Antipsychotics and side effects

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I don't really want to go into detail about what has been said between my doctor and me. I was just wondering what peoples experiences were/are on various antipsychotics. Have they helped at all? Or do you suffer bad side effects from them?

I know every person is different when it comes to medication, I'm just curious at what will maybe become a more typical effect among people.

Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To report a case of aripiprazole-responsive adult Asperger disorder.
CASE SUMMARY:
A 34-year-old white man with lifelong, disabling Asperger disorder and a 20-year history of failed psychotherapeutic and pharmacologic interventions was prescribed aripiprazole, with dramatic symptomatic improvement.
DISCUSSION:
Multiple prior pharmacologic efforts over several years aimed predominantly at altering serotonin and dopamine neurotransmission resulted in treatment failure due to intolerable adverse effects, exacerbation of underlying symptoms, or nonresponse. Aripiprazole, with a complex profile of neurotransmitter affinities, has produced significant core symptom changes. Improved sociability; increased self-awareness; reduced rigidity, anxiety, and irritability; and reduced preoccupation with circumscribed esoteric interests are among the effects noted.
CONCLUSIONS:
Previously intractable Asperger disorder symptoms in a 34-year-old man were ameliorated with aripiprazole.
PMID: 14565842 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

I took Zyprexa at the low dose of 2.5mg-5mg for 9 months. It did not help me. I developed a mild facial tic and tics in my arms and legs. I wanted to be knowledgeable about the medications I was given, so I did some research and discovered that these kind of tics are caused by anti psychotic medications. This condition is called Tardive Dyskinesia, and it develops slowly as the dose increases and/or the length of time it is taken increases. I found out that the tics can become worse over time and can become permanent even after discontinuing the anti psychotic. It is a known side effect of Zyprexa.

My psychiatrist had not mentioned this possible side effect to me, so imagine my surprise when I uncovered it on my own. Did your doctor mention this to you ?

I recommend the book by Robert Whitaker (an award winning journalist) called "Anatomy of an Epidemic" to anyone considering taking psychotropic medications. It shows in startling detail what psychotropic medications have done to the American public since their wide spread availability and usage beginning in 1988 with the launching of Prozac.

I often use the website askapatient.com ( http://www.askapatient.com/index.asp ) to see what the actual real life side effects of a medication are, rather than rely on what the pharmaceutical companies report in small print on their packages. I have found this website to be very reliable.

Hope this helps.

Abilify (aripiprazole) is pretty low on side effects and is the one I consider to be the best. Zyprexa is abominable and the one I consider to be the worst. This is speaking from me as a neuroscientist, not personal experience. The only atypical anti-psychotic I've taken was Abilify (and I didn't experience side effects), as an attempt to find something to work for my OCD. The Abilify didn't help, so I only took it for six weeks.

I take an anti-psychotic called Risperidone and the worst symptom seems to be the fact that it makes me overweight and eat a lot. However when I don't take it I notice that my body temperature tends to get extremly high and I start having racing thoughts and am unable to concentrate or focus on things. I figured with this drug the good outweighs the bad so if I have to be fat my whole life just to be able to function normally that's a small price to pay.

I also take an anti-depressent called Paxil and I've never been able to notice any physical changes from taking it, but last time I kept skipping it I lost it and attempted suicide by trying to swallow the entire bottle. So maybe it does something after all?

I've tried more than a few anti-psychotics but I did not stay on most of them long because i had major side-effects. One made me sleep more than half a day, one literally made me sick to my stomach, another caused me to have bad tremors. Only two anti-psychotics I could tolerate for more than a couple weeks were Abilify & Geodon. I was on Abilify the longest which was 3/4 years. I was only on 5mg & I had lots of side-effects including stuttering/slurring, ticks/twitches, tremors, my mouth was constantly dry, & I found it hard to focus. I was on Geodon for a couple moths but it was switched back to Abilify because my ticks were worse & I was zoning out. I was on other meds when I was on anti-psychotics thou; anti-depressants, mood-stabilizers, tranquilizers, & for a brief time ADHD meds so the combination could of made the anti-psychotics worse. I also have a genetic tremor disorder(Essential Tremors) where I shake when I'm nervous or doing things with fine motor-skills so I could be more pone to side-effects like tremors & movement disorders like ticks/twitches, stuttering/slurring. I was on meds for 5 years & I did NOT start really feeling better till after I quit all the psych meds. The psychs did not believe I had AS so they did not realize that my issues were a result of my brain being wired differently instead of being a chemical imbalance. Psych meds can NOT rewire the brain

Good point !

Have you read the book "Anatomy of an Epidemic" by Robert Whitaker ? You might find that it explains your experience taking psychotropic medications.

I've been on them on-and-off when my depressive phases get really bad. Lamictal/Lamotrigine (same thing, brand name/generic name) I find has helped even me out a little bit. It doesn't necessarily make me happier, but it makes me calmer and more able to talk about and deal with my issues. It tends to sap me of any creative energy I may have though so I try not to be on it any longer than absolutely necessary...
I've also been on Seroquel, which never really did much for me but make me lethargic.
Good luck with whatever you're dealing with >.<

I was given Risperdal for Tourettes. I was really unwell mentally when I started to take it, even hallucinating and hearing things! As soon as the Risperdal was taken away I was fine again. Aripiprazol just made me REALLY tired and dribbly...

Not true. There is much evidence that different psychiatric medications change the amount of different neurotransmitter receptors in the brain, which affects the synaptic connections and amount of impulses sent, and lithium has been shown many, many times to have neuroprotective effects in bipolar users due to its second messenger signaling capabilities.

Hate Risperidone, it never did me any good. I was still feeling like myself on Zyprexa, but I couldn't concentrate on matters which required insight.

Different psychiatric medications do change the amount of different neurotransmitter receptors (often increasing the amount) which is why if you try to go off these medications you get a vicious withdrawal and much more severe symptoms. The medication has inadvertently caused the very thing it is supposed to be treating.

Lithium is not a medication. Lithium is a mineral in the same family as sodium and potassium. It is the only thing that has been specifically developed to treat Bipolar Disorder. The drugs used to treat Bipolar are prescribed "off-label" as they were originally designed to treat other conditions (like anti-seizure medications for epilepsy are used to treat mania in Bipolar).

Lithium has been shown to provide neuroprotective effects according to Husseini K. Manji, MD, Chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Pathophysiology and Director of the Mood & Anxiety Disorders Program for the National Institute of Mental Health.

Yes, lithium IS a medication. What is prescribed is lithium carbonate, not elemental lithium. It is the same as how ferrous sulfate, another organic compound found from Periodic Table elements, is prescribed as a medication for anemia. People typically don't ingest lithium, despite it being a natural element. Thus, it is a medication.

Also, it is both incorrect that lithium was specifically developed for bipolar disorder and that all other bipolar meds are prescribed "off-label." Lamictal is FDA-approved for bipolar depression, and Abilify is FDA-approved for bipolar I disorder. And lithium was discovered for mania by accident, as is often the case with great scientific discoveries. In 1948, scientist Dr. Cade thought that uric acid was responsible for aggressiveness and hyperactivity. He dissolved uric acid salts in lithium carbonate and was amazed at the calming effects when injected into guinea pigs. He ran upstairs and tried this on severely manic patients, and it also worked. It was soon apparent that the lithium was the calming agent, not the uric acid.

I was given an antipsychotic called Compazine and I experienced akathisia. I think that's my only experience with antipsychotics, but it was awful.

Respirdone, I had tremors, Tardive dyskinesia, dystonia (rigidity) and difficulty breathing and Parkinsonism. They prescribed me Cogentin to take care of that. It worked. I'm sure I would react differently if I wasn't such a fool. It probably works better on people who were or are already smart.

Is that good or bad?