I saw my Pdoc today and told him I've been irritable, having headaches for the first time in years, and slightly nauseous since being on the higher dose of Latuda (80 mg). I'm also cycling like crazy which makes me question if the tegretol (Equetro) is working and he agreed. He told me we can't up the tegretol because my blood tests for it show me approaching the high end of the safe zone. Right now, we will lower the Latuda to 40 mg. He also asked if I still have loose stools from the Lithium, and I do. I'll see him in 3 weeks and we'll discuss where to go from there. He acknowledged my frustration with the meds, the crazy cycling, the irritability and the wide range of emotions. I told him I'm feeling ready to quit. I've worked very hard with his help for 5-1/2 yrs and continually run into med problems. Right now, again, nothing's working right. I've had a hard time staying in control for the last couple of weeks. He asked me if I want to get off the meds and I told him that right now, I'm feeling I do. I don't want to go through what I've just been through anymore. He said we can do that but need to work together on it. He warned I could quite possibly get very ill just stopping cold. We'll talk more in 3 weeks after lowering the Latuda.
My body doesn't do well on these heavy drugs and my Pdoc has tried to get me on effective doses that stay below what is normally recommended (therapeutic levels). Most of the time I still cannot tolerate the side effects. On the few I have, eventually my body adapts, like the tegretol, and we are unable to up the dose so we have to drop it. I respect my Pdoc, I know for a fact that he cares and will work with me. He knows I've worked hard to stay compliant all these years so he listens to my ideas and theories too. I am considering going off all the meds but I'm afraid too. Yet the Latuda and the Lithium are making me physically ill. The tegretol isn't working so why should I take this powerful chemical. I just don't want to go back to two and three cycles a day several times a week. Right now I'm cycling every 5 to seven days. Pdoc's not happy about that, and well neither am I. Maybe if I went off them all for just a bit and then started med therapy fresh I would reboot and tolerate something better? Am I making sense? Sorry I'm rambling. Is there something missing in my logic? Any thoughts as to what I might need to consider? I'm a bit anxious about the future. I know the Lord tells us to be anxious for nothing. But my Pdoc and I have tried just about everything. Clozaril is out of the question. Aaarrrghh! I'm rambling--I'm upset---I'm sorry.