mjs190 Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Hi all - Wanted to reach out to you all, as I know this forum is full of incredibly bright and insightful people, to see if there may be any knowledge of Latuda's (or any AAP's) mechanism of action at the Alpha 2a (a2a) adrenergic receptor. I ask because: I currently take Intuniv, a post-synaptic Alpha 2a agonist. Latuda is listed simply as an Alpha 2a antagonist. What I'm wondering is whether this is pre- or post-synaptic, and will it ruin the effects I get from Intuniv? I don't want to take a med that directly hinders the action of another. laad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koa Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 My experience has been that sometimes meds that would seem not to work together do. For instance, psychotic disorders are thought to be a result of dopamine or dopamine receptors in the brain and antipsychotics work by inhibiting dopamine. However I take an antidepressant Wellbutrin which works by adding dopamine. I'm not sure how the two work together, but they do, and I take them both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjs190 Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 Thanks, koa That's some pretty insightful advice. I see you suffer depressive episodes, and have taken Risperdal and Latuda. I am currently on Risperdal and looking to switch to Latuda. Can you share your experiences with the two? Was one better than the other? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koa Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 (edited) Well, when I took risperdal I had the prolactin side effect. That caused me to have zero sex drive. I also gained weight. I found it otherwise to be an effective medication. I switched to Latuda for psychosis and it has fewer side effects for me. The most annoying thing about it for me has been that you have to take it with 350 calories, and it is sedating shortly after you take it, so it is better to take it at night. So you have to eat 350 calories at night before going to bed or just eat it with dinner and go to bed really early. I do think that it has helped my depression in addition to being a preventative measure for my psychosis not to return. Also, I was going to say that it might be good to talk to your doctor about the science behind your meds if you're interested in that. Edited September 2, 2014 by koa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evey Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Latuda is not sedating for everyone. It isn't for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Equivilency Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 The doc will know best. Apparently some caution needs to be exercised: Significant - Monitor Closely lurasidone + guanfacine lurasidone, guanfacine. Either increases toxcity of the other by sedation. Significant interaction possible, monitor closely. Potential for increased CNS depressant effects when used concurrently; monitor for increased adverse effects and toxicity. lurasidone + guanfacine lurasidone increases effects of guanfacine by Other (see comment). Potential for interaction, monitor. Comment: Potential for increased risk of hypotension with concurrent use. Monitor blood pressure and adjust dose of antihypertensive agent as needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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