I've been on 64 cocktails in 20 years and am about to go on #65. Risperdal causes very high blood pressure. Geodon caused extrapyramidal syndrome which makes all APs risky and old ones really risky. Abilify and Prozac (plus something random from surgery, probably Reglan) have caused serious akathesia. Abilify also caused double vision that lasted 4 weeks after taking just a few very low doses. That landed me in an emergeny room. I had the lamictal rash in a pattern that meant I couldn't try again. Zyprexa was useless even in combination with a fairly high dose of Seroquel (emergency). I had lithium toxicity 3 times badly and that was the end of what I could tolerate. Depakote was a mess; my blood levels never hit therapeutic until I was on an enormous dose and the dose kept having to increase to stay therapeutic. Weaning off it was the best thing ever, after being on it 6 years. Trileptal was so sedating that I was taking 1/32nd of a pill and still was knocked out. ADs were all disasters on some level until I had been on pretty much all of them and went on an MAOI which works very well although it is too stimulating when manic. I am forgetting plenty but I have tried nearly everything and what I haven't tried is either related to things that are bad (a few ADs and Invega) or contraindicated with other meds. I'm maxed out on Seroquel now to the absolute max it can be pushed. One more dose level can be done but I am not tolerating this one so well so I don't want to do that. I am hoping that things will be in place to try Latuda starting in June as a 2nd, back-up AP that lets me get my Seroquel down to 900 mg or so. If it works. I tried before and didn't have a good experience.

My pdoc somehow keeps me from wanting to give up on meds. I think it's because she's very honest and matter-of-fact that yes, there are not good options left and the less appealing options have risks but there are certain ones that will reduce my risks a bit and she is never giving up. She's told me that so many times that I believe it. She promises that new drugs that will do new things are coming and that something will work for me, not just patch me up but work.

HallieBeth, you've helped me because after you had akathesia on Latuda I read about it, learned it is common and I'll be requesting a cogentin script to go with it so I have it the second I need it if I start developing akathesia.