I stopped the Lybalvi a week ago. Despite the addition of samidorphan to olanzapine, my appetite was still out of control and i had gained 8 lbs. I’m NOT going back to being obese. Now my eating is normal again and the only psych symptom I’ve noticed so far is that my sleep quality has decreased…but it’s nice also to not be sleeping for 11 hours a day! I am having more voices.
Being off all psych meds won’t last for long, tho, before stuff gets serious, so when i see my pdoc next week I’ll suggest going back on Abilify. It’s not the best AP for me and it’s been about 7 years since I’ve been on it, but it’s weight-neutral and doesn’t cause the QTc prolongation which i get on certain APs…but it’ll be up to the pdoc in the end.
I’m going to ask for KarXT when it is approved if it doesn’t cause cardiac side effects or weight gain. My pdoc thinks they’ll approve it if she prescribes it since I’ve been on the strongest meds and have had limited success with them…except for clozapine, which worked great but caused the heart stuff.
I hope my pdoc understands why i stopped the Lybalvi. It’s hard for people who have never been obese to understand how much life changes when the weight returns to a normal range…no more needing seat belt extenders, or getting tired going up one flight of stairs, or having to order all your clothes online…nevermind things like knees that no longer hurt all the time! I want to be mentally stable, too, but I’m not going to sacrifice my physical health for my sanity. I don’t know if that’s being really selfish and self-indulgent…
I guess I’ll also ask my regular doc if he’ll allow me to go back on Mounjaro. If he does, it may suppress the appetite-stimulating effects of the APs…afterall, it was the Mounjaro which helped me lose the weight while i was on the clozapine.
I guess next week will kind of have a big impact on my future, mentally and physically. I hope i don’t decompensate too much before then, but I’m optimistic as long as i keep an eye on things and keep eliciting feedback from friends and family on my behavior. Until then, I’ll just keep doing my normal day-to-day schedule and hope for the best…