So far my brother has tried 200mg seroquel which only lower his voices, and kept his delusions. We can’t increase dosage because that makes him sedated, and depressed. He will stop taking shower or eating food.
We also tried Vraylar but this makes him nauseated, anxious and dizzy.
His Pdoc is open to our suggestions. I know that each antipsychotic has worked differently for each person, but just as general, which AP you liked the best and why?
I want to see which one he should try next.
Dear @Sisterlove my daughter has been trying different AP meds for over 21/2 years now, has had many side effects with still no improvements.
Last week the Dr decided to give her a DNA test just to determine why she is so drug resistant, the DNA testing (simple mouth swab) indicates what AP drugs the body will ideally absorb, it takes around 2 weeks for the results.
Hopefully this may help your son get onto the right medication.
Warm Regards,
Maggie
My daughter takes 600mg daily…
My son did okay on Geodon for a few years. Now he is doing well with Latuda.
Clozapine and Depakote for the past 10 years, …full remission of all the worst symptoms, less serious negative symptoms (ie: lethargy and lack of motivation, tendency to isolate) linger still
My daughter has been on Haldol dec shot monthly for 10 months. It is the best drug she’s been on for relieving symptoms.
Zyprexa, Depakote, Latuda, didn’t work to relieve symptoms as well, but she never stayed on them long enough for it to be a fair test.
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Hi Catherine, Thanks for sharing your information and experiences on this site. My son is turning 36 in a few weeks, I always believe that depakote has been very effective for my son’s symptoms. Everytime doctors add depakote to the combo, I can see immediate results. Since dec 2018, his dr has been switching him to clozapine after my insistence. But then after some time she lowered his depakote from 1000 to 500mg/day. His current dosage is 350mg clozapine, 500mg depakote and a small amount of welbutrin. I have read somewhere that 500mg of depakote is not even therapeutic. It has to be 1000mg for the drug to be therapeutic. I am confused should I discuss with his doctor for an increase to 1000mg of depakote or let the dr go her way to eliminate it all together. Please share your thoughts and experience about it. Yesterday dr increased his clozapine from 350 to 375/day.
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Yes definitely speak your mind and ask questions as they arise ALWAYS …that’s my motto.
My son is on 1000 depakote 2X a day but while it has a very good ability to level his mood out and keep it even, it is primarily to keep him from having seizures and works very well in that regard also. My son only had 2 grand mal seizures 2 months apart several years ago but they were atypical in that he kind of went into a short coma each time first time was 18 hours non responsive and second time was 9 hours non responsive so the doctors thinks its a dangerous type of unexplained seizure, they have no clue why he had them.
Anyway with the meds there has been no more seizures for 5 years now and he is on 125 mg of clozapine 2X a day down from 150 mg 2X a day 5 years ago, (the doctor felt like he could make a minor trade off adding the depakote and very slightly reducing the clozapine, and my son did really well with it. He’s been on clozapine since 2010 I believe or thereabouts. All of his blood tests come back well within range and surprisingly I see little tiny improvements continue year after year, nothing earth shattering but positive nuances that just makes things better. I mean some things will always be the same or are likely to always be the same, (I try never to say never) he doesn’t seeks socializing willingly, doesn’t want “buddies or girlfriends” …he is rigid in his routines, but if you ask him if he is happy he will emphatically insist he really is so I choose to believe him and not impose my ideals of “a happy life” on him. I’m kind of an introvert myself so I can understand the anti social aspect of his illness really well.
He and I get along great as roommates and he is very stable in his thinking and behaviors so to me life is very good. It was an extremely hard fought war but I feel like we won. I wish that for everyone, I hope you can get your son’s meds regulated satisfactorily for his sake. I have found sometimes you get a doctor that is difficult to work with I hope that is not the case for you. Don’t be afraid to aggressively argue for your son’s wellness, as I am sure you are already doing every day. My best to you, write anytime.
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