I'm bipolar nos and have been depressed for 18 months. I have been on Latuda for 4 years now so I think my experience might help you.

I used to take it with Lamictal and the combo worked well, but I had to stop Lamictal due to a bad reaction after years of taking it.

I take Latuda at night because it makes me really drowsy so I have a late dinner with it because it has to be taken with at least 350 calories. My sleep on Latuda is really good - I sleep straight through the night without even moving sometimes.

I don't experience side effects except that I have dry mouth. Also, I'm not sure if it's affecting my personality. I used to be engaging in conversations but now I just prefer to listen. That could be the depression too though.

My blood sugar is higher than it used to be but it's still within the normal range and I haven't gained any weight on it. But the weight could be related to my reaction to Lamictal where I lost 50 pounds in 9 months and I have been trying to gain some of it back ever since.

I noticed that the Latuda started to work within a week of starting it.

I think bipolar depression is the same as regular depression except it cannot be treated it with antidepressants which is why they differentiate it.

I hope I was helpful to you. Good luck with it and let us know how it goes.