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Do you want specific information or just random input?

Saphris only reached market within the past year. Because there are a lot of other options in the list of AAPs that doctors are much more familiar with, they aren't likely to prescribe it very often, so you may not find a whole lot of other people posting here who've taken it. You may want to use the search function.

The Rx list in your sig says that you're taking both Geodon and Saphris. Why do you need two antipsychotics? If you have Bipolar I, why aren't you on a mood stabilizer?

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My Pdoc gave me Saphris when I was inpatient during a horrible episode of mania.

At first, I thought he was trying to kill me.

You place the medicine under your tongue and once there it explodes into the most God awfull taste you could ever imagine. And, you are not aloud to wash your mouth out or drink anything for awhile after you've taken it.

That aside, the stuff kicked my butt. It immediately began calming my mania and I was able to come to my senses. I stayed on 10 mg twice a day for about 4 months. It seemed to work well for me in controlling my mania and to be honest with you I should probably still be on it. I stopped taking it after the 4 month period due to some side effect issues. It made me crave carbs like mad, gain weight, blood sugar went up, horrible memory issues....pretty much the same effects I have when on Seroquel.

In my case it completely stabilized my mania and leveled me out but I just couldn't handle the side effects. And that God awful exploding in your mouth thing I mentioned above.

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That's probably the biggest problem with Saphris - the sublingual route. It's really easy for someone to, say, spit it out, or drink water or something before it's all absorbed. Regular tablets don't work because of very low oral bioavailability. That said, the sublingual route does produce much faster results - peak concentration between 30 and 90 minutes after dosing.

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I was on saphris for a couple months as well. Words cannot describe the awful taste of that white little pill! Omg why can't they make it mint flavored?

Well I also had excellent results with it mood and psychosis wise but got off it due to side effects. It also made me sleep like a baby. I too should probably still be on it because of it's effectiveness on me. But it gave me the carb cravings right after I took it and I would eat probably thousands of calories until I passed out from the.tiredness that saphris produces. I gained thirty five lbs in around three months. It was horrible for my anorexic thoughts! Luckily I have lost twenty of those lbs by switching back to abilify. Thank goodness for abilify!

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I'm afraid this will be pdocs next move if my zyprexa/risperdal combo doesn't work. I hope it works. I'm eating 1200 calories a day and losing maybe a pound a week right now... Hunger is intense. But I did find 100 calorie tuna salad kits, so I am eating lunch now, lol.

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  • 1 month later...

I'm bumping this in the hopes that someone else will write of their experiences. I started it last night - Merck had the brilliant idea to make it black cherry flavored, I don't know if that helps at all. Anyway, had a bad case of akathesia, but finally with enough vistaril I was able to sleep. It's supposed to replace abilify, which is not only losing its effectiveness but apparently (according to pdoc) really messing up my cholesterol numbers. The official website states that it's really for mania and/or mixed episodes, but does it do anything for depression? That's my main problem right now.

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Black cherry flavored!??!!??! Why didn't they do that in the first place?!?! You should have tasted the stuff! LOL Sorry. I hope it works well for you. It worked very well for me. I miss the good sleep, less anxiety, less psychosis, less mania, etc. I may have to revert to it again in the future. We'll see. My pdoc still wants me on it.

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I'm bumping this in the hopes that someone else will write of their experiences. I started it last night - Merck had the brilliant idea to make it black cherry flavored, I don't know if that helps at all. Anyway, had a bad case of akathesia, but finally with enough vistaril I was able to sleep. It's supposed to replace abilify, which is not only losing its effectiveness but apparently (according to pdoc) really messing up my cholesterol numbers. The official website states that it's really for mania and/or mixed episodes, but does it do anything for depression? That's my main problem right now.

FWIW, my pdoc says adecdotally it looks to help with depression.

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I take 10mg of Saphris at night which puts me right to sleep. I just started 5mg in the morning due to high levels of irritability. I don't necessarily feel sleepy in the morning but my eyelids feel a little heavy. I'm pretty sure my pdoc is going to want to increase the morning dose to 10mg this week. And it has helped my irritability quite a bit.

Do other people have problems with the morning dose tiring them out?

Oreo

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I've only been on it a week, but yes, I have to take a morning nap. I assume that I simply haven't become adjusted to it, and hope with time that it'll dissipate, because I'm still on the 5mg/2x day, and expect that to be raised next week. Not looking forward to any more fatigue.

Oreo, the 10mg at night, was that initially both doses that you were taking together? I'm wondering if I can take them solely at night.

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I was on Saphris for a few weeks last January. I was only told to take 10 mg at night each day, even though everything else said to take it twice a day. For me, it didn't work. I was SO irritable on it and paranoid too. I had to take Cogentin with it as well because the akathesia was extreme. It did put me to sleep within 15 minutes though which was nice, and I slept through the night. Still my least favorite AAP though, second to Abilify.

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Oreo, the 10mg at night, was that initially both doses that you were taking together? I'm wondering if I can take them solely at night.

First I took 5mg at night for a few days, then 10mg every night. A couple weeks later pdoc added 5mg in the am because of my extreme irritability, which it did help.

I've read that suggested dosages are 10mg/BID. I'm wondering if I can talk him into 5mg in am and 15mg at night because I don't want to be sleepy in the morning.

Oreo

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I took it for about two weeks for intractable depression. I think it's possible it was doing something until I got EPS and had to stop. I'm glad to hear they've done something about the taste (if it's an improvement) - the unflavored one I took was absolutely terrible.

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I'm bumping this in the hopes that someone else will write of their experiences. I started it last night - Merck had the brilliant idea to make it black cherry flavored, I don't know if that helps at all. Anyway, had a bad case of akathesia, but finally with enough vistaril I was able to sleep. It's supposed to replace abilify, which is not only losing its effectiveness but apparently (according to pdoc) really messing up my cholesterol numbers. The official website states that it's really for mania and/or mixed episodes, but does it do anything for depression? That's my main problem right now.

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Guest donna l.

started saphris sublingual tabs a couple weeks ago...just had to increase my dose again...has anyone else on here taken it with any results?

Been on it for awhile. Seems to be working at least to a point. Have to have the black cherry ones. Can't handle the others. Federal prescription company says they can't get but Walmarts can. My son takes this also. Gets into the system immediately. Great alternative for those of us who have had gastric by-pass surgery.

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i had no idea it came in black cherry....ive been gagging on the normal ones every night....but i get free samples from my pdoc so i have to take what i can get with no insurance.....this has worked very well so far to stabilize my mania....no side effects to speak of

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  • 1 month later...
Guest crazyjoe

started saphris sublingual tabs a couple weeks ago...just had to increase my dose again...has anyone else on here taken it with any results?

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My pdoc just gave me samples of this today. Im freaking out! I just went off Seroquel xr a couple weeks ago. Dr at that time raised my trileptal to 1500 mg to help keep mania at bay. However I have been anxious and a little jittery or whatever. Plus ITCHY, which pdoc is worried is from the Trileptal increase. So, Im lowered back to 1200 mg Trileptal and supposed to take this Saphris 5 mg at night. Supposed to help with my anxiety and all. Im just scared of the sleepiness. Since I've been off the Seroquel, Im actually sleeping like a normal person (8 hrs a night, able to get up in the morning). Im afraid I'll be like I was on the Seroquel, sleeping 12 hrs and not able to get up in the morning. How is it with the sleep? Hard to wake up in the morning?? Gonna have an anxiety attack just thinking about it!

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Everybody!

My son was diagnosed schizophrenic a year ago... he is 24. Takes Saphris 5mg x2 every day...He has insurance, but since the new year and no hospitalization, his deductible is 1500.00, imagine my horror when I went to get his meds and they were $707.00..eeeek... I had a coupon from the doc for the 30 day supply of 60 pills... so there is no way in hell we could afford $707.00 a month... if you are taking Saphris, go to www.merckpap.com and fill out the request for free meds from them. It's an application to get the Saphris free. We are getting it free for one year...and yes you can even get the black cherry flavor. You have to fill out the first portion and then your pdoc fills out the bottom with your prescription. you can have it sent to your address or to your pdocs. This is not a joke!!! Check it out!!!

Val

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