Generic Name: Vraylar for Schizophrenia (cariprazine)
Vraylar for Schizophrenia Reviews
"Vraylar literally helped me to turn my whole life around. I have been on it for 2 years now. It was a rough adjustment, to say the least. However, after finally getting on the right dosage (4.5 mg) and addressing the insomnia it caused (with 400mg Seroquel), I am on top of the world. I was always high-functioning, but never able to fully recover for the duration of the time I was on Zyprexa and Haldol. I have fully recovered! I am now on track to finish my degree. I won’t elaborate with my restrained euphoria and uncharacteristically un-paranoid and sane outlook on life and this drug. I wish everyone had this experience with VRAYLAR. Best to all."
"I have schizoaffective disorder, and Vraylar has been a life-saving drug for me. I take 6mg, and I am full of energy, but not too bad where I feel like I’m getting manic. I’m not depressed. I don’t hear voices or see shadows anymore. It’s a good drug for me."
"I have a strange relationship with this med. I switched from Zyprexa to Vraylar. For some months, I had horrible insomnia and muscle pain (at that time I got prescribed Seroquel XR and Imovane for sleep and against agitation), but somehow I kept going. I told myself it had to be worth it. It was quite an unpleasant experience, but somehow it got me out of my blockade. For me, it’s the first medication that really not only sustained me but changed something deep inside of me – but it came at a price. Now I’m really better and hope it stays that way."
"I have schizoaffective and have been on this medicine almost 1 month. This medicine has really helped with voices (After about 2 weeks) and hallucinations. It has also helped my motivation and mood. I too have had to use my klonopin very infrequently while on Vraylar. I have tried almost all the antipsychotics and all have made me gain weight. This one I am actually losing about 1 pound a week with eating a healthy diet and exercising. I'm glad I continued to look for the right medicine because I have been without and I know how that ends up. It is really expensive but you can ask for samples then if it works for you, they do have a card that makes it $15.00 per month. Good luck."
"I switched from Abilify, and I've been taking Vraylar. I don't have strange dreams, but I feel more clear and functional during the day. Yes, I get plenty of rest. I take 1.5 mg. It changed my whole life."
"After just six weeks on this medication, my husband of twenty years committed suicide. I knew the medication was bad, but his doctor would not listen. In my opinion, this medicine is bad for the brain."
"My son switched from Risperidone to Vraylar, and it was a terrific decision. He has no positive symptoms on 1.5 mg of Vraylar, and he feels much clearer-minded and motivated than previously. He has been able to recommence his college classes and generally reclaim more of his true personality. Occasionally, he experiences akathisia, in which case he takes a day off of medication with no ill effects that we have seen. I give high praise to the scientists behind this medication. The fact that it works in selective and adaptive ways in regulating dopamine is a tremendous advantage. Risperidone left my son feeling disabled, whereas Vraylar has facilitated a positive and dramatic turnaround."
"It didn’t work for me and my Schizoaffective Disorder. At 1.5mg a day it was incredibly great for almost a month. Then after that I couldn’t sit still, I couldn’t think, the static in my brain was screaming at me constantly. It made me feel suicidal. I’m not saying not to try it- it may work for you. Just always have someone you can call in case things get bad."
"I was prescribed 3.5 mg of Vraylar and gained 67 lb very, very fast. I did not gain anything when I was on fewer mg. I was also talking to people that I normally would not talk to in person and online. When I stopped Vraylar, I was shocked at the people that I had been communicating with. I did find that on this medication it was easier to fall asleep. Vraylar is a serious medication and should not be taken unless absolutely necessary."
"I have major depression with psychotic features. Or at least that's what they say. Antidepressants never worked for me and had awful side effects. Antipsychotics worked better, but the older ones made me too sleepy. Abilify gave me ADD-like symptoms. Latuda was pretty good, no cognition-affecting side effects, but it did sometimes give me bouts of annoying nausea. I heard Vraylar was good at improving the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, which were very similar to the effects of depression in me, so I wondered if Vraylar would work for me too. I've been on it for about a month now, just titrated up from 1.5 to 3 mg. I feel 'brighter.' More animated, more social. No side effects for me at all. I like it."
"I have been using Lamictal for years. Recently my Dr. added Vraylar, and I won't lie, the first couple of days were horrible!!! I got so sick, but I pushed through, and the results have been amazing, and I've only taken it for a week. I am diabetic and haven't had high blood sugar, no weight gain, although I was sooo hungry for the first couple of days. If you can push through the side effects, I highly recommend this medicine. I feel alive again, I have energy and just look forward to life. Also, the voices and visions have stopped."
"I have schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. This medicine is a wonder drug. It has helped with seeing things and voices. It's also helped with the negative symptoms of schizophrenia too. Now, for my bipolar, it's helped stabilize my moods, and I am nowhere near depressed anymore. I have had no side effects at all, my weight has been the same without diet and exercise too."
"I have tried so many different antipsychotics over the years and this is the only one that has had any effect on my symptoms. In fact, they are practically gone thanks to Vraylar. I used to experience extreme bouts of psychosis, and after trying at least ten other medications, this one actually works, with no noticeable side effects. Compared to other antipsychotics which made me sluggish or feel impossibly weird, this medication is incredible. I am only on a 3mg dose, and never thought I would be a functioning adult again until I started this medication."
"I've been taking Vraylar for schizophrenia for over 6 months. It has been the best anti-psychotic to date for me. The only downside is I still experience weight gain. I'm looking to continue this drug until a better one comes out. I've been stabilized and happy for the first time since my illness started 6 years ago."
"My sister had been on clozapine for 11 years! She was doing great; showering on her own, changing her own clothes (for those that know people with schizophrenia, then you know these are major tasks in and of themselves). She was even volunteering, working out, and DRIVING! Just last week, her doctor, whom we have grown to love and depend on, told her about Vraylar. Of course, SHE wanted to try it. Sure, she still had the voices in her head, but they were quieter, and she could always tell the difference between her world and reality. After 3 days on Vraylar, she went full-blown maniac! Throwing things, yelling at us in tongues, hitting and kicking us. We finally got her to the ER and got the clozapine back in her system and the Vraylar out. She's still in CCU."
"I took this medication, Vraylar, for around two months and had to stop taking it because I could not sleep at night, and I couldn’t sit still for any longer than 30 minutes. Continuous feeling of crawling out of my skin. I was on 3 mg. This medication also gave me a permanent head twitch that is super obnoxious, so I can’t imagine what else it would have done if I were on it longer. However, for my hallucinations and my mood, it was a lifesaver. My speech improved, as well as my attitude. I felt like I could finally breathe. I was only seeing blotches of color, which was pleasant for me compared to my very vivid hallucinations. Such a shame the physical symptoms are too unbearable, otherwise, this would have been spectacular."
"This review is for my mother. She has been schizophrenic for several years and has tried all different medications. None of them helped, including Latuda and Risperdal. She felt those made her symptoms worse, but since she has been on this new medication, she feels she is no longer sick. We can all tell a big difference in her, and she has been perfectly fine for the longest time. She loves this medication, she feels like herself again for once, with no side effects."
"I was taking Abilify, and it caused uncontrollable gambling. I then switched to Vraylar. It hardly helped the symptoms of schizophrenia, and it actually worsened my gambling problems. I started stealing money, and it wrecked everything I had. I am now about to start Seroquel and discontinue Vraylar. We will see if the gambling subsides. I was on Invega, and never have I gone as hard at gambling as I had when I was on Abilify and then Vraylar. The voices remained the same, they actually got a little worse while taking Vraylar, by the way."
"I have never done a comment, but today I want to share my experience with Vraylar. I was taking this a year ago. At that time, it helped me a little, but my normal weight was 140 pounds, and after taking the medicine, I got to this at 175 pounds. I was very scared, and not being mentally well, I had to take it. But then, I also started getting other side effects. My body and my hands began to get wiggly movements, which was a very horrible experience. I started reducing my dose, taking it on alternate days until I stopped it. I recovered my normal weight 2 months ago. I am fine now, and I am not taking Vraylar anymore. I recommend you, if you are taking this medicine, before leaving the doctor's office, ask about the side effects. And besides, I did not know the side effects of this medicine. If you are going to start taking it for the first time, check the side effects of this medicine."
"I’ve been on 1.5mg Vraylar for about ten days. I switched from Seroquel to this. The first 3 days were sort of dicey and since they’re a lot different I did have some Seroquel withdrawal feelings. But by 5 days, and for the last 5 days, I feel really good. I have taken Kratom long-term to deal with negative depressive symptoms of schizoeffective disorder, and the Vraylar has greatly lowered the extent to which I am dependent on Kratom. What I mean is now, I don’t feel super lousy between Kratom doses, and I think it is because Vraylar is boosting dopamine in areas where I had deficit in the brain. I was going to have to go on Vyvanse because of ADHD and other obvious symptoms of dopamine deficiency… but we were able to postpone that because Vraylar is making me just feel decent, and calm. I’m also losing weight and have more energy. I think this is a great medication, but it takes several days to take full effect."
"vraylar did nothing to stop the voices from my schizoaffective disorder. Ativan and Klonopin and valium works better at stopping the voices. I would get off the vraylar and find a doctor or someone else that prescribes benzodiazepines like the ones I listed in the second sentence. If you want your voices to be gone get on a benzodiazepine immediately. It relaxes your mind and sometimes produces a euphoria. I have schizoaffective disorder"
"People who experience insomnia on this medication have to take it at night time. That’s how I switch the time I take it depending on the drug. I switched from abilify in the morning to Vraylar at night. I have no side effects and will see if I can lose weight on it. Abilify was terrible at gaining weight."
"Worst medication I’ve ever tried. Did not help with hallucinations/delusions, and I actually had more hallucinations while taking the drug. I was completely zonked out to the point where I could barely move/get out of bed. Also, I have a history of seizures and I had a few dangerous seizures that could’ve put my life in jeopardy. If this works for you then great, but I had such an awful experience with it that I can not recommend it to anyone."
"I just reached the 2 month mark, I’ve gained about 10lbs (not sure if it’s from the medicine or not but I never have trouble with maintaining my usual 110lbs until now.) i also have mild akathisia induced by the medicine so I’m thinking about changing it. I don’t have terrible hallucinations and delusions anymore which is good, but I still hear voices in which keep me up at night; I guess the medicine needs more time to fully work."
"I feel like my old self! I am doing creative things like bead work and enjoy learning again, like studying Spanish. Getting things done around the house. I have been stable on Geodon for 16 years, but was having dyskenesia My only problem with Vraylar is the horrible insomnia. I am wondering if it will get better. A bit of nausea, but need to eat well is all. Overall I am grateful for it. Latest Review*** I have to go back to Geodon. A bit of anxiety with the Vraylar but wake up with a headache everyday for 2 months."
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