Posted by SLS on December 5, 2013, at 7:49:29
In reply to Re: Does anyone take Latuda for depression? » SLS, posted by bob on December 5, 2013, at 1:46:02
> > > > I am thinking of swapping out Abilify for Latuda to treat bipolar depression so that I can avoid and reverse weight-gain. Has anyone had success with this drug for treating depression?
> > > >
> > > > Thanks.
> >
> > > I'm taking it now Scott. Have been for a little over 3 weeks I think, and now I'm at 20mg twice per day. The reason for trying this med was basically the same as what you stated - an adjunct AP that doesn't destroy my body with unwanted metabolic side effects. So far it doesn't seem to be causing the outrageous weight gain that I have experienced on almost all other APs, such as Zyprexa, Abilify, Seroquel etc. I think it's too early to tell if it will evenutally cause an insidious creeping weight gain but so far it hasn't.
> >
> > > I'm adding it to a liberal amount of nortriptyline (225mg)Get a blood test to be sure your nortriptyline level does not exceed 150 ng/mL. If you go too high in dosage with nortriptyline, it actually stops working. Most rapid metabolizers of nortriptyline need not go beyond 150 mg/day. It's really an approximation of drug activity. It is not absolute, but if your blood levels of nortriptyline are significantly higher than 150 ng/mL, I would recommend talking to your doctor about lowering the dosage so as to perform a brief experiment. For you, lower might be better.
> and about 75mg per day of sertraline. I added it initially for an energizing/brightening effect which it initially did but that quickly faded. In the last few days I've added some bupropion to try to get rid of flat affect problems but that has not been a long term solution in the past and probably won't be this time either.
What do you attribute the flat affect to?
> > I haven't looked at the clinical trials of Latuda when used for bipolar depression, so I don't have a good feel for how quickly it works.
> >
> > Gosh. I'm sorry that you find yourself in such a frustrating situation. You don't sound hopeless, though. That is a gift.
> >
> > Which AP acted as the best antidepressant for you? How long were you on it for?
> >
> >
> > - Scott
>
> I hate to say it but probably one of the best APs was Zyprexa... At least for a little while. Abilify was very good as well, but soon caused an intolerable akithisia and started to lose the initial positive effects. I didn't get very high in dosing because I was unwilling to go down the massive weight road yet again.
If your flat affect is a side effect of Zoloft (sertraline), which it certainly can be, perhaps you can explore Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) if you can afford it or Effexor (venlafaxine) if you can't.> > Focalin maybe?
> Why do you suggest Focalin in particular?
If your flat affect is a side effect of Zoloft, which it certainly can be, perhaps you can explore Pristiq if you can afford it or Effexor if you can't.
I found that Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) gives me a predictable increase in mental energy and improvements in thought speed and mental clarity. I was more sociable, probably because my mind became more active. You might find that twice-a-day dosing works best - morning and afternoon. In my estimation, Focalin is "smoother" than Ritalin, which felt harsh to me.
> I have a feeling that if you make a swap you could find the lurasidone to be somewhat less effective at producing motivation and drive. Of course I could be wrong and don't want to discourage you from trying it.I appreciate any observations, insights, or theories you would like to share.
Take care and feel better!
- Scott
Some see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:1055408
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20131115/msgs/1055468.html