Lumateperone for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

• rsw...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 17, 2023

"I took Caplyta for almost a year. I had pain all over my body, I could hardly move my neck. When I finally stopped the medication, I had no pain in about 2 weeks. I have taken a lot of drugs for my condition, but this was by far the worst. Personally, I think it is a very dangerous medication. I really thought it would kill me!"

• Fem...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 30, 2022

"Took Caplyta for the first time and only time 2 days ago. I am also on lamotrigine 400 mg and Lexapro 15 mg. The next morning, I could barely open my eyes, that’s how drugged up I felt. I felt dizzy, foggy, nauseous, and confused. I had one of the worst headaches I have ever experienced. My husband had to come home from work that morning because I literally could not function and take care of our 9-month-old. I slept all day, but the headache got worse. I did not take it last night, and I am still having horrible side effects. I couldn’t go to work because I still feel very foggy. My insides feel like they are burning. I either need to explosively vomit or go to the bathroom but can’t do either. I still have a severe headache, and my pee is also unusually dark. I’m so bummed. I had high hopes for this med, but I have never reacted to a medication like this in the last 14 years of being on meds."

• dav...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 17, 2022

"This medicine caused problems with temperature regulation for sure and flu-like symptoms. My nose would get so stuffy I could barely breathe even after taking allergy meds. I also got a severe burning sensation in my arms and legs while feeling cold at the same time. I’d have my heat on 75 with a space heater and electric blanket and still feel cold, but my skin felt like it was being burned inside out."

• whe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 20, 2022

"Caplyta has made me feel nothing but anger, annoyance, and frustration. I haven’t felt a single positive emotion since starting it. It’s not even a listed side effect. It has made me so angry, so constantly, that I cry every day out of pure anger. Constant, uncontrolled anger every day. No other emotions."

• use...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 17, 2023

"I am ecstatic with Caplyta. I think it is the best medication I've tried over the years. It's effective and has no sexual side effects. - 53-year-old male on antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and/or antidepressants since 1991. - Effective against depression and psychosis at 42 mg. Tried to reduce the 42 mg dose to reduce too much energy, and the return of psychosis resulted. - Before all medications: lethargic, severely depressed. With Caplyta: energized, alert, clear-thinking, good mood. - Somewhat overly energized, and initial sleep disruption managed with gabapentin (300 mg x3), Buspar (30 mg x3), Ativan, and 200 mg L-Theanine at bedtime. - Minimal side effects: no sexual issues (common with other antipsychotics), no appetite increase or weight gain, no akathisia. - Initial minor side effects: dry mouth, stuffy nose, mild constipation, slight fatigue - all resolved quickly. - Only effective antidepressants since age 17: Lamictal, Abilify, and Caplyta."

• WJL...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 5, 2022

"I was prescribed Caplyta by my psychiatrist. I also have taken Wellbutrin and Lamictal for years. The first day I took it, I thought I was going to die. My neck was burning hot (but on the inside). Then it radiated up to the lower part of my head, then I could feel the heat radiating down my spine. It felt like a hot poker. My feet swelled up, as did my left hand and face. I could barely type a text to my husband for help. I vomited for about 8 hours and couldn’t hold down even a sip of water as my mouth was so dry. My fever was normal, but my insides were on fire. My husband called the late-night nurse, and she said, “Sounds like an allergic reaction, so give her a Benadryl.” I was pretty skeptical, so I took a Xanax too to help relax (which she approved to do). I’m still feeling the horrible “wobbly” effects two days later. I would NEVER have taken this knowing what I would have to endure."

• Cpm...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 27, 2024

"I was on Depakote for a while, and it helped, but it didn't deal with the depression very well. I asked to try out Prozac, but it was overkill for me, even in small doses. I told my doctor that the Depakote wasn't keeping up with me, and so she said, let's give Caplyta a go. It was a big difference. Depakote stopped my mood swings dead in their tracks. Caplyta has a take-it-easy approach and really clears something up before letting the mood stabilization settle. I did not have any side effects from it. No headache or anything, but I'm really good at meditation techniques that stop headaches from coming on, so that could have helped. Caplyta for me has been a very clean feeling, so it has helped with my depression. Pretty amazing drug."

• Cat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 20, 2022

"I have only taken this medication for one night, and I'm never taking it again. My body felt like it was on fire, my head was pounding. When I got up, I felt as if I was gonna faint. I was so nauseous, and the next morning, I felt so confused and dizzy. I had to sit down in the shower because I thought I was gonna pass out, and I slept all day because my brain was so foggy."

• Non...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 14, 2024

"Before starting Caplyta, I was on Depakote, Vraylar, and Xanax 3 times a day. Now I just take the Caplyta and the Depakote and no longer need the Xanax at all. This is a wonderful drug, and I'm so glad it was prescribed to me."

• Kim...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 21, 2024

"I have tried multiple medications for bipolar disorder over the past 24 years. Caplyta is the clear winner. I am euthymic for the first time in years. I feel hopeful again and do not fear depression. I have lived with such anxiety that I will relapse into major depression, but not while I'm taking Caplyta. My family and friends comment on how much I've changed and how positive I seem. This has been life-changing for all of us. The only side effect I have experienced is feeling a bit of dizziness, but this is manageable."

• hlj...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 2, 2025

"Not bad, but I didn't love it either. I was on Caplyta for a few months for bipolar depression. I took it as my only medication for bipolar at first, starting at 21 mg and going up to 42 mg. It did not work at either dose. I was still depressed and suicidal. After a while of that, I started 200 mg of lamotrigine alongside the Caplyta. I had been on lamotrigine previously, and it didn't work well enough on its own either. Together, though, the medications worked. I wasn't in a depressive episode anymore. Things were going well for me. I was very cold on Caplyta for the first week or so. No clue why that happened. I started in early fall, so it could have been worse, but it was still very annoying. My vision was slightly more blurry on it, but it was manageable. What ultimately made me come off the medication was the drowsiness. It was better than the other antipsychotics I had been on, but it was hard to get up in the morning, and that wasn't sustainable for me."

• raa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 4, 2023

"This medicine changed my life. I’m diagnosed with bipolar and have been in a depressed mood for 2 years. I have been taking Caplyta for a month, and I haven’t felt this good since I was a child. I luckily have not experienced any of the bad reactions others have mentioned in reviews. The first night I took it, I just felt very vulnerable, and reality seemed a little shifted, but it wasn’t bad. Positive effects kicked in within a week, and I just keep feeling better and better. I slept more than 12 hours before this medication and had absolutely no energy throughout the day. I now have sustained energy and get a healthy 8 hours of sleep. I have developed a good routine and have stuck to it. After 3 weeks, I realized I was able to feel true joy, and I laugh more. I enjoy being around others. I have more depth and more clarity. I am able to take it easy and not stress/focus on the bad. I hope this medication continues to work."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 8, 2022

"I take Caplyta with 300 mg Effexor daily for MDD (Major Depressive Disorder). At first, I wasn't sure I wanted to continue the medication, I had terrible dry mouth, nausea, trouble sleeping, and dizziness. I'm glad I stayed on it. My depression has greatly improved. I still have low days, but I generally have more energy. I've lost 12 lbs and no longer have suicidal ideation. My only caveat is I find myself with very high anxiety. I don't know if this is due to the medication or life circumstances. Does anyone else have a lot of anxiety since taking Caplyta?"

• nun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 16, 2023

"I only needed to take it once, 10.5 mg, to know I'd never take it again. Within an hour, I was passed out completely and don't remember getting to the bed. Woke up after 4 hours and started having hope for it as I was feeling something shifting, more balanced, if you will. Well, then came the major headache everyone is talking about, then the burning from the inside out, unable to regulate body temperature, wobbly. Still wobbly for a couple of days, and my nose was so stuffy the next day. I really had hope. Try it for yourself but I would definitely recommend the lowest dose of 10.5 mg."

• Loz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 26, 2022

"I have bipolar 2 and started this for depression. I took the first dose of Caplyta last night, about 24 hours ago now. It was terrible. About 45 minutes in, I felt my feet burning, and then the burning crept to my torso and back. It was burning so badly that I started looking for blisters! I could not rest as my skin was so inflamed. I was also freezing. I had a comforter and a blanket over me, and it’s 74 degrees in my house. By morning, I was so groggy and dizzy. The burning finally eased up by mid-morning, but even now I can still feel a bit of a burn on my arms and hands. I tell you this is a dangerous drug. I will not take another dose, and like someone else said on here, the experience has made me nervous to try other meds."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 21, 2024

"After a year of trying 5 different meds, this has been the most effective by far. I started at 42 mg. The first two weeks I took it, the side effects were unbearable. For me, it was intense dizziness, nausea, headache, and lightheadedness—to the point that I couldn’t drive, and I would repeatedly fall. Despite that, I stuck with it, and I quickly noticed my depressive symptoms improved. After lowering the dose to 21 mg, the side effects almost went completely away. Eventually, Caplyta brought me out of a months-long, severe depressive episode. I still experience mood fluctuation, but it is absolutely manageable. I feel more like myself than I have in a long time. If you can manage to get Caplyta covered by insurance, or if you are able to use the discount card, I absolutely recommend this medication!"

• Wor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 30, 2022

"I started July 13, 2022. First dose, I woke up feeling like I was a little drunk, enough that I shouldn't have driven. That has gone away. I have frequent urination, but this is also waning. My appetite has decreased, and I’ve lost almost 9 pounds, which I’ve needed to lose; I hope I lose more! It’s helped me have really deep sleep; I fall asleep fast. It’s helped my depression immensely; I no longer have suicidal ideation, and I want to do more things! I’m laughing again, and my wit has returned. I’ve noticed a return of my acid reflux; I don’t know if this is because of the medication. My hair isn’t falling out. I think this is a great medication, and I’m very glad my doc prescribed it to me. I’m excited to see how I’m doing a month in! I take the standard 42 mg dosage in the evening."

• Cap...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 11, 2024

"I don't think it works for my bipolar depression, it does prevent schizo episodes from forming. (I have schizoaffective bipolar.) The medicine makes me very tired. I can only tolerate 21 mg because of that. Also, the full capsule gives me quite the headache that doesn't respond to Tylenol or Advil. That being said, I strongly prefer it to older antipsychotics, all of which give me severe akathisia."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 28, 2022

"I was on Lamictal and gabapentin successfully for years, then last year, I started having increased anxiety and panic attacks with routine activities, so I had to change meds. After a less than satisfactory experience with Vraylar—it kept me from suicide, so I continued it, but the tardive dyskinesia was very uncomfortable and left me with a persistent repetitive movement problem—I started Caplyta as soon as it was approved for bipolar. My mood is stable now, and the anxiety and panic I was having have almost completely gone away. I also don’t have to take Lunesta for sleep anymore because the insomnia I had for 10 years is gone. One problem I've had is that I wet myself in my sleep if I become intoxicated. My provider said he thought that the CNS depression is so profound that it caused that when alcohol was added to the mix. Thank goodness I didn’t stop breathing. Needless to say, I don’t get intoxicated anymore, and it doesn’t happen."

• lex...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 20, 2022

"Possibly the worst I have ever felt from just one use. First, I thought I was being paranoid, but like 20 minutes after taking it, my arms felt like they were on fire. And then I threw up, and then my feet started burning, but I was freezing and instantly felt high. It was an extreme high. I then got my mom to come get me because I couldn’t walk from being dizzy and I kept falling. She took me to her house and I instantly had one of the worst headaches I have ever felt in my entire life and started throwing up. Then I checked my temp, and my fever was 100, and my heart rate wouldn’t go down and my oxygen level was 93. My feet and hands got swollen too. And I instantly started going in and out of consciousness. I ended up taking a nap, and I couldn’t stop sweating with chills, and when my bf picked me up, he said I kept passing out. I woke up this morning still sick and I went to the doctor to change my meds."

• Jas...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 11, 2023

"I was prescribed Caplyta 42mg for Bipolar 1 in a mixed state 10 months ago. The first two weeks involved the side effects of other reviews: POUNDING headaches, nausea, severe confusion, and dry mouth. Within the first three days my depression seemed all but canceled out; it took about a week for the mania to subside. I would say that it definitely does the job effectively. I would like to mention though that no other AP has had such a profoundly weird effect on my psyche. From day 1, it seemed to create an uncanny brain fog so thick that it became very difficult to engage externally, but it enabled CRYSTAL clear internal thinking. This was great for therapy, but also intense rumination! My focus and working memory fell under that 'external' part and became so poor that I'm now tapering away in favor of Latuda. Definitely check in with yourself if you try this one out! Despite the inner turmoil, it made me present normally with limited influence on my affect, so only I could see the issue."

• Hrh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 21, 2022

"This is a very specialized medication. It’s changing everything for me personally. I work in healthcare and have been on the med merry-go-round for a minimum of 15 years. Diagnosis of MDD, PTSD, anxiety/panic attacks, and bipolar II. While, obviously, if you are having any life-threatening side effects, I highly suggest sticking it out for at least a week. Yes, I had the extremely dry mouth, felt drunk in the AM, dizzy, severely tired for the first 5 days. Then things picked up significantly, to the point where I was afraid I may be experiencing hypomania. Immediately spoke with my psychiatrist (knows me well, 6+ years) and after explaining my feelings/actions, she said that it doesn’t sound like hypomania at all and that, most likely, I am actually feeling happiness for the first time. I have just hit the 2-week mark and am still all over the place as far as sleepy or not, hungry/mildly nauseous; overall, I’m not depressed. TBD but feeling better."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 17, 2022

"I started Caplyta because I was sick of the weight gain, flat affect, and sedation that I was getting from other antipsychotics. The first two weeks were physically rough. I was waking up after 5 hours of sleep every night, I was incontinent of stool 3x, and I was incredibly nauseous with no appetite to the point where I'd go 5 days without eating. Then, after 2-2.5 weeks, something changed. All the side effects went away, and I was finally able to focus on how it made me feel mentally. It has changed my life. My family says I have a completely different personality - one that is engaged in life, confident, calm, social beyond belief, and genuinely happy. I have had no psychosis, and I feel like Caplyta pulled me out of a depression that I had just unconsciously accepted as my 'normal.' I'm very happy I found this drug and will continue to use it. FYI."

• Jde...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 12, 2022

"This was the worst medicine I’ve ever been on. I took it, and one hour later, my skin was burning, and I was so restless despite taking melatonin. Then, I fell asleep and woke up with a massive headache, severe dizziness, and nausea. This lasted all day. I couldn’t make food because of dizziness, and not that that mattered because I was so nauseous I had no appetite. As the day progressed, it never eased to the point where I had to go to the ER. DO NOT TAKE THIS! Try it for yourself, but I’m warning you, it’s done its damage. I’m now terrified to start new meds."

• k-b...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 18, 2023

"First, it has been 6 days, and already my bipolar depression is lifting. I cleaned today, showered, and made food. Crazy if you saw before. I do have a slight headache still. I will say the first night was awful. I have never been so hot in my life. Just my hands and legs. The rest of me was freezing. I was shivering and sweating for almost 20 hours, with red and swollen feet I couldn't walk on. I had one of the worst headaches I have ever had, a severely stuffy nose, and was exhausted, having not slept but maybe an hour that night. I had to call out of work. I decided to try it one more night on the off chance that I was coincidentally sick the night before. I still got a little hot in my feet, but nothing like before. Now, 6 days in, all the side effects are gone, with the exception of a mild headache. It's getting better every day, though. I am already laughing and smiling, today was my first day of motivation, and I'm getting the desire to journal and paint again."