Asenapine and Tiredness: What Users Say

• sun...
• June 3, 2010

Asenapine for Bipolar Disorder "I have been on a truckload of different medicines to treat bipolar - Lamictal, Depakote, Lithium, Seroquel, Symbyax, Abilify... just to name a few. Started taking this 10mg before bed last week. This does taste horrible, but doesn't cause nausea and vomiting, and I'm real sensitive to taste. It makes my tongue go numb for about 30 minutes, and during that time, I get the munchies really bad. While I'm trying not to eat the house down, my mood elevates. I've been getting to sleep a lot easier and staying asleep better. As a whole, I'm feeling better than I have in a long time. Really hoping this medicine works in the long term for me as I'm tired of trying different ones."

• You...
• July 20, 2017

Asenapine for Schizophrenia "I've been taking Saphris 10 mg twice a day for over a year. It has helped me tremendously. I no longer hear 9 voices, down to 2 voices that are quiet. I do not get dizzy or tired on it as well. It has given me clarity and rest from voices. It has been good for me so far, so grateful. I no longer have anxiety as well."

• Neg...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 10, 2022

Asenapine for Bipolar Disorder "This drug ruined my life. I started taking it when I was 9 years old until I was 17. I gained 30 pounds. It made me so tired to the point I couldn’t wake up in the morning. I would miss school and sleep till 2 PM. My parents tried to wake me, and I would start throwing up every day if I woke up before 12 in the afternoon or pass out. It was nearly impossible to wake up. Keep in mind-I went to bed at 8 PM daily. I missed out on a lot of my life and failed high school because I couldn’t wake up, which made me unable to go to college. I would wake up drenched in sweat. I would get extreme stomach problems. I got nightmares so bad I woke up screaming. It made me socially awkward, and I slurred my words on it and started to forget how to speak. I had to go to a speech therapist. My parents forced me to take it. I secretly stopped taking both at 17, although I feel it has changed my brain permanently, not for the better, and long-term health issues. My life became better as soon as I got off it and happier."

• Anonymous
• May 1, 2012

Asenapine for Bipolar Disorder "I was diagnosed with a mood disorder about 5 months ago. I tried Abilify and gained 10 pounds in a week and tried Lamictal, but I kept getting the rash on my face, so finally my doctor put me on Saphris. It made a world of difference. It's been 2 months now, and I'm no longer on any antidepressants, and I have been without any depressed episodes since a week after I started it. I had to start taking 20 mg at night because it made me so tired in the morning. I'm still on Klonopin because I have really bad restlessness still, but I'm slowly phasing that out with lifestyle changes. The bad taste gets better with time, and the side effects are greatly outweighed by the benefits. I have and would recommend it!"

• 831...
• November 30, 2016

Asenapine 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."

• Anonymous
• November 13, 2011

Asenapine for Bipolar Disorder "I am a fine artist with bipolar. I have been taking Saphris for almost a month, which was added to my other medicines, lithium and Depakote. The first night (5 mg), I woke to use the restroom and felt so dizzy I thought there was no way I would be taking it again - even in the morning, I felt so tired, but it lifted around noon and I just felt calm the rest of the day. The next day was a little better and so on. After a week, my psych doctor put me on 10 mg at bedtime, but after 4 days, I still felt too tired to do much but watch T.V., so I went down to 5 mg again. Racing thoughts have leveled out, and I no longer have paranoia/suspicious feelings, and anger problems are all but gone. Best of all, I enjoy working on my art again and can concentrate more on it!"

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

Asenapine 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."

• Ros...
• August 9, 2020

Asenapine for Schizophrenia "I've been on Saphris 10 mg for about a month now, I was put on it in the hospital. I have been on almost all of the atypical antipsychotics and one first generation. All have either not worked well enough or caused horrible side effects, so I had to stop. Saphris works pretty well, some days are even symptom-free, which is a definite improvement from before. Works good for my hallucinations, the delusions are easier to distinguish, but I am still working on my reality testing. Taste is fine, it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. As far as side effects go, they are more tame than most of the antipsychotics I've been on. I haven't noticed any increased hunger or any excessive tiredness or fatigue. The only thing is not a specific problem with Saphris, just a problem with antipsychotics in general, is my mood is brought down. My illness doesn't come with depression, but when I am medicated, I feel an effect on my mood. This one brings down my mood quite a bit, but it is manageable."

• bip...
• December 19, 2015

Asenapine for Bipolar Disorder "I was diagnosed with Bipolar II (with very few manifestations of depression), so mostly problems with mania. I started on 5 mg at night for a week, then went up to morning and night doses of 5 mg. I did that for 2 days, as the daytime doses made me feel restless, uncomfortable, edgy, weird, and sedated. I couldn't stand it and would count down the time before it would wear off. Then I tried taking 10 mg at night, but then I couldn't sleep. I would wake up exhausted for the 4th time in a night. Went back to just 5 mg at night, and this had little to no effect. I worried about weight gain, but I lost weight-helped that I was extra cautious about what I ate. If 'increased appetite' is listed, I take extra measures with exercise and diet to stay healthy."

• Ash...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 27, 2022

Asenapine for Bipolar Disorder "I've been on Saphris for about a month (5 mg twice a day) and a half now, and I'd say it's going well. I always have issues remembering to take it, but I'm getting better with it. I have bipolar disorder (freshly re-diagnosed!) and psychosis, and I've realized my manic and depressive episodes aren't as bad, and I'm not as paranoid, and I can think way clearer. Only downsides I've noticed are I'm a bit hungrier, but not as hungry as I have been on other antipsychotics. It makes me pretty tired, but if I sleep it off, I feel well-rested when I wake up. My mouth gets a little numb after, but that goes away after 15-30 minutes. Also, it tastes pretty bad, but you get used to it. Other than that, zero complaints!"

• Jet...
• December 17, 2011

Asenapine for Bipolar Disorder "I have just started taking Saphris 5 mg in the morning and find that within an hour I'm exhausted and need to go back to bed most of the day! Not happy with this and am wondering whether it's best taken at night? I was diagnosed bipolar type 2 a few months ago and am on lithium, Seroquel (which I'm being weaned off), mirtazapine, and lorazepam as needed. Thanks."

• Fer...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 23, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "I take asenapine 2.5 mg, 2 dissolvable tablets every night. I've been taking it for almost 4 months now, and it's been a miracle drug for me. No more mood swings, I can finally think clearly. I've tried so many other medications for bipolar, and it's amazing to finally find something that actually works. My only complaint is I don't like how tired it makes me after I take it. I try to fall asleep before it kicks in because it feels weird once it does, hence why I take both tablets together at night and not separately. It also causes numbness in my mouth, but the benefits far outweigh the side effects. I have noticed some weight gain since starting it, so keep your appetite in mind. It will increase. Definitely worth a go if you're like me and have exhausted most of your other options."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 11, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Sucks the joy out of your life, stops positive hallucinations and time dilations, no energy, low mood, hopelessness, makes you want to fall back into old habits and do nothing with your life, have used antipsychotics three times now."

• A B...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 16, 2018

Asenapine for Schizophrenia "Saphris medicine is taken every evening when you plan on going to sleep. The dosage of medicine goes under your tongue as prescribed. The medicine is a tranquilizer and dissolves as soon as taken. Saphris has side effects the following day, including tiredness when taken every evening."

• Mir...
• March 13, 2010

Asenapine for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "Can't give a real good rate for this drug since I'm only taking it for the second time today. It tastes bad, tongue numb for a few minutes after taking it. So far it is just making me tired and loopy and having some gas tonight. But then I have been very, very tired for many months now, and perhaps the extra sleep this allows will help me get back to normal again. I have had noises, shadows, racing thoughts, and flashbacks to deal with that may have been due to anxiety, etc. Hope I don't have stomach upset in the future as someone else mentioned that happening to them. I will have to return and give a new rating after I've been on this a while longer."

• lel...
• May 19, 2017

Asenapine for Bipolar Disorder "When I take it in the am, I'm so tired for 3 hours to the point of dozing off and on. At night, I'm like a fish in bed, flopping all over! Restless, up and down, can't sleep. Why?"