Asenapine and Hallucinations: What Users Say

• dai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 18, 2016

Saphris (asenapine) for Schizophrenia "I took Saphris for about 3 months for very, very mild schizoaffective disorder. I have body paranoia, delusions, constant fear, anxiety, severe depression, anorexia (unrelated), etc. This medication took all of that away. I was happy, smiling more, being more social, I was eating more again and even got back to a healthy weight (intentional gains). However, after being on it for 3 months, I found myself unable to do everyday tasks. My mental ability to do anything was gone, totally. My mental functioning got so bad I had to have an accommodation through HR at work so I didn't lose my job while I got off the meds. Overall, super helpful. But that whole brain not working was a dealbreaker. I was so sad to get off Saphris. Back to square one."

• Fac...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 17, 2012

Saphris (asenapine) for Schizoaffective Disorder "This medicine is a miracle for me. I used to be on Zyprexa, I am also on Abilify, Trileptal, and Klonopin. On Saphris, I was able to diet and exercise and lost about 28 pounds. Occasionally, I have difficulty sleeping, but this medicine is the best I have come across. A long time ago, I used to be on Lithium. I have also responded well to Navane. I almost was in the hospital until I tried Klonopin. Anyone trying this medicine, in my opinion, should be careful because it is so new. I have read the product insert, and reactions with other medicines are not well studied. Currently, I am dieting and exercising, socializing, and just about normal. I do have periods where my mood swings are present along with a little paranoia."

• sou...
• November 26, 2015

Saphris (asenapine) for Bipolar Disorder "I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder a month ago, previously bipolar 1 with mixed episodes. Saphris changed my life for the better in so many ways. It helped cut down the agitation and anger associated with the mixed episodes almost right away. The paranoia still bites me every once in a while, but it has been majorly decreased, as well as the hallucinations and delusions that were plaguing me continuously. I sleep so well and don't have the medication hangover that risperidone was giving me at the dose I required. I started at 5 mg and am now at 20 mg at bedtime, and it's working great. Hope the best to all who are trying to get the right med combo!"

• sou...
• November 26, 2015

Saphris (asenapine) for Bipolar Disorder "I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder a month ago, previously bipolar 1 with mixed episodes. Saphris changed my life for the better in so many ways. It helped cut down the agitation and anger associated with the mixed episodes almost right away. The paranoia still bites me every once in a while, but it has been majorly decreased, as well as the hallucinations and delusions that were plaguing me continuously. I sleep so well and don't have the medication hangover that risperidone was giving me at the dose I required. I started at 5 mg and am now at 20 mg at bedtime, and it's working great. Hope the best to all who are trying to get the right med combo!"

• sou...
• November 26, 2015

Saphris (asenapine) for Bipolar Disorder "I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder a month ago, previously bipolar 1 with mixed episodes. Saphris changed my life for the better in so many ways. It helped cut down the agitation and anger associated with the mixed episodes almost right away. The paranoia still bites me every once in a while, but it has been majorly decreased, as well as the hallucinations and delusions that were plaguing me continuously. I sleep so well and don't have the medication hangover that risperidone was giving me at the dose I required. I started at 5 mg and am now at 20 mg at bedtime, and it's working great. Hope the best to all who are trying to get the right med combo!"

• Sam...
• November 24, 2012

Saphris (asenapine) for Bipolar Disorder "I was very hopeful when starting Saphris, but it didn't take long for my family and me to see this was NOT the medication for me. I asked doctors to take me off this, but I kept being told to give it more time. I would sleep over 12 hours a day, and if I could SOMEHOW manage to stay up with the use of coffee and energy drinks, I was a shell. I would sit there, confused, unable to really talk or take care of myself. I took it twice a day, once in the morning and once before bed, and rather than give me my life, it was robbing me of what little I had. It also didn't help with my delusions or paranoid thinking. I even still saw shadows and things of that nature from time to time."

• Ben...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 9, 2014

Saphris (asenapine) for Schizoaffective Disorder "This has been a very good medication for me. I still have some symptoms like voices and seeing things that are not there, but I am able to realize that they are not real, and I can better take control of the situation."

• nee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 31, 2019

Saphris (asenapine) for Bipolar Disorder "First night I took it, sent me into a psychedelic dream. It was like a full psychedelic trip. I went into the 4th dimension and was communicating with my past/present/future self all at once. I was everything and everyone. I was matter, energy. I was the universe. Before this drug, I never dreamt. I slept like a baby, but Saphris completely changed that. I was in full-blown insanity and on and off psychosis for days after the trip. In my mind, we are all one. So death is nothing. I am everything anyway, this shell of a body I use is not me. Waking up felt like I had just come out of a coma, I had no idea who I was, where I was, and how long had passed. One second in our time felt like millions of millions of years in my dreams. I took it for another 3 days, then stopped. To this day, the nightmares have never left. Some nights are worse than others. From just this one 'dream,' whatever was in that drug changed something in my brain forever."

• Joa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 15, 2017

Saphris (asenapine) for Bipolar Disorder "My husband takes Saphris 5 mg twice a day for bipolar depression. He was having delusions and psychosis, as well as paranoia. Since starting the Saphris, these have stopped, but there are times when he is very stoned acting, like a zombie. He isn't responsive or talkative a lot of the time. His sex drive has also become nonexistent almost, and he suffers from ED when we do have sex. It's so difficult when you have a disease like BD, and then you have to take these meds, which help some of the symptoms but bring on others that are unwanted. It's like, what do you do? My husband says being stoned is better than what he was experiencing before, though. Saphris is also pretty expensive, but they do have a card that you can use for discounts."

• Joa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 15, 2017

Saphris (asenapine) for Bipolar Disorder "My husband takes Saphris 5 mg twice a day for bipolar depression. He was having delusions and psychosis, as well as paranoia. Since starting the Saphris, these have stopped, but there are times when he is very stoned acting, like a zombie. He isn't responsive or talkative a lot of the time. His sex drive has also become nonexistent almost, and he suffers from ED when we do have sex. It's so difficult when you have a disease like BD, and then you have to take these meds, which help some of the symptoms but bring on others that are unwanted. It's like, what do you do? My husband says being stoned is better than what he was experiencing before, though. Saphris is also pretty expensive, but they do have a card that you can use for discounts."

• Joa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 15, 2017

Saphris (asenapine) for Bipolar Disorder "My husband takes Saphris 5 mg twice a day for bipolar depression. He was having delusions and psychosis, as well as paranoia. Since starting the Saphris, these have stopped, but there are times when he is very stoned acting, like a zombie. He isn't responsive or talkative a lot of the time. His sex drive has also become nonexistent almost, and he suffers from ED when we do have sex. It's so difficult when you have a disease like BD, and then you have to take these meds, which help some of the symptoms but bring on others that are unwanted. It's like, what do you do? My husband says being stoned is better than what he was experiencing before, though. Saphris is also pretty expensive, but they do have a card that you can use for discounts."

• Squ...
• December 8, 2011

Saphris (asenapine) for Bipolar Disorder "I've been on Saphris for 5 days, and already my boyfriend has noticed a big change in my mood and outlook on life. I went from seeing things out of the corners of my eyes and hearing voices whispering in my ear on top of a deep depression to such clarity. I feel happy (not manic), just legitimately good for the first time in over a year. Currently, I am taking 150mg Wellbutrin XL, 5mg Saphris, and 0.5mg Klonopin. I haven't needed Klonopin in 4 days, and I was taking it 0.5mg daily, usually in the afternoon around 1pm. This is a good medicine if you have tried a lot of other things that haven't worked."

• Sky...
• September 3, 2017

Saphris (asenapine) for Bipolar Disorder "I have bipolar 1 with psychotic features. I got off of Risperdal, which I was only on for a couple of weeks, and immediately started Saphris. I'm an artist, and when I'm manic, I create a lot. Within an hour of my first night of taking Saphris, I began to see colors very brightly, euphoria, 'Hey Dad, I feel REALLY good.' Then, I drew up 12 doodles in under 30 minutes. That night, I could not sleep well and began to hear laughing in my room. I was very manic. When I woke up the next day, I worked out at the gym for 3 hours and then went to the park to walk a lap. When I looked in the sky, I was seeing UFOs and wondering if they were communicating with me (hallucinations). That night, I was having more auditory hallucinations before bed."

• Bra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 10, 2014

Saphris (asenapine) for Bipolar Disorder "I was prescribed Saphris for bipolar disorder. The morning after my first bedtime dose, I had a number of side effects. I experienced confusion, dizziness, hallucinations, and acute short-term memory loss. As a result of the confusion and acute short-term memory loss, I unintentionally overdosed on my morning medications, resulting in extreme doses of medications. The most concerning was a 900 mg dose of Wellbutrin (bupropion), which in doses of 300 mg or more can cause seizures."

• 7an...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 10, 2020

Saphris (asenapine) for Schizophrenia "Saphris will knock you out at first, but after a few days it stops. The taste is not that bad, especially when you get used to it. Saphris makes my hallucinations less substantial than when I'm off meds, it is also wonderful for anxiety. I haven't had any panic attacks since starting. My thoughts are also clear and less disorganized, as we schizophrenics tend to jump from subject to subject with no connection between them. It seems to vanish any excitement or good moods. My mood is low, and in fact, I was suicidal enough that I started to self-injure and isolate. It's probably best to take this medication with an antidepressant if you are prone to suicidal thoughts, which is what I did. Also, the amount of time it takes just to administer Saphris, sitting with a tablet in my mouth for 10 minutes, is just inconvenient for me as I cannot do anything but sit there. Anyway, it's a relatively mild antipsychotic. I do recommend it if you've failed a few."

• Wak...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 2, 2021

Saphris (asenapine) for Bipolar Disorder "My daughter has Down syndrome and ASD starting age 9. She regressed drastically till 16. Developed severe behaviors 2 years ago, combative, ODD, hallucinations, moods changed rapidly. Her psychiatrist put her on numerous meds, things got better but back to severe behaviors. Saphris 2.5 mg in the am. Hallucinations stopped and anger/aggression, plus she actually slept at night (before, she'd be up 2-3 nights straight). She's now on 2.5 mg am, 5 mg bedtime. Bedtime is great, 30 minutes after the dose, she's asleep all night. She still has obsessive food issues. My big issue now is after taking her day dose, she gets highly agitated and often anger starts. I also noticed tardive dyskinesia, where her mouth keeps opening and closing rapidly, only at night. I'm not sure if she needs to up her dose in the am or add a drug. We are discussing this at the doctor appointment. Overall, she's happier, never wakes groggy, sleeps at night."

• Anonymous
• June 11, 2017

Saphris (asenapine) for Schizophrenia "The wife tried this medication several years ago. She liked how it affected her negative symptoms, but her hallucinations and paranoia came back really strong after a few weeks. The doctor probably should have eased her transition from olanzapine to Saphris, but the way he did it didn't work. I still will be open to this medication in the future with so many positive experiences."

• Anonymous
• June 11, 2017

Saphris (asenapine) for Schizophrenia "The wife tried this medication several years ago. She liked how it affected her negative symptoms, but her hallucinations and paranoia came back really strong after a few weeks. The doctor probably should have eased her transition from olanzapine to Saphris, but the way he did it didn't work. I still will be open to this medication in the future with so many positive experiences."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 14, 2022

For Schizophrenia "I'm on month two of taking Saphris generic, moved from 5 mg once a day to 5 mg twice a day. For the first few weeks, everything around me felt numb and unfeeling, but this went away, and now I've noticed some improvement, especially with thoughts that bothered me at night. I feel like I have more personality. I'm on 4 mg Risperidone, 600 mg Seroquel, and 1 mg Rexulti, as well as the asenapine. I still have episodes where I hear the voices and where my brain turns to mush. I'm hoping this eventually improves. The taste isn't bad, just a little bitter. Running out of options as I'm already on high doses of antipsychotics."

• sti...
• November 28, 2013

Saphris (asenapine) for Schizoaffective Disorder "I took Saphris for the first time recently. First, I was sad, then couldn't sleep, then paranoid and went into psychosis. Was told it wasn't very sedating. Much prefer Seroquel!"

• sti...
• November 28, 2013

Saphris (asenapine) for Schizoaffective Disorder "I took Saphris for the first time recently. First, I was sad, then couldn't sleep, then paranoid and went into psychosis. Was told it wasn't very sedating. Much prefer Seroquel!"

• Anonymous
• January 28, 2010

For Bipolar Disorder "I'm changing my review. After more time on Saphris, I started to get disoriented during the day and really paranoid."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 5, 2022

Saphris (asenapine) for Schizophrenia "Helps with anxiety. I can think more clearly and have fewer hallucinations. It really has a calming effect."

• nlo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 7, 2012

For Bipolar Disorder "3 days on it, so far, so good, my sleep is great, no racing thoughts or paranoia. The only con is the taste, but the benefits outweigh it. Will try to post an update in about a month."