Tardive Dyskinesia

I believe I may have developed a little bit of tardive dyskinesia after 5 doses of abilify. I am no longer taking the abilify, but I still have some weird mouth sensations. My doctor has now prescribed me Lamictal. What should I do? Wait until this side effect subsides and then start the Lamictal? Or just go ahead and take it?

My doctor didn't believe that I got tardive dyskinesia, and told me that it only develops in people who have taken the antipsychotics for years. What should I do?

While I was on the medication I started to get numbness around my mouth. I also felt my mouth twitching sometimes. Now that I've stopped taking it, it feels more like my lips are quivering and I get an occasional mouth twitch. When I get really sad, the symptoms seem to subside or not bother me. Is this all in my head? If this was tardive dyskinesia would it be much worse? I don't know what to think anymore... I really need help. I am in despair.

[scotty]

That is not tardive dyskinesia. If you are so concerned about drug side effects, why are you continuing to try new drugs?

I am trying new drugs because I started to show signs of bipolar. I believe I have cyclothymic OCD, and things have been really tough for me in the past few months. I just want to feel stable and confident for an extended period of time so I can go to school and start to be proud of who I am.

What makes you say that its not the tardive dyskinesia?

[LCrawford67]

Tardive dysknesia is constant, repetitive tics in the face, mouth, limbs. A feeling that your lips are quivering and an occasional mouth twitch (which everyone gets) are not tardive dyskenisia. Your doctor obviously has seen you regarding this, so it's not what you have.

You keep "believing" you have these things, it doesn't mean you do. I will say this though, obviously cycling through drugs isn't doing a thing to make you feel stable, or confident. Might be time to rethink that strategy, or actually stick with one drug long enough for it to work.

I did experience akasthesia while on the medication, so maybe its a little bit of that leftover. Abilify did increase my anxiety, it also has a very long half life.

[scotty]

Originally Posted by worrriedsick

I am trying new drugs because I started to show signs of bipolar.

A little reality check here.....you've tried every drug in the book, including the illegal ones. Buspar, Paxil, Cymbalta, Abilify,Wellbutrin, Hash, alcohol,adderall etc......your drugs are the problem, not bipolar.
One cannot swallow anything handed to them, have bad reactions and then blame the symptoms on mental illness. The obsessive thinking pattern, looking back at your posts, is always associated with a new drug being added. If you take the drugs out of the mix, then you can start working on the thought patterns that are detrimental, without the drugs influence.

That is not entirely correct. I have never taken Cymbalta or Wellbutrin. I tried a low dose of Abilify to see if it worked for me, and it didn't. When I took paxil and buspar, they did work for me. You are right about me and taking alcohol and weed, I have not made good decisions with those but I am making good decisions with them now (granted that means a whole lot more of me sitting on the couch while my friends are having fun). But I firmly believe that taking something to help with my symptoms would be of tremendous help for me to move forward in my life. I am stuck, my family is not always there for me, I don't want to have to depend on my family because I am not stable. I need this to help me transition in my life. Also, I know that you are trying to help people by avoiding the drugs, but don't you believe that some people need them sometimes? They are there for a reason.

[LCrawford67]

Absolutely, drugs are there for a reason. But again, all your symptoms are associated with starting or stopping a new drug. Therefore, logic should tell you there's an association. If you firmly believe that medication can help you, than pick one and stick to it. But, drugs are obviously not doing you any favors now.

[scotty]

Originally Posted by worrriedsick

Also, I know that you are trying to help people by avoiding the drugs, but don't you believe that some people need them sometimes? They are there for a reason.

Ask yourself if drugs have done anything positive in your life...if the answer is no, then you've got a decision to make.

The drugs are always going to be there, but if you read back on your posts, everything goes bad when you try a new drug. If you want to take a drug, then you take it, knowing the downsides.

Buspar changed my life for the better. I screwed up by mixing it with another drug. I am glad that I took buspar.

[scotty]

So then stick with the one that you felt helped.

[marebear]

Sadly, we are often told that we have a "mental illness" when in fact the drugs we are being prescribed are actually causing the symptoms. I too once put full faith in a doctor who prescribed Paxil, but that's because I was not informed and apparently neither was the doctor (this was back in 1999). More and more evidence is coming forward that suggests SSRIs and other psychotropic drugs are no better than a placebo for most people. The pharmaceuticals have woven a very tangled web and many of us find ourselves trapped. Here is a great website with more studies that suggest the truth about these drugs:

http://psychrights.org/research/Dige...epressants.htm