Burning Sensation in Extremities and Chest While Taking Caplyta
Stop Caplyta immediately and contact your prescribing physician urgently, as burning sensations in the hands, feet, and chest are not recognized adverse effects of lumateperone and may represent a serious unrelated medical condition requiring prompt evaluation.
Why This Symptom Pattern Is Concerning
The burning sensation you describe does not match the established safety profile of Caplyta (lumateperone). In clinical trials and pooled safety analyses, the most common adverse effects were:
- Sedation (24.1% vs 10% placebo) 1
- Dry mouth (5% vs 2.2% placebo) 1
- Somnolence, fatigue, and constipation 1
- Headache, diarrhea, and weight decrease in long-term studies 1
Notably absent from all published lumateperone trials are reports of burning sensations, paresthesias, or neuropathic pain in the extremities or chest 1, 2, 3.
Critical Differential Diagnoses to Rule Out
Your symptom pattern—burning in hands, feet, AND chest—raises concern for several potentially serious conditions that require immediate medical evaluation:
1. Small Fiber Neuropathy
- Presents as painful burning sensation in feet and hands 4
- Can cause lancinating pain potentiated by pin-prick testing 4
- Decreased pain and temperature sensation in affected areas 4
- This is NOT caused by antipsychotics like Caplyta
2. Erythromelalgia
- Episodic burning pain with erythema and warmth of extremities 4
- Feet and hands most commonly affected 4
- Pain can be severe enough to alter lifestyle 4
- Associated with myeloproliferative disorders in secondary cases 4
- Responds to low-dose aspirin (81 mg/day) within hours if related to platelet dysfunction 4
3. Cardiovascular Emergency (Chest Involvement)
- Burning chest sensation requires urgent cardiac evaluation
- Rule out acute coronary syndrome, especially with concurrent extremity symptoms
- Do not attribute chest burning to a psychiatric medication without excluding cardiac causes
4. Tick-Borne Illness (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever)
- If you have fever, headache, or recent tick exposure with palmar/plantar symptoms 5, 6
- Mortality rate 5-10% if untreated; requires immediate doxycycline 5, 6
- Cannot be distinguished from other serious infections on clinical grounds alone 5
Immediate Action Steps
Discontinue Caplyta and contact your prescribing psychiatrist today
Seek emergency evaluation if:
- Chest burning is accompanied by shortness of breath, diaphoresis, or radiation to jaw/arm
- You have fever, severe headache, or appear systemically ill
- Symptoms are rapidly worsening
Schedule urgent evaluation with your primary care physician to assess for:
Why Lumateperone Is Unlikely the Cause
Lumateperone has demonstrated a favorable safety profile distinct from other antipsychotics:
- No significant association with extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) 1, 2
- No significant weight gain or metabolic syndrome 1, 2
- Improvements in metabolic parameters when switched FROM other antipsychotics TO lumateperone 1
- Lower treatment-emergent adverse event discontinuation rates than risperidone 1
The mechanism of action—modulating serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate neurotransmission with anti-inflammatory properties 7, 8—does not explain peripheral or central burning sensations.
Common Pitfall to Avoid
Never attribute new neurological symptoms to a psychiatric medication without excluding serious medical causes first 5, 6. The combination of extremity burning AND chest symptoms is particularly concerning and demands comprehensive medical evaluation beyond simply discontinuing the medication.
Your symptoms may represent a coincidental medical condition unrelated to Caplyta that requires specific treatment—delaying evaluation could result in preventable morbidity.