# Atypical Antipsychotics



## hd83 (Jan 10, 2006)

This is for anyone who has tried an atypical antipsychotic (i.e. Zyprexa, Seroquel, Risperdal, Geodon, Abilify, etc.) and has had some success with it. If your atypical antipsychotic helped you, how long did it take for the benefits/effects to kick in? I'm on 0.5 mg of Risperdal (actually Risperidone, the generic version), and have been taking it for 3 days now. Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!! 

Heather


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## ZachT (Sep 8, 2008)

I took abilify with my lexapro that im taking now and it made me restless.
I finally got off the abilify and keep on using the lexapro.
When your taking the meds make sure you feel comfortable.

But yea, the biggest problem i had was being restless and wanting to move around alot. If you get that symptom or any other uncomfortable symptom let them know and they should give you a lower dosage.

Good Luck
-Zach


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## hd83 (Jan 10, 2006)

I was restless on Abilify too, that's why I switched to Risperdal which doesn't have that side effect. Maybe you could try Risperdal too, it just made me very tired the first 2 days but now I feel fine. Thanks!!

Heather


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

All anti-psychotics both typical and atypical can cause restlessness. It's called akathisia which is a sense of inner restlessness that can be very mild or so bad that you can't sit still, are full of anxiety and panic, suffer from dysphoria and in really severe cases people say it's like chemical torture.

Abilify is earning a name for causing this side effect and this is probably due to the fact it tends to be stimulating rather then sedating. Risperidone is also one of the worst atypicals for causing this due to the fact that some people find it somewhat stimulating or atleast not that drowsy while at the same time causing a zombie like effect.

The atypicals least likely to cause this are seroquel and zyprexa. This is because both of these drugs especially seroquel can cause alot of drowsiness. I don't find zyprexa bad for drowsiness at all really but i take it for bipolar disorder not dp/dr and if i manic it just makes me "normal".

I have never tried abilify because it's not manufactured in canada but i found risperidone to be a unpleasant drug to take it had a bad zombie effect on me. The other atypicals ive tried are seroquel and zyprexa and neither one of them caused the zombie effect i got from risperdal. Seroquel is the worst for causing drowsiness but thats much different then the zombie effect.


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## Bosko (Nov 9, 2007)

I took zyprexa, a low dose, for a few months but i came off it cus i put on weight and it didnt really help with my thought derailment. However I feel so shit latley id be willing to try anything so i might go back on it. antipsychotics are some serious shit, it a shame that the one that seems to work the best (clozapine) has the worst side effects. Oh well.


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## HereNotHere (Mar 3, 2009)

Took about a month for noticeable change with Seroquel. Started with 50mg - tapered up to 150mg over 2-3 months.


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## hd83 (Jan 10, 2006)

Thank you "Here_Not_Here"! I'm hoping this Risperdal will work! Always keeping a positive attitude! 

Heather


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## hd83 (Jan 10, 2006)

Thank you "Here_Not_Here"! I'm hoping this Risperdal will work! Always keeping a positive attitude! 

Heather


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## survivor (Sep 18, 2009)

Well here's my story. First, I've never really been given a straight forward diagnosis by these doctors. Some have said I am bipolar, and some said I have some kind of schizophrenia. The only thing I know for certain is none have ever done any kind of tests on me and they don't know what they are doing. I don't hear voices or see things. I had 2 psychotic breaks. But during both I didn't really lose my grip on reality. I was just suffering with extreme agitation and massive anxiety.

My first psychotic break happened because I was a victim of a crime, but they said I was delusional. Whatever. If I were the son of a wealthy banker they would've believed me of course, but since I'm just a pissant to them they don't give a crap what I have to say.

So they put me on Zyprexa, and Depakote, and Prozac. This worked ok for me I guess, but I gained a tremendous amount of weight. That pissed me off because I was really into fitness when I was younger and loved to run for miles every day. I loved lifting weights and I loved Arnold Schwarzzeneggar he was like a hero to me. I had a big book all about him I would read it was great. No more though.

Later I came off them and went through a depression, lost my job, and became really apathethic. I was smoking alot of weed at the time because it kept me from feeling really depressed.

Well for whatever stupid reason I decided to go to the doctor. This stupid hillbilly woman tells me I am schizophrenic. But like I said I don't hear voices or see things. I got some crazy anger and anxiety issues yeah and was really really afraid of everything at the time. She puts me on Risperdal. The world melted on me and I had a massive psychosis. I almost lost touch with reality as my ego dissolved from this. I said f*** that s*** and stopped taking it.

Then I suffered on and off with agitation because the Risperdal f***** me up. And I had gotten really paranoid from it. Of course, that was my schizophrenia. But I wasn't hearing voices, it was just like my mind would think of a million possibilities and I'd freak out. I hadn't been smoking any weed because I was terrified by the whole thing. 
I eventually got well but now I was disabled and really depressed, like to the point of being in pain depressed.

Again like a moron I go to the doctor thinking maybe they will be able to help me. She says I'm bipolar and puts me on Abilify. This s*** sent me straight into acute akathisia. I have never experienced anything like this. It was the most horrific experience of my life. I went to the emergency room and the dumbf***s said I had insomnia and gave me that new sleeping medicine ambien or whatever. The stuff couldn't even put me to sleep for a half hour I was so tortured. Luckily I got in touch with my doctor and got some beta blockers which made the akathisia go away.

So dumby puts me on geodon. Hey this stuff was really great at first. I felt better, and started losing alot of weight. But then I noticed a strange feeling. Like a weird inner restlessness and severe anxiety. It grew in intensity until I could not get any comfort unless I lay on my side a certain way and I could only get relief for a few moments. I said fuck that shit and stopped taking it.

Well now I got a new doc and I went back to Zyprexa. The only problem I have with that is the weight gain. But I still have fits of agitation and pain caused by the Geodon. I am about to say fuck all these medicines and just go back to being loony. Like I said I never heard voices or saw things, I'm just weird but is it a crime to be weird if you don't hurt people or do bad things? I was happier when I was crazy to be honest, and I really wasn't that crazy at all.

It's really criminal what they have done to me and they have disabled me and I suffer because of these medicines. Here's what I say. Let's get all those doctors and politicians to take the f****** medicines. Hey I didn't hear voices or see things either but they made me take it. If they think it's so great then they should take them. After all they can't harm them can they? I'd like nothing more than to see these arrogant f******s do the akathisia and tardive dyskenisia dance and will feel a sense of justice watching them suffer as they made me suffer.

I know some people really need them, but I don't, they made me worse and now I am disabled and suffer because of it. Now I am just going to eat healthy and excercise and f**** them if they think they can force me to take medications seeing as I never heard voices or did anything violent in my life to begin with. My only crime is being different. And I was smart once. Really smart. Still am but I suffer from the poisones that did damage to me and can't focus. They damaged me and they are the criminals in my opinion, as I didn't do anything wrong or hurt anyone in my life.

You know in Holland they have support groups for people who hear vocies and they really work with people to help them. Not in America. America is evil to the core and I want to leave this country because they do not care and I will root for their downfall and destruction. They made me hate them.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

If you suffer from symptoms of bipolar disorder as well as psychosis doctors here often diagnose you with schizoaffective disorder. Or bipolar disorder with psychotic features. The diagnoses is really the same since the symptoms are more or less the same as well as the treatment. The only true 2 mood stabilizers which are lithium and lamotrigine are used to treat both and so are anti-manic drugs mostly divalproex (epival depakote) or other valproates are used to treat both disorder. All valproates do the same thing in the brain by the way. Also atpical anti-psychotics are often used to treat both.

Ziprasidone (Geodon/zeldox) is a nasty atypical anti-psychotic because it causes heart problems sort of like clozapine but not as bad. Also it's not as effective either really. I would personally never take zeldox as it's called here unless i had tried every other atypical besides clozapine. Zyprexa has always worked the best for me and i don't get the weight gain from it. Probably because i only take it on a as needed basis but ive taken it for over a week straight to stop manic symptoms.

I have bipolar disorder and i get psychotic symptoms when im suffering from mixed states or real bad manic episodes. I get mild visual hallucinations and hear voices that don't sound like me. The voices are almost like having a radio tuned in between the dials because i can't make them out. I can't stop them either unless i take a zyprexa and i usually take 2mg's of clonazepam with 10-15mg's of zyprexa. That knocks all the symptoms out especially the awful racing thoughts.

Have you ever tried lithium? It may be worth a shot because i know a few people with schizoaffective disorder that don't get along with anti-psychotics but get along fine with lithium. It seems to stop most of their symptoms and has litterally saved the life of one person i know. I will most likely be going onto lithium soon due to changes in my drug coverage and im hoping it will keep my bipolar in check as good or better then lamotrigine. I may also have to go on risperidone for awile until i get drug coverage for zyprexa.

Have you tried seroquel? It has about the least chance of causing akathesia and other EPS symptoms. I find it to be fairly weak but it does work wonders for alot ofd people. Also the weight gain isint as bad for most people compared to zyprexa and it generally has less side effects then risperidone.


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## Dreamy (Oct 15, 2009)

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I had taken Abilify, before I discontinued my therapy it helped my thoughts become more coherent, but also made me dizzy and fatigued, so I no longer take it, did help me slightly though..no help with my DPD though.


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