Anyone else on Aripiprazole?? Had psychosis?

I take 10mg a day Aripiprazole. Its been effective as an antipsychotic but what I find very frustrating is how many hours I spend sleepy and I've been deprived of a lot of energy and vigour. Does anyone else experience thus with this or other antipsychotic meds? Also I know it's sensitive but I'd like to discuss our experiences of psychosis. Can you tell me about your psychosis experience, what it was like?

Reply 1

EdoreScienceCons

Original post

by SaucissonSecCy

https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/aripiprazole/side-effects-of-aripiprazole/

Read the section on feeling sleepy.

Reply 2

EuropeanIAm

Original post

by EdoreScienceCons

https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/aripiprazole/side-effects-of-aripiprazole/
Read the section on feeling sleepy.

I was more hoping to discuss with other people on antipsychotics.

Reply 3

baziop

Original post

by SaucissonSecCy

5mg of olanzapine here, previously 10mg. sleepiness and drowsiness is pretty common unfortunately, but you get used to it eventually. helps if you take it at night, and with enough time hopefully the dose can get decreased and you can taper off. happy to talk about experiences in detail in DMs if you want 🙂 either way stay safe and healthy.

Reply 4

The_Lonely_Goatherd

I'm on an aripiprazole depot injection since Dec 2022 (400mg). Been on aripiprazole on and off (I was very haphazard at taking it, pre-depot) since 2011, never had any side effects. Been quite lucky like that!

I'm happy to write about my experiences of psychosis on here. Did you have particular questions you wanted to ask people? :smile:

Reply 5

EuropeanIAm

Original post

by The_Lonely_Goatherd

I'm on an aripiprazole depot injection since Dec 2022 (400mg). Been on aripiprazole on and off (I was very haphazard at taking it, pre-depot) since 2011, never had any side effects. Been quite lucky like that!
I'm happy to write about my experiences of psychosis on here. Did you have particular questions you wanted to ask people? :smile:

No specific questions just tell me whatever you're comfortable telling me about the psychosis. I am curious how mine compares to others.

Reply 6

The_Lonely_Goatherd

Original post

by SaucissonSecCy

No specific questions just tell me whatever you're comfortable telling me about the psychosis. I am curious how mine compares to others.

Ah OK! I'm less good at rambling on without guiding questions, hence asking whether you had any :colondollar:

My main symptoms are hearing voices (which I've experienced for 30 years now. Started as a young child, but the voices changed from benign to more psychotic aged 21) and experiencing paranoia. I hear almost all the voices inside my head (it's very unusual for me to experience them as a sensation with my ears, or as something outside my head). Most of the voices sound like my voice, so are technically female, though I don't consider most of them to have a gendered identity. I hear a mixture of persecutory, command, and commentary voices.

I'm told I have very good 'insight' into my condition (schizoaffective disorder), so I'm a lot more functional than many people with my diagnosis, is the impression I get from clinicians.

I've had three lots of NHS therapy, each for 9 months:

CBT (Cognitive behavioural therapy)
ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy)
Schema therapy

Reply 7

EuropeanIAm

Original post

by The_Lonely_Goatherd

Ah OK! I'm less good at rambling on without guiding questions, hence asking whether you had any :colondollar:

My main symptoms are hearing voices (which I've experienced for 30 years now. Started as a young child, but the voices changed from benign to more psychotic aged 21) and experiencing paranoia. I hear almost all the voices inside my head (it's very unusual for me to experience them as a sensation with my ears, or as something outside my head). Most of the voices sound like my voice, so are technically female, though I don't consider most of them to have a gendered identity. I hear a mixture of persecutory, command, and commentary voices.
I'm told I have very good 'insight' into my condition (schizoaffective disorder), so I'm a lot more functional than many people with my diagnosis, is the impression I get from clinicians.
I've had three lots of NHS therapy, each for 9 months:
CBT (Cognitive behavioural therapy)
ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy)
Schema therapy

Thanks for telling me. My experience is very different I've had two incidents of psychosis getting sectioned in a police van. Both times there were an array of voices from my life but one prominent figure. Also one time there were people from the medias voices. It was stuff that could only be described as persecution. I also saw an apparition in the window in the first psychosis, and the view in front of me started morphing into faces. It took a few days medication and a move of hospital until I had any any calm whatsoever as I didn't know where I was and because if the voices I thought I was somewhere for criminals not a psychiatric ward.

But my experience has been isolated incidents, touch wood. I pray I don't get it again. I don't know how you cope with it constantly you must be very strong.

Reply 8

The_Lonely_Goatherd

Original post

by SaucissonSecCy

Thanks for telling me. My experience is very different I've had two incidents of psychosis getting sectioned in a police van. Both times there were an array of voices from my life but one prominent figure. Also one time there were people from the medias voices. It was stuff that could only be described as persecution. I also saw an apparition in the window in the first psychosis, and the view in front of me started morphing into faces. It took a few days medication and a move of hospital until I had any any calm whatsoever as I didn't know where I was and because if the voices I thought I was somewhere for criminals not a psychiatric ward.
But my experience has been isolated incidents, touch wood. I pray I don't get it again. I don't know how you cope with it constantly you must be very strong.

Gosh, that all sounds quite dramatic and traumatic. I've fortunately never been in hospital or had any dealings with the police :console:

My experiences are on the mild spectrum and because I have the 'insight', that makes things a lot more manageable than they would otherwise be :redface:

I usually know that a voice is a voice, rather than believing it to be real - so it's easier to ignore what they say. I'm very used to it, as it's just the way my brain works, for whatever reason! :iiam:

Reply 9

The_Lonely_Goatherd

A few things I forgot to mention in initial post (my dad interrupted me before I could finish properly):

I don't tend to see things/have visual hallucinations. If I do, they're almost always spiders and it means I'm getting very ill very quickly :eek:

Tactile hallucinations are also quite rare for me though when I do have them, they're very frightening and feel rather familiar (as if it may possibly be a flashback rather than a hallucination).

My psychosis works on a cyclical patterns and tends to explode massively during the Christian season of Lent. It also gets hugely aggravated by religious buildings, so going to church isn't safe for me :sad:

The psychosis also worsens in academic libraries, which made my undergrad degree an interesting experience :erm:

I've heard voices throughout the day almost every day for the past nearly-15 years :ninja:

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 10

PAPYRUS HOPELINE

Official Rep

Hi, Thank you for having the courage to share your experiences of psychosis, I hope it provides some comfort in knowing you're not alone in your experience. You may also find these articles helpful - [url= https://www.nami.org/bipolar-and-related-disorders/what-it-feels-like-to-be-in-psychosis/] https://www.nami.org/bipolar-and-related-disorders/what-it-feels-like-to-be-in-psychosis/ & https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/your-stories/my-experience-with-psychosis/. Additionally if you are ever experiencing thoughts of suicide then please reach out to Hopeline247 on 0800 068 4141 or by Text on 88247 for advice and support from a trained Suicide Prevention Adviser. 💜