Are antipsychotics necessary?

Do you think it's necessary to take an antipsychotic or can a good mood stabilizer do the job of keeping you stable...

I'm on Latuda and still weaning off of Seroquel. I don't like the side effect of feeling restless and I can't sit still. I think it's because of the Seroquel on top of Latuda - I've been on Latuda before and never had the problem. However, can a person do well with just a mood stabilizer and no antipsychotic med?

It depends on the person. For example, my antipsychotic is a better mood stabilizer than my mood stabilizer itself.

Do you remember why you were put on antipsychotic?

Interesting question. It really does depend on the person and their body chemistry, but let me give you a rather interesting example. My therapist and psychiatrist aren't in contact with each other ( it's a long story), technically by my psychiatrist's evaluation I am just depressed and resistant to medicine. However my therapist has diagnosed me bipolar.

My medicine lineup includes a anti-psychotic which is supposed to demonstrate some mood stablizing effects. Which, if I am bipolar, would make sense why it's a working cocktail for me -- but also the medicine is used in conjunction with an antidepressant for unipolar depression..

so, am I bipolar? Am I just depressed? My medicines work because of my body chemistry, despite label. So, a mood stablizer may be all you need, or perhaps just the antipsychotic.. or both, it really isn't dependent on anything other than your body, tolerance, and chemistry.

I tried 2 different antipsychotics before being put on lithium. They didn't work for me. Now I have a mood stabilizer and antidepressant. I've been stable since October.

Everyone is different. I personally need an anti psychotic along with two mood stabilizers.

The short answer is that they are necessary for some people and not for others.

Only antipsychotics have really been effective at stopping my past manias, and preventing them. Manias have really been my most severe episodes.

When I accumulate some long period of stability, I do hope my Seroquel XR dose will continue to be lowered, but I doubt it will be eliminated, despite my high dose of Tegretol XR.

I think that during the course of the last almost 13 years (when I accepted bipolar meds), I was only on just a moodstabilizer (in the beginning Lithium) for one day. Then Seroquel was added in low dose. Then soon after the dose was increased and increased, other antipsychotics were used, etc.

I have heard of people only taking Lithium or an anticonvulsant moodstabilizer, but that's not me.

I've been on Latuda for almost two years, and I still have a little restlessness. I was given Artane for that and it helps. My pnurse uses Latuda as both mood stabilizer and antipsychotic, so that works well. I'm now on the lowest dose (20mg) and it still works okay.

For me, two antipsychotics, a mood stabilizer and an antidepressant (plus a sleep med and a benzo) are necessary to keep me steady. I don't know why my bipolar is so difficult to treat, but it is and this particular cocktail is the only thing that has ever worked. I hate taking so many meds but if it takes this to keep the crazy away, so be it.

For me two mood stabilisers, an antipsychotic and prn Valium are needed to keep me ok. Like BipolaRNurse my Bipolar has been difficult to treat

I use Latuda at 60mg for mood stabilization. The restless feeling you were describing is akathisia. If you want to stay on Latuda you can take an anti cholinergic like Artane or, more commonly benztropine. I find that the beta blocker propranolol 80mg helps me more. Seroquel isn't known for causing akathisia, but Latuda is (also Abilify is bad that way.)

I was put on Seroquel which I was told was a mood stabilizer and antipsychotic? I don't know about that one, I will have to ask my psychiatrist about it.

But I know that I was taken off Haldol, (antipsychotic), and just put on the Seroquel to fix my bipolar issues. I feel much better although sometimes the mania comes back here and there and robs me of sleep.

I was put on an antipsychotic originally because my thinking was disjointed and it was hard for me to follow a linear thought through to the end but it also does even out my mood. I have crashed and burned without it. I've been on one for at least 10 years. I guess I answered my own question, LOL. Thanks for your help!

I understand. My bipolar is hard to treat, too.