Latuda (lurasidone HCl) Has Minimal Weight Gain Associated with It, Now Available in Australia

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A new atypical antipsychotic medication that provides a sustained improvement of the symptoms of schizophrenia with negligible effect on patients’ metabolic parameters has been welcomed by Australian experts.

Professor David Castle from Melbourne says the availability of Latuda (lurasidone HCl) on the PBS (from 1 November 2015) for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults has been “eagerly anticipated by the psychiatric community”.

The treatment has been widely used in the United States since 2011, Canada since 2012 and Europe since 2013.

Patients switched from olanzapine (15mg) to Latuda (40-120mg) demonstrated sustained improvements in a measure of the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, as well as a reduction in weight.

“The efficacy and side-effect profile of Latuda will suit many patients, especially those struggling with weight gain on existing antipsychotic therapy,” Prof Castle says.

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I have been on Latuda for several years. Losing weight. I’m surprised it hasn’t been available in Australia until now.

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Latuda would be my med of choice, but it didn’t go well for me. It made me more insane and gave me akathisia.

But the side effects are pretty mild, just akathisia which can be treated with a benzo and a beta blocker and or cogentin.