Wtf!! My Dr Should Have Told Me He Was Putting Me On An Antipsychotic!!

[Panda Bear]

I take Abilify and I don't have bipolar......

In small doses, it helps with my seasonal dpression during heavy trauma times. It upset me at first because I felt labeled and like some sort of misfit...

But at 1mg, it does its job!

 

[hodge]

I have been on anti-psychotics and bi-polar meds even though I've never been diagnosed with a psychosis or bi-polar. Geodon and Latuda both helped me with hallucinations and sleep. I would still take Latuda if my clinic hadn't run out of samples. It's about $500/month if you aren't diagnosed with bi-polar. Stupid insurance companies!

 

[joeylittle]

It's about $500/month if you aren't diagnosed with bi-polar. Stupid insurance companies!

Actually, this should not be true anymore. Latuda is no longer off-label for depression; it's officially approved to be prescribed for that. So, insurance should cover a prescription for Latuda for depression.

Worth asking, anyway.

 

[hodge]

Oh, thanks, @joeylittle. I see my psych on Tuesday and will definitely ask him. I don't know how each person in my treatment team handles diagnoses. My T said that the major depression I used to be diagnosed with is now included with the PTSD diagnosis in the DSM. I would think that would still make me eligible for Latuda for depression, not just bi-polar depression. I hope so, anyway. It would be really nice to not have hallucinations anymore and some help with sleep. Thank you again for letting me know!

 

[recoveringfromptsd]

olanzapine

Another good reason to have it changed to something else would be the fact that zyprexa which is the trade name for olanzapine has been associated with affecting the pancreas leading to diabetes. There are even lawyers taking cases from people who developed diabetes from taking it.

This should have been one of the risks that should have been explained to you by your doctor. He has a professional responsibility to explain the risks for every medication prescribed, it's called informed consent. If he/she does not explain these risks he/she could be liable for any problems the drug causes.

 

[Neverthesame]

Has anyone mentioned Prazosin yet?

That's about as off-label as they come.

It's primary use is for treating Hypertension. Off-label, insomnia and nightmares.
Works good for both if I remember correctly.

 

[recoveringfromptsd]

I actually take seroquel for sleep, along with lithium for my bi-polar, Wellbutrin for depression, and naltrexone for impulse control.

The seroquel works well for me.

 

[Panda Bear]

I use prazosin, a lot of us do.

 

[Neverthesame]

@Panda Bear as did I. But it gave me wicked bad tachycardia. To bad, I rather liked that one.

 

[hodge]

After several years, Prazosin stopped working for me. Since then I've been taking clonidine. Same type of med, erases the nightmares just as well.

 

[J'qel]

I was on seroquel for a while too. It was AMAZING for sleep. Until I either acclimated or my brain started outpacing the effects.

I have racing thoughts based insomnia-takes me forever to get to sleep-anywhere from one to five hours, and dieties and scientific principles help me if I so much as twitch, because then I need to start all over again.

I've been off it for a year and a half now trying alternate meds but nothing works as well, so I'm thinking about begging the doc to give it another try. I'll do just about anything.

I also was on Gabapentin which is an anticonvulsant and nerve pain med, again off-label for sleep, and while it made me feel ever so slightly better, it didn't really help me get to sleep.

There were about three others, none of them strictly for insomnia, all of them off label, only one I had a bad reaction to (confused and mentally blurry to almost inability to operate), but in the end, none of them were what I was taking them for. I actually joked with friends about my anti psychotics at one point.

If you're concerned about your meds, taking a bit to talk to your pharmacist can help, usually where I am they go through it with me and then add in a small page with a description and cautions that I read on my way home. It only takes a minute and is done in time I would have normally just been staring out a window anyways.

I don't know what it's like where you live, but I hope it can help calm down any future anxiety about medications.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

I also was on Gabapentin which is an anticonvulsant and nerve pain med, again off-label for sleep, and while it made me feel ever so slightly better, it didn't really help me get to sleep.

I don't get why so many people are on this for sleep. My dad never took it for his neuropathy because of making him sleepy but it made me sleepy for a week and that's it. And they titrate you up so I started on the lowest dose and went up from there. I am now on 900mg three times a day and the only time it made me sleepy was the first week on it.

I also take it due to femeral (outter thighs) neuopathy.

I use a muscle relaxer for sleep. Sort of accidently found that. It made me sleepy so I had stopped taking it but didn't tell the pain Dr but no sleeping med would work as they all made me sleep for days so I tried the muscle relaxer and it paired with a xanax works perfectly without any side effects in the morning. I guess because both meds are made to wear off faster.

I take Seriquel XR (extended release) and so it is different then immediate release as it stopped making me sleep after a few weeks and built up in my system to allow for daytime anxiety and mood stabilty. It works amazingly. I just needed to give it some time and be patient with it.