About to make a switch

Medications
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Hey y’all

So I been steady on Clozaril about 11 years free of positive symptoms. I am on 100mg now per day of Clozaril and I’m still fine (100mg is a very small dose). At my peak I was on 450mg daily

I’ve had negative symptoms, OCD, a drop in cognitive function and about 40 pounds of weight gain with this treatment

My pdoc suggested to change over to Latuda (Lurasidone)

I’m just scared to get a relapse in the whole transition process.
What do you guys think?
At this point I’d love to change if it would make me feel better in general…

With work etc I can’t really gamble on a potential relapse.
Anybody been in my shoes? What would you do? Thanks

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If youre able to work, i wouldnt risk a different antipsychotic personally

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But it has the potential to make me substantially better in general

I dunno…
I feel like taking the risk

Anyways my appointment is in April, so I’ll think it over. Worse case I can take a medical leave for a couple months to make sure I don’t aggrevate myself.

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I would taper clozapine very slowly. I’m currently at 20 mg and tapering 5 mg each step.

I once quit from 200 mg in a couple of weeks and struggled with insomnia for months. That was with my previous pdoc. My current pdoc is more careful.

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Oh yes we have gone down 12.5mg every month or so

I been at 100 for 2 months now and I’m still fine
He wants to give it 3 months at this dose before trying to switch to Latuda

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I just had my last clozapine pill a couple days ago…my pdoc just had me titrate off pretty fast, from 100 mg to 50 mg for a week then stop. He added Zyprexa at 5 mg. I haven’t had any increase in positive symptoms but I have been having VERY vivid dreams about me commiting suicide. They’re very disturbing. AF. On a good note, my pulse rate (according to my smartwatch) has been dropping and I haven’t had a QTc prolongation episode in about 2 weeks, so maybe that’s fixed, but time will tell, IDK. I think clozapine was the best med for my mental health but I couldn’t keep on with the cardiac stuff.

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Oh White raven I do understand your issues with switching to Zyprexa. Now where you are switching from Clozapine which is one of the most difficult and hardest things that Can happen to a person. I just want to add that I cross fingers for that you get safe through the transition.

And to you key west I just want to say that you must ask your doctor to switch you very very slowly to Latuda.
I don’t want to scare you but it took me two years off of Ziprasidone-Geodon-Zeldox before I slept well again. I took that drug fior 19 years.

Maybe both of you will have to battle Insomnia from going of Clozapine for some months. But don’t give in to withdrawal effects because your life span and quality of life depend on getting off of Clozapine.
Personally I’m damn proud of that I got off of Ziprasidone after 2 decades.

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Oh yeah, ever since I came down to 100mg from 125mg about 8-9 weeks ago I too have started to have some vivid dreams

Nothing really that bad though so far :crossed_fingers:
I can’t do this stuff too with the heart, induced OCD , and negative symptoms

But on a good note all those have gotten better as I lowered my dose. But yeah, I have some crazy , vivid, weird dreams sometimes lately

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Oh yes it would be done properly
I’m blessed to have a very nice, and well educated psychiatrist…he really knows his stuff and cares.

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It’s just my experience but latuda has been the best ap I’ve been on as far as negatives and motivation. I still have a struggle with positives but taking latuda at night it doesn’t even feel like I’m on an Ap in the daytime

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Good to hear
My positives have been at bay thankfully :crossed_fingers:
I only ended up on Clozaril because while I took the first few different treatments I was smoking marijuana every day ,and getting drunk every weekend, like an idiot.

I stopped it all at the same time as I started Clozaril and voila my positives were under control.

I hope Latuda will work for me…my pdoc seems to be optimistic about it

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