Rexulti and Restlessness: What Users Say

• San...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 26, 2018

For Depression "Diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression in the early 90s. Nothing would get me out of bed. It was so bad that I self-medicated with meth for 23 years just so I could function. I quit meth in 2014, which put me back in bed despite Zoloft & Wellbutrin, which were chosen because most everything else I had tried had failed. About 4 weeks ago, I started Rexulti 1mg as an adjunct. This past week, there is no denying I have more energy. I've gone so long with none, yet this week I am tending to things & have a great outlook. I'm amazed to be feeling this well. I have trouble falling asleep & have a slight uneasy/restless feeling, but after so many years feeling like the living dead, I actually welcome a bit of restlessness. MHMR public health service applied to the manufacturer for me, and they approved it for free. Rexulti is truly a miracle from God. I wish every person out there the strength, blessings, and power of God to fight and win your battle."

• npe...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 26, 2022

For Depression "I have bipolar and treatment-resistant depression. I had been on 8 different antidepressants, and my psych added Abilify, which worked for the most part… but I developed akathisia, so I stopped. I was just on my Buspirone and Lamictal for about 5 months, and I would dread getting up in the mornings. I’d just sit around and do nothing but stare at my phone. I was hardly taking care of my hygiene and hadn’t left the house in nearly three months. I finally told my psych what was going on, and she added Rexulti, and within two weeks, my life changed. I wake up before my alarm, get up with no issues… I have nearly flipped our entire house (just finished our downstairs). My house is finally clean and livable… I get out regularly, and my marriage and relationship with my kids is a million times better. This is, in my own opinion, a miracle drug. It literally gave me my life back. I forgot who I really was until Rexulti."

• Liz...
• June 29, 2017

For Depression "I have chronic depression (dysthymia) and anxiety, and the depression worsened recently despite being on Zoloft and Wellbutrin. My psychiatrist suggested we try Rexulti and wean me off the Wellbutrin. I started on 1 mg, and I had a slight headache for the first two days. After that, I felt like I was doing a little better, and my husband commented that I was more active than usual. My dose went up to 2 mg a couple of days ago. Now I feel like I can really tell a difference! I haven't felt depressed, I have more focus and creativity at work, and I've actually had enough motivation to do chores at home. I'm a little restless, which I'll keep an eye on, but I haven't noticed any other side effects besides that and the temporary headache. I'm optimistic!"

• Ear...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 28, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have bipolar disorder, MDD, and GAD. I tried Abilify as an add-on, and it made me so tired all the time, and I gained weight. We switched to Rexulti, and I immediately felt fabulous. I was stable and optimistic! Soon after, I noticed I was eating nonstop. It was like an addiction. I struggle with weight as it is. I take Vyvanse for ADHD, and it helps curb my appetite a little, but the Rexulti still makes me want to eat all the time. Also, I've noticed it makes me really restless and irritable. I think it actually induces hypomania in me. I end up having major outbursts of anger and rage. It's even taken a toll on my marriage. I had to stop. I feel a little depressed, but it's better than being out of control."

• Lau...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 16, 2020

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have Bipolar II with major depressive and borderline disorder, and I started on .5 mg per day for two weeks. I couldn't handle it, it brought on a lot of side effects. Once my doctor reduced it to .25 mg/day, I am feeling very good. The side effects are almost gone. It has helped immensely improve my day-to-day life with depression, which was causing anxiety and other triggers for my mood disorders. I was on Lamictal and Trileptal before this. I switched entirely to Rexulti 6 weeks ago. A great part of this is that it's quick to help with depression. A bad part: tolerance is a bit tricky. Restlessness, digestive issues, and insomnia were horrible when I was on the wrong dose. Also, hunger is huge. I see why people have gained weight. I don't think it's like SSRIs, where it screws with your metabolism. It just makes you hungry. Try to get a schedule down for eating and only eat at those times normal amounts of food. This helped me avoid weight gain. Highly recommend."

• Ano...
• June 4, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "My doctor gave me a starter pack of Rexulti in lieu of my antidepressant (Viibryd). I am diagnosed with depression, bipolar, and anxiety. I was only on this for two days. The first day I was out of it, not clear-headed, out of body experience, I was speaking slow, slurring, forgetful, anxious. That night I was up all night, couldn’t sleep. Racing thoughts. Restless. The next day my mind felt foggy. That night I was out of body experience that I felt I was in a black hole. I had a panic attack, paranoia, hallucinations, racing heart. Never going on this again."

• Bea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 23, 2016

For Depression "I'm currently on Day 8 of the Rexulti trial pack (stepping up dosage), and so far, so good...except that I feel that it's deadened my sex drive. However, that can be remedied, I think. The benefit is that my 'painful emotions' accompanying serious depression have all but vanished. And so far, I have not experienced any akathisia, which is my most feared side effect from any of the atypical antipsychotics (such as Seroquel). We'll see how it continues. Yes, it is quite expensive, but I think Medi-Cal will cover."

• Mma...
• June 26, 2017

For Schizophrenia "Rexulti has helped my bipolar mania in so many ways. From previous experience with antipsychotics, I was expecting side effects like increased appetite, excessive sleepiness, etc. I did get akathisia when I first began, but I did begin at 3 mg (a high dose). I reduced back down to 0.5 and gradually increased to 1 mg. So far (1.5 months), I have seen extreme improvement in my mood and sleep schedule. I feel more motivated and am getting more of my responsibilities done. My social anxiety is pretty much gone, as is my GAD. The only issue I have is periodically having trouble falling asleep, but this is not significant. Overall, I think Rexulti has really helped me in many ways, and I attribute the positive results in my recent life to Rexulti."

• Sur...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 20, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "It started out pretty well. I was feeling great. I had an appetite. Within a few days, I felt my manic depression even out. Then, a few days later, I started not being able to sit still or concentrate. Three weeks later, I landed myself in a triage appointment at my doctor's because I was having so much anxiety I was sick and couldn’t see straight. The doc said I had an adverse reaction - akathisia, where you can’t sit still and you’re shaking constantly. This was abnormal because I already do that, but it was way worse. Now I’m on all sorts of meds to get me to calm back down until I can get into therapy. I would not recommend this to a person with anxiety."

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

For Major Depressive Disorder "I suffer from MDD, anxiety, and PTSD. I added Rexulti to my Lamictal 100 mg. I started at 0.5 mg and progressed to 2 mg. I had tried 15 different medications in the previous year, all with no effect, or I had adverse reactions. I noticed an immediate difference in my mood on Rexulti. It helped me go from completely non-functional to the ability to get out of bed, shower, do laundry, etc. Now the bad news. I was extremely restless and had trouble sitting still, I had vivid dreams and nightmares, I gained 15 lbs in two months, and the worst part is it gave me high blood sugar. I was not willing to add diabetes to my list of diagnoses, so I immediately discontinued this medication. I was disappointed this was the first medication that seemed to help."

• Bob...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 26, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "Self-hatred, lack of family interaction improved positively. Experiencing some side effects of restless, but I am aware of the period of time for the body to adapt. My family doctor is closely monitoring me."

• eye...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 18, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "Started this medication about 4-5 weeks ago. I'm on 1 mg. It's an add-on to my Viibryd 60 mg and Bupropion SR 200 mg. This pill has really worked great for me. It's given me energy and the motivation I need to get stuff done. My family has noticed the difference. On the downside, I am restless, and it's given me a bit of insomnia. My doc told me we can solve that by taking the dose as soon as I wake up. I start that tomorrow am. It's also made me want to night binge-eat snacks more than ever. But I've learned my lesson with past medications and make sure never to have snacks available at home. So far so good. I'm making progress with my medication, psychiatrist, and psychologist. I have hope."

• For...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 4, 2020

For Depression "Was on 0.5 mg Rexulti for 3 months as an add-on to Mirtazapine for depression. It massively increased my anxiety and caused tremendous restlessness - I couldn’t sit still or concentrate. Have tapered off over a 30-day period and am finally feeling calmer. This medication was just released in the past few years, I feel like it hadn’t been evaluated sufficiently prior."

• REX...
• August 19, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "Yeah, I have bad MDD with anxiety and PTSD. At first, I was on 10 mg Lexapro with 0.5 mg Clonopin. I told my doc that I wasn't feeling any better. Now I'm on 20 mg Lexapro, 1 mg Rexulti, and 0.5 mg Clonopin. I'm noticing good changes. To balance the weight and restlessness, I decided to get up early and do a quick workout, and I substituted any junk food for apples, oranges, bananas, and raw carrots for protein - roasted chicken, cottage cheese, bagels... you can add what you like. I do have some vivid dreams, restlessness, headaches, blurry vision, and numbness/tingling in my right arm. The doc says it should go away."

• Jam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 7, 2017

For Schizophrenia "I am on a dose of 4 mg. I feel very pleased about this medication. It is very quiet, no voices. I have been on the medication for 2 months. I was gradually introduced to a higher and higher dose. At 4 mg., I am finally not afraid of the thoughts I have that are delusions. I do have an increase in appetite and a bit of restlessness. But the benefits of this medicine far outweigh any adverse effects. I am not anxious as badly as I was either. And I can get up and take care of housework better. I am liking this med very much."

• tkm...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 13, 2018

For Depression "Took Latuda, did nothing for me, so the psych started me on Rexulti in mid-September. Took me off for a week in November because side effects were severe: shaking leg, irritable, restlessness. Been back on it almost 6 weeks, going from 0.5 mg to 2 mg, now feel a little okay but still have a lack of interest in things I enjoyed. I still have sadness, I'm functional but not really present. Read that some of these meds can take up to 6-8 weeks before I feel full effect. I'm on Pristiq 100 mg and 2 Clonazepam a day. Hopefully, will feel full effects shortly."

• Mic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 5, 2021

For Depression "Reading the reviews on this site was part of my decision-making process in starting Rexulti for a stubborn depressive episode (I have bipolar), so I wanted to come back and leave a review myself. It's been 30 days of .5. My depressive symptoms went away after five days on Rexulti. I was afraid of akathisia because I had it really bad on Latuda, but that dreaded side effect has been minimal to none, thankfully! The first two weeks on Rexulti at .5, I did experience agitation for a few hours after taking my pill each day. However, that has mostly subsided. I am very pleased with this dose. I'm not going to increase it because I think (know) I would get akathisia and mania. Now I'm on gabapentin, Rexulti, clonazepam as needed, and ketamine infusions every few months. Keep the faith, folks. We can do this!"

• Bri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 3, 2025

"Rexulti has been great. No akathisia or sedation. I have found it very tolerable. I'm on 3 mg. This is such a relief after Vraylar and Latuda both gave me awful akathisia. 10 / 10 for Rexulti because it is the first antipsychotic I have found tolerable and am willing to take. And that is a win."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 24, 2023

For Schizophrenia "Very good med. It works really well. Basically, it's a better version of Abilify that doesn't cause restlessness. The biggest downside of Rexulti is that it's expensive. I hope a generic version will be available soon!"

• Man...
• October 2, 2017

For Depression "Bad. Feel restless and have anxiety attacks, also gaining weight. Have no energy and have to drink 3-4 cups of coffee every day just to stay awake and not crash my car driving to work. For me, not a good med. Tried Abilify, Seroquel, and Depakote in the past for anger and irritability, and those are as bad, if not worse, than the Rexulti. Been on 20 mg Lexapro for anxiety, depression, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for about 10 years, but it's not working very well anymore. Doctor suggested Latuda, going to try that next."

• Fre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 20, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "MDD/ADD/ANXIETY. I take Cymbalta/Concerta and we just added Rexulti/Xanax for anxiety. While taking the starter pack, it seemed to help a lot. I was restless with sleeping. After getting to 1 mg, my world changed. For the worse... My anxiety quadrupled. OCD was rampant! (Although my house was cleaner, I was beyond stressed out.) I had excessive guilt over ridiculous things. I cried many times because I couldn't de-stress without self-medicating with alcohol. My impulsivity was out of control! I called my doctor, and he said to stop taking it. I'm day two off of it, and I am officially exhausted. I can barely keep my eyes open, and all I want to do is sleep."

• cni...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 1, 2024

"Does help with anxiety of hyperventilating type breathing, restlessness, head scratching, and sore shoulders. None of these are 100% gone, but a good 90% gone after 5 weeks of starting the medication. Also seems to help with depression. I am only taking .05 mg as I tend to get side effects from any medication. I do notice a small amount of restlessness, but started B6 and that is totally gone."

• Rom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 18, 2023

For Schizophrenia "I switched from Seroquel to Rexulti because my doctor told me it would make me lose weight. In fact, that was the only positive thing I can say about Rexulti. Unfortunately, Rexulti made me very restless, and I had trouble sleeping. In addition, even in the highest dose, it hardly worked against my depression and negative schizophrenic symptoms. I had to be hospitalized for acute suicidality. Overall, I can only recommend this drug to those who do not require sedation. For people like me, Seroquel is far better."

• Sma...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 29, 2024

For Major Depressive Disorder "I’m taking 1 mg Rexulti along with Prozac for MDD, severe anxiety, and psychosis. Started hearing voices, sometimes in other languages, so my psych recommended this med. Previously was on Vraylar, which gave me really bad akathisia, so I had to wean off. Rexulti has gotten rid of the psychosis in around 3 weeks with few side effects. I do get hungry more often, but I am controlling weight by eating healthy and exercising daily. It’s very expensive, even with insurance, but I found a coupon on the Rexulti website which got me the med for free."

• jam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 21, 2018

"I take Rexulti as an adjunct for my OCD (I am already on Luvox, an SSRI specifically for OCD). Rexulti has worked effectively even in the first week. The only problem is that it causes akathisia (including restless legs syndrome) - it's a movement disorder, which causes constant restlessness and urges to move around. It's easily manageable with medications like Cogentin, but akathisia sucks. I am also super, super thankful for that Rexulti hasn't caused any weight gain for me. In addition, this drug is unaffordably expensive!"