Does anyone have experience with the new drug Caplyta? My son would like to try it. He is on both a first and second gen. medication at this time and about twice a year he has breakthrough symptoms that he finds unbearable. During these times his doctor suggests he increase his first gen medication. That helps with the positive symptoms but then he feels unbearably depressed and leans towards wanting to drink alcohol or find some quick way to numb the pain, which only exacerbates everything. Weāre going to talk to his doctor about it but his doctor is very hesitant to switch things up.
In general Iāve found psychiatrists reluctant to try new medications. Another factor is Health Insurance companies who in the US maintain a list of approved medications, and generally Iāve found medications on their lists are āfreeā for chronic mental health conditions as part of ACA provisions I believe.
The only time I found psychiatrists interested in changing medications was when the atypicals first came out. I was changed to an early one not long after it came on the market and had a very bad experience in high cost, efficacy and side-effects. It was many years before I switched to a different atypical after returning to my original neuroleptic. Call me cynical, but I think changes to most new medications have more to do with effective marketing campaigns in the US than anything else.
Yes, all of that makes sense. We are a population looking for something better, and hopeful for the next new thing. Our healthcare system creates barriers that have little to nothing to do with best patient interest, but we shall see. I will update the post after we speak to the doctor.
Hi there, for ten months last year, I was on Olanzepine and felt increasingly depressed. My psychiatrist prescribed me Wellbutrin, it worked for several months then the depression came back. My psychiatrist kept putting me off until I told my parents that I can die tomorrow and no one would care. He then realized my depression was real and I was switched back to Latuda. Nothing has helped with my depression other than Latuda, which is an anti-psychotic.
Yes, I think some people have a stoic nature and the people around them donāt realize what they are feeling. My son always puts on a brave face for the doctor because he doesnāt want to disappoint THE DOCTOR, or let THE DOCTOR down. He also tries to be stoic at home and then he will break down and tell me how hard it is and how tired he is of fighting this battle. He had great success with Latuda, then quit taking it and when he went back to it he did not have the same success. I canāt remember now if he gave it a very long try or if the doc just put him on this strong first gen. Iām also worried that heās on both a first and second gen. I am happy that you have found the right med. It is so important that people hear that message - that they can find peace with the right meds and supports.
Iām guessing the strong gen 1 drug is Haldol, itās popular nowadays. Itās one of the most potent And effective APs, which means they can use low dosages.
Another reason for the stoicism around the doctor may be an attempt to avoid being prescribed too high a dosage. Caregivers (my mother included) can be naive and think that both the patient and doctor discuss things openly and honestly in sessions, but itās often times more like a game of poker.
Patients modify their dosages down or stop taking them and save them for a rainy day or stop refilling their prescription or stop seeing their psychiatrist altogether. I laughed in my motherās face at her naive incredulity when it turned out another family member had stopped seeing the psychiatrist altogether and relapsed. Because sheād thought she would never go against doctorās instructions, she assumed he never would. Yet sheās given up on certain doctors and treatments plans in the past. She just communicated about it.
One other point about new medications I didnāt mention is theyāre more expensive until the patent expires and generics are available. Thereās a definite bias toward medications with generic formulas by doctors and insurance companies nowadays, and the justification needs to strong to deviate from that norm.
Just an update - he felt too uncomfortable to wait to see his doctor. All appointments are via phone now and they could not even get a phone appointment sooner. He has done IOP at our local hospital, so I called them to see how they were proceeding given our restrictions due to the pandemic. They were able to make contact with him right away via phone. They upped his antidepressant (doubled it) and he is finally giving the Sarcosine a consistent try. All of this has provided some relief from the discomfort he was having with thoughts and emotions. He is struggling with substance abuse and has stated that he just isnāt strong enough right now to make any changes there so we take it one day at a time. The phone appointments are actually easier for him. They are less stressful and our local IOP team knows him, he knows them, he doesnāt have to be onsite at 8am - those early hours are so hard for him. So actually this is working out OK. One day at a time.
Hello! Please tell me what you and your son think about Caplyta? Did he go on the medication?
@Lioness Hello! Please tell me what you and your son think about Caplyta? Did he go on the medication? I work at a psych office and samples of Caplyta were just brought in. I told the MD/NP to give me all feedback on this mew ned.
He did not. The doctor doubled his Prozac and that āworkedā. I put that in quotes because yes, it did alleviate the severe depression, but it seems like we are always chasing our tails or increasing one med to offset another med. Yes, it is measured as a success, but itās a lot of medication for a young person to be on with no end in sight. This is not news to anyone on this site, but it is concerning. I donāt think they want to mess around with the fact that he has close to 100% relief from positive symptoms.
Oh, got you! The med game, ugh! Best wishes to you and your son! Xo
Yes. If you hear anything, please keep us all posted. I think some of the depression is negative symptoms and blunting from the antipsychotics he is on. Finding something that could fine tune without side effects would be a dream.
I am new to this site. My daughter was diagnosed one year ago with schizophrenia. She was ready to start graduate school when the positive symptoms happened. She was living on her own so we are not sure when it really started. Iām guessing two years ago. During this last year she has been in and out of psychiatric facilities many times. She has been on risperidone, olanzapine, invega Sustenna injections geodon, and as of five days ago caplyta. So far nothing has worked. Each time she starts a new med we have hope but she has had no relief from the voices at all. Doctor did a dna test and says if caplyta doesnāt work out, she can start colozapine. Some days Iām hopeful and some days Iām filled with overwhelming sadness at the loss of my childās future. I donāt understand this insidious disease and am trying to accept that I never will. As a parent, you try to fix things for your children. But with schizophrenia it is one day and sometimes one hour at a time.
He!lo Patti, welcome to the SZ family site. Your daughterās situation sounds similar to my sonās. He has a Bachelorās degree and had his first episode, that we are aware of, two years ago. Six years ago he was living on his own in another state and working. Unfortunately he blew up at his manager and lost his job. He moved in with my husband and I several months later. He quickly found work here and stayed employed for 3 years until he quit. Not long after he really started too change and had the episode and was hospitalized. They put him on Haldal which basically shut him down. Then Abilify that caused horrible TD. He was given Zyprexa last year which calms him but causes him to sleep and eat alot. It seems to help a bit but the delusions are still there. Like you, I really grieved the loss of the son I once had. He is still very nice and loving, when not Manic. And got wonder gifts for the family at Christmas. He is also very helpful around the house and takes awesome care of our dogs. Iāve accepted the loss of the person who was and look toward a good but different future for my son. He has not tried Caplyta, but from what I have heard and read Cloazapine is the best for hard to treat SZ. I wish we could get our son to try it. Best of luck.
Hi Patti!
Welcome to a group that understands everything youāre going through and your frustrations with the medication roulette wheel. Iām curious to know why the doctor did a dna test. Was it able to give you any insight? Iāve been thinking of having a PTScan done on my son since I think - after 30 years - that his SZ was triggered by a head injury. Not sure if that would help but one never knows. He is currently on Zoloft, Geodon, Artane (which is lieu of another med due to prior head injuries) and Depakote. Heās been on numerous promising meds but they all react differently with individuals, so its kind of āif at first you donāt succeed, try, try, try, try, try, (repeat to ad nauseam) try, try ā¦ againā Take care of yourself and be blessed!