Latuda for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

• Stine
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 3, 2020

"I have been on Latuda for about 4 months now for major depression, and it has changed my life! I struggled severely with suicidal thoughts and actions as well as self-harm. Since starting Latuda, my suicidal thoughts are completely gone. I think more rationally again, I don’t feel a need to harm or dislike myself; I finally feel like I have control of my illness. The only downside is the price, but thankfully, I was able to get my insurance to help cover it. Also, Latuda is known for lots of possible side effects. For me, I get severely nauseous if I take it after not eating enough. But it is definitely worth the benefits. Latuda is truly a miracle drug!"

• BiPol...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 7, 2013

"Since starting on 80 mg Latuda along with Bupropion, my bipolar mood swings are at bay. I feel no social anxiety or awkwardness and am not fearful much like I used to be. I am more like the authentic self I was when I was younger before my diagnosis: outgoing, articulate, motivated, upbeat/hopeful, productive, stable, high-functioning, and energetic. I have been able to quit coffee, cigarettes, and carbs due to my newfound motivation. I will be transferring to a large university soon, function better under pressures of work and motherhood, and find it much easier to maintain my 12-step recovery program and stay clean and sober too! I would highly recommend Latuda for anyone lacking focus, drive, or positive feelings to see if it affects you as profoundly."

• Ktano
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 9, 2020

"The first thing I want to say is that Latuda totally works, and it changed my life so much for the better. The second thing I will say is that it made me gain weight. I started putting the weight on as soon as I started taking it, and altogether have put on about 50 lbs."

• Gretc...
• July 13, 2013

"I've been on 20mg Latuda for about 1 month. So far, it has changed my life. I've had NO side effects. I was worried about weight gain but none at all. I am eating more nutritionally and wanting to take better care of myself. I have struggled brutally with bipolar depression and attempted suicide several times, not really wanting to die but to stop the horrific depression. I guess now there's a reason I'm still here. I hope I'm not being too premature in thinking this might last. But for now, I'm taking it one day at a time and enjoying the moment. Best medication I've ever had so far. THANK YOU to whoever invented this!"

• Bipolar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 27, 2013

"I have tried many medications over the years, mostly antidepressants but a few others like lamotrigine & Seroquel. I must say that nothing has been more effective than Latuda. I was on Wellbutrin for a couple years, was ok. This does make me drowsy so I take it at night. I do have to take with food or will make me really nauseous. Truly a miracle drug as I was not doing well."

• CatFlo
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 21, 2020

"Latuda is probably the best antipsychotic I've tried. I'm a little sedated, but not too much... Which is good because I have a lot of anxiety normally, but it's way better now. My hypomania went away, but my motivation hasn't vanished. It definitely helps my depression too. It also took away my minor auditory hallucinations completely. I like that I feel way more normal on this than any other antipsychotic I've tried. I'm not a zombie, I'm not hungry all of the time, I'm not anxious, I'm not depressed, and I'm sleeping normally (no insomnia or hypersomnia). I feel ok! The only downside is it causes some troubles focusing and some loss of motivation, but all antipsychotics do that to me and this one is minor compared to the others. I've only been on it about a month, but so far I really like this medicine!"

• Yankee
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 6, 2013

"I am now more productive, not sleepy, and happy! No more suicidal thoughts! I want to be involved in my family and their needs. I have been on 5 meds before Latuda, this has changed my life! I look forward to every next day."

• Girli...
• January 3, 2015

"I was a big-time researcher of Latuda before, so I thought I'd add my two cents. Latuda is the only antipsychotic that ever worked for me. I was so depressed that I was in pain, and the other atypicals didn't do anything but make me feel like a weird zombie with other movement side effects. Latuda works. I have to be on 3 other meds, but this is the backbone of my treatment. Finally, they developed what has been a true miracle antipsychotic for me. I cannot say anything less than it saved my life."

• ATaylor
• June 15, 2016

"I have Bipolar 1 and I started taking Latuda 20mg and didn't feel too much to begin with other than it was easier to get up in the morning, then I went up to 40mg and started really feeling amazing improvements. I used to suffer from extreme paranoid thoughts, had little cognitive ability, was constantly having panic attacks and felt extremely depressed, didn't sleep yet was barely awake during the day and was basically just sluggish and useless. On Latuda I can get up in the morning, I sleep at night, my paranoid thoughts are greatly reduced, my panic attacks have more than halved, I can actually think, I'm not too sleepy and depressed to look after myself and after two years of being disinterested in everything I feel enthusiastic again!"

• Freedom
• August 25, 2013

"I have struggled greatly with Bipolar 1 for many years. The past two years have been horrific for me. I am a rapid cycler and it has been so unrelenting that I have had to fight my company through a legal battle to stay employed through the ADA act. Finally, I got a new doctor who discontinued me from taking Depakote, Klonopin, Trilifon, and Trileptal. He started me on Seroquel XR, which was too sedating, and now I'm on 40 mg of Latuda. It is wonderful! I have only been on it for 4 days, but I feel human again! My appetite is normal and I am losing all my weight from the other meds. I want to socialize and don't feel manic or depressive. So excited."

• Jon...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 7, 2020

"Latuda 80 mg made me so manic that I could not lay still in bed. I did not understand what was happening. I told the Dr and he tried to add more drugs. I rejected most of them as I felt worse or unable to function on them. I was not sleeping well and felt empty, emotionless, like a zombie After 7 months of this awfulness on 80 mg Latuda, I became manic and psychotic, developed extreme paranoia, was not sleeping and tried to end my life. Dr. switched me to Quatiapine and things got better. ."

• anony...
• March 8, 2013

"Struggled with undiagnosed bipolar disorder for 8 years. Finally got on the right cocktail with Latuda included. I'm at 60mg and it has stopped my cycling (I'm a rapid cycler). No side effects, except for weight loss and difficulty gaining it back (which may be great for some of you, but I'm a former anorexic so not so great on that front). Did not change my intake of food ... but the med definitely decreased my appetite. Would HIGHLY recommend giving this med a go. And I've been on practically everything -- this is literally the only thing that has made my life live-able again."

• Lilkr...
• October 17, 2013

"I have been on Latuda for about 3 years! I was struggling so much with other meds. I was either too tired, wired, or depressed. Once I started taking Latuda, I was feeling like a new person. I wasn't nervous or scared anymore. It saved my life."

• Bronwyn...
• February 18, 2015

"I've been taking Lamictal as a mood stabilizer and a foundation to treat my depression. Found it was insufficient on its own, so the doctor started me on 40mg of Latuda. It worked very well, but I just felt 'ok,' and it was quite expensive. Tried to switch to Abilify, but the restlessness was intolerable, and the therapeutic effect wasn't nearly as palpable. Switched back to Latuda at 60mg and don't think I'll ever look back. Tried Zoloft, Celexa, Wellbutrin, Pristiq, Effexor, and Cymbalta also."

• SarLi...
• September 14, 2014

"This medication has been helping me since day 1. I had to work through my own set of side effects, of course, but with the help of my doctor and 20mg/night of Latuda, I am well on my way towards a more stable life. I was very leery about taking the step to be on medication again, what with all the trials and errors, as well as misdiagnoses of my past. After barely even 3 weeks of taking Latuda, I feel almost proud of myself for taking this step. I am able to function again with a healthy routine."

• Nickn...
• May 5, 2021

"I've been taking 20 mg for a couple of weeks now. I went into menopause, and I already have been diagnosed with bipolar depression for most of my life. Racing thoughts, anxiety, paranoia, feelings of absolute despair. I get angry easily and have been fired from a few jobs because I shoot my mouth off and become defensive. I cry and hide in bed. I feel like I wish I never existed at all or I wish I was dead. I wake up with such a sense of dread every morning. So... since starting on it, I still get really angry and will still lash out, but I notice it's not as much. The racing thoughts are going away, and that need to worry about the future and all of the bad things that will happen to me has subsided a lot. It's not a hugely significant amount, but yes, I do feel a little brighter. My mind is a little calmer. The pit in my stomach has loosened just a little. Hopefully as I keep taking it, my results will be better. It's definitely not made things any worse. I'd try it."

• Kano
• January 12, 2020

"This medication was a lifesaver for me, it was the first one I've tried that helped - initially had no side effects. I have bipolar but only experience depression, so most medications don't work for me. This was different. I took 20mg for about a year, and then my depression got worse out of nowhere so we increased my dose gradually to 80mg. Then I started experiencing oculogyric crises (when your eyes involuntarily look upwards). And they are the most terrifying, awful side effect I've experienced in my life. Now I've dropped back to 20mg and it's still happening. It is so horrible that it is making me not want to live. I think I have to discontinue the medication altogether, though I'm terrified the side effect will continue since it never used to happen on 20mg either. A year ago I would have rated this a 10/10. But this side effect is bad enough for me to rate it a 1. If you are on this and it is working for you, please be very hesitant to raise your dose. I wish I had stayed on 20, this might have never happened."

• KTGreat
• April 22, 2014

"Latuda so far has been the best medicine I've taken. Geodon made me really shaky but not with Latuda. I have not gained any weight, more focused, more energetic. I am able to complete my tasks throughout the day. Overall, I feel happy and don't feel the need to lie around all day and watch TV. I am very pleased with Latuda."

• Bipolar...
• September 6, 2013

"I've been struggling with Bipolar I rapid cycling for almost 10 untreated years. I've had really bad depression to the point where I was afraid to go outside, constant racing thoughts, extreme anxiety. I was sleeping about 3 hours a day at most, and overall I couldn't function at all. I started taking Latuda 20mg for a week then went to 40mg. As soon as I started taking the medicine, I noticed a big difference the next day. I feel more stable, my depression is gone, my anxiety is gone, suicide thoughts are gone. I feel like my old self again, where I can function normally and do my everyday stuff on top of being happy. This medicine literally saved my life, and I want to say thank you to the pharmaceutical company that made this."

• julia...
• June 28, 2011

"I have taken Latuda for about 2 weeks for Bipolar Depression. I also take Prozac and Depakote. I have never had a medicine work so quickly and dramatically. I can feel again...love for my family...optimism...although I am not sleeping as I did before. I have gone from 12-13 hours/night to 6-8 hours/night. I have had brief episodes of irritability but so far have been able to resolve them quickly. I feel better than I have in years."

• that...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 27, 2013

"I have been on all sorts of meds. Wellbutrin was beautiful but my throat swelled up and I broke out in hives. They have tried lithium (scary rashes that took 4 months to clear) some other ones that made me worse or rashes. Latuda is the first that has been close to the awesomeness of Wellbutrin. I have more energy, eat less, fog like state of not fully 'being there' is gone. I feel like a different person. The first week was nauseating but that went away and lasted a half hour at a time. When I bumped up to 40mg the nausea came back. My kidneys seem to be hurting but I am going with a wait and see if that goes away as well. I do not want to be taken off. Meds are hard to find that work."

• PBSI
• August 26, 2014

"Latuda is a miracle for me. I started on 40 mg at bedtime then moved up to 80 mg at bedtime. 80 mg was too much as I started having inner restlessness, so with my doctor's approval, I went back to 40 mg. At 40 mg, everything is perfect. My depression lifted, my compulsive thoughts went away, and I can think again."

• Girlgeo
• April 28, 2015

"I started Latuda (20 mg) about 2 weeks ago and felt improvement almost immediately, like within 24 hours. I was extremely skeptical thinking it was just an anomaly, but I have felt good every day since starting it. I am bipolar 1 and was in EXTREME depression and anxiety before starting it. I do not take it with food and have had no nausea. (As a matter of fact, I had more nausea before starting Latuda than after!) I have been on about 8 other meds, and none have worked like this. Just 3 weeks ago, I could not even sit at the table for a family dinner. I was so depressed and anxious I would leave almost immediately. Now I feel happy (yes, happy!) and sociable. At first, it made me sleepy, but that one side effect has left."

• livin...
• August 30, 2015

"After 6 years of different meds that never worked, I was put on 20mg of Latuda. Didn't do anything, didn't work at all. Doc upped it to 40mg. Taking 40mg gave me maybe 3 weeks of terrible headaches and nausea. Then one morning, I woke up and actually felt good, well-rested, clear-headed...it was such a strange feeling to me. Then I turned on some music and I actually felt music again, I started dancing around while getting ready. Started reaching out socially, started exercising, and started actually taking a shower every morning again! I cannot express in words how good and normal I feel, I actually feel things again. Latuda did a 180-degree change in my life, thanks to the researchers who created this drug, you guys are amazing!"

• Anonymo
• October 12, 2014

"It's been a love-hate relationship with Latuda for me. After 2 months of using it, I noticed a significant change in my depression, which was fantastic. But, I experience SEVERE nausea even when I eat enough food. I have even thrown up about 6 or 7 times within my 7 months of taking it. Which is unpleasant to say the least. The nausea usually sets in about 30-45 minutes after taking and lasts anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour."