I tend to get depressed many times. My doctor mentioned an antipsychotic called Latuda. It is supposed to be a pretty good medication which also has some pretty decent antidepressant properties. If I decide to take it, I would have to drop the Risperdal, which has been a good med for me mentally but has not been so great for me physically - weight-high blood sugar etc… Has anyone had success with Latuda? Is it an activating medication? What is your experience with it.
Thanks -
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I tried it instead of geodon, which im taking now, and it was awful. It gave me akathisia and made me restless and didnt help my hallucinations and delusions. I was on 80mg of latuda and screaming at the floor and gibbering to myself. But its very new and might be perfect for you! LOL wasnt for me!
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Hi, thanks for replying. It sounds like Latuda could be activating like Abilify was for me. I don’t know, I am just keeping Latuda in mind for possible future use. Hopefully Latuda won’t do that to me. Taking psych meds and finding the right one is a gamble.
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Latuda is supposedly state of the art, but little is known about it because it is that new. I would give it a shot. I noticed that it caused me zero sedation, and geodon causes just a little bit, but more at a higher dose. 80mg of Geodon makes me want to go to sleep and stay asleep, while 60mg doesnt really do that…go figure
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These meds at different doses can hit us in odd ways. I find that Risperdal is not so sedating, but for many it knocks them out even at low doses. Again thanks for your response mortimermouse. I may ask my doctor about Geodon as well.
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Latuda got introduced to my med mix about a year and a half ago. It worked really well for me. I take it with my Seroquel. I think that the Seroquel is keeping some of the symptoms low, but I think the Latuda is working as a mood elevator. What ever is happening, I feel like I’m on stable ground for a while.
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Thanks J for sharing, like I said before my doctor did mention it for me, probably as a mood elevator. Risperdal is doing its job for me, but it gives me some physical issues. I’m going to keep Latuda in mind just in case. My mood has improved a bit, so we shall see.
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I’ve been on Latuda for a few years now. Basically since it first came out. I’m on 160 mg, and it works like magic. I have zero side effects. It doesn’t even make me sleepy at night.
It’s seriously the best med I’ve ever been on. I’m very thankful for it.
Blessings,
Anthony
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Hi, thanks for your positive response on Latuda. From what I’m gathering around from some others, and because my doctor suggested this med to me. I am now seriously considering Latuda. It has a good metabolic profile, not really causing lipids and blood glucose to go out of wack. I checked my blood glucose levels today, they were rather high - Risperdal may have to go soon, we shall see.
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thats awesome! Geodon works like a charm but gives me akathisia, i take propanalol and xanax to counter the akathisia. I sometimes wish I wasnt on xanax but I also have an anxiety disorder so its helps. I feel flat but ive been functioning incredibly well on it. I really miss feeling adrenaline while lifting weights, weightlifting is my number one hobby/interest/obsession. Now I have to drink a ton of caffeine and blast music just to drive to the gym, lol
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Yeah I just started Latuda, but I’m frustrated because it’s not working and I’ve been on it for a week. I took 40 mgs and got extremely nauseous and I can’t tell if it’s helping with the depression. I don’t think it’s right for me because whenever it wears off I am getting extremely anxious and it seems to be increasing my symptoms through its withdrawal.
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One week is usually not long enough. Maybe you are at the wrong dose, or within some time you will tell if this is the right med for you. In the meantime don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor.
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Yeah I should call, but I decided to stop taking it since she said that if I had serious side effects I should just stop taking it. I’m pretty sure my label was changed to Bipolar disorder but IDK the difference between that and all the others. After the addition of the ADHD diagnosis I started feeling like this was just BS. I mean what is schizoaffective? A mood disorder or what? My moods are not what is being affected the most, it’s my motivation to live and energy to wake up and give a ■■■■ anymore. I feel like at this point it’s just psychosurgery, and they can do whatever the ■■■■ they want to me and not care what it does to my state of mind or psychological state. The more pills they hand out the more I contemplate the end of my life. It’s not like I have to do this. I’m constantly feeling like the world’s a sham. I’ve been hearing screaming in my head. I have nightmares that I’m being raped, I dream about giant hospitals and I’m always running so fast in those dreams. No one hears me anymore, and even if inside I’m screaming I’ll die silently, I’ll turn to every drug out there and I’m still the same broke bitch they made me into.
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It sounds like there is a lot going on inside of you. I tend to do this too, but try not to get stuck on labels or your diagnosis.
Just know that you probably have a mental illness, and one of the most important ways of treating a mental illness is through medication. Maybe if you find the right medications you will feel better. You have to trust the doctors that are treating you at some point, if not get a second opinion or see someone else.
Can you see someone to talk to? Someone like a good therapist.may help sort things out for you.
In the meantime try talking to a close trusted family member or a good friend.
Having a mental illness does not have to be a death sentence, people like myself and countless others, many on this site do get better. Please hang in there, things can get better for you.
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I feel a bit like a lab rat sometimes. I study psychology and I am slowly learning more about the nature of whats wrong with me and how medications and talk therapy can/do treat me. Schizoaffective is schizophrenic symptoms with any mood disorder, whether its Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder or cyclothymic disorder or bascially any form of any mood disorder. It is usually treated with an antipsychotic and possibly lithium. Abilify and depakote are often used for schizoaffective disorder, they have both antipsychotic and mood stabilizing effects. You need to be honest, completely honest with your doctors about how you think and feel. Psychosis isn’t exactly all written in stone, people are often just identified and psychotic and then treated for it without much fuss over the diagnosis. If you have mood problems and hallucinations, be sure your doc knows, its all about treating symptoms, not curing disorders.
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I feel like a lab rat as well sometimes. I hate being observed. With the meds and the unclear answers and the many referrals… that lab rat feeling might be pretty common.
As far as curing disorders… I personally don’t think there is a cure. But better symptom management makes it possible for us to get back into our lives. I’m not a pessimist in any way. I’m really happy to see all the advancements in treatment AND attitude. It gets a little better all the time. I’m OK with treating symptoms because there was a time doctors didn’t even do that.
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There is also alot of hope for us. New drugs to treat scz are being worked on my geniuses as we speak. I hope that by the time I finish school there is a new antipsychotic, Geodon works but it gives me some crap akathisia. I wish I had the brains to be a research scientist like some of my friends in high school are on their way to be. I went to a prestigious high school but I was like halfway ranked in my class, one of my freinds from high school has a 150 IQ.
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Thanks for the reply. It’s hard to identify symptoms on my own sometimes.
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My daughter has been taking Latuda 60 mg for 20 weeks, result useless.She is more psychotic, irritated, angry, and restless. This medication is mild antidepression medication, not antipsychotic. waste of money.
Thanks.
Welcome to the forum Angel. Have you told your daughter’s doctor that it is not working and making her worse?