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BeyondtheRainbow
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Default Sep 10, 2019 at 02:50 PM
  #1
This is supposed to be used as a last resort and when it is used that way I think it is a great drug. It does require some extra committment; the first 6 months there are weekly blood draws and the 2nd 6 months every other week. After that it is monthly as long as you are on it. Honestly this takes about 5 minutes per month most months and is no big deal at all. I did have to find the fastest lab during my first months on it but that made it much easier.

Side effects for me are weight gain (but I lost all of it plus some with metformin), drooling at night, bed wetting (so I wear an incontinence pad and then it's not a big deal), and fatigue.

Benefits are the closest to stability I've had in my life, no hospitalizations since I was discharged from starting it, a tiny increase kicks mania down completely in a couple of days, I don't need a high dose to do well.

Totally worth it for me. I love it.

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Bipolar 1, PTSD, GAD, OCD.
Clozapine 250 mg, Emsam 12 mg/day patch, topamax 25 mg, ,Gabapentin 1700 mg & 100-2 PRN,. 1.5 mg clonazepam., 50 mg Seroquel

Last edited by bluekoi; Sep 10, 2019 at 07:33 PM.. Reason: OP's request
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Default Sep 10, 2019 at 04:42 PM
  #2
I'm glad you found a medication that really works for you, and where the benefits outweigh the negatives. It's good to know that the metformin really helps with the weight gain.

Once I had a psychologist that was pushing me to ask my psychiatrist for clozapine. I mentioned it to my psychiatrist and he said that he does not prescribe that medication - probably because of the many issues with it. I have heard that it can be a very successful last resort, but I luckily finally found a reasonable combo without such an intensive maintenance medication.

I hope that over time the side effects you experience from clozapine will ease.

Last edited by bluekoi; Sep 10, 2019 at 07:34 PM.. Reason: Amend title.
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Default Sep 10, 2019 at 05:25 PM
  #3
I did very well on clozapine when I was able to get it, but because of the incompetence in my neck of the woods I couldn't get it and experienced withdrawals every week.

Last edited by bluekoi; Sep 10, 2019 at 07:34 PM.. Reason: Amend title.
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BeyondtheRainbow
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Default Sep 10, 2019 at 11:45 PM
  #4
BirdDancer, Not all pdocs will prescribe it. They have to have some additional training and be willing to sign off on all the blood work and some just won't do those things. They also just may not have much experience even if they use it because it is not supposed to be used if other options are available. My pdoc specializes in difficult cases and even then only has 2 of us on it; the other person has been on it for many years and I've been on it almost 3.75 years. I think some pdocs aren't comfortable with prescribing a drug with potential to have serious side effects and then not having experience with it or the likelihood of gaining a ton of experience is so slim they don't feel comfortable. It's not like when a new drug comes out and they carefully try a few people and build up to having quite a few on that drug.

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Default Sep 11, 2019 at 01:19 PM
  #5
Quote:
Originally Posted by spikes View Post
I did very well on clozapine when I was able to get it, but because of the incompetence in my neck of the woods I couldn't get it and experienced withdrawals every week.
Yeah, that wasn't good. I've been lucky in that my pharmacy has no clue what they are doing and ever since I started has been giving me month supplies of the meds. They've been good about not running out and even if they do I"m ok because my script is written for 350-400 mg and I only rarely go above 350 so I have lots of extras at this point.

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Bipolar 1, PTSD, GAD, OCD.
Clozapine 250 mg, Emsam 12 mg/day patch, topamax 25 mg, ,Gabapentin 1700 mg & 100-2 PRN,. 1.5 mg clonazepam., 50 mg Seroquel
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