Bipolar Disorder Support Group
Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.
After the 1st dose, I felt better. The next day, I felt anxious and depressed during the day. The 2nd dose helped me sleep. Now I'm back to weeping and scared. Why do I keep feeling this way? How long does it usually take Latuda to work?
I wish I had someone at my place to comfort me. I'm so tired of the pain.
Seems like you're having some benefit from the Latuda but it's sort of a mixed bag overall. They always recommend giving new meds at least a few weeks if you tolerate them ok. It can take a few weeks for your body to adjust so you should keep that in mind.
Basically, bipolar meds fall into one of two basic categories: anticonvulsants and antipsychotics.
Anticonvulsants were actually originally for reducing epileptic seizures. They just happen to work very well for some bipolar people. I'm in this category. Anticonvulsants mostly work by supporting or increasing dopamine acting in the brain.
Antipsychotics are very different and are used more directly to manage psychosis. They work by inhibiting dopamine action in the brain. Latuda is in this category.
I'm not a doctor, but from my experience, it seems like bipolar patients either do well with one of those or the other, but not usually both. If you can get through a few weeks of Latuda, I think you'll probably have a good idea if it's working well for you or not. It's incredibly important to have a strong sense of self-awareness so you can communicate to your pdocs whether or not you feel your meds are working or not. The goal of any bipolar med is to help provide stability and I think you will have a good idea of whether or not that is happening.
Whatever the case, don't be afraid to very direct with your pdoc. Make sure they are hearing what you're telling them.
I've seen cases where people start new meds then go to sleep that night only to find themselves waking up outside in their neighbors yard. And they question whether or not that med is working for them. Clearly it's not, but they don't have enough self-awareness to realize that themselves.
Do as much research as you can on any meds you take. The more you know the better your chances of finding the right meds for your particular situation.
Lastly, please take everything you read (including what I'm saying now) with a grain of salt. Try to independently confirm everything you can, esp info you get on these types of sites.
I hope this is helpful to you.