Cariprazine and Restlessness: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 30, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Started on Vraylar 1.5 mg for 3 weeks, mild side effects... went up to 3 mg and the insomnia, restlessness, and agitation were horrible. I made it in 5 days and then saw the doctor. I have Bipolar I, and she suggested I go back down to 1.5 and added 5 mg of Abilify. My body was sore for the first few days, but I’m starting to feel good again, and taking the Abilify at bedtime helps with sleep."

• Jer...
• January 21, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "My daughter used this drug for three weeks. The third week, she was restless and walked all over the house. She could not sleep at all. The third day, she took two 1.5 mg Vraylar, and by afternoon, her whole body was shivering, and she could not drink water. We rushed her into an ER. She is in the hospital now. The neurologist prescribed medicine to reverse the effects of Vraylar. Her system is flushed out, and so is her brain. She does not shiver anymore, but her thinking ability is affected, and she cannot have continual thoughts. She is restless and can’t sleep more than two hours. She is under psychiatrist observation, and this drug is stopped. Thus, when you use this drug, be careful and observant."

• Jac...
• January 25, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "Started taking Vraylar for bipolar depression after a huge miss with Latuda. Started at 1.5 mg, and it worked quite well. Doctor upped dosage to 3 mg, but a severe case of akathisia set in where I would force myself to sleep just to stop moving. It was dreadful. Went back down to 1.5 mg, and it's been wonderful fighting the depression and seasonal affective disorder."

• ARe...
• October 5, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "So, I was on two other antipsychotics before this one. This one is the best out of the three, but I still have issues with side effects. The most annoying side effect is akathisia (a movement disorder). I always have to be moving. It's very uncomfortable. Another side effect is trouble sleeping. No matter what time of day I take it, I have trouble sleeping. My emotions are dulled, but at least I'm not having manic or depressive episodes, so I guess it's worth it. I have a lot of trouble with concentration and memory, but my doctor says that's not med-related (I think it is though because I wasn't having those issues before.) Anyway, the medicine does what it is supposed to. It suppresses my hallucinations to some extent, and I don't have manic or depressive episodes anymore. But honestly, I'm not sure if the side effects are worth it. I've been on it for about 5 months, and the side effects have not lessened or gone away like the doctor claimed they would."

• dru...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 26, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "I wish I could say good things about Vraylar, but it was just not the medication for me. A few days in on 1.5 mg, and I felt restless to no end (akathisia). This feeling was unfortunately familiar to me, and I knew to ask to cease the medication. Not only that, but I had to wait 5+ days for the feeling to end after because of the long half-life. It was not meant to be..."

• dru...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 26, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "I wish I could say good things about Vraylar, but it was just not the medication for me. A few days in on 1.5 mg, and I felt restless to no end (akathisia). This feeling was unfortunately familiar to me, and I knew to ask to cease the medication. Not only that, but I had to wait 5+ days for the feeling to end after because of the long half-life. It was not meant to be..."

• bp2...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 26, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "If I could give Vraylar a 0, I would. I have tried a lot of meds for my bipolar depression, but this was the worst. I had a panic attack every day while on it and a few days after I was taken off it. This drug makes me very scared to try another drug. I couldn't sleep. I had a weird feeling where I wanted to eat but also felt too restless to eat or do anything else."

• Car...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 23, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "My husband took this medication for 3 days. Each day became progressively worse. He was getting more agitated, huge appetite increase, restless, and anxious by the day. Not to mention the minimal to no sleep he was getting. I was surprised to see the side effects appear so quickly, but I am glad. We are now on day 4 off the medication. I'm hopeful he will be getting back to baseline soon. With detox, he has brain saps, interrupted sleep, restlessness, and anxiety. Last night was better than any night in the past week. Given the side effects and length of time the med stays in your system, I am glad we stopped the med after 3 doses."

• kun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 18, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been on this rollercoaster of a med for two weeks now. At first, I could have sworn I was as good as new, except for the insomnia. Come day eight or so, I was crawling out of my skin. Jerking arms, wringing feet, and nearly impossible to sleep. Worst akathisia I ever got from a med. Also, double vision, nausea, and constipation. I'm at two weeks akathisia to the point of not being able to sleep. Actually having mild hallucinations at this point. All I feel like on this med is a guinea pig."

• Twi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 1, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "Took Vraylar for about 2 months. The restlessness in my body was the worst part for me. I couldn’t get my arms comfortable to type at work, which is 100% of my job. Also, I started worrying about stuff more than I normally did, was called paranoid by my sister. Otherwise, it worked great. Also experienced weight gain, but it was during the holidays, to be fair."

• Bla...
• June 29, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "My doctor just diagnosed me as bipolar 2 weeks ago and prescribed Vraylar to help with my moods. I'm always nervous to start new medications, so I just started it a couple of days ago. So far, the side effects are making me want to quit taking it. I was told to take it before bed, but it makes my mind race so badly that I've been laying here for 3 hours and still can't sleep. And I can't take it in the morning because it makes me feel drunk-tired and, for lack of a better word, completely high. As exhausted as I am, I still feel like I could take on the day without sleep. Other side effects are dizziness, restlessness, shakiness, headache, upset stomach, intense hunger, feeling like I'm catching a cold, can't stay asleep, blurred vision (I'm typing with one eye closed), irritability, difficulty concentrating, and an intense manic episode starting about an hour after taking the pill, lasting all day. I'm super sensitive to meds, and I really don't think this is the med for me."

• Day...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 28, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Vraylar gave me the worst akathisia in my life. At one point, I was so restless and anxious that I left work (without telling my boss) and drove straight to the hospital. I really thought I was going to die. I was having uncontrollable jerking movements while taking this stuff. Everyone reacts differently to meds, so maybe this med just isn’t for me. I ended up going back to Seroquel XR-I’ll take sedation any day over that horrible feeling Vraylar gave me."

• Day...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 28, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Vraylar gave me the worst akathisia in my life. At one point, I was so restless and anxious that I left work (without telling my boss) and drove straight to the hospital. I really thought I was going to die. I was having uncontrollable jerking movements while taking this stuff. Everyone reacts differently to meds, so maybe this med just isn’t for me. I ended up going back to Seroquel XR-I’ll take sedation any day over that horrible feeling Vraylar gave me."

• sir...
• December 22, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I was enthusiastic to begin Vraylar because the commercials made it look like a wonder drug for bipolar mixed episodes. I have to say it has helped, but I can't know how much because I'm already on Wellbutrin (antidepressant), Lithium (mood stabilizer), and Seroquel (antipsychotic/sleep aid). Vraylar does cause wicked akathisia and, most notably for me, it does cause weight gain. I've been on it for over three months, and I gained ten pounds easily. This amount is a lot for me, especially when it's so hard to lose. I am always hungry, and I worry I am showing early signs of diabetes. I would like to go jogging, but lately, I've had no motivation to go. My swollen body feels helpless. I am going to try going off of Vraylar to see if I can become a normal self. Do I really need this drug? We shall see..."

• PJ ...
• November 11, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "My wife has been on everything for bipolar. The Dr. added Vraylar to bupropion, clonazepam, and lithium. At first, we thought it was amazing. She went from curled up in bed to going places and doing things. Her manic episodes had been limited to rage, and after starting Vraylar, they seemed to become euphoric just prior to turning radically dysphoric. The get up and go turned to akathisia. It tapered off to simply lose its efficacy. Going up to 3 mg just brought the same roller coaster. My wife is treatment resistant to many meds. If you choose to try this medication, please look out for these side effects and keep your optimism in check."

• mik...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 18, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I remember eagerly waiting for this medicine to come out, and when it finally did, I think I must've been one of, if not the only patient my psychiatrist had on it. At first, while taking it in the morning, I felt super nauseated (lost weight from it actually) and felt like I didn't want to get out of bed for anything. So I started taking it at night, which helped a little, but then it suddenly became stimulating for me, so I started taking it in the morning again. That's when I started noticing the therapeutic benefit setting in, which took roughly a week to start setting in. I quit taking it a month and a half later because of akathisia, but decided to give it another go here recently and haven't really had any problems."

• TC-...
• June 7, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "Did not work for me. Made me very tired at first, then couldn't sleep through the night after the 3rd day of taking. On the 4th day, I developed akathisia, which was quite miserable. Discontinued after this occurred. If you feel like this is starting, I'd stop immediately!"

• cru...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 29, 2016

For Schizophrenia "Vraylar worked the very first time, where it helped with increased motivation and willingness to attend drop-in centers. After 3-4 weeks, developed increasing akathisia that a new doctor pulled him out and gave him Seroquel - that was a horrific move! He slept 90% of the 2 days he was on. So after a few days, we brought him back to Vraylar on an every other day basis. The results from the first trial were not the same the second time around. He's back on it now every day, and his restlessness is progressively getting worse and his akathisia is bad. So we don't know if it's because of the Seroquel break that took away the efficacy or if it lost its magic - we don't know. All we know is that my son is very restless and now very unhappy."

• cru...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 29, 2016

For Schizophrenia "Vraylar worked the very first time, where it helped with increased motivation and willingness to attend drop-in centers. After 3-4 weeks, developed increasing akathisia that a new doctor pulled him out and gave him Seroquel - that was a horrific move! He slept 90% of the 2 days he was on. So after a few days, we brought him back to Vraylar on an every other day basis. The results from the first trial were not the same the second time around. He's back on it now every day, and his restlessness is progressively getting worse and his akathisia is bad. So we don't know if it's because of the Seroquel break that took away the efficacy or if it lost its magic - we don't know. All we know is that my son is very restless and now very unhappy."

• Rox...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 27, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I have been taking this medication for two weeks. The restlessness is almost gone. It has saved my life. I love this medication. I feel like I can change my life finally! I saw give it a try. It’s very smooth on the side effects, unlike Latuda."

• Sha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 28, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been taking Vraylar for 5 weeks, 1.5 mg, and I can't sleep more than 2-3 hrs a night. It has made my blood pressure go up. I also feel restless and have anxiety I've never had before. I'm being treated for bipolar and manic disorder, my energy is gone, I'm tired all the time. Not for me. I'm going to stop taking it. Today I was online reading reviews to see why I feel the way I do. Well, now I know."

• NoB...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 30, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "In combination with my Lamictal, Vraylar works very well for me. I originally was prescribed Vraylar for mood swings but discovered when I began Lamictal that it was actually helping my social anxiety tremendously. Anyway, after about 9 months of taking Vraylar, I have developed akathisia. I can’t stop moving the toes in my left foot, and believe me, it’s worse than it sounds. I am totally unaware when I’m doing it, but if I concentrate on it, I can stop. I am getting off of Vraylar immediately. I hope these symptoms don’t persist."

• Jen...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 17, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I was diagnosed with bipolar at 17. I am now 45 and have tried every drug out there. Vraylar has been a miracle drug for me! I have been on it for two weeks. Fast acting, and I am normal again, doing normal things I haven't been able to do in a long time. It is hard to sleep and feel restless, having to pace sometimes, but hoping it passes because I haven't felt this good in a long time. My daughter told my son, 'Look, Mom is normal!' What a great feeling!"

• Nat...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 31, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been taking Vraylar for about 2 years. I've been told that I have bipolar depression. I don't really have many manic mood swings (just a lot of horrible depression). It's definitely helped me! It didn't make me lose my sex drive, and it also did not make me gain weight (like a lot of the other meds I've tried). It's controlled my pessimistic ways. Recently, I've been doing some research on Vraylar, and I have encountered some other side effects like akathisia, elevated liver enzymes, and lack of concentration (which I was prescribed Adderall, and it's helped me with 'brain fog,' which doesn't really let you concentrate on regular day-to-day things). Overall, it has helped me out tremendously with the wicked depression, and that's what matters the most to me. Uncontrollable depression is the worst feeling, and I feel like I'm finally under control."

• Moo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 17, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I began at 1.5, then titrated to 3 mg dosage. At first, I loved the medicine, as it completely eliminated my depressive symptoms and helped regulate my sleep. However, after being on the medicine for two weeks, I developed akathisia and was told to stop. However, for those who do not experience TDS or EPS from the medicine, I imagine this will be a solid option to consider. Just be warned-the most common side effect listed is 'restlessness,' which hit me hard and fast."