skydiverbry 0 #1 June 7, 2007 Serious question.Does anyone have a friend,loved one or whoever that has been dx. with Bipolar I, What meds have helped them the most? Minor,major side effect? Thanks for sharing if you do. This topic is close to me Bryan-------------------------------------------------- Growing old is mandatory.Growing up is optional!! D.S.#13(Dudeist Skdiver) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stayhigh 2 #2 June 7, 2007 little bit of Zoloft with Depakote.. will make you go from to meaning your flip side will disappear but you'll feel dull all day... Bernie Sanders for President 2016 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiverbry 0 #3 June 7, 2007 OK,Have you ever heard of a person placed on Effexor to start along with Klonipin,who has a seizure disorder than place on a drug called Lamictal. On the starter pack it said not for pts. on Dilantin-------------------------------------------------- Growing old is mandatory.Growing up is optional!! D.S.#13(Dudeist Skdiver) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moodyskydiver 0 #4 June 7, 2007 Bryan, I am Type II Bipolar but have studied the medications and treatments for Type I and rapid cycling Bipolar Disorder aswell.Most of the medications are the same,but just in different dosages depending on if you're Type I or II.You name it and I've probably been on it as far as RXs goes.I've taken Effexor,Lamictal and Klonopin before,as well as about a dozen others. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Also, if you want to learn more about BP go get An Unquiet Mind by Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison.A VERY good book on first hand experience of BP. "...just an earthbound misfit, I." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
marks 0 #5 June 7, 2007 klonopin mixed with an amphetamine is what works best for me... but you will find, as have I, that you will be hard pressed to find a doctor to prescribe both of those to you at the same time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve1 5 #6 June 7, 2007 Quote little bit of Zoloft with Depakote.. will make you go from to ................................. I'm no expert on this, but I've been told that anti-depressents are sometimes mis-prescribed to treat the depression in bipolar illness. A Dr. needs to be very careful that mania is not also present. An anti- depressent like Zoloft can cause serious problems then. I've heard that mood stabilizers are most often prescribed rather than anti-depressants for this reason. I wonder too, if Bipolar illness isn't being overdiagnosed these days. I'm sure that ADHD is. It's too bad that mental illness isn't easier to diagnose....Steve1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DFWAJG 4 #7 June 7, 2007 The drug of choice for bipolar disorder still remains Lithium. However, in a rapid cycler (three or more manic episodes per year), lithium doesn't work. Depakote, Tegretol and Trileptal (fancy tegretol without the side-effects and lab draws), are also effective. Current recommendations are to pair a mood stabilizer (the above) with an antipsychotic such as Zyprexa, Risperdal, Seroquel, Geodon and Abilify. Mood stabilizers both stabilize mania and depression. Lithium is a very effective anti-depressant. There are some equivical studies demonstrating that fish oil, up to 9000 mg (9 capsules per day) is also effective in calming a manic episode. Lamictal is FDA approved for treating depression in Bipolar patients, but not for treating the manic episodes. As far as an antidepressant, I think Lamictal is a miracle drug. Many of my patients have been helped quickly and significantly on this drug. In an acute manic episode, electroconvulsive therapy (one of the safest treatments and effective treatments in psychiatry today) is also an excellent choice. No medication is without side effects. Some of the above can, as stated earlier, make you very dull. The goal of treatment is remission with the minimal amount of medication for the maximum amount of effecacy. As far as symptoms go, Patients with Bipolar I disorder must have had symptoms for a week or more and have impaired them to the point where hospitalization was required (generally). To qualify for Bipolar II disorder, symptoms last for at least four days. Manic episodes usually will resolve on their own in about three months. But, treatment is essential, as each manic episode makes one prone to more manic episodes. Patients will experience either Euphoric or Irritable mood (some engage in arguments or physical fights). "Mood Swings" (rapidly shifting moods) are not included and are generally due to anxiety or personality disorders. Some patients experience Grandiose delusions ("I can make myself invisable" "I speak 7 languages" "I'm Jesus Christ"). They tend to not NEED sleep, only a few hours and feel completely rested. Often, they have high energy. They do things that can have dangerous consequences such as spending money (one of my patients spent $3000 in three days on flowers!) engaging in lots of sex (16 year old climbing out a window everynight to different boys houses) or speeding. Pressured speech or the need to talk (they speak faster than New Yorkers), racing thoughts or flight of ideas (bounce from subject to subject to subject) and easy distractibility (respond quickly to irrelevant external stimuli) are also other criteria. Cocaine and methamphetamine intoxication can mimic these symptoms. I do everything I can to avoid antidepressants in Bipolar patients as they can lead to a manic episode. Patients treated for TB can experience a manic episode from Isoniazid. Feel free to pm me with questions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazychickUK 0 #8 June 7, 2007 I'm bipolar and take venlefaxine and quetiapine. Have taken lithium in the past along with various anti-d's and anti-psychotics but the current regime seems to work quite well. Finding the right meds for you is pretty much a case of trial and error. CCUK Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sneakyscotty 0 #9 June 18, 2007 Quote Serious question.Does anyone have a friend,loved one or whoever that has been dx. with Bipolar I, What meds have helped them the most? Minor,major side effect? Thanks for sharing if you do. This topic is close to me Bryan Ive been Dx'd with PTSD and BPD.... Zoloft and Depacote also,add a tad of THC!!!! LOL!!! Does it right!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gonzalesna 0 #10 June 18, 2007 Quote Quote little bit of Zoloft with Depakote.. will make you go from to ................................. I'm no expert on this, but I've been told that anti-depressents are sometimes mis-prescribed to treat the depression in bipolar illness. A Dr. needs to be very careful that mania is not also present. An anti- depressent like Zoloft can cause serious problems then. I've heard that mood stabilizers are most often prescribed rather than anti-depressants for this reason. I wonder too, if Bipolar illness isn't being overdiagnosed these days. I'm sure that ADHD is. It's too bad that mental illness isn't easier to diagnose....Steve1 Shit, I'd take a guess that pretty much all of us dotcommers should've been riding the short bus to schoolSome people refrain from beating a dead horse. Personally, I find a myriad of entertainment value when beating it until it becomes a horse-smoothie. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
