A question about meds

Hi

I have just been started on meds, and tried twoo different ones - seroquel and abilify. So far they both give me a lot of sideeffects.. How many did you have to try before you found the right ones?

I take abilify - but I get no bad side effects on them - I take the liquid kind, so I don't know if that makes a difference.

You should ask your doctor to change to something else - there are quite a few to try.

Check the your blood level. You could not be getting the dose you take, cuz your liver eats it up too quickly. I wish I knew it, I tried many meds without knowing how much of the med is actually in my blood. Good luck.

I've been on between twelve and twenty meds before something started working for me... and I'm now beginning to think I'm going to have to come off seroquel.

Ok so sounds like, I might have to try a few more before they figure it out... I just had blood tests yesterday, so they are checking that

I have tried quite a few too. Still havent found one that works. Sometimes I think one works but next time when I try it, it doesn't. it is a trail and error thing to find the right meds or combination.

With me a lot of the time they work for awhile then they stop. Other times its the side effects that cause me to go off of them. Ones in the past caused me to gain a lot of weight. I had a seizure because of Abilify. I had a very fast heart rate due to Geodon. Something like 140 bpm on average. Others caused me to get very tired including the one I am on right now. I don't have that problem when I am taking it at night though because it just helps me sleep at night. For awhile i took it during the morning and all it would do is make me sleep. This is for the Loxapine which is an older anti psychotic. I would sleep 12-14 hours a night and then 2/3-4 hours during the day. It would be up to 18 hours a day that I would be sleeping. To be honest I rather have slight psychosis than sleeping 18 hours a day. The tiredness is disabling. Most of the time the Loxapine helps my psychotic symptoms. Just when there is severe stress it doesn't help anymore. Right now I am having a major depressive episode that is related to a stressor. Actually it started in June but got worse when the stressor happened (my mom's health being life threatening). The only thing I do right now is go on the Internet and post messages. The only interest left. I never seem to lose that. Nothing helps my depression or negativity because only negative things happen it seems. Nothing works out.

I have been on six different antipsychotic in the last 4 years, with varying results.

I am currently on Clozapine, and it is working the best so far.

Doesn’t mean I have no symptoms, but I have come to an acceptance that I will always have symptoms, being they real or illness related.

Now, it is a matter of how I deal with my reality.

only an egg,
-Christopher-

I've tried a total of 4 anti-psychotic medications in a span of two and a half years. I'm on 20 mg of Zyprexa at the moment and it works well but I gained a lot of weight (which is a common side effect on this med) because of it which is why I need to get it switched. I am probably going to try Abilify next as soon as it becomes available for me. This may take a few more months. In the meantime I'm just going to continue eating small portions (LOTS of veggies) and exercising (I like to ride my bike and take walks with my mum or dad).

It seems that after staying on abilify for a while I don't have any sideeffects but it's also as if the effect has worn of. Is this normal? It was working but now it's working less. Anyone else experienced this?

I sometimes think my mood stabiliser (lamotrigine) isn't working as well as it used to, but I don't want to tell the doctor, because when I originally went on it, I had to titrate up very very slowly, as I kept getting an itch. I'm scared of the life threatening rash if I increase anymore, so I'm keeping schtum about my mood swings. They're nowhere near as bad (or completely crazy) as they used to be.

I've been allowed to titrate down by 50 mg on my seroquel, and so far it's holding, though I'm suffering from acute insomnia. Hopefully that will be better in about a week.

I've heard this can happen.

Sorry to hear about your insomnia. My son had a night recently when he didn't sleep at all, but it seems to have been an anomaly. He's slept all the other nights - and generally sleeps too much.

I worry that sometimes my son isn't honest about what he's experiencing, because he's afraid of the consequences. For example, right now we're lowering his dosage - too fast IMO. He wants it lowered and quickly. I'm worried he wouldn't tell me or his pdoc about certain things in case we slowed down the process.

He's said a few odd things over the last couple of weeks but nothing major. And in general he seems to be thinking clearly. He is a little sad.

I just worry that he might not tell what was happening with him if he thought a medication decision might be made that he doesn't like.

I can understand why he wants to come down quickly. My doctor has been very cautious in reducing my dose, which, in retrospect I'm glad about. Initially I felt so ill when I reduced, that I thought I might be stuck on seroquel for the rest of my life. But this most recent reduction, though I've had side effects, they've been tolerable, and I seem to be able to think okay. It might be worth discussing with your son the idea of more haste less speed. If he goes slower it's more likely to work.

When is he starting work? Is it possible he seems sad because he's worried about that? I'm sorry that he's down, it's hard sometimes. Tell him someone in the UK is thinking about him. At times I feel like I know you and your son, because you've been so supportive of him (and us) by coming on here and just talking about it. I wanted to thank you for that.

He was talking about being sad before he got the job. He was saying he couldn't see that he had any kind of future. Possibly the job will ease that.

I dropped him off for his first day at work this morning. I hope it's going well. He hasn't called me, and it's past his lunch break. I have my fingers crossed that it will work out.

I'll tell him.

That's really nice to hear. This is a very nice forum for support.

I'm glad he's started today. A little bit of work can go a long way.

Funnily enough I had a similar converstion with my Dad yesterday. He was giving me some advice about how to plan for things, etc. I told him it didn't matter, there was no point me planning, because things were never going to change. I don't think he quite got it. I wasn't sad, I was just being realistic, or at least that's how it appears. I can't see why I should bother saving for my retirement, or training for work, any of that stuff, because I really can't imagine any future. As soon things start to go right I go wrong, and before I know it there's nothing left.

Nothing ever happens, nothing ever will. It's not the end of the world, it's just my world. What would be the point of me learning to drive (even if I was ever allowed to again) when I can never afford a car? What's the point of me trying to keep my credit score clean when I'll never have any money anyway?

All I have to do is survive with enough dignity that I don't embarass my son. I hope to die of something other than suicide, I want to wait until he's grown up and safe in life. I'd like to see him happy. I could go any time if that condition was met.

But that's not to say I'm sad, or suicidal, just that I really can't see a future for me. Perhaps your son is feeling the same way? My Dad tells me to be open, life can surprise you. He tells me that he felt as I do after my Mum died, but life surprised him. Perhaps life can surprise your son as well. Here's hoping the job helps.

My son is sad. He says, "I'm feeling kind of sad." When I ask why he says it's because he doesn't see a future for himself.

Your dad sounds like me. I agree with him totally. Life can and will surprise you.

Unfortunately the job is over. They called and asked him not to come back tomorrow. I guess it didn't go well.

Oh, I'm so sorry. He must feel so dejected about that. And you too... But you know the fact that he looked for a job, and turned up and tried is a good thing, a sign of recovery. Losing it must be a knock back for both of you. I wish it had worked out.

He's depressed and feeling like he wants to give up. He says he feels stupid for not being able to do an easy job.

I feel sad for him, but I'm not nearly as pessimistic as he is. He needs to find a job that plays to his strengths. This job wasn't that.

Two things he needs to work on which would help with any job:

1. He needs to learn to focus and pay attention. He's usually distracted and off in his own little world.

2. He needs to have some self-confidence. He's usually so sure he's going to fail that he almost sets himself up for failure.

Anyway I see I've derailed the thread. I'm sorry, Zircle.