Latuda expectations

So as you know I started on Latuda last week after much fighting over not wanting to try it. I've been in such a mixed episode that my pdoc convinced me to try it. I started out at 20mg for two days and I've been on 40mg about 4 days. I feel zero difference at all. Is that normal? Shouldn't I feel something? It's neither bad or good, just the same. How long did it take for you to notice a difference and at what dose? I still am having to take other things for sleep (taking the Latuda at night since it can cause drowsiness...yeah...no). I just want to be knocked out. Is that bad? LOL

I felt a difference after several days on 20mg. I wasn't in an episode when I started it though, just hanging out in mild depression. However, I quit Lamictal at the same time (which was making me feel aweful). So maybe I'm not sure if what I felt was Latuda working or Lamictal leaving.

I'd definitely give it a few weeks though. It's a bummer it's not helping with sleep!

Thanks, yeah, I'm up right now. The anxiety and edginess is still there. I just feel like I have an atypical reaction to all meds. Literally the only thing that felt like it was working for me was Lithium but it wrecked my body and the pdoc had to take me off of it. I'm so scared that I'm never going to feel well again. I'm tired of all of this.

You may have to go higher. Or it may not be the med for you
When it works it works great for people. I hope that is what happens to you
For me the APS kick in really fast
I was on trileptal one and it stabilized me close to how lithium did
Hope u feel good soon !

My pdoc expected me to notice a difference within a week too. Nothing so far and I've been on 40mg for about 4 days. I'm like, if 40mg isn't doing anything, then what will 60mg do? Plus, as always, weight is my main concern. Thankfully I haven't put on any weight this past week on it, but if it's not helping mentally, then whatever! I'm almost thinking of going off all the meds and trying to do this with natural substances. Gaba, SAM-e, etc. I know that is probably not what I should do, but it doesn't seem like prescription meds are working anyway. Plus, the only thing that is helping a little with anxiety, agitation, and boredom is walking. However, then I'm miserable from joint pain. It's like I can't win. I know, pity party!

You might need a higher dose, I'm on 80. I felt a bit of the anxiety but it went completely away when the dose was upped. Are you eating something when you take it? It doesn't have the right effect unless you are eating.

That's all I can think of, its so low in side effects I hope it's the one for you.

Have you gone med free before?

Latuda was not the drug for me. I didn't notice anything until two days of 80mg, where my hallucinations got better, but it also caused ridiculous amounts of anxiety and agitation that just got worse when they upped it to 120mg.

Thanks Nammu! So, you didn't notice any difference until 80mg? Any weight gain with that high of dose? Any sleepiness? I was hoping for that. Yes, I'm taking with food due to advice from here. Pdoc didn't tell me that!

I haven't been med free for 8 years. Of course I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety until June. I was taking Lamictal and Cymbalta until then. Then I was weaned off Cymbalta due to mania. I've stayed on Lamictal the whole time though. We've been experimenting with add on meds for BP but nothing is working so far.

We had to up my dosage to 80 just a few weeks ago and agitation got really bad, had to prescribe low dose of something to counter and now I'm fighting depression again. I thought it was working so well there for a bit now I don't know what to think, I'm so tired of this

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So weird how meds effect everyone so differently. I didn't feel much on latuda for about 5 days at 40 mgs. Then I got the worst akathisia I have ever had from any med. I had to take a whole bunch of meds to get it to stop. I stayed on it but eventually went off it bc the akathisia. I'm amazed you're not feeling anything! It also made my jaw move all weird. My jaw will still do it when I'm really relaxed. So it's permanent. Sucks!

I would give it more time....

Sorry to hear. One side effect that I had when I started Latuda was that it really decreased my appetite, to the point where I had to remind myself to eat. I wasn't aware of it initially because I just didn't feel hungry. So keep an eye on that.

Sadly my weight gain started before I started the meds.

I'm not trying to be negative and PLEASE don't take this to mean you'll be sitting where I am at any time EVER, but it takes a lot of time and patience sometimes to find the right meds. Unfortunately if you've only been trying for 6 months or so you are just in the beginning. Some people get it right immediately; I think most try several meds first. You will get there. I just remember it took so much more patience than I was really equipped with at the time. (Ok, for me it really took a lot of years before I really had some months that I was "in remission" but I'm weird.) Most people find something that works really well. Even though I've not been the poster child for that (and to be completely fair I was diagnosed by one of the top dr's in bipolar in the world b/c I was hard to diagnose and he told me I would be hard to treat and he was not kidding) I did land on Emsam, an MAOI that combined with Seroquel was wonderful for me until, well, honestly until I got whooping cough and a lot of other problems developed because I was so sick. But even that took an allergy to the DtaP vaccine so you are unlikely to lose your stability to a mostly controlled in this country disease .

But don't give up on the meds yet. You aren't on a very big dose of Latuda and haven't been on it that long. Sometimes it takes a while for your body to give in (and other times it will respond immediately). Sometimes it just takes more for some reason that nobody really understands (like the reason I'm on so much Seroquel; it's what I needed. Yet some of my other meds are really bad at anything but tiny doses.) A higher dose of Latuda might be great. Have you tried Geodon? It's weight neutral, sedating and even generic and a lot of people seem to like it a lot.

You'll get there!

For me, that would be a good thing! LOL

I don't think that is negative at all. I didn't take it that way. I know I've only been trying BP meds a few months but I really thought that I would notice a difference with one and have zero side effects. I think that is the thing that is really frustrating with BP medications. It might help you mentally but wonk out your body badly. Its so infuriating. I just want to feel normal again (or whatever that is). I just want to feel Zen. Is that so much to ask!? LOL

Thanks for the advice!

I know. It seems like that should happen. And for some people it does and some people (I think most people) reach a point where the side effects are tolerable. Every time you start a med you have to wait for a few months to know what is going on and that is really a few months after you get to a fairly stable dose. I am not sure but I think Latuda can be a slower drug to get results from but when it works it is great. When it first came out I was in this class on coping and then a support group and there were several people who would say "I started this new med and now I'm SO MUCH BETTER". And it was always Latuda.

You have room to go up so maybe it will work for you yet. Try to not get too discouraged even though that's hard. This will improve. When I had ankle reconstruction surgery they tell you that it takes a year or more to heal completely. So for that entire year you hear people reminding you that just because it's not the way you want it you haven't reached the year mark yet. It helped. I wish that was possible with BP but it isn't yet.

Hashi,
I was on Latuda for many glorious years until medicare stopped covering the full amount and I was expected to come up with $500 a month for my prescription. If my memory serves me correctly I didn't feel the effects immediately but it was more gradual than anything else. I guess what I am trying to say is that it took a little longer than a few days and was more on the order of a few weeks before I woke up one morning saying "I feel good today".
Hang in there and give yourself sometime for the Latuda to take effect. If your experience is anything like mine it will be worth the wait.
Drew

From your mouth to God's ears! I really hope that is the case. What dose were you on? I go to my pdoc tomorrow to discuss this first week on 40mg. My anxiety is still bad and I haven't felt my mood stabilized in the least bit. I'm hoping that it is a gradual medication instead of it just not working for me.

I started at 40 mg and gradually worked up to 120 mg.
Good luck with your pdoc tomorrow.
Drew

She upped it to 60mg today. Hopefully I'll start noticing a difference with the higher dose. She did mention that I might have to continually be upped to a higher dose (obviously max is 120mg). Keeping fingers crossed.