ken

Why would you not want to labeled as a mental health inmate? Especially if you can get drugs legally, the food is better and more of it and it's airconditioned? From what I've heard, the psych units aren't as bad either?
Anymore insight on it? My son is in Jester 4. He got off of an arson charge with temp insanity due to alchohol delusions. He said he will be labeled with that from here on out. But you have to live with being a "Felon" from here on out too, right?
I posted another message to you in the Texas forum I think. I am just searching for info like crazy.

phili
I hope all is well with Joey, lil' stinker, Please let him know once you start these meds you can't just stop when you want , you have to come off slowly , and If their is a prob, maybe this will help with the Depression , if there is a good Dr. there
I will keep you and Joey in my Prayer
Faith

Kim

I was not really concerned by the fact he would be labelled as a mental health inmate. He's not one, he just wanted to be a "psyche inmate" just to be transferred to another prison. My concern was, what about taking those drugs when you don't really need them, and how will this affect you in the long term ?? You know side effects etc ..

Anyway, he's now been transferred, and he's happy. No air conditioning where he is, but definitely the food comes in larger portions. :)

I tried to find this post you are speaking of in the Tx forum, and couldn't find it !! :confused:

Phil

Phil, the postings are under General prison talk, "Real prison, the check system".
Thanks for writing me back.
My son has a real drug problem and I know that he is able to talk them into legal drugs. He was always really high on stuff the doctor gave to him at county. I do think it will hurt him when he gets out cuz he has never learned to copy in society without drugs. If it was just prozac or paxil or something like that and he could manage it without taking other stuff too, it would be OK. He is in jail for violation of probation by using drugs and now they are giving them to him in jail. I don't get that.
I was just wondering if you thought the label was bad in the long wrong for anyone and what you thought about the psch units?
Thanks for help.

I was really asking Ken what he meant in his posting right before yours?
Is Ken and Kenny on the Texas forum the same person?
I think FedX is the other ones user name.
I am new to this site so still learning.
Thanks for all the info.

Sorry about all the misspelled words but it is 4am. I meant cope instead of copy and run instead of wrong.oooppss!

Kim

I don't get it either why they give him drug in prison. Maybe because he's so addicted, they think it's better not to stop them abruptly ?? And maybe they give him less and less day after day ?

I think your son will have to go to a support organization once released. There are some ex-addict on PTO who fully recovered, and they will probably help you and direct you towards some good rehab program for drug addicts.

Concerning the label, I don't think that being labelled psyche or felon or both, makes a big difference. They are labelled anyway !! I don't know how it works in the US, but in France when you want to get a job, most of the time you're asked about your police record. So being labelled doesn't help, even though we have some associations who help ex-cons to find a job.

As far as the psyche units, Joey is very happy where he is. But besides the fact he's in psyche, he's also in the hole !! Where he is at, there's a wing which is the hole for psyche inmates. He's in a single man cell, and according to him, the food is better than in the prison he was before, bigger portions. Since almost all guys are under medications to calm them down and make them sleep, it seems that it's quieter than in any other normal wing. Besides, it seems there is less violence and tension, so the cops are rather "cool".

He also attends a group for anger management which he likes very much, and takes classes to try to get his GED.

So I think this change has been good for him, I can see it through his letters, and despite the fact he takes those meds (prozac and vistaril), his letters are still coherent !! :D I was really afraid he would be like a zombie all day long !!

I hope that helps.

Phil

Kim

it's ok for the mispelling, I guess I'll mispell too at 4 am !! Here it's 11:14 am, so my brain works normally, and I understood what you meant. Besides, Joey is kinda dislexic, and does a lot of mispelling, at any time of the day, so I'm used to it !! :)

Phil

OK Kim, I foud your other post and noticed Kenny answered you. :)

Kenny is ko1, he's an ex con from Tx

Ken is Kconnor56 an ex con from Ca

FedEx is Davis, an ex con from Tx who created PTO :)

I can understand all these "Kens" are confusing, but you will soon get used to PTO !!

Phil

From reading this thread, I think his being a psych patient is a good thing. The prison system doesn't give those designations out like candy either! As he continues with the meds (both of which are pretty mild), he'll come to experience more stability and less stress. And more opportunities to better himself!

My experience with the mental health profession: I was hospitalized for a week back in 1993 for severe depression. After being admitted to the hospital, I was searched and anything that was considered dangerous (standard procedure) was taken from my posession and stored. After that, I was led directly to their kitchen, and offered food, and as much as I wanted to eat! I was given a shot, and some pills to help me sleep at night. I experienced my first good nite's sleep in over a year! The next morning, I awoke to some very compassionate staff members, got dressed, and made my way to breakfast. I was fed very well there. Each day was planned, and patients were frequently taken to shopping trips, and to other activities out side of the hospital. After a week, I was discharged to a respite center, and was offered assistence finding an apartment. I would say that I have progressed rather nicely after that one severe nervous breakdown. That week changed my life, and my whole opinion of the mental health system that we have folks. They were there when I really needed them! And I will tear into anybody who thinks that all of psychiatry is coercive.

The moral of this story? Don't be discouraged because a friend or relative, or yourself sees a psychiatrist. In fact, a psychiatrist can be an inmate's best defence in an opressive prison system! Same goes for a good therapist or social worker, so don't knock either one. In some cases, a psychiatrist can be the difference between whether a prisoner lives or dies, and I'm not fibbing!

MrCoffee

Thanks for sharing your story Mr Coffee, and welcome to PTO :)

Phil

My appreciation, Phil. I wish you the best of luck with Joey, and that there'll be some resources for him when the time comes for his release.

It would be good if he gets stabilized enough to be in a less restrictive setting eventually.

MrCoffee