What would you consider (un)acceptable side effects?

So I was taken off Seroquel due to side effect (blurry vision) and I am now solely on 2000mg valproic acid ER for four days, and not pleased.

Side effects: belching, feeling that I am filled with air, problems sleeping, very low libido, lack of energy, lack of interest in anything at all (pretty much all depression symptoms really except for the mood one), mild tremor. I feel like a sad burpy zombie. BUT: my mood swings seem much less of a problem, I haven't lost my hair, it seems I am finally starting (ssslllooowwwww) to lose weight that I gained on moclobemide in the previous year and a half, gym workouts (once I drag myself there) are crazy, and a little tremor hasn't killed anyone other than precision engineers and minesweeper players I suppose. Should I suck it up and go on? Ask my pdoc to put me on something else? Are those what you experienced players would consider mild side effects and am I truly lucky?

I'd be off that medication SO fast if that was happening to me. Thankfully really the only side effect I've had from my meds is weight gain - about 60 pounds worth, but I was 140 pounds at the time and very unhealthy. I don't have any experience with horrible side effects because I was never really on many medications long enough to find out. If the medication I was on didn't work within a few weeks, my psychiatrist was onto another one. Mind you, I've had about....6 different psychiatrists over the course of 3 years, so they all had their own methods.

I would say it's really up to you. If you can tough it out, go for it. If it's totally unbearable, my opinion would be to try something different. Talk to your psychiatrist, too, to see what he/she thinks about the side effects you're experiencing.

For me, any medication with sexual side effects is a deal breaker, which was ANY antidepressant I've been on. Plain and simple. Risperidone has raised my prolactin levels slightly, but everything still works to my liking

I hope everything works out for you!

The only thing i hate for side effects is the constant tired feeling. Now days you just have to weight the benefits with the possible side effects. Even if the drug your are taking can kill or give you some other malady. I quit taking my seroquel for awhile because i read you could become diabetic from it. Mistake in my part. Got put back on lithium which is worse to me. So no side effect is so bad so far that i would chance going unmedicated.

I was warned about diabetes too, and of course didn't like it... The valproic acid can kill my liver. Having BP is all fun and games innit?

Oliveira - have you tried Abilify? I used to take that at 10mg/day and worked like charm. I got hungry more often, but nothing I couldn't shrug off to maintain bodyweight. It took about 2 weeks to get onto it, where I transitioned from geodon 80mg/day.

I am a big fan of no meds myself, but if I were to go back, it is Abilify for me. For me, that meant that I had to do serious work on my life, which takes a while. For the immediate future, geodon, then Abilify, and then hopefully nothing.

As for doses, I bet 5mg/day would mean even less potential problems with weightgain.

- Ian

I'm still quite 'new' to this, so far the only two meds I had a pleasure of trying are valproic acid and Seroquel. That's partly why I asked what people consider to be bad and good side effects -- maybe what I am experiencing is super-mild and I should stick to this one, maybe it's quite bad and it's a good idea to change...

In any case, I guess 50 mg of Seroquel put on top of 2000 mg of valproic acid wasn't such a good idea, if only because it took me three hours to get out of bed this morning...

Oliveira,
Whether or not a side-effect is tolerable (acceptable) or not, really depends upon how YOU feel about it. Although medicines can have side effects that many experience, each person may experience them to a lesser or higher degree than another since we each have unique body chemistry. The bottom line is- are YOU ok with the side effects you're having?

I take Seroquel on an as needed basis. It does really sedate me and I sleep solidly for at least 8 hours, so I have to take it at night. It also causes massive weight gain if I take it regularly, so I try not to take it unless I really really feel the need.

For me, weight gain and motor skill interference are really the only side effects that I, personally, find intolerable. Weight gain is one because I used to have an eating disorder, so any gain of 20+ above my comfort zone causes distress that I don't need to deal with in addition to BP. Motor skill changes (like hand tremors) are another I watch for because some of that can be permanent and I don't want to risk that. Other than those, I can tolerate blurred vision as long as my reading glasses still enable me to read; I am ok with drowsiness because I'm not employed and napping is ok; dry mouth is ok because I can chew gum. You get the deal... as long as I have some sort of thing to cope with a side effect and it doesn't cause too many problems or interfere with my living the way I like, then I'm ok with it.

Just thought I'd mention that. You're the one that has to be ok with whatever the medicines do to you, so if you're not liking something to a great degree, I'd mention it to the pdoc. Mine know my no no's (weight gain and motor skill interference), so they either don't give me ones known to cause those, or I ask before accepting a new med if they didn't mention if those were side effects. Keep your pdoc closely informed on what you like/don't like and go from there. You'll be more satisfied that way.

Hugs,
Kosh

I haven't had horrific side effects from anything other than my antidepressants. The Seroquel I have been on for a year now and all is fine and the Lithium can be a pain with tremors but I got that handled with Procyclidine. Yes there has been a loss of libido and my wife has been really understanding, we both accept that it is a step on the road to being stable day to day on reduced meds, so it takes time.

I had a friend who took seroquel on a much lower dose and I was stunned how hard it hit her, I've never been knocked out by it, except for the first time I had it. I also generally am quite reilient to drugs as a rule. Dunno why or how, just am.

Risperidone=brain tumors, nuff said

Anything that effects my whankies. Period.



-Brian