Anti psychotics

[Pinging brah]

This may not be the best place to ask. But my doctor recently put me on pristiq & olanzapine for bipolar. Although not severe ive been having alot of hypomania day to day which doesn't much bother me besides making me irritable. Although i can't stand lethargy when im down, makes it hard to work, deal with my issues.
Isn't this abit over the top? I think i have cyclomythia if anything, i just don't think the side effects of olanapine are worth it. Any suggestions?

 

[Jackeh]

Just looked at the side effects of Olanzapine and I have to say it doesn't seem great for what you're describing but I don't know how it compares to other APs.

 

[Venrak]

The only side effects I got from olanzapine at 10mg is weight gain, minor muscle spasms and RLS at times.

Was a cake-walk compared to quetiapine in terms of headspace/lethargy.

 

[laCster]

If you truely need antipsychotics for mania, schizophrenia, ect... It would be wise to take your antipsychotics. The thing is olanzapine and seroquel are antihistamines which makes them very sedating, I'd try to find an anti psych med that isn't a sedative antihistamine for during the day, and take seroquel and olanzapine at night.

Pristiq is a pretty nasty drug from what I heard. For being an SSRI it has some of the worst side effect compared to other ssris, and is known for having harsh withdrawals. There aren't even that many studies out that suggest it is safe for long term use. The few trials have been done by the same company that makes them, Pfizer, and Pfizer has a reputation for faulty studies and promotions (gabapentin/lyrica).

I suggest not taking pristiq and try something else for anxiety/depression such as a partial or slow acting benzo such as nordiazepam (desmethyldiazepam) which is a partial agonist and doesn't produce as much sedation as a full agonist like valium, or oxazepam which has the slowest onset of action and long half life for a smoother, less sedative benzo that does not pack a punch likfe valium, Xanax, temazepam, ect...the best benzo for acute agitation and mania is clonazepam, many studies pertaining klonopin preventing mania and acute agitation have been done. Though with benzodiazepines, there is a very serious withdrawal which s why I suggest desmethyldiazepam because it is a partial agonist and won't produce severe withdrawal like Xanax or valium.

Also despite lawsuits against Pfizer for false advertising gabapebtin/lyrica , these two drugs are great for anxiety and depression IME/IMO. Less sedating than benzos , with similar efficacy for anxiolysis as benzos, and withdrawals dont seem to be too harsh in my experience. Results may vary as with any medication....

 

[aussie101]

Its simple to get diagnosed with a "psychiatric condition" these days. They will push those drugs on you and say "if you take these you will return to normal"...from my experience i had them pushed on me when i did not need them. Many people who have committed crimes exploit this system to get out of charges. Any how....

Of course i experimented with them because that was my nature at the time, olanzapine makes you eat like an animal. And pristiq is similar to effexor but requires a lower dose due to the chemical make up. The first couple of nights i took pristiq i felt like i had just dropped ecstasy, which was cool at the time coz i was traveling and partying - but not something you want to experience all the time. When i stopped it a few days later i had the worst and most vivid nightmares i have ever had. This shit fucks with your head, make no mistake about it.

And yeah quietapine is even more sedating than olanzapine - although i found olanzapine still made it almost impossible to get out of bed...needless to say i stopped all these pretty quick and just used seroquel on the odd occasion when i had nothing else better to help me get to sleep.

Have you tried going to the gym for mental health?

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Its simple to get diagnosed with a "psychiatric condition" these days. They will push those drugs on you and say "if you take these you will return to normal"...from my experience i had them pushed on me when i did not need them.

^True. I once had a Dr prescribe me mood stabilizers simply because I mentioned I had a family member who was bipolar. He said, "Well, you don't have any signs of bipolar but let's put you on this as a preventative measure just to be on the safe side". But in this case let's assume that the OP has a reasonably good doctor and that the OP has a legit problem which is substantially interfering with his/her life. Like you I would recommend trying non-drug methods like exercise, therapy, lifestyle changes, as a first choice to cope with it, perhaps that is something they could discuss with their Dr if they have the kind of Dr who is knowledgeable about and amenable to those kinds of things and doesn't just assume that drugs are the only answer.

---

As for the particular drugs prescribed:

Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) is an SNRI (serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) antidepressant. It isn't an antipsychotic. AKAIK it actually weakly inhibits the reuptake of dopamine. There is some evidence that it might possibly even be a very mild opioid.

Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic. It has a number of mechanisms of action including dopamine antagonism, serotonin reuptake inhibition, antihistamine and anticholinergic effects.

So my thinking is that your doctor wanted to try you on an antidepressant but was worried that since people with a predisposition for hypomania sometimes find that the hypomania is worsened by an SNRI he wanted to add the antipsychotic at the same time to balance things out. It's not an unusual combination.

I guess my suggestion would be to talk to your doctor about your concerns about side effects and see what he suggests. If you and your doctor truly think you need to be on drugs right now for your problem he may suggest alternatives or he might just say to give it a try and to come back if you notice significant side effects though.

You may also want to see another Dr for a second opinion and to confirm or refute the diagnosis of bipolar.

 

[Pinging brah]

I always thought i was sad because of drug abuse. But even after i stopped symptoms persisted. About 1 month ago i went hypo for days straight. Now it seems i swing daily to having too much energy to barely being able to work. Im fucking confused i don't trust my doctor. If i was type 1 fair enough. I have started exercising again past 2 weeks, i shouldve waited it out.
Also would it be safe to have like 1 drink on this?

 

[pasha]

Desvenlafaxine is pretty much the same as venlafaxine (effexor). It has efficacy in depression but it's known to have the most brutal withdrawals of all SSRI drugs. As far as olanzapine goes, it also has efficacy in treating bi-polar disorder, but you're going to have to be willing to deal with an array of abhorrent side-effects, some which are very serious such as unmasking or engineering diabetes, to cardiovascular issues. All atypical anti-psychotic drugs carry these same risks to varying but similar degrees, so it's up to you to make an informed decision, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to discuss these things with your current doctor, or another one. It also wouldn't hurt to discuss alternative approaches such as anti-convulsants which carry less risks.

 

[aussie101]

I always thought i was sad because of drug abuse.

Not uncommon. Many of us experience this as a reaction to the norms in society, I have experienced it. Don't feel bad/beat yourself up about it. Its ok to feel sad, the world can be quite depressing some times.

But even after i stopped symptoms persisted.

Not surprising as self-medication, as a coping mechanism, is used by many of us to cope with feelings/emotions

Now it seems i swing daily to having too much energy to barely being able to work.

Well so do I. But I can safely say that exercise helps to regulate this, if I assume that you are not in fact "mentally ill/insane" in some way

Im fucking confused i don't trust my doctor.

Don't say that to the doctor, you will get diagnosed with paranoid delusions/schizophrenia/Schizotypal personality disorder etc lol

I have started exercising again past 2 weeks

Thats a good thing. Keep it up and perhaps post back in a while re your experience. IMO exercise goes a long way to regulating normal brain function and emotions. Especially running, steam-room/sauna, swimming, going to the beach... Just try have some fun brah

You have not been put in a public/private hospital for being manic (or if you have you did not mention it), so that is an indication to me that you are just as sane (or conversely insane as the rest of us) In addition to daily exercise, try to have a laugh each day, it goes a long way to making your "feel good chemicals" flow in the brain. And posting on these forums is a good way to vent, so congrats on doing that...

Good luck mate