I’m on 7,5 mg of aripiprazole (Aristab here in Brazil) and it’s still sedating (it’s not like olanzapine but it’s still sedating). I also notice emotional blunt while taking this antipsychotic.
And the worst problem I’m having with aripiprazole is that maybe it’s giving me EPS (extrapyramidal symptoms). I have some restless legs and I’m noticing some spasms through my body (which I will report to my pdoc because it can be tardive dyskinesia).
Which AP is not so sedating as aripiprazole, doesn’t give me emotional flatness and EPS?
But I think there are APs that don’t cause a lot of EPS. Olanzapine is known for causing weight gain for example. It’s about personal trials and general characteristics of the medicine.
Have you looked into the genesight DNA test that can tell you which meds are likely to react well in your body? It’s questionable whether it’s accurate or not, but it might be worth looking into for you.
Ziprasidone has no side effects for me. The first few months it was sedating, but now I’m over it. It depends on the dose, too. At higher doses, it still made me sleepy, and gave me sexual side effects. No weight gain, though. And it’s very stabilizing for me.
If you can handle Latuda, I would try that. It was like water to me. I was really sick at the time, but I couldn’t even tell I was medicated. I was on like 180 mg plus Risperdal. I liked Latuda but I remember getting headaches and stuff from it and you have to eat a small meal with it, which is annoying.
Geodon is alright but can cause heart problems in the long run.
I really, really like Vraylar, but I still have gained weight. I don’t feel as tired or depressed nor do I have a lot of negative symptoms.
The problem with Vraylar is it just came out 2 years ago and is very expensive.
I had that genesight DNA test and while it’s nice to have, didn’t really benefit me.
Since I got sick and been on APs, I don’t exercise much and I eat like crap so I cannot blame the meds 100%. I used to be skinny and ate healthy. I guess I crave comfort foods and stuff on meds. Sometimes I just take naps and stuff because there is nothing else to do and sometimes my emotions suck.
Thank @Wave! I’m taking a look at Latuda and Geodon.
@Ninjastar, this test is very expensive here in Brazil (around to U$ 1000). Thank you for sharing your experience with Ziprasidone. Maybe it in low doses is not so sedating.
@insidemind, thank you for sharing your experience with Latuda. I’ll take a look at the prices to see if it’s affordable.
Edit: actually, Latuda is not so expensive here in Brazil (30 tablets of 40 mg costs around to U$ 65).
