Antipsychotics : your experience ?

Giulia

Giulia

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Hi everybody
(by this post, I think especially to Hear Again :wave: )

What was your experience with antipsychotics ?

I tried two antipsychotics : Zyprexa and Abilify.
Zyprexa was a total catastroph for me : I gained 12 kilos and I was sleeping 13 to 15 hours a day !! :shock: And sleeping so much didn't go away with the time, it went worse with he time : instead of getting up at 12 pm :shock: I woke up at 3 pm :shock:
One year like that.

With Abilify, I did notice a huge difference of sleeping : instead of sleeping 13 to 15 hours a day, I sleep now 7 to 10 hours a night.
And I did lose all the weight I gained !! :)
 
:wave: there. Although I don't have anything to contribute to this but I'd like to share one small thing with you - since I'm on provigil (anti-narcoleptic drug)... i have been sleeping "normally" 6-8 hrs (i actually sleep at night instead of daytime! :-o)
 
Jiro said:
:wave: there. Although I don't have anything to contribute to this but I'd like to share one small thing with you - since I'm on provigil (anti-narcoleptic drug)... i have been sleeping "normally" 6-8 hrs (i actually sleep at night instead of daytime! :-o)
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Thanks Jiro :)
But my hypersomnia was iatrogenic (from a medical act or, here, a medicine) that stopped immediately when I stopped the Zyprexa !!
 
I have experience with these medications as a patient, myself. The class of antipsychtics being talked about here are called atypical antipsychotics. Antpsychotics in this class:

zyprexa
risperdal
abilify
geodon
clozapine
invega
seroquel

The biggest issue with these meds seem to be weight gain and a risk for diabetes. Zyprexa and Clozapine are the ones that tend to cause the most weight gain in some people. I've taken risperdal and I've noticed weight gain as well. Geodon and abilify are said to be weight neutral; meaning they cause very little to no weight gain. Sedation is also a big deal with these meds. Seroquel is is worst for this followed by zyprexa.

If anyone has any problems with these meds, they should contact their doctor and discuss what to do. Sometimes, an adjustment in dose is all that is needed to alleviate unwanted side effects. Unfortunately, the weight gain stick around.

I hope this helps.
 
I have to ask - how do these drugs cause weight gain? does it make you eat a lot?
 
i've had experience with zyprexa, risperdal and geodon.

i've been fortunate that none of these meds have caused me weight gain even though as ocean said they are well-known for causing this particular side effect (with the exception of geodon). a higher dose of an antipsychotic will cause more weight gain than a lower dose.

however, there are always exceptions. i'm currently taking a high dose of risperidone (risperdal generic) and have not experienced any weight gain.

in some people, antipsychotics can raise blood sugar levels thereby increasing one's chances for becoming pre-diabetic or having diabetes.

drowsiness is another side effect caused by antipsychotics, but this usually subsides a week or so after taking the initial dose. it should be noted that sometimes drowsiness is a desired side effect such as when taking a med like seroquel since it is sometimes prescribed to help people sleep.

geodon has also been known to cause irritability, anger and rage in some people.

if any of these symptoms are problematic for you, i would recommend seeing your doctor for a med adjustment and/or change.
 
defgrl said:
A psychiatrist wanted to put me on Geodon very recently, but luckily I knew better! Thank you for the info!
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geodon actually worked quite well for me when i was hospitalized for my bipolar in 2006. in fact, if truth be told, geodon works much better for my auditory hallucinations and delusions than risperidone/risperdal (what i currently take) does. why the attending psychiatrist at the hospital switched me to risperidone upon my discharge, i don't know. perhaps i'll ask my psychiatrist if he can put me back on geodon since it proved to be very effective for me.
 
Hear Again said:
geodon actually worked quite well for me when i was hospitalized for my bipolar in 2006. in fact, if truth be told, geodon works much better for my auditory hallucinations and delusions than risperidone/risperdal (what i currently take) does. why the attending psychiatrist at the hospital switched me to risperidone upon my discharge, i don't know. perhaps i'll ask my psychiatrist if he can put me back on geodon since it proved to be very effective for me.
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The reason might be that it causes a very rare side effect called QT wave syndrome. In laymen's terms, thats a fatal arrythmia of the heart. Pdocs will ask you if you've got heart problems or a history of them in your family before they put you on it. Some might even do an EKG first, but generally, the side effect is rare and most people do well on the drug. I haven't taken it, but I hear good things about it.
 
Oceanbreeze said:
What do you mean?
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i think she was referring to my post in which i said that geodon has the potential to cause anger, rage and irritability in some people who take it.

having said that, it doesn't cause these symptoms in everyone which is why it's a good idea to try it to see if it works for you.
 
Oceanbreeze said:
The reason might be that it causes a very rare side effect called QT wave syndrome. In laymen's terms, thats a fatal arrythmia of the heart. Pdocs will ask you if you've got heart problems or a history of them in your family before they put you on it. Some might even do an EKG first, but generally, the side effect is rare and most people do well on the drug. I haven't taken it, but I hear good things about it.
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the attending pdoc never asked me if i had any heart problems (due to my severe psychotic state).

however, i was given an ekg while in the ER before i was admitted to the hospital, so perhaps he based his information on that.
 
i'd really like to ask my psychiatrist if i can be taken off of risperidone/risperdal and put on geodon. when i was on geodon, my auditory hallucinations and delusions disappeared completely. i'm now taking 3mg of risperidone 2x/day and my auditory hallucinations and delusions are moderate even when on this med. i also have difficulty with paranoia (i have 7 different types) -- although i don't know how well geodon would address this. if i had to guess based on my experience at the hospital, i would say that it works pretty well since 90% of my paranoia disappeared while taking geodon as well as the fact that i still have difficulty with severe paranoia even on risperidone.
 
Hear Again said:
the attending pdoc never asked me if i had any heart problems (due to my severe psychotic state).

however, i was given an ekg while in the ER before i was admitted to the hospital, so perhaps he based his information on that.
Click to expand...

Yes, probably.
 
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