[ScarletPimpernel]

Just wondering if anyone has tried medication to help with their SI? I take Latuda and it does wonders for me, and I know there are a few other meds out there that help with the thoughts.

I suffered from daily thoughts of SI and SUI for 20 years. Daily...20 years. I never thought I would find relief. Last March my T abandoned me. My SI got bad enough that I started needing stitches. So my Pdoc prescribed me Latuda to try to help with the thoughts and keep me safe. We increased the dose every week until it finally worked. My thoughts have been reduced by 90%. I can go days w/o them. The only time they really come up is when I'm really upset, but I can now handle the day-to-day stresses. I started taking Latuda 6.5 months ago and now haven't cut for 5.5 months. Even my skin picking has been greatly reduced.

Now a lot of these meds come with side effects. Latuda has some bad ones: akathisia, nausea, drowsiness, and I just found out metabolic/sugar level issues. And it has to be taken with 350 calories in order for it to work. But for me, I'll take those side effects to be free from my thoughts.

Well, I just thought I would post something hopeful/positive for you all. This forum is so hard for me to visit because of all the pain expressed here. But I understand that pain. I still suffer from pain, but w/o the thoughts I can survive it better. And I just think that medication can be a good option if you truly want to reduce the SI. Hey, it's better advice than squeezing ice, drawing on yourself with a red marker, snapping a rubber band, etc.

Oh, about the ice thing. My T said that dunking your whole head into ice water helps better than squeezing ice. You still feel the pain from the ice, but the ice also slows the blood flow to your brain which helps keep you calmer and less reactive. Haven't tried it, but it might help someone out there brave enough to try it.

Lots of to you all

[lozza89]

Epilim use to help me.. just with not acting on impulse as much when the urge to cut came up... it allowed me to stop and think first before acting.

now nothing does though but starting a new AD hopefully this week so fingers crossed that helps.

Thanks for sharing

[roboanxia]

They put me on Risperidone, an atypical antipsychotic like Latuda, and Tegretol, an anticonvulsant/epilepsy drug like Epilim (Valproate). The Risperidone made me irritably hostile, unable to concentrate, and fatigued. The Tegretol is okay except that I need more sleep.

[Fizzyo]

I'm so glad you have something that helps! Long may it last.

[roboanxia]

They put me on Seroquel, another atypical antipsychotic with fewer side effects. It seems to be reducing my libido, so I no longer need the over-the-counter testosterone reducer that was exacerbating my issues. It's effective against mania, but also has libido reduction as a general side-effect, so I don't know what to think. I still need testing.

I miss feeling girly though......

[random_emotion]

I also take risperidone it does nothing for the urges but it does give me time to think between the thought and action

[roboanxia]

I had some suicidal thoughts and another self harm instance while on Seroquel. The former (suicidality) is a known side effect. Maybe it's not a good choice.