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Jana
Full Member (100+ posts)
177 Posts
Gratitude: 1
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 Posted - 05/17/2005 : 20:45:06
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Just thought i would get the General Board up and going here by asking a question of you all. In your experience with Bipolar Disorder, what med do you think helped you the most? What med was the biggest disappointment for you?
For me.. i would have to say Lamictal, It was wonderful for me! It helped me think clearly and i didnt have any side effects from it. The only downside it had was it kept me awake for 48 hours straight once it was built up in my system. It triggered alot of things in me and made me feel mixed. But Seroquel knocked that right outta me.
The worst med for me was Risperdal. I had just lost my job and was about to lose my insurance. My anxiety was skyrocketing and my SI impulses were not so good. My pdoc thought Risperdal would help me.. so i tried it. Within 2 week, i had gained 10 pounds and was even more agitated. I told my pdoc about that and she threw Topamax into the mix.. primarily for the weight gain.. and she upped my Risperdal, thinking that would help. It didnt.. so i took myself off of it. Risperdal was BAD for me.
Jana
"Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous fall" Psalms 55:22  |
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| autumn2night
Full Member (100+ posts)
175 Posts
Gratitude: 4
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Posted - 05/18/2005 : 10:03:19
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I've been on so many in the past 13 years this go around. So far Seroquel, Lamictal, Topamax (only for weight issues), xanax for sleep and anxiety "whenever" are the best mix so far. I really do like how clean Lamictal is. No "fogginess". I don't take anti-depressants anymore. I am creative and feel it hinders my gift to create - regardless of what the books say. Besides, they make me feel totally fogged in! Seroquel helps keep the constant thoughts at bay - does that make sense? You know- the self defeating, negative type thoughts. Luvox I cannot take - it put me in a major High and I went on a spending spree for 3-4 days until my therapist alerted my husband who was out of town at the time. But I have a print to die for and signed by the artist ( Steve Hanks)!!! My pdoc. called me in admediatly and took me off so fast! Darn!!!
Good question.
Duffy |
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| aquamarine
Amazing Member (1000+ posts)
1238 Posts
Gratitude: 300
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Posted - 05/18/2005 : 10:33:09
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My best responses were to:
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)...it really lifted my mood quickly...but was VERY short-lived and brought some short term memory problems with it as well I still feel I have some problems with Attention/memory due to it...(though hard to tell if that's the meds, depression or ECT)
Epival...Really helped me CALM down anxiety and irritability/internal rage wise. It also helped me sleep which I simply wasn't able to do for years. I took 1000mgs for a couple months...was really hard to take as I was fatigued and having depersonalization and cognitive problems (memory/attention etc. But I think the high dose kicked me into a better space and now I am on 500mg and I feel pretty good the past few days.
Worst for me:
Moclobemide...I went crazy. Was so agitated and started to have all sorts of OCD symptoms...thinking I was covered in lice etc.
Seroquel... I was taking a minute dose...not even 25mgs and I could barely move. My legs felt like lead weights and all I could do was sleep.
All the benzos... While I loved how they (especially lorazepam) made me feel when they kicked in...I was like a junkie. I could not get enough. My body became quickly tolerant of the dosage so I would have to increase to get the same effects and I had BRUTAL withdrawal when I went off them. Also, whenever I would go off them I would start self-medicating with alcohol. That's all I need is another problem...LOL
...Aqua |
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| Shout
Starting Member
9 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2005 : 12:15:50
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The worst me for me was Abilify. It stopped the hallucinations and mania but it also affected my vision, made me agitated and jumpy and eventually started to affect my motor skills. By the time I quit using it, I had no fine motor skills in my left hand, my left side was weak and my foot dragged when I walked, and I could barely read due to the blurriness in my eyes. Not that I could sit still to read! I thought I was stroking out or something. Anyway, I reduced my dose by 1/2 and noticed gradual improvement and then quit altogether and things got MUCH better. Over the last 2 months I've regained all or almost all of my motor skills and can see perfectly again.
Second worst: Starting on Seroquel I reacted so strongly. I could hardly move and felt like I was on fire. That reaction gradually went away (in about a week) and I still take Seroquel (100mg) for sleeping. I was unable to get to the optimum dose (800mg my doctor was shooting for) as I started hallucinating at 400mg. Still, I'm happy with my 100mg as I sleep so well on it.
Best: Lamictal - I feel pretty much like I used to - the depression got lighter and I can cope with it now and I've lost the weight I gained with Lithium. I know I could still 'go manic' but I keep that under control with exercise and getting enough sleep. Anxiety is kept at bay with Ativan, which I also like (maybe a little too much).
Shout - It Is What It Is |
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| Jana
Full Member (100+ posts)
177 Posts
Gratitude: 1
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Posted - 05/18/2005 : 22:26:37
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Im glad people replied to this! Duffy.. you and i have the same med combo. (When i was on meds.. lol) Lamictal, Topamax and Seroquel. When i get my insurance back.. i am asking for all that again.. without the Seroquel. I hate the stuff. But i will have to find something for the non sleep that Lamictal causes.. however my anxiety is outrageous so maybe i will ask for Ativan or Xanax. It calms me down and helps me sleep too. September cant come soon enough.. lemme tell you.
Jana
"Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous fall" Psalms 55:22 |
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| RedRocket
New Member
92 Posts
Gratitude: 5
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Posted - 05/19/2005 : 04:34:33
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My miracle, as I have said before, is Lithium. My main problem is mania, not depression. Actually mania didn't really cause me problems, more like problems for everyone around me lol.
I'm with Jana on the risperdal thing. evil evil drug. Sure it calms you down because it turns you into a freakin zombie. How could anyone ever be compliant with side effects like that?
Keep posting guys, let's try to keep this community alive! |
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| soft
New Member
86 Posts
Gratitude: 1
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Posted - 05/19/2005 : 07:13:22
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This is a very hard question for me cuz many of the drugs I can't stay on long enuff for them to even begin to give me side effects. I have some kinda weird wiring problem with my leg/hip and the drugs make them hurt really really bad. Lithium was the worst. I thought I would just die on that drug, and it took a week for it to get out of my system. I have to have something that reuptakes dopamine and the only thing that does that is welbutrin and paxil. And for some reason Paxil hurts after only one pill. Go figure  Therefore I'm very limited on what drugs I can take. |
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| Jana
Full Member (100+ posts)
177 Posts
Gratitude: 1
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Posted - 05/19/2005 : 09:14:12
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LOL @ Risperdal being an evil drug. It really was. And Paxil too. Made me wig out.. ugh.
Im with ya.. lets keep the general board going guys!
Jana
"Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous fall" Psalms 55:22 |
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| nan (inactive)
Starting Member
11 Posts
Gratitude: 1
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Posted - 05/19/2005 : 15:43:49
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I can not live without LITHIUM I am taking ESKALITH which is a slow release form. I am taking this med for over 30yrs. If I do not take form it I get very manic and depression settles in very quickly. Also, I am trying to take Lexapro 10mg instead of Seroquel. I am having side effects on Seroquel and Lexapro. I am very stressed out and full with anxiety. Pdoc said to cut the Lexapro in half but I am afraid of taking it because of side effects. I am taking Klonopin for sleep at nite.
HUGS,
Nan |
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| Jana
Full Member (100+ posts)
177 Posts
Gratitude: 1
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Posted - 05/19/2005 : 22:36:56
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I wish i had something to take at night for sleeping. I have awful anxiety and its worse at night. If i dont take an anxiety pill right before i go to bed.. i dont sleep.. then i wake up in a panic attack. I miss my insurance!
Jana
"Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous fall" Psalms 55:22 |
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| lucylane
Starting Member
5 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2005 : 04:40:20
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I have found from 5 years of experience on it and effexor xr (75 mg) works for me. I also take clonazepam (min. dose). I take my effexor in the am and 1/2 tablet of clonazepam at breakfast time with coffee (to counteract the drowsiness it causes) and the other 1/2 tablet of clonazepam before bedtime (without coffee). The clonazepam helps me to sleep well and I wake up feeling rested.
Many, many years ago I was on elavil and I didn't work for me. Also, valium wasn't any help either.
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| Piglet
New Member
59 Posts
Gratitude: 3
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Posted - 06/07/2005 : 07:20:34
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Hey Jana and over the counter med you can take that I use as well for sleep is Benadryl. I find if I take half a tablet I dont have the hang over or drowsiness.
For me in the begining I suffered from anorhexia and mania with paranoia. they gave me Paxil and I felt great immediatly then it gave me violent nightmares and a bad sweet tooth.
Zoloft didnt really work
Effexor made me stop my car and attempt to jump off a bridge!
Prozac worked well then I gained 25 pounds
Now for the first time I am trying Mood stabilizers
Abilfy seems OK but I am trying a smaller dose because of the inner anxiety i get.
Risperdal I stopped after two days of being a freaking zombie.
Oh and I aam suppose to be taking lexapro 20mg daily but I want to see how MS work by themselves :)
If you want to make God laugh tell him your plans!
http://website.lineone.net/~jbonno/greenpigs/pictures/piglet.jpg |
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| flytyer
Starting Member
9 Posts |
Posted - 06/08/2005 : 13:16:39
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Best meds:
-Lamictal (200 mg)
-Lexapro (10 mg)
-Topamax (50 mg for migraines..God bless this stuff! Migraines down to less than 1 a month!) also used for a mood stabilzer
-Ambien (10 mg) as needed..works great when I have breakthrough mania and can't sleep
Worst meds:
-All time #1 award goes to Risperdal for the weight gain department..oh my gosh..12 lbs in 7 days...I will NEVER forget getting on the scale one week later and getting weighed at pdoc's office..I wanted to die! Another thing...it made me RAGE! On a side note..I could finally calm my brain down..didn't feel ADD anymore..now that was glorious.AND I slept like a LOG from 9pm to 6pm..and woke up refreshed..but my legs, eyes, nose, feet, hands were twice their normal size.
-Effexor (300 mg at maximum dose) weaning off was HELL and withdrawals were unbelievable..I was almost blacking out, shaking uncontrollably, cold sweats, eyes rolling back in my head...the world would turn upside down, I felt like i was on a boat all the time..I could not make it go away. My doc had to prescribe antivert and homebound for a few weeks..no driving..almost blacked out at wheel. also made me rapid cycle.
-Prozac (40mg maximum dose) felt great but became a different personality. I dressed differently, wore makeup differently, bleached my hair, went to the tanning bed, took on several positions at the church and had people singing my praises. I thought I could do NO wrong...but I had vicious nightmares, hallucinations and eventually went into an extremely deep depression.
-Zoloft (100mg) took it for a while and it stopped the depression but made me rage. When I went off, I went psychotic and suicidal (could have been due to postpartum depression that went untreated for too long..not sure)
-Wellbutrin(150mg) inconjunction with Zoloft to increase libido and lose some post pregnancy pounds (didn't work at all)
-Celexa (?mg) groggy all the time..slept countless hrs
As you can see I've tried a lot, I have only been recently diagnosed as Bipolar 2. At first BP 1 but then pdoc (new one) eralized the high manias were do to medication hopefully. I have been on antidepressants for yrs to help my deep depressions, but they caused me to have cycles. Now, with the addition of Lamictal, I feel stable finally.
Flytyer |
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| Jana
Full Member (100+ posts)
177 Posts
Gratitude: 1
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Posted - 06/10/2005 : 13:06:04
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| Lamictal was my favorite med too. I miss it and am getting it back when i get my insurance back! |
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| Lillyz
Starting Member
13 Posts
Gratitude: 3
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Posted - 07/09/2005 : 10:47:17
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Best med for me of all time was lithium. It cured the mania right away but it did have its side effects. I built up a tolerance for it I guess because pdoc put me on depa-bloat .
the worst in order
Seroquel: I felt like my back and neck were on fire. I guess I had a bad allergic reaction to it. Pdoc didnt take me off of it, I did. I couldnt stand the pain anymore.
Zyprexa: made me feel like a zombie and I was on it for almost 7 years and gained almost all the weight I have on now. It gave me a craving for sweets. I thought I was turning into a diabetic.
Prozac: I felt like I was jumping out of my skin, was only on it for about 2 days.
Geodon: It wouldnt have been bad if I could live my life all spaced out. But I need to be able to think and have decent motor skills.
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| Birdy
Starting Member
5 Posts
Gratitude: 1
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Posted - 07/18/2005 : 19:55:17
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Best Meds: Topamax, Lamictal, Seroquel, Adderall
Worst: Geodon, (made me psychotic) and i broke out in a rash, subsequent to, 4 weeks later, i broke out in a rash and hives on the Lamictal and had to be removed off of it after being on it for nearly 4 years.
I had taken the Geodon for only 1.5 weeks at a very low dose when this happened.
Vytorin (cholesterol med) not a med for psych issues, but i was switched to it and it may have contributed to the issue with Lamictal and well as the issue with Geodon having precluding the Lamictal attack. Made me weak as a baby and falling asleep at the wheel.
I was trying to lessen the sleepiness of the seroquel and switch to geodon. I should have left well enough alone. Things weren't broke, as they say, shouldn't have tried to fix a running car.
I've tried all the others, none worked as well as the Lamictal/Topamax combo. |
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What was the best/worst med for you?
