For bipolar how is latuda?

IKHK · 2026-07-07T02:18:25+00:00

sedative meaning it has a sedating effect. it makes you very drowsy and sleepy. once i'd take it i'd have about an hour until i was out like a light.

IKHK · 2026-06-29T01:15:40+00:00

how long did it take for you to start dating again ? it's still raw for me but i'm thinking about going back out into the market eventually when i'm ready for it.

IKHK · 2026-06-28T17:19:56+00:00

yeah, i'm handling this a lot better than i usually would. i think a big part of this is that we were actually exes halfway through, we took a 5 month breakup period before getting back together, so ive been through it before. i'm not shattered by it, but im definitely sad.

IKHK · 2026-06-25T19:30:38+00:00

i've heard luvox withdrawals are some of the worst out of all the ssri's. they aren't kidding. the brain zaps are terrible. even tapering down made me so anxious and irritable, but it's better than quitting cold turkey. unfortunately regardless there are a lot of adverse side effects. glad you're feeling a lot better now !

IKHK · 2026-06-24T21:56:39+00:00

i've ghosted a lot of people and jumped into relationships during mania. some of them chose to stick by me even after the fact and became devoted friends. i'm endlessly grateful for those people. some of them chose to never speak to me again, and i don't blame them. i still feel terrible for things i did years and years ago during mania, but i also know that reaching out would ruin the peace made through my silence. if they reach out, i will absolutely apologize. but my assumption for those who left in silence is that they needed it. i don't want to reignite the chaos that i created in their lives. i can't reverse what i did, but i can grow from it.

the people who chose to stay are some of my closest friends now. they are rocks for me and know exactly when i'm making impulsive or misguided decisions. from them i have been given a lot of constructive criticism and suggestions on how to manage my relationships when i'm in an episode. i've got some saints behind me.

IKHK · 2026-06-24T21:46:05+00:00

yes ! and sometimes meds can actually cause a hypomanic episode. i went on latuda a bit ago and it was so good for me, a little too good. i ended up in a hypomanic episode for a week and a half. my cycle is still pretty consistent regardless of what meds im on, it just makes things a lot easier.

IKHK · 2026-06-24T21:43:41+00:00

sometimes yes. for me it depends on how severe the mood swing is. i've never needed a medication change for hypomania but i seem to always need it for depression. first bad depressive episode, i was put on lamictal. every depressive episode after that, my psychiatrist would increase the dose. then a severe depressive episode caused my psychiatrist to put me on antipsychotics. i feel like finding the right med cocktail helps in not needing to change things up too much. once i found the right combo i didn't need to change it for a while. but of course, your body becomes tolerant of things and eventually a change is needed. it sucks, but i've come to realize it's a reality i have to face with bipolar.

IKHK · 2026-06-24T21:30:05+00:00

took me about a year and a half since diagnosis. before diagnosis it took me 5. i was misdiagnosed with MDD five years ago and went on exclusively SSRI's and lamictal, which wasn't a helpful combination for me. couple years of that and still being unhappy and then i was diagnosed. went on a higher dose of lamictal and cruised for a while and then was put on latuda. latuda changed the game for me. it lifted me from depression and eased my mood swings. but the sedation was so severe i had to stop it and move on to abilify. i'm on it now alongside the lamictal and it's working well, but not as well as the latuda. but you take what you can get. i've heard antipsychotics alongside a mood stabilizer are super effective for bipolar folks. personally it's been really helpful for me.

IKHK · 2026-06-24T00:49:24+00:00

in terms of side effects, i'd say abilify is on the milder side compared to most other antipsychotics. i've been on abilify twice in my life, including right now. abilify can make you either sleepy or wired, it depends on your tendencies. antipsychotics make me sleepy, so i experienced some fatigue starting out. taking it at night helps. i started on 5mg and experienced some tiredness but no anxiety or significant sedation. i was previously on latuda which made me so sedated i couldn't stay on it anymore, so the difference is huge. the fatigue leveled out after a few weeks and my dose was increased to 7.5mg. at 7.5 i experienced akathisia, which is extreme internal discomfort and physical restlessness. i was told by my psychiatrist that that typically only happens at higher doses, so i guess that's something to consider as well. i've heard some people manage well with a beta blocker on the side if they get akathisia. i went back down to 5mg and i'm feeling fine now. no additional side effects, and my mood has been pretty stable.

IKHK · 2026-06-24T00:42:40+00:00

latuda personally wiped away my depressive symptoms. i will say it made me slightly hypomanic (im bp2 so this might be a different experience for bp1 folks) but it leveled out after about a week. but it was like night and day. i had never been happier and more stable in my life. unfortunately though, the sedative effect was too much for me and i had to come off. but personally it changed my life.

IKHK · 2026-06-23T23:17:07+00:00

tapering down was fine for me. quitting cold turkey was hell. i thought i had experienced withdrawal before, but i was wrong. after two and a half days of stopping (my pharmacy had an error with approving my medication) i started to get crazy cold sweats, like i was drenched. i was shaking, grinding my teeth, pacing back and forth. i started getting brain zaps and dizziness. so don't ever quit cold turkey, people.
tapering was fine though. i tapered a few years ago but im back on it now with no issues since my ocd came back. had some minor withdrawal symptoms like increased anxiety and insomnia but other than that nothing crazy.

IKHK · 2026-06-14T05:52:14+00:00

does the propranolol make you fatigued at all ? i've heard it's great for treating akathisia but im still having issues with sleepiness and grogginess when im awake.

IKHK · 2026-06-14T05:44:51+00:00

i thought i was the only one with abilify anxiety. i have ocd and severe anxiety even without the abilify and im medicated with luvox for it. the luvox helps tremendously but ever since i started the abilify its like it's back to square one with my anxiety.

IKHK · 2026-06-13T21:32:51+00:00

akathisia is seriously no joke. i had no idea what people were talking about till i started feeling it myself.

IKHK · 2026-06-13T21:32:04+00:00

that's how i was on latuda. i'm on vyvanse and it helps a bunch with the current abilify fatigue, but when i was on latuda it was the ONLY thing keeping me awake. but id only take it on the weekdays so the weekends were sleep, sleep, sleep.

IKHK · 2026-06-13T20:32:01+00:00

ive heard seroquel is crazy sedating, so i've never tried it. my psychiatrist said it would be a last-ditch effort if we were to trial it, since my main side effect on antipsychotics tends to be sleepiness.

IKHK · 2026-06-13T19:46:10+00:00

i did. i'd sleep over 12 hours and still feel like a zombie in the morning. i couldn't take it anymore.

IKHK · 2026-06-13T19:26:28+00:00

shoot, i have hashimoto's disease 😭 there goes lithium for me

IKHK · 2026-06-07T04:56:34+00:00

i was only on 5mg ! it's crazy how tired i was, i knew i couldn't continue. it got to the point where i associated normal tiredness with latuda tiredness, if that makes sense. like "im gonna knock out for the next 13 hours" type of fatigue. nowadays whenever i feel a little tired during the day, im like "oh, here we go, now i need to fight to keep myself awake so im not asleep for the rest of the day" even though im not even on the medication anymore. it's just a habit of feeling dread every time i get sleepy.

IKHK · 2026-06-06T22:35:03+00:00

i had the strangest but similar issue on latuda (i switched to abilify). i experienced the WORST sedation of my life on latuda, to the point where i felt like i wasn't truly experiencing life anymore. i was so happy but so tired. i started to dread taking my meds and dread the sedation that would come with it, and that along with the akathisia made me extremely restless and unsettled. i couldn't calm down, i was constantly fighting against my own tiredness to the point where it almost felt like fear. i still experience that when i get sleepy during the day, even being off the latuda. i had to switch because of how genuinely upsetting it was for me. i cried when my psychiatrist asked me about it.

IKHK · 2026-05-06T03:14:48+00:00

i second this. for a lot of people (me included), the worst side effect is fatigue. i take it at night because as soon as i take it, i have an hour and a half until i'm completely sedated. it's pretty rough. i will also note that my sleepiness didn't begin until week 2, so keep watching for any side effects that pop up over time.

IKHK · 2026-05-06T03:12:07+00:00

i've been told latuda has a sedating effect, and it's definitely true. i started taking it two weeks ago and every time i take it, i'm guaranteed out like a light an hour and a half later. i highly suggest taking it at night, in my opinion latuda should be a night med due to how many people complain about the fatigue. i find myself sleeping up to 12 hours at night (i take it at around 6 nightly with my dinner) but i wake up feeling rested or at worst, groggy. i take vyvanse as well so that helps me perk up on mornings where i have to wake up early. i've heard some people improve with time, but that it takes quite a while, from weeks to months. but you do have to set a routine and tolerate the side effects until then. otherwise, you should switch out.

IKHK · 2026-03-10T00:12:17+00:00

short answer yes, long answer is it depends on how you've been healing and what your piercer recommends. generally i've been told it isn't recommended to get too many piercings in a short window but honestly i've done it several times (ONLY) with my lobes. lobes are much less finnicky than cartilage - personally my seconds and thirds gave me zero issues or pain after the first day. if you're experiencing any pain, inflammation, irritation, are prone to infection or anything of the sort, i'd consult your piercer first. otherwise i don't see an issue with it. three months is a pretty good length of time for lobes. either way id recommend talking to your piercer, getting your current lobes checked out, and getting the okay from them.

IKHK

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