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mynewfriend

Updated 1y ago

Switching to Vraylar for Mixed Mania - Thoughts?

Any thoughts about Vraylar? I'm having mixed mania after a few months on Lexapro -not unexpected, it was a shot in the dark- so I'm switching to Vraylar. My lithium will stay the same. I struggle with side effects and couldn't tolerate Latuda or Seroquel most recently. I've struggled most with depression since coming off Lamictal in September. Any thoughts? Warnings? Endearing tales from your epic journey with antipsychotics? FYI: Diagnosed Bipolar type I (I've had full mania), but I tend to present as Bipolar type 2 (long depressions+hypomania)

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mikl_pls

2y

I'm very similar to you in that regard (BP 1 with a history of full mania but present mostly as BP2 with long depression and rarely hypomania). I'm actually on Vraylar right now (I think now for the 3rd time). I'm on 1.5 mg which is the recommended dose for depression (max 3 mg, higher doses generally for mania). I like it. Its side effects are pretty benign. No weight gain. Akathisia is pretty common at first so watch out for intense restlessness (your doc can prescribe you something like Cogentin or Artane to help with that if it happens). The first time i took it i did have some rather annoying RLS-like symptoms at night. It takes a VERY long time to build up in your system because it has such a long half life, so it's good that you're already on something like lithium to keep you stable. Endearing tales huh? 😂 I'll say that I've been on just about every atypical antipsychotic except a few and many of the first generation antipsychotics. Of these, I've found that the best ones for my mood (primarily depressed) are Caplyta, Stelazine (an oldie but a goodie), Abilify (which unfortunately causes compulsive spending behavior in me and caused me to rack up over $12,000 in credit card debt), and Vraylar (in that order starting with the best first). Caplyta actually got me out of the deepest rut of my life when i was in horrible circumstances at home during the lockdown of COVID and got me working again. I'm kind of thinking about going back on it if I get depressed again after the ketamine infusions I'm doing right now (have my last infusion next week). So if Vraylar doesn't work for you, I would definitely recommend giving Caplyta a try.
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mynewfriend

2y

A kindred spirit! Hurray! Caplyta is next on the list, insurance dictated I try this first. The abilify didn't do great for me the last time I took it but that was over a decade ago. Latuda caused really bad akathisia and tyke... the repetitive tongue and limb movement...for several weeks. At the time, the drugs you mentioned to counter act that would have interfered with the beta blocker I took for migraines but I'm not on that now. It's what I'm most worried about with Vraylar. I was bordering on psychotic and suicidal from the akathisia, though the Latuda was helping the depression. Seroquel kept me mostly unconscious for weeks. I'm hoping Vraylar does neither and that I don't have significant weight gain because with my blood pressure, that would be a deal breaker. I appreciate your input

The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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