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Mental Health Anyone here have experiences with Antipsychotics?

bdomihizayka

bdomihizayka

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Joined
Jul 30, 2012
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I have been taking a low dose of 100mg of Seroquel since returning home from halfway around the world; sleep deprivation and jet lag. It straightened out my sleep schedule in about week. Yet, I am finding this stuff also makes me more calm, and motivated (I have GAD, ADHD). I feel really good, and not too zombied out unlike many SSRIs and SNRIs I've had in the past. I didn't even intend to use this as a long term med, but the side effects it's giving me are extremely beneficial.

Yet I am scared to death to continue on because of the antispychotic discontinuation syndrome, and the nasty list of side effects it has. I just wanted to know people's experiences with antipsychotics here, good or bad..... I am completely undecided on what to do at this point.
 
Antipsychotics are hardcore drugs, this is more than a sleep aid. When I was on abilify I had really bad akathisia and extrapyramidal stuff, I was so jerky and twitchy and pacy I could only sleep four or five hours a night, it was very debilitating. I'd stop taking it, these drugs are known to cause permanent cognitive changes.

They can work wonders in people with real psychotic disorders like Bipolar or Schizophrenia but taking them to help you sleep and make you feel calm seems like using a chainsaw to remove a nail.
 
I would never use antipsychotics, especially as one as strong as quietiapine, for insomnia. The main problem is not only that it messes with your brain chemistry, but also that you'll have even worse insomnia when you quit. I personally can no longer sleep without it, and I've tried to come off it numerous times.

Many people report NEVER getting back to a regular sleep pattern once coming of it, even after many years they still struggle to get more then a couple of hours. So although it's treating the problem now, and may do for some time, it'll only make it worse in the long run as your body becomes dependent on it to sleep. You could, of course, stay on the drug for as long as you need, but then you risk long term side effects such as neuroleptic malignant syndrome or hyperprolactinemia (which can cause brain tumours).

As for antipsychotic withdrawal, it isn't terrible - but it isn't great either. The main risk is the temporary psychosis it can cause if discontinued too suddenly.

Anyway, personally I like antipsychotics and they work well for me. But, then again, I'm using it for schizophrenia and not insomnia. Personally you're better off trying hypnotic benzodiazepines if you don't have severe, crippling insomnia. They aren't really worth the downsides unless you really need them.

Best of luck :)
 
Cognitive effects are really permenent? I took resperidome for a few months and im waiting for the invega shot to get out of me. I just want to feel like before
 
bdomihizayka said:
I have been taking a low dose of 100mg of Seroquel since returning home from halfway around the world; sleep deprivation and jet lag. It straightened out my sleep schedule in about week. Yet, I am finding this stuff also makes me more calm, and motivated (I have GAD, ADHD). I feel really good, and not too zombied out unlike many SSRIs and SNRIs I've had in the past. I didn't even intend to use this as a long term med, but the side effects it's giving me are extremely beneficial.

Yet I am scared to death to continue on because of the antispychotic discontinuation syndrome, and the nasty list of side effects it has. I just wanted to know people's experiences with antipsychotics here, good or bad..... I am completely undecided on what to do at this point.
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You should really be talking to your doctor about these concerns, not a bunch of anonymous forumites who know nothing about you or your condition. I don't know much about GAD but it may be possible that a low dosage of Seroquel could help a bit.

That being said, I too am skeptical when doctors prescribe these types of drugs as a sleep aid when there are plenty of other medications that can put you to sleep.

You say you are undecided on what to do. I think the first and most important decision you should be making right now is when to schedule the next appointment for a visit to your psychiatrist.
 
Sleek65 said:
Cognitive effects are really permenent? I took resperidome for a few months and im waiting for the invega shot to get out of me. I just want to feel like before
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It should take longer than just a few months. I vaguely remember reading something that found cognitive changes from as little as three months but they were minor, smoking weed heavily or using tobacco regularly changes your brain as well and nobody's freaking out about that, so don't lose any sleep over it.
 
I have taken the atypical anti-psychotics quetiapine, risperidone and olanzapine. Out of the typicals i have taken methotrimeprazine and chlorpromazine aka Thorazine aka Largactil. I have been on the seroquel and risperidone for long periods of time with no long lasting side effects. Although i found out about a month ago that i just barely fit the criteria for heart block but i am pretty sure anti-psychotics are not the cause of that as there are many many other things that could be the culprit.

With quetiapine i was on it for years at a time in doses of up to 500mg's a day. I never experienced any long term side effects and i never even gained any weight. With risperidone i never got any long term side effects but i sure got some nasty short term side effects. Quetiapine is one of the least potent atypicals out there with the least chance of causing movement disorders such as Tardive Dyskinesia, pseudo-Parkinson's or the less serious but very unpleasant akathesia. It has something to do with the way quetiapine affects the Dopamine 2 receptor and how it dissociates from the D2 receptor. Risperidone on the otherhand is one of the most potent anti-psychotics out there and has very potent dopamine and serotonin antagonism hence the higher rates of TD and akathesia.

With the dose of quetiapine you are on you are really only getting hit with the H1 antagonist effects as it is a really strong anti-histamine hence why it in one of the most sedating anti-histamines on the market. Anti-histamines such as diphenhydramine, hydroxyzine, doxylamine, etc all may work just as well for you without the added risk of taking seroquel. Or you could go see your doctor and maybe get a Z-hypnotic such as zopiclone or a benzo that will help you sleep such as temazepam, nitrazepam or even Valium. The latter is also used to treat GAD. I have GAD as well as panic disorder and i had to go on clonazepam in order to function at all.

In anycase i would highly suggest going to see your doctor about this.
 
I used quetiapine for my crippling sleep disorder for a month, I had a similar reaction at first to you on 25-50mg a night but I developed very very annoying tremors in the morning after 24 days that lead me to discontinue it.
At those doses it should just be an NRI, H1 antagonist, and 5HT2A blocker so I have no idea how it was causing tremors.

It's powerful stuff not to be taken lightly. I wouldn't be surprised that in 25 years we look back on quetiapine as we do choral hydrate.
 
the only time anti psychotics are worth taking is if you go completely psychotic w/o them any other time they aren't worth your trouble
 
mrflowers00 said:
the only time anti psychotics are worth taking is if you go completely psychotic w/o them any other time they aren't worth your trouble
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I wouldn't say that. Olanzapine has been literally a lifesaver for me during manic or mixed state episodes. 10-20mg's of the sublingual form of olanzapine will stop even the worst manic or mixed state that i get. Also since i do get some psychotic symptoms during a bad manic, mixed or depressive episode it helps with that too.
 
Quetiapine in low doses is basically an antihistamine, not an antipsychotic. However you get the risks of side effects,
particularly sedation, weight gain, 'metabolic syndrome' (tendency towards high cholesterol, type II (tablet controlled)
diabetes, high blood pressure, and so on). Be careful with this long term, and note that officially it isn't addictive,
but there is something about it that is different to other antipsychotics and it will probably turn out to be addictive
in years to come (in the medical literature).

It can be useful as an add-on to treatments for depression and anxiety disorders, and this *may* be what you are
experiencing. But usually add-on therapy is for treatment-resistant depression, or anxiety (or psychotic or bipolar
disorders etc).

Regarding movement disorder side effect, Quetiapine is used by Neurologists often for patients with Parkinson's
or Lewy Body disease - two diseases that are related and that make you MUCH more sensitive to side effects
of antipsychotics; however everyone is different; I tried Quetiapine for sleep once (prescribed) and 50mg gave
me huge akathisia, which is about the worst side effect you can get; this is bizarre since I can take Stemetil
(Prochlorperazine) for nausea, at the same dose as for Schizophrenia, and get no EPSEs or akathisia etc from
it, yet it is an early antipsychotic - so should be much worse. Essentially everyone is different so see what
side effects you get, but definitely do discuss with your Dr - do you need to review your other medications;
it could be that changing or decreaing or increasing the dose of one slightly could help with the GAD / ADHD
without needing another drug (Quetiapine).

Good luck :)
 
They help with halusnations with me and rapid cycling of emotions and regulation, downside im drowsy most of the time, get the shakes time to time and stumble and fall. I can not sleep at all withough them. I dont take them for sleep but now my body wont sleep withought them , alchol mixes with them too and can make me ill to the point where i cant get my self home. If i run out its aufall i feel like death and become very self destuctive. Dont take them if you dont genuanly need them and can get by on other medications if you need them.
 
i find seroquel causes anxiety really badly, heart palpitations and a rushy feeling. It also destroys my cognitive functions. Basically i feel like a zombie on it, but used it for insomnia for a while. I think hydroxyzine is better though not as strong, if you have insomnia and GAD. The potential for long term side effects scared me off after a month and half of using it everyday. I was always groggy as fuck too, it sucked. And tolerance builds to it as well, as mentioned above, after seroquel it's going to be fucking hard to get your sleep back. My sleep is getting better now, been about a month since i last used seroquel. The only thing about seroquel i like is for killing stims and psych trips, but even then i have to combo it with a benzo or something to avoid serious heart palpitations and other side effects.
 
Risperdal caused me, for the first and only time in my life, to have urges to cut myself.
Seroquel made me sleep for 24+ hours on end, even at doses of 12.5mg.
Abilify and Geodon, for all intensive purposes, had no effect on me whatsoever.
Never was on Zyprexa, but working with/befriending people who have been on it, as well as reading experiences of those on it on these boards, leads me on with the full belief that it induces zombification.

They can be effective when employed with the right population, but I decidedly don't belong to that population as my experiences have been either none or terrible!
 
Vaya said:
Risperdal caused me, for the first and only time in my life, to have urges to cut myself.
Seroquel made me sleep for 24+ hours on end, even at doses of 12.5mg.
Abilify and Geodon, for all intensive purposes, had no effect on me whatsoever.
Never was on Zyprexa, but working with/befriending people who have been on it, as well as reading experiences of those on it on these boards, leads me on with the full belief that it induces zombification.

They can be effective when employed with the right population, but I decidedly don't belong to that population as my experiences have been either none or terrible!
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Funny you mention that about the risperidal. Years ago when i was just put on lamictal and not at a therapeutic dose my doctor tried me on a combo of risperdal and remeron. The second day of being on it i nearly fucking hung myself and had the rope strung up and all. Thankfully some sanity kicked in and my mind said something along the lines of "stop and think about what your doing you dumb cunt". I had that really numb feeling that i sometimes get from risperidone but having been on risperidone in doses of up to 4mg's a day since for long periods of time i wonder how much of a part the risperidone played in that as opposed to the remeron. I was scared shitless to take either drug for years after i know that much.
 
^Wow, that is absolutely terrifying, PA :(
I'm glad a semblance of sanity graced your consciousness in time to save your life <3

I, too, have never felt so scared by a pharmaceutical drug in my entire life. I remember melting down; I was living with my parents at the time, and I came into my mom's room, tears flooding down my cheeks, with all of the knives that I used to collect. I woke her up, handed them to her and begged her to hide them - as well as to take from me the bottle of Risperdal that was in my bedroom. I never wanted to see it again.

On the subject of Lamictal - that is interesting that you mention likewise adverse effects from it, because prior to developing the dreaded Steven-Johnson Syndrome rash side effect, it was the only medication that had ever had a palpable, truly noticeable positive effect on my mood. Though to be fair, I should remind others that Lamictal is not an AAP; it is an AED, or anti-epileptic drug with mood-stabilizing properties similar to those of Neurontin (which I take now without incident, luckily).

Back to Risperdal, though - It still, to this day, baffles me that a medication intended to stabilize my moods would cause the intense urge to harm myself. In essence, it created a temporary psychosis in me. I will never forget that night; never, never.

Once more, so glad you're still with us!! Remain so, sir!
 
Vaya said:
^Wow, that is absolutely terrifying, PA :(
I'm glad a semblance of sanity graced your consciousness in time to save your life <3

I, too, have never felt so scared by a pharmaceutical drug in my entire life. I remember melting down; I was living with my parents at the time, and I came into my mom's room, tears flooding down my cheeks, with all of the knives that I used to collect. I woke her up, handed them to her and begged her to hide them - as well as to take from me the bottle of Risperdal that was in my bedroom. I never wanted to see it again.

On the subject of Lamictal - that is interesting that you mention likewise adverse effects from it, because prior to developing the dreaded Steven-Johnson Syndrome rash side effect, it was the only medication that had ever had a palpable, truly noticeable positive effect on my mood. Though to be fair, I should remind others that Lamictal is not an AAP; it is an AED, or anti-epileptic drug with mood-stabilizing properties similar to those of Neurontin (which I take now without incident, luckily).

Back to Risperdal, though - It still, to this day, baffles me that a medication intended to stabilize my moods would cause the intense urge to harm myself. In essence, it created a temporary psychosis in me. I will never forget that night; never, never.

Once more, so glad you're still with us!! Remain so, sir!
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Yeah it scared the fucking shit out of me to :( . I remember feeling so numb yet so depressed that i just wanted to die and was quite calm about it. I even put my full weight on the rope and when i started to see spots i pulled myself up and got my head out of the noose. That was a test run so to say and as a warning to anyone even thinking about hanging themselves it is very fucking painful! Not to mention there is a good chance that you may not die and be left a vegetable which is what happened to a friend of mine years ago. I was going to finish the job but a voice in my head said stop and think about what the fuck you are doing you stupid cunt. It was only when i thought about the fact that it would most likely be my mom or brother who would find me and what it would do to them and my friends that i got the rope down brought it up behind the garage and burned the fucking thing.

I know quite a few people who have gotten bad reactions from risperidone actually and even with me it turned mania into mixed state mania on a few occasions. A friend of mine can't tolerate it at all and ended up in the psych ward after attempting suicide during a risperdal induced mixed state by chucking down abunch of zopiclone and Valium with vodka after being on only 1mg of risperdal for maybe a week. Thank fuck he was alright and didn't do any long lasting damage or worse. It seems to be one of those anti-psychotics that although may be good for schizophrenia seems to suck for bipolar disorder. Oddly enough despite it's reputation i found Thorazine to be quite tolerable and alot more like a really sedating anti-histamine rather then a anti-psychotic. I took it for nausea but at anti-psychotic doses and i did take it once to knock out a manic episode when the seroquel wasn't working. If my doctor would script it i would try that instead of seroquel actually. Atleast it didn't make me fucking suicidal :!

Damn Vaya that's brutal. I am not a cutter but once when i was coming off a bad IV coke binge and being somewhat drunk i for some reason decided to hack away at my arm with a razor. To top it all off i put a red hot lighter out on my arm and then threw rum on it all to disinfect it and also to feel the burn of it. I didn't need stitches but i can still see faint scars now even years later. I'm glad you didn't end up hurting yourself too bad thank fuck for that atleast.

Thank fuck for lamictal as that drug did save my life. It is the only other true mood stabilizer besides lithium. Valproate, carbamazepine, gabapentin and the rest are just anti-manic drugs as they do nothing to control the depression side of things. If anything gabapentin seems to make my moods worse and i am going to try and quit that soon. Too bad it has withdrawals that are pretty much the same as benzo withdrawals except even more fucking painful for me atleast.

Stay safe yourself mang :)
 
You too, buddy.

These medications... They are very clearly nothing to take lightly, are they?
 
Do you experience increased appetite with antipsychotics?

I get terrible food cravings when taking my evening dose of clozapine.
 
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