Rexulti and Tiredness: What Users Say

• Not...
• January 10, 2020

For Depression "I was on this for a depressive episode / delusions. The side effects doctors won’t tell you about that happened to me: high blood sugar, high blood pressure, fast weight gain, lethargy, heart palpitations, constant panic attacks, insomnia, migraines, stomach and digestive issues, and much, much more that ruined my entire summer. BTW: it only “works” for two weeks to a month, then it stops completely, as shown by literally half of the reviews on this. Disgusting. Put in more research before shoving experimental antipsychotics into people's mouths whenever they even feel a tad bit sad."

• Nao...
• April 7, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "At the beginning, Rexulti really, REALLY lifted my MDD (along with 60 mg Prozac a day). Lots more energy, smiling and laughing a lot more, back to enjoying life again, wanting to go back to my knitting and gardening and much more!! And my NP gets so many samples from the drug reps that she said she could keep me in Rexulti for free long-term! However, it 'pooped out' after just 3 weeks...so the NP upped my dose to 2 mg. But that made me really weak, tired and lethargic. So she told me to go back down to 1 mg. Neither of those doses did/is doing ANYTHING for my Depression. Please pray with me that I'll find a med that works---the next med change will be my 6th attempt after long-term use of generic Prozac by itself. Been on it 6 wks."

• Nao...
• April 7, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "At the beginning, Rexulti really, REALLY lifted my MDD (along with 60 mg Prozac a day). Lots more energy, smiling and laughing a lot more, back to enjoying life again, wanting to go back to my knitting and gardening and much more!! And my NP gets so many samples from the drug reps that she said she could keep me in Rexulti for free long-term! However, it 'pooped out' after just 3 weeks...so the NP upped my dose to 2 mg. But that made me really weak, tired and lethargic. So she told me to go back down to 1 mg. Neither of those doses did/is doing ANYTHING for my Depression. Please pray with me that I'll find a med that works---the next med change will be my 6th attempt after long-term use of generic Prozac by itself. Been on it 6 wks."

• Lau...
• September 30, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "I was put on 2 mg Rexulti once a day after my 10 mg dose of Abilify stopped working. I noticed positive changes on the Rexulti within a week. It does make me tired, so I take it at bedtime along with 60 mg of Cymbalta. I am definitely feeling less angry, less moody, and haven't had any crying spells since starting it 3 months ago. I definitely think it is more effective than Abilify was for me. It has not affected my weight or libido at all. I would say it's working as intended, and 2 mg seems to be a good therapeutic dose."

• Kia...
• November 15, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "I was put on half a mg for a week, then titrated to 1 mg. Everything was cool until about the 3rd or 4th week I started feeling overwhelmed and ridiculously tired to where I couldn't keep my eyes open. Then it progressed to full-blown anxiety in my POV. I never thought it could be Rexulti until I finally saw my doc, who took me off straight away after seeing how anxious I was. I can hardly deal with my son or life. He sadly has to calm himself as noise and lots of energy around me exacerbate my anxiety. I've been completely off for a day, but I'm wondering how long it will be before I'm not anxious. I hope not the 2-4 weeks my doc said. I can't keep living with all this anxiety and tiredness and wanting to cry all the time."

• 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."

• Ink...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 3, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "I believe this drug has been the best to treat my depression, bipolar, and PTSD. I went from having suicidal ideations on a daily basis, and now I only have intrusive thoughts on occasion. I would recommend trying this drug if you get a chance. I tried Seroquel, Abilify, and all they did was make me tired and gain weight. Rexulti has been a great addition to my Lamictal to help balance my bipolar depression. I give Rexulti a 9/10."

• Mo7...
• September 22, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "I was one of the first to try this new medication at my psychiatrist's office. I found it to have controlled my emotions. I wasn't crying for any little thing anymore. I noticed my appetite increased, I felt more lethargic, and I had sleep disturbances. I chose to discontinue use. It's been 4 days since I abruptly had to stop due to other reasons. I'm still experiencing insomnia."

• Har...
• April 27, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have been on Rexulti for a little over 2 months. I started on 0.5 mg the first week and moved up to 1.0 mg the second week. I am taking it as an add-on to my Lexapro 40 mg for MDD. My depression was almost immediately better, but by the second week, my anxiety was HORRIBLE!! I began getting sores in my mouth from the constant movement of my tongue. It's uncontrollable, as is the eye blinking. I stay tired from my body being tense 24/7. My Dr. took my dosage down to 0.5 mg and increased my Ativan, but I'm still not doing any better. I'm fixing to stop it completely. I pray that the issues with my tongue and eyes will go away once I stop taking it."

• and...
• March 2, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "I started the starter pack and my depression med a week ago, just upped my dosage to the 1 mg. I'm taking it in conjunction with 20 mg of Celexa. I've had MDD for about 10 years and nothing has worked. My mood is elevated and I don't have the bouts of crying right now, BUT I'm tired. It has me super nauseous. I have very weird dreams. It fights my insomnia, allowing me to sleep for at least 7 hours, but during the day I'm so lethargic I don't want to move. When I try to get up and move around, I'm super dizzy. I don't know if I will continue with this medication. I don't know how long this feeling will last or if it will last indefinitely while on the medication."

• and...
• March 2, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "I started the starter pack and my depression med a week ago, just upped my dosage to the 1 mg. I'm taking it in conjunction with 20 mg of Celexa. I've had MDD for about 10 years and nothing has worked. My mood is elevated and I don't have the bouts of crying right now, BUT I'm tired. It has me super nauseous. I have very weird dreams. It fights my insomnia, allowing me to sleep for at least 7 hours, but during the day I'm so lethargic I don't want to move. When I try to get up and move around, I'm super dizzy. I don't know if I will continue with this medication. I don't know how long this feeling will last or if it will last indefinitely while on the medication."

• Pre...
• May 27, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "I was prescribed Rexulti by my pdoc a few days ago. Just wanted to put my input that may help others with this medication since the med hasn't even been out for a full year yet. At first, I was scared to take it but gave it a shot anyway. This is day 3 for me. The side effects I'm experiencing are exhaustion, and my mind feels a bit foggy. However, I have noticed I laughed and am not as irritable as I was a few days ago, so that's a good sign. As time goes by, I'll come back with an update."

• Min...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 30, 2018

For Major Depressive Disorder "Have been on Lexapro 15 mg and Rexulti 1 mg. Depression's gone, but after being on this for one month, anxiety is much worse. Also, I gained 10 pounds and am always tired. Two weeks ago, I started having full-body tremors where I lose consciousness. Was tested by a neurologist who believes this was caused by anxiety. Now my doctor increased both meds. Terrified of increased anxiety and having more seizure-type episodes."

• Sun...
• March 27, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "I was prescribed this along with my Effexor XR when diagnosed with mild BPD, depression, ADD, PTSD. I originally took Abilify but discontinued it once I gained 30 lbs in a month. The Rexulti makes me feel tired, and I cannot lose the weight I gained with the Abilify. I thought with the Adderall I started taking and with working out, I would at least lose a few lbs. Nope! I think I am done with this med. I am in DBT, CBT therapy, and I think that has had more of an effect on my impulsive behavior than this medicine. The only thing I have noticed with it is I have vivid dreams and am always hungry."

• Dip...
• September 12, 2018

For Schizophrenia "Rexulti/Brexpiprazole has been amazing for my lifestyle while dealing with schizophrenia. When I was on risperidone, I was having trouble getting up for work and was getting to work late at 10-10:30 AM. I also had two episodes of acute schizophrenia on a low dose of risperidone over four years. The side effects on a higher dose of risperidone made me feel lethargic and tired all day. However, on an equivalent dose of Rexulti, the voices are not there anymore. Intrusive thoughts are more controlled. And I get up early enough in the morning to get to work by 8:30-9! It has happened for two weeks now, and I'm pretty sure this will continue because I don't feel the same lethargy as I did on risperidone. So in effect, I'm on a relatively high dose, but the side effects are much lower than risperidone. I am really happy with the results."

• Dip...
• September 12, 2018

For Schizophrenia "Rexulti/Brexpiprazole has been amazing for my lifestyle while dealing with schizophrenia. When I was on risperidone, I was having trouble getting up for work and was getting to work late at 10-10:30 AM. I also had two episodes of acute schizophrenia on a low dose of risperidone over four years. The side effects on a higher dose of risperidone made me feel lethargic and tired all day. However, on an equivalent dose of Rexulti, the voices are not there anymore. Intrusive thoughts are more controlled. And I get up early enough in the morning to get to work by 8:30-9! It has happened for two weeks now, and I'm pretty sure this will continue because I don't feel the same lethargy as I did on risperidone. So in effect, I'm on a relatively high dose, but the side effects are much lower than risperidone. I am really happy with the results."

• Mer...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 7, 2021

For Depression "Rexulti sorted out absolutely everything as far as bipolar depression and mixed episodes go, save negative symptoms (lethargy, anhedonia), which I also take Vraylar for. Additionally, I take Depakote to avoid mania. I no longer have episodes, and my day-to-day mood is calm, hopeful, and energetic. No side effects that I've noticed. I thought it might have dampened my creativity somewhat, but then I stopped using mania as a crutch and just started working harder. My debut novel has won a pretty prominent award, so I must be doing something right. I attribute most of the heavy lifting in my cocktail to Rexulti because I had to go off it a couple of times briefly (screw-up at the pharmacy, etc.), and my mood plummeted very quickly. The difference is like night and day!"

• por...
• May 7, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "As I was on Abilify, this drug is worse for me. I'm so tired, I feel like I have bricks on my feet. I'm only taking 1 mg as an add-on to my Lexapro 20 mg. I'm not eating well still, but I am sleeping through the night. I just can't wake up at all. This just won't do, I can't function."

• Jay...
• August 25, 2020

"I took Rexulti 0.5 mg for a little under a year. Within a few weeks, I noticed that I was overwhelmingly exhausted. I was sleeping on weekends for about 17 hours each day, and during the week, I was terrified I would fall asleep at the wheel on my drive to work. I had no motivation at work and feared the effects on my job performance would get me fired. The first 3 weeks of treatment, I was on 1 mg but had to lower the dose as my vision became very blurred. The worst side effect was that I gained 25 lbs within 2 months or so. I just got off the medication 2 months ago and am still dealing with the side effects. I’m still more exhausted than I should be (although it has improved) and am struggling to lose the weight through diet and exercise. Prior to taking this medication, I was 5’6”, 130 lb (woman). Now I weigh 155 lb. I feel awful about my body. Though this medication did help my OCD symptoms, the negative effects far outweigh that. I wish I could turn back time and never take Rexulti."

• Kyl...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 28, 2018

For Major Depressive Disorder "I’ve been suffering from MDD. Rexulti has stopped me from going into deep depressive states, which is huge! Unfortunately, I think it’s what’s been making me so terribly tired. I struggle immensely to go through the day now without falling asleep. Being near sleep-tired during work is absolutely terrible. I wonder if I should stop taking the medicine at times. It’s worked great for my MDD, though."

• kma...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 13, 2018

For Depression "I only took Rexulti 2 times. My psychiatrist gave me a trial pack to try in addition to my other psych meds due to a particularly stressful time in my life that had my usual depression and anxiety far worse than 'usual.' The first time I took it was in the morning, and I was so tired all of that day that I couldn't even stay awake. I also felt no different at all and have heard that there is often a difference in how you feel within hours of the first dose. The second time I took it at night, thinking that maybe I wouldn't be affected by sleepiness then. I was still so tired the next day that I couldn't stay awake. This is not normal for me. So I didn't take any more. I can only figure this was due to the med because there were no other changes that should have caused it."

• Ale...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 23, 2022

For Major Depressive Disorder "This drug was a nightmare for me. My doctor initially prescribed 0.5 mg Rexulti as a monotherapy for depression and anxiety. The first month, I didn't feel much-except sedation after taking the drug. The second month, I actually started feeling better. I had more energy, motivation; sleep was better; sex drive improved. Then my doc increased the dose to 1 mg, and the horror began. First, I started feeling really tired. Sedation became much more pronounced. Then my depression came back-but now three times worse than it was before. My sleep became bad. My libido disappeared entirely. Fatigue became overwhelming. I lost any motivation to do anything. Worse, I lost any ability to do intellectual types of work. I'm a software engineer, and this is just horrible-when you feel yourself incredibly dumb. And when I try to force myself to work, I start feeling intense headaches and nausea. I stopped taking Rexulti two weeks ago. I am slowly, very slowly improving. Hope to recover from it soon."

• 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."

• Lis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 27, 2021

For Depression "Love this medication!!! After trying everything for my depression/anxiety/BPD, I was starting to feel hopeless. Celexa was kind of working, but not as well as I had hoped. Tried every other mood stabilizer and antipsychotic out there. Finally, the doctor had me try Rexulti. I feel amazing. No longer feel hopeless, more motivated, and less moody. This medication doesn’t make you tired or upset your stomach like others do either! It’s great!"

• rad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 17, 2021

For Depression "I had high hopes because of the positive reviews, it helped for a little while. I wasn’t suicidal, and I felt in control, but soon my hands began to shake so much I couldn’t do my work, and I’m so painfully tired all the time and constantly groggy, like I just woke up. I feel more depressed on the meds than I did off. I slowly felt more and more numb until nothing felt good anymore. I don’t do anything other than work and sleep."