Cariprazine for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

• Joano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 2, 2019

Vraylar (cariprazine) "I was on Abilify for several years for Bipolar II. Worked well for me. Then it quit working. My doctor prescribed Vraylar 1.5. Take at night. I have been on Vraylar 1.5 for 3 weeks almost. I notice a huge difference! My hypomania is under control. No depression. I feel level with my moods. Now I am having some side effects. Excessive sweating and hot flashes. Vivid dreams. But I’ll say it’s working great for me! I can handle those two side effects ok. Thankful that my bipolar II is managed well so far with this medication. Working great for me! Thankful for this medication!"

• BBano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 7, 2020

Vraylar (cariprazine) "I’ve only been on it for 3 days, I get so tired the first few hours until I try to actually go to sleep then I’m restless, can’t stop moving. Overheating with chills, and I feel sick the whole time I’m on it. Nausea and headaches are very bad, consistently thirsty, and body aches! I don’t know if this is normal starting out, I know that some medications make you feel sick at first but this is unbearable."

• Robbie
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 6, 2018

Vraylar (cariprazine) "I’m 45 male with bipolar 1, schizophrenia, OCD and ADHD that all been diagnosed since my teens. Every medication you can think of being on in the psychological world I’ve been on including self medicating with alcohol for 20 years on and off. 10 days ago I went off the horrible side effect pill with acceptable results Resperadal and on vraylar for the first time. All I have to say is where has this drug been because it’s changing my life so much it’s scary !!! The best medication hands down in the world for the issues I spoke of in the beginning of this story of mine. My total medication list is vyvanse 70mg Zoloft 100mg Vraylar1.5mg moving to 3mg after 30 days Resperadal puts wieght on you quick and I’ve lost 13 lbs in 10 days on vraylar. It’s absolutely saving my life and only one can hope this miracle drug will correct my brain to the point I’m not medicated as much."

• Sandy
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 6, 2019

Vraylar (cariprazine) "I am 72 and have had bipolar 1 since the age of 15. I have never been well since menopause age 50, and have tried every drug on the market. Finally, I went to a new doctor (NP) who put me on Vraylar. I was very wary of anti-psychotics because I started getting really shaky with Seroquel and Zyprexa. However, Vraylar seems OK. I have been on it for 3 months, started on 1.5 for 7 days, had to go up to 3mg due to a big manic episode that last 8 days. Vraylar stopped it the next day. The problems have been exceptionally vivid dreams and insomnia. I take many other things for insomnia, but nothing works. I have been lying awake for hours ever since starting this medication. It is such a shame as I have never felt better in my life. I am going to see my doctor on Wednesday to see what she thinks."

• Jayla...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 10, 2021

Vraylar (cariprazine) "What I’ve noticed after reading all these reviews is nobody talks about how long the initial side effects last and how long until you can expect to start working. After so many drug trials that I know everyone can relate to I finally found Zyprexa and Cymbalta combo to stabilize me for many years until it stopped working and I started numbing myself with alcohol until that stopped working. Started with drug trials again. Latuda made me feel like I was crawling out of my skin for weeks so I discontinued it. Started Vraylar and started at 1.5 for a week which at first was awful with numerous side effects including agitation, loss of interest in everything, on and on. So I started tapering every other day and cutting the capsule in half for now. Started feeling better and noticed a decrease in my anxiety within days. Everybody’s chemistry is different but keep the faith and fighting through the side effects can be worth it. God bless"

• RKW
• September 12, 2019

Vraylar (cariprazine) "I had become extremely manic from Lupron ,which I was taking as part of endocrine therapy for the prevention of breast cancer. My doctor put me on Latuda, which made me more manic and landed me in the hospital twice. I asked for Seroquel just to reign it in, but my outpatient psychiatric is not a fan of Seroquel and neither am I because it’s so mind-numbing and sedating. He put me on Vraylar and it worked magic. I had zero side effects, which for me is highly unusual since I often have even rare side effects from most drugs. As for weight gain, I haven’t noticed any from it. I’ve gained 5 lbs but it’s not from Vraylar but from an increase in Paxil which I take for agitation and anxiety. Vraylar is the first anti-psychotic I’ve ever taken that didn’t have severe side effects"

• Holly
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 16, 2019

Vraylar (cariprazine) "I have Bipolar I. Have tried every drug out there and was excited at what Vraylar promised. My moods were rapid cycling and I was already on 2 mood stabilizers. Both depression & mania were exaggerated. At 1st the Vraylar was great. I felt normal for the 1st time in a long time. I was on 3 mg. By the end. Bad news, I gained 65 pounds in 4 months. I had to get off the medication. Cholesterol also went up."

• Bipol...
• November 20, 2019

Vraylar (cariprazine) "Had a bad experience with Zyprexa for bipolar so my doc switched me to 1.5mg of Vraylar. I was so excited at first because it’s been said to be the best of the best. First few days, I felt...off. I chalked it up to coming off of Zyprexa. By day 5, I couldn’t sleep more than 2-3 hours IF I was lucky. I’d wake up with chest and stomach pain filled anxiety. No appetite whatsoever. Felt like my skin was crawling. I tend to be fearful of starting new meds so I asked my doc if it was normal and he just I was experiencing my “condition” and not the meds. So, like an idiot I gave it another week. The problems only worsened. I cried everyday because my body and emotions felt so uncomfortable. The anxiety was to the point I couldn’t leave the house. All I did was want to scream and self harm (never had that desire before). I’m now three days off and the anxiety and insomnia are still very VERY real. I just want to feel better. Please use caution with this drug. It’s been terrifying for me."

• Cat
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 2, 2020

Vraylar (cariprazine) "This medication is the best one I have been on and I have been on many. Latuda made me hallucinate and I ended up jumping out a second story window. Seraquel made me sleep all of the times. Abilify did not work at all. The other medications were out of my price range. My insurance company recommended that I try these and a few others prior to approving coverage of Vraylar. I was receiving samples from the public service agency I was in prior to my mother purchasing insurance for me. I am diagnosed Bipoar 1 with psychotic tendencies (hearing voices not in my head but in the rooms I’m in. They are cruel critical of my actions and threatening that I will be arrested, hurt by my loved ones etc. Vraylar is the only medications I’ve taken so far that has helped ease these symptoms"

• Never...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 29, 2019

Vraylar (cariprazine) "I like a lot of people on vraylar thought I had found something that worked after years of trying. Well after I was on it for about a year my mom asked me one day why I was squinting my eyes and pursuing my lips. I was afraid people would think I was high or had brain damage. They prescribed propranolol 20mg 3x a day I still had the symptoms. Now they added Sinemet which wasn't helping so they increased the amount I was taking. Well the symptoms are twice as bad now so I am weaning off of them. All of my tardive dyskinesia is in my face. My tongue and mouth are so sore by the end of the day it's almost unbearable. When I sleep it goes away, but by the end of the day it is back to raw and sore. I have permanent lines above my lip, the corners of my mouth have downward wrinkles and I have a deep wrinkle under my bottom lip that looks like a sideways "c". Vraylar has ruined my life and left me feeling like a freak and living like a homebound freak."

• young
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 19, 2019

Vraylar (cariprazine) "After being hospitalized twice with my bipolar and after trying ten different meds vraylar saved my life. From the age of only 16 bipolar disorder had ruined my life due to both mania and depression but now with vraylar I am finally stable and get to live life"

• Sam
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 8, 2019

Vraylar (cariprazine) "My doctor went on and on about this miracle drug and how it would change my life. I should've smelt the science experiment when she happened to mention I would be the first person to take it in her practice I had extreme insomnia - lucky if I had an hour of straight sleep, sleep medications wouldn't work. Restless, I had to go, go, go. I was shaking all of the time and my anxiety was through the roof. I had multiple panic attacks at work wherein I had to leave (this has never happened even on my worse day) Upside the visual/auditory hallucinations stopped as well as the delusions and I felt like everything was hunky dory emotionally wise but that was due to the mania it all but catapulted me into. Doctor pretty much refused to change my medications even after only having taken it for a month with all of these horrible side effects. I realised I would have to do it and never went back. I will never touch Vraylar again."

• sloane
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 11, 2019

Vraylar (cariprazine) "I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder 4 years ago. It took years of trial & error to find the right combination of meds that helped. Along with other meds, I took Abilify for 4 years & gained 60 lbs. It didn't seem to be doing much. It always felt like I still wasn't feeling AS mentally balanced as I COULD be feeling. I also had akathesia on Abilify. Now, I switched to Vraylar 1.5 mg (THANKFULLY my psychiatrist had samples to give me since the price of the med is crazy). I've been taking it for 3 weeks & it's already changed my life - no exaggeration! I feel recharged & have the energy to do simple tasks & to LIVE my life to the fullest & actually be positive for once. I actually feel like my mood is BALANCED for the first time in years! Only side effect I've had is that I keep making weird tongue movements & curl my tongue under the roof of my mouth without realizing I'm doing it. But w/ the improvements I've made since switching from Abilify to Vraylar, it's a small price to pay!"

• Craig
• June 15, 2020

Vraylar (cariprazine) "Horrible. Horrible. HORRIBLE! Was prescribed this drug around the time of my high school graduation, and it ruined it COMPLETELY. I would feel tired and weak, but still couldn't sleep. I couldn't even think about going to work. I was extremely sensitive to heat. Being outside in the summer heat kinda feel so bad. I was getting terrible intrusive thoughts, and they WOULDN'T. GO. AWAY. Some of them were as simple as opening my brothers car door in the middle of the highway. Some of them were as serious as harming myself, and my family (including my dog who I love more than life itself). What's worse than thinking these horrible thoughts is the guilt you get for thinking them. It ruined my graduation (which I left immediately because this medication made me feel so shitty) and ruined my life! Evil medication. If you're being treated for bipolar, start with Lithium or Latuda"

• Sadie
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 4, 2019

Vraylar (cariprazine) "My doctor switched my bi-polar medication from Seroquel, which I believe to be helpful, over to Vraylar. I was nervous in the beginning, Seroquel worked very well for me and I was afraid of going back to the symptoms. I was overjoyed with Vraylar. It helps me so much more than the Seroquel ever did. My family and friends noticed the difference within a few weeks."

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

Vraylar (cariprazine) "Am Bipolar I, was having a terrible episode of depression and 1.5mg of Vraylar made it disappear in less than a month. It IS causing weight gain. But I haven't felt this balanced and upbeat in a very long time. Thank heaven's my psychiatrist is providing samples as the cost is absurd, even with insurance. Also take 45mg Mirtazapine at bedtime (for depression/anxiety/sleep), take the Vraylar in a.m. & 1 mg of Klonopin 3 times a day. Haven't felt this good in decades."

• hugoboy
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 18, 2016

Vraylar (cariprazine) "I am updating my last post in hopes that this new drug is able to help others as it has helped me....Since my last post, I feel quite "alive" in many ways----BEFORE VRAYLAR--BED, 20 HOURS MINIMUN....SUICIDAL IDEATION--HOPELESSNESS-CONST. CRYING,-DOOMED, LOSS OF INTEREST IN "EVERYTHING!".....Fast forward--Yesterday I ran for groceries, got gas for the car, walked the dog, trimmed a few shrubs and ran to the casino with a friend, plus I sleep better...I got a coupon for the first month, and need Dr. approval for the rest,which I did not know during my last post.. but I've been on everything, and pray I get this....God bless all-THERE IS HOPE FOR YOU!!"

• KDano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2020

Vraylar (cariprazine) "I started to help me the 2nd day I took Vraylar ( have bipolar) . It keeps me from hitting the low - lows. However, I can no longer sleep more than 4 hours at a time. It's great as a mood stabilizer but not sleeping is starting to get to me. Is this normal?"

• PIano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 28, 2019

Vraylar (cariprazine) "Update to post dated August 10th. I saw my doc and explained that 1.5 mg was making me excessively sleepy. She suggested I cut the capsule in half. At first I was hesitant but I decided to try it. I’m happy to report that Vraylar is now working it’s magic. I feel balanced, happy and motivated. Glad I followed her advice."

• Kay
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 29, 2019

Vraylar (cariprazine) "20 years old, Female with bipolar. The first few weeks on Vraylar I experienced restlessness, drowsiness and hot flashes. After my body adjusted to the medication, all I can say is that it’s worked wonders for me. I haven’t had any mood swings, I feel as stable as I’ve been for years, and will continue taking this medication. Glad to have found something that finally works. Thanks Vraylar!"

• ABano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 25, 2019

Vraylar (cariprazine) "So, I started with Vraylar at a dose 1.5 mg for about 2 weeks for my mixed BP 2 ,I loved it. I did take it in the morning ,and at night time I used Xanax . I felt like my manic episodes were still going on, but in a controlled manner . I started projects and actually finished them . I felt so good, full of constructive energy ,great mood ,until I tried the 3 mg . First day ,upset stomach ,low blood pressure ,felt horrible . Second day, restless, but somehow my body wants to do things, but not my brain. I got sleepy, without motivation, I feel uncomfortable everywhere . I absolutely hate the 3 mg .I'll be seeing my Dr this week ,maybe I can stick to 1.5 mg ."

• Leaf
• April 12, 2016

Vraylar (cariprazine) "My daughter has been taking Vraylar for 3 weeks after trying MANY other meds for bp depression. The others had made no difference in her sadness, only side effects. 3 days after starting vraylar she is a new person. Happy, sleeping well. She has not needed Xanax since vraylar. Went from crying everyday to doing schoolwork, activities with friends. Only negative is the outrageous cost. Working on that as it is not at all affordable."

• AJano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 1, 2018

Vraylar (cariprazine) "I started taking 1.5 mg a month ago. After a week I went up to 3mg. My experience with vraylar has been excellent. I've never felt so stable in more than 20 years. I've tried all antipsychotics and many antidepressants and never felt this good. I was afraid to try Vraylar because of the side effects such as tardive dyskinesia (TD), akatesia and restlessness. Many antipsychotics have me those side effects. I decided to try it anyway and boy am I glad I did. I've never felt better."

• What...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 1, 2024

Vraylar (cariprazine) "I'm bipolar 1 and have mixed features. When I am manic, I am over the top, and when depressed, it's bad. I have been on multiple antipsychotics but have had issues with many of them. Seroquel, I had 2 falls, breaking my ankle in 3 places, and another time breaking 3 toes. I fell with risperdal. Zyprexa made me gain 15 lbs in less than 2 weeks. I have been hospitalized twice. First, I started Abilify, which worked then stopped. Second admission to Latuda and it seemed to work for a while, but I started having manic episodes. My psychiatrist recommended trying Vraylar. What a wonder drug for me. I'm on 3 mg now, but on the 1.5 dosage, I already felt some positive change. Mania went away, and so did depression. I did have moderate nausea the first week, but it went away. I haven't had any other side effects (knock on wood). I am in a great space. Not anxious, focused, concentrating, and more interactive. I am very happy with the results I have had so far."

• AylaC...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 1, 2023

Vraylar (cariprazine) "This medicine was the MOST effective drug I have taken since I started taking medications, and that includes 10+ medications. I actually felt incredibly happy for the first time in years. It is super effective for both bipolar depression and mania. Unfortunately, I gained 40 pounds in under a year. It makes me sick that I had to choose between my mental health and my physical health. The weight gain, besides the obvious huge changes to my body and self-esteem, has caused significant back pain to the extent of seeing a chiropractor as well as knee pain. Sciatica was part of the back pain sometimes, which is miserable. I just kept gaining weight. Now, when I mentioned to my psychiatric doctor I needed to change again because of the weight gain, he blithely mentioned that now they automatically start people out with metformin or similar medication when prescribing Vraylar and it keeps the patient from gaining weight. So, with that info, maybe it will help someone else."