Antipsychotics are hard on me. At any dose, they knock me out for a half a day. For instance:

Abilify- brain and body zaps, I can see sparks in my sub-conscience, pass out for hours on the lowest dose.
Latuda- smallest dose, I sleep for 4 hours a night to awake every hour by wild vivid dreams in a cold sweat
Seroquel- I'll sleep for 20 hours
Respiradal- I'll sleep for 14 hours
Geodon- I sleep for 12 hours

Then I read about all the long term effects like tardive-dyskinesia, memory and brain function loss, I just can't do it.

I'm even beginning to question the use of any kind of mental illness drug. Can you get disability without being treated?

I've survived a half of a lifetime without meds. Sure I get a little delusional at times, but I never really was a danger to myself or anyone, not like if I miss a few doses now.

I'm on the fence about treatment, and I get that there are those that have no choice. But I wonder if I have a choice, I think so.

Back to the topic, does anyone else have difficulty with anti-psychotics?

[Blue_Bird]

In addition to my other meds I'm on 2 APs (one injection, Invega Sustenna) and the tablet form of Zyprexa. I have a hard time with them, actually even with my other meds because I'm not convinced there's anything wrong with me. The good thing I can say is I have no bad side effects except higher triglycerides and a harder time losing weight.

[LDB1]

I'm on Seroqeul XR @600mg, When I first started taking it it knocked me out pretty quick. Now I'm finding it harder and harder to get to sleep at night. I guess your body gets used to anything if its exposed to it long enough.

I shudder to think of going without medication. I remember well my downward spiral and subsequent involuntary trip to the hospital. I'd prefer to never experience either again if I can help it.

[Disorder7]

I feel the same way you do. Abilify...Seroquel... Even at low doses they knock me out and make me feel slow and dull.
What if we do quit? I've thought about it.

[Velouria]

Well, I recently tried going off my antipsychotic, and for the first few days it was great. I felt like I really had my mind back.

And then I took a turn for the worse and realized that yes, I did indeed have my mind back. And it can be a scary ****ing place.

It's a double-edged sword. I try to stay on as low a dose as possible so that my creativity and all the connections my brain makes between things aren't totally squashed, but it's not the same as not being on it where everything is a rapid fire kaleidoscope of multiple layers of meaning and significance.

Buuut things can get kinda scary when they're like that too, so...

Double-edged sword. I'm having more difficulty now with accepting that I have to take an antipsychotic than I did when I first started (because when I first started I was experiencing horrendous paranoia).

I wasn't on Abilify long enough to notice anything significant from it. I went off of it after it made me rapidly gain about ten pounds.

My pdoc put me on Latuda after that, and I've been on it ever since. It actually helps with my hypersomnia. And it definitely helps with the paranoia.

There are a couple more APs I've seen around here that I didn't see on your list - maybe you could try them if you haven't already?

Invega (oral)
Invega Sustenna (injection)
Saphris

I don't know much about them, but I have read that people have had success with them.

Anyway, it does suck having to be on meds. It would be nice if more research were put into methods that helped us to learn how to cope and function without meds.

[Victoria'smom]

I did well on viibryd

[Espurr1989]

Originally Posted by Velouria

where everything is a rapid fire kaleidoscope of multiple layers of meaning and significance.

Thanks for reminding me of this. I too struggle with sleepiness and lethargia from my Seroquel/quetiapine, but I do remember how I used to read stuff into EVERYTHING. I still do it at times now, but it's not nearly as exhausting, and at times I can even realize I'm doing it and tell myself that most of the time thinking about that kind of stuff doesn't matter. There isn't always a hidden meaning in everything. Sometimes things just -are-.

[Velouria]

Originally Posted by Espurr1989

Thanks for reminding me of this. I too struggle with sleepiness and lethargia from my Seroquel/quetiapine, but I do remember how I used to read stuff into EVERYTHING. I still do it at times now, but it's not nearly as exhausting, and at times I can even realize I'm doing it and tell myself that most of the time thinking about that kind of stuff doesn't matter. There isn't always a hidden meaning in everything. Sometimes things just -are-.

You're welcome.

I think that kind of thinking is both a blessing and a curse. It can make the world insanely beautiful or pretty scary.

[HALLIEBETH87]

I sensitive to meds so I get it. On Risperdal I got akathisia. Im allergic to Abilify-throat and tongue swell! On Geodon I got ocular dystonia...etc etc

Right now Im taking a baby dose of Zyprexa and so far Im good!

Hope things get better!

[~Christina]

I took Invega way back when .. The only AP that I had Zero side effects on. Maybe give it a whirl..

99.9% impossible to get Disability without seeing a Pdoc and them agreeing you should be on it.

Originally Posted by ~Christina

I took Invega way back when .. The only AP that I had Zero side effects on. Maybe give it a whirl..

99.9% impossible to get Disability without seeing a Pdoc and them agreeing you should be on it.

Ouch....