Hi friends, grateful to find this place and you all.
I have done searches here and learned some things from your posts. My Pdoc recommended trying Stelazine, to see if a first gen AP works for me. I am not interested because of TD.
I have had a significant reaction to my nervous system on Abilify, Latuda, and Rexulti, though they did help VH and AH. I was ok on Zyprexa but gained to much weight and slept like Rip Van Winkle.
Do you have suggestions of any AP’s that calm the nervous system? I take Gabapentin for nerves, Lamictal for mood, and have an appt with a neurologist.
Wondering if Cobenfy would be a good one to try? Not so sure about being a new medicine test subject. I work and have ins, but concerned about the copay. I already have weekly EMDR and monthly Pdoc copays.
It caused a strong pressure in my brain and flow down through my nerves.
I am going to a neurologist to make sure it’s not something else. I need an AP but unable to bear the pressure. I didn’t have it on Zyprexa, but mentioned why I’m not taking.
Everybody reacts differently to meds. It’s all personal trial and error.
I’m on Abilify. Seroquel nearly killed me but everyone else here who is on it, thinks it’s great. But it’s not activating which is what you’re asking for.
Likewise Risperidone.
Risperidone and Seroquel have heavier side effects than Abilify and rexulti though.
I too would avoid a first generation med. But that’s just my preference.
I was on Seroquel for many years before it stopped working. It let me attend grad school and be able to function. It’s a little sedating but not as much as Zyprexa, and it didn’t give me the munchies like Z did. Clozapine worked great for hallucinations and sleep, but it can also be a heavy weight gainer and it’s a hassle to start out on the weekly blood tests…plus they only tend to use it when nothing else works. It also kicked off cardiac side effects for me. Been on Cobenfy for almost 2 months…works okay on hallucinations and doesn’t cause munchies or TD, but it’s really expensive and, for me, has reduced my quality and quantity of sleep. My REM sleep has dropped from 23% in November to 10% currently and i feel tired all the time. It HAS seemed to greatly reduce my suicidal ideation and desire to self harm, which only clozapine has done before. Still early, tho. And, yes, it’s kind of scary to take a new med. Also, you can’t take other anticholinergic meds on it like Benadryl. Geodon and Risperidone can both be good meds, they don’t tend to cause too much sleepiness or an insatiable appetite but they’re not, in my opinion, as strong as some of the APs. I like some of the first-gen APs for symptom exacerbations, like Haldol or Prolixen, but the risk for TD and QTc-prolongation makes their use for me kind of risky. Finding the right AP is very much trial and error and very subjective. What sucks is finding one that works on the mental illness but causes side effects that reduce quality of life. What really sucks is finding one that works and then it stops working…nobody seems to know why.
These suggestions are so good. I am leaning toward Seroquel. My doc said Risperidone isn’t a good fit since it doesn’t treat something or other that I have (depression & anxiety)
Not sure that applies anymore since I’m now taking meds for the something or other
I take perphenazine I believe it’s the same class as Stelazine. I believe they’re both in the class called phenothiazines. I have been taking it for over 30 years now. I have taken it at all strengths pretty much. And I was worried about Tardiva dyskinesia also. So far I have not had any. It helps me with anxiety and calms me. It also helps with my psychotic symptoms and delusions.
