Saphris and Anxiety: What Users Say

• tha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 8, 2014

For Bipolar Disorder "I have bipolar 1, general and social anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and borderline personality disorder. I've been on pretty much everything over the last 14 years. Seroquel worked well for over a year, but the weight gain was awful. Regular exercise and healthy eating. Lithium and Lamictal replaced the Seroquel and seemed efficient, couldn't handle the nausea anymore after 2 years. 5 weeks ago, I decided I wanted to try Saphris. My psychiatrist agreed and decided to start low and slow as I tend to have allergies or increased anxiety with most medications. I started on 2.5mg for a week. I literally felt better the next morning. I had increased energy and felt happy for the first time in over 10 years. I'm up to 5mg in the evening and 2.5mg in the morning. My anxiety decreased, and I'm down to 1.5mg of Klonopin daily from 3mg. This is a miracle for me!"

• coa...
• September 23, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "Words cannot describe it. The medication has turned my life around. I still cannot believe what it has done for me. My mind has slowed down so much without taking away my ability to think sharply. I am truly happy. Anger, irritation, racing thoughts are almost completely gone. I am bipolar 1 with GAD and depression. I too am a mixed episode/rapid cycle guy. This med has given me my life back. I have been shedding anxiety and sleep meds left and right. If you can't afford it, please look to Canada. You can get generic Saphris (asenapine) very, very reasonably. It could well be worth going through a reputable Canadian pharmacy."

• Ano...
• December 20, 2013

For Bipolar Disorder "I have Bipolar Disorder I, with rapid cycling and mixed states. I tried Saphris when I was recovering from a hospitalization, which was very unpleasant and ended very badly. So I was a bit manic and terribly anxious going on it. I took it for 6 days. It seemed to work almost right away. I was shaky and anxious throughout the 6 days. Extremely sleepy and dizzy after my 5 mg at bedtime. But that wore off after 4 days. Mood-wise, it seemed to completely stall my cycling. Miracle! And I was much calmer and less reactive, but definitely awake during the days. Then, after my 6th dose, I noticed my lips were puffy, and my tongue was fatter, then my throat got tight = allergic reaction. Worked great until that!"

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

For Schizophrenia "I took Saphris for about 3 months for very, very mild schizoaffective disorder. I have body paranoia, delusions, constant fear, anxiety, severe depression, anorexia (unrelated), etc. This medication took all of that away. I was happy, smiling more, being more social, I was eating more again and even got back to a healthy weight (intentional gains). However, after being on it for 3 months, I found myself unable to do everyday tasks. My mental ability to do anything was gone, totally. My mental functioning got so bad I had to have an accommodation through HR at work so I didn't lose my job while I got off the meds. Overall, super helpful. But that whole brain not working was a dealbreaker. I was so sad to get off Saphris. Back to square one."

• Mis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 3, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I have found Saphris to be very effective, especially for my bipolar depression. I felt happy for the first time in 4 months, and it's only 2 or 3 days to work! I was taking lithium and lamotrigine, but the lamotrigine didn't bring my mood up, and the lithium didn't either. Needless to say, I was feeling pretty down. Saphris made me feel clear thinking, motivated, and reduced my anxiety. And it has only been a week and a day since starting it. I am very pleased. I still have a ways to go in terms of my overall experience with this medication. All the best."

• Jam...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 30, 2020

For Schizophrenia "I'm a 50-year-old man. I have been on Saphris for 5 years for schizophrenia after many years of Risperdal. The Saphris quiets the voices pretty well, and they come back quickly if I'm late with a dose. I still feel a little anxious, but the med really helps. I sleep heavily at night with lots of strange dreams and usually take a nap during the day, but I haven't had any weight gain."

• Dee...
• May 31, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "Bipolar II with severe anxiety. Saphris doesn't work for most people, but for the ones it does work for, it can be a life-changing miracle drug. That's been my experience. I spent 10 years either so depressed or anxious that I could barely get out of bed. I took my first dose at bedtime, and when I woke up the next morning, the anxiety was gone. It gave me my life back. I take the whole daily dose at night. It knocks me out cold for at least 3 hours, and I can't function at all if I take it in the morning. I had horrible mouth sores. Finally, I figured out that it was from the dry mouth caused by my other meds. Now I take a sip of water first, and after it dissolves, I suck on a caramel or a couple of pieces of candy."

• 831...
• November 30, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I have been taking this med for years, and I feel trapped. I don't think it really does anything for me. The problem is that I tried to stop taking it, and I became completely useless, tired, irritable, and full of anxiety. Right now, I have not taken it for two days because I forgot it before I went out of town. I am tired, got insomnia, and I feel like I am hung over and nauseous. The withdrawals from taking this medication are awful. So, I think anyone that wants to start this med should seriously consider this when making a decision to ingest this. I am not the only one who has experienced this. There is a lot about withdrawing from this med on the net."

• zer...
• April 3, 2010

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Started on this medicine in the hospital. So far it has worked at least as well as Zyprexa. It does have a bitter taste to it, but I have gotten used to it. The only thing I can say is I have a little bit more anxiety on it than Zyprexa, but Ativan controls it pretty well, and I sleep very well on it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 16, 2012

For Schizoaffective Disorder "The first time I took Saphris, this feeling of panic came over me, and I had to call someone to talk me down. I took it for 2 months, for the 1st month, it was okay, but into the 2nd month, I had such extreme anxiety that I couldn't leave the house and had to take sick leave from my job for a month. It didn't work for me."

• Kai...
• June 23, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "I started this drug and read it was a miracle drug, and I can back that up. It’s been a miracle for me after horrible experiences on other antipsychotics. I felt drugged on the other ones, they were so bad! I had developed terrible anxiety, and although I was crying a lot, my doctor has put me on an antidepressant, and it’s helping a lot with that. I have bipolar 1 and OCD. I was in a mixed episode prior to starting medication. I’m on 15 mg. I take it all at night. Hope you all fight for your lives, things get better."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 16, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "I suffer from bipolar I disorder with psychotic symptoms. This medication has completely taken away all the voices I was having! I take 20 mg and have been for about 5 months. The only thing is my anxiety has increased, and sometimes I feel disconnected and out of it. Does anyone else feel these symptoms? Just curious. Overall though, this drug definitely works."

• cra...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 2, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "I rated this medication once before, I felt a need to update my review. I've taken Saphris since '13 at 30 mg nightly, and over the past 5 months, I've slowly tapered down to 10 mg, with high hopes of discontinuing. Saphris got me out of a bad spot. I remember being horrified at answering the door, let alone leaving the house, I was so delusional. I got out of that spot, slowly got on my feet, and somewhat rejoined society. My positive manic spirit is gone, I'm always tired and feel like life goes on around me, not with me. It's very hard to discontinue, I have panic attacks daily now and am beyond stressed. I feel like I'm trapped, no worse-or better-on or off after all these years."

• 7an...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 10, 2020

For Schizophrenia "Saphris will knock you out at first, but after a few days it stops. The taste is not that bad, especially when you get used to it. Saphris makes my hallucinations less substantial than when I'm off meds, it is also wonderful for anxiety. I haven't had any panic attacks since starting. My thoughts are also clear and less disorganized, as we schizophrenics tend to jump from subject to subject with no connection between them. It seems to vanish any excitement or good moods. My mood is low, and in fact, I was suicidal enough that I started to self-injure and isolate. It's probably best to take this medication with an antidepressant if you are prone to suicidal thoughts, which is what I did. Also, the amount of time it takes just to administer Saphris, sitting with a tablet in my mouth for 10 minutes, is just inconvenient for me as I cannot do anything but sit there. Anyway, it's a relatively mild antipsychotic. I do recommend it if you've failed a few."

• Anonymous
• January 2, 2012

For Bipolar Disorder "I took Saphris for over a full year, along with Wellbutrin, Prozac, and Lamictal. I actually became worse since I have been on it. I would say that if you wish to only get a good night's rest, then this is for you, other than that, I would not recommend this to anyone. It did not help my anxiety, mood swings, or depression. I was switched to Seroquel XR, hopefully, this will help. But not all of us have the same side effects, so maybe Saphris will work well for others."

• Its...
• April 6, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "10 mg was a lot. I felt very weird. I reduced it to 5 mg and feel a lot better. At 10 mg, my anxiety was so bad I always wanted to be with my mom. I had to keep telling myself I was okay. I felt very scared all the time. Now, since reducing it, I feel a lot better and more confident and less worried. I do agree with other reviews: this drug makes you feel like you go into a coma at night or take sleeping gas. It’s an odd feeling. I didn’t enjoy this drug, but I was on two worse antipsychotics before this one. It’s not terrible, but I prefer not to be on one in general after I’ve recovered."

• man...
• November 24, 2011

For Bipolar Disorder "Have been on Saphris for five weeks now. Agitation has stopped, no more headaches, and the racing thoughts have stopped as well. Still hypomanic and cycling, but mood has improved and less anxiety. Very glad to be on it."

• she...
• June 3, 2011

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been taking Saphris for four days now, and I'm not sure what I think yet. I'm still having major anxiety at night, and it's not helping that much at all. Also, I feel sedated when I take it in the morning, so it's difficult to care for my two-year-old. Hopefully, this will wear off as my body adjusts to the medication. I have been eating more, which I'm not happy about, since I just lost a lot of weight. I wish my doctor would put me on something for the anxiety, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad."

• Att...
• August 9, 2010

"I have been on this medicine for almost 2 months now. It has helped a little with anxiety but not as much as Clonazepam. I am now on 15 mg of Saphris, 5 mg in the morning and 10 mg at night. It messes with my sleep, with agitation to the point where sometimes it hurts. It is also very expensive for someone without insurance of some kind. Also, a trick I used for the horrible taste is Crystal Light powder by sprinkling it on my tongue when I take the medicine."

• neo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 4, 2020

"WORST DRUG EVER. I'm diagnosed with BPD and ED (passive right now). Given Saphris in the hospital by the emergency psychiatrist after a suicide attempt. I already don't tolerate well antipsychotics (I've tried a lot). I was on Latuda a bit before this... Asenapine, I took it the first night (yeah, the first 20 minutes are criminal) but slept well. The next day I woke up so anxious and trembling. Whole day. No end. My head was about to explode too. I binged at night like crazy. This drug made me totally psychotic!!!!! (I have some intrusive issues). I obviously kept trying and took it for 2 more days. Same effects. I couldn't handle the anxiety anymore. No more. HORRIBLE."