So , has anyone got any success out there with a med. if you could talk about what specific symptoms it has improved, what kind of side effects you've experienced, and the increased functionality it has enabled.

Interested in antidepressant and antipsychotic properties.

Cheers

[NanuConfused]

Originally Posted by Materly

So , has anyone got any success out there with a med. if you could talk about what specific symptoms it has improved, what kind of side effects you've experienced, and the increased functionality it has enabled.

Interested in antidepressant and antipsychotic properties.

Cheers

I've had a lot of good luck with Lexapro and Wellbutrin so far. The Lexapro manages my anxiety and most of my depressive symptoms really well. The other symptoms that don't get handled such as being tired all the time gets handled by the Wellbutrin.

As far as anti-psychotics go, I just started Zyprexa a couple weeks ago after switching from Invega (which worked, but prolactin was too high). So far, it's been a good switch, but it doesn't handle my disorganized thoughts and speech as well.

[TheatreKid]

Wellbutrin made me more psychotic. Risperidone worked well for a while, especially in combo with Seroquel, but eventually it quit working. Lithium was added, but never worked. Abilify was what we're replacing the Lithium/Risperidone with and so far Abilify has been my saving grace.

I was on Saphris briefly and it felt the same as the Abilify - I was me again, happy, energetic, creative, but not hypo. But it didn't last. So far the Abilify is lasting and I hope it's the one that keeps working for me.

[Sometimes psychotic]

Originally Posted by TheatreKid

Wellbutrin made me more psychotic. Risperidone worked well for a while, especially in combo with Seroquel, but eventually it quit working. Lithium was added, but never worked. Abilify was what we're replacing the Lithium/Risperidone with and so far Abilify has been my saving grace.

I was on Saphris briefly and it felt the same as the Abilify - I was me again, happy, energetic, creative, but not hypo. But it didn't last. So far the Abilify is lasting and I hope it's the one that keeps working for me.

Abilify worked great for me----however I wasn't actively symptomatic when I started it so I will always wonder if it was effective at all----I was on risperidone before that too but I couldn't stand the side effects...how long have you been on abilify now?

[TheatreKid]

I think I started the Abilify at the beginning of March. I'm not sure exactly how long I've been on it. I haven't been experiencing many psychotic symptoms for the past 6 months or so, so my pdoc's plan is to use Seroquel as a mood stabilizer/anti-manic, and the Abilify to help depression. Hopefully the psychosis will play nice and this combo will work. Abilify seems to be working at a low dose, and I feel ok about that - since it's meant to handle my depression, my pdoc can increase it if needed.

[junkDNA]

ive been on a sh_t ton of meds. most all anti-depressants and anti-psychotics. right now i take vybriid (Anti depressant), invega sustenna shot, comtan, prazosin (for flashbacks and nightmares), trazedone (for sleep) and 300mg seroquel (to help the invega shot). i think the vybriid has been very good for my depression. im only on 10mg and i dont get depressed as much as i used to .

[Bells129]

Abilify has made my manic moods go down and my low moods go up, so there's a happy medium. It's also made me more receptive to therapy and able to accept what my T says about my delusions a bit more. I've only had side effects when I haven't taken my meds for a while, a dumb thing to do I know, and I pay the price for that with extreme sickness, nausea and suicidal thoughts.

[rhiogan7]

Risperdal and Lithium tried to kill me I can't take any full on antideppresents at all.I have tried over ten of them.I take Lamictal which helps my low moods.My pdoc says there is one antideppresent that has been approved for BP1 it's Symbyax.I never tried it and I take Trileptal for Mania it's stopped most of my mania.It made my eyes funky at first and gave me vertigo.That all went away after awhile.Abilify caused me to fall asleep in the middle of tasks.Seroqurl have me that dangerous tick.The list goes on and on.However I stable now because of the Lamictal and Trileptal combo.

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[Victoria'smom]

Try viibryd its like abilify with an antidepressant.

[Snoopysmom]

I'm on cymbalta and Invega Sustaina shot 156 with a birth control pill for prolactin levels. Having great success with it!

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Originally Posted by Materly

So , has anyone got any success out there with a med. if you could talk about what specific symptoms it has improved, what kind of side effects you've experienced, and the increased functionality it has enabled.

Interested in antidepressant and antipsychotic properties.

Cheers

Hi, thanks for the suggestions. I'm still doing fine , just want to keep my ear to the ground in regards to meds.

[justmebymyself]

I took lexipro for years and it worked great for me, but has horrible sexual side effects. I had no desire for sex. It finally drove my husband to say change or he is leaving. I've switched to viibryd, wellbutrin and xanax. I like the xanax. I have other things going on in my life right now so I think that's why they have me on more meds. But my sex drive is back!

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[kimical]

Invega was working for me but my prolactin level is high so they're switching me to abilify.

Prozac is my antidepressant.

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Originally Posted by kimical

Invega was working for me but my prolactin level is high so they're switching me to abilify.

Prozac is my antidepressant.

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And is there not anything that can be done about prolactin. Risperidone and invega seem pretty decent if prolactin could be addressed.

[junkDNA]

Originally Posted by Materly

And is there not anything that can be done about prolactin. Risperidone and invega seem pretty decent if prolactin could be addressed.

my prolactin levels were extremely high and i started taking Metformin and it has lowered it. so there are things that can be done about that

[StarsFlying]

I have been on Lexapro SSRI for about 10 years for depression and anxiety. It has worked most of the time with regular dose changes because I can occasionally get high. In terms of antipsychotics they are also used as mood stabilisers and can reduce anxiety. The only issue is that for some they can be sedating and can cause your prolactin level to go high. This can cause issues like increase in breast size. This happened to me on one side but reversed after changing meds.

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[ickydog2006]

Lets see if I can remember them all. Lexapro gave me more dramatic mood swings. Paxil and Prozac made me too sick to my stomach. Wellbutrin was my favorite as it gave me more energy but it made my personality go from depressed to what my friends termed 'hyperactive cheerleader' and when I was more recently on it (this list spans 10 years) doctors believed it induced an episode of delusion so they made me go off it. Zoloft controlled my panic disorder and ocd but gave me no sex drive and caused tremors and muscle spasms. Effexor made me shaky and Abilify and Geodon caused severe muscle pain. Right now I'm on Celexa which helps the depression but it took me a while to get over the initial fatigue but now it's not so bad. I take Xanax when necessary. Ambien to sleep. And Risperdal for the hallucinations.

p.s. Sorry I haven't been around much and disappear from the forum for months at a time. Just been doing other things.

[ickydog2006]

Originally Posted by junkDNA

my prolactin levels were extremely high and i started taking Metformin and it has lowered it. so there are things that can be done about that

Are there any negatives to taking Metformin?

[Snoopysmom]

Just the usual diabetes high and lows for me.

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[Loial]

Last time I started with Olanzapine which seemed to help with the paranoia but did little for my voices at the dose I was on. It was always making me very sluggish until like 11am, so I switched to Amisulpride. Incidentally, I didn't have any noticeable weight gain in 3 months.

Amisulpride started to work well for my voices but the prolactin effects were way too much. I think my testosterone levels must have plummeted, which with my apathy led to me sleeping/resting 20 hours a day. I also had a lot of extra-pyramidal side effects... akathisia, triggered RLS, muscle rigidity/spasms in back.

I'm hoping to try either Abilify or Geodon this time as soon as I get my referral.

[mad mother]

I take Abifly (aripiprazole) 30mg daily i take it at night as it does make me sleepy, I have been taking it about 6 yrs now with the dose being increased, havent noticed any side effects it calms me down and keeps my temper at bay to some extent, stops me acting out my thoughts, my son is schizophrenic and has finally visited the doc about it after suffering for 13yrs I am hoping they put him on Abifly as its amazing.
I also take Citralapram 40mg for depression and Carbermazapine to stabilize my moods,
I wish you luck finding the right meds for you.
I have Bipolar and Borderline personality disorder.

[Terabithia]

Seroquel is an excellent antipsychotic, but does cause weight gain. I tried to switch to abilify but it's causing agitation, which I think is supposed to be one of the more common side affects.