Hi
Looking for people to give advice on the medications i wish to change too

I have been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder for some time now and have last year being on some meds which left me comatosed and a living corpse really... it was hard for my b/f, my son & family to see me this way. The psychiatrist and counsellors - were reluctant to change - i fought and one. I really get the impression that these specialist prefer a patient like this cos "it's easier for them to manage" and because they feel your less likely to self-harm...I really strongly disagree...to date i'm taking:-

Venlafaxine {Efexor} 112.5mg/p day - at night
Quetiapine {Seroquel} 50mg/p day - at night

Benefits: I am no longer comatosed; I can function during the day; Really bad days are less frequent though still happen.
Cons: I don't feel really fabulous; I don't like I feel as energetic as i did before taking any meds...that troubles me because i prefer feeling really viberant and I Don't :rolleyes: I would say I'm on the fine line to depression, I would say I feel FLAT for the most part.

This coming week I have another appt with my psychiatrist and I am going to see if I can change my meds. I have done my homework - researching antidepressants and mood stabilers to see if my "flatness" was waunting a change. I was hoping to ask him to change me over to these:

Bupropion {Wellbutrin}
Lithium

Can I have some input from those who have taken these...I beleive that these meds will make me feel happier :bouncing: and less depressed, Is that true?????
love,
Shining_Star

Please can someone reply to me. I visit my psychiatrist in 3 days and would appreciate some help. I find it difficult enough with these appt's haven't had to ask for a complete change like this in a while .....i need help please

Shining Star-

I have lived with this illness for 10 years now and the one med remains constant in my regimen-Lithium. I have never taken Effexor or buproprion, never many antidepressants actually, as I suffer more from mania/psychosis than depression. I did have Seroquel restarted last week at 50 mg/night and I sleep better already. I guess since I have no pharmaceutical background it would be wrong of me to tell you what to do about your meds, that should be between you and doc. I do know many on this board have been helped by Lithium-it is the "cornerstone" of my med therapy. ;)

Shining Star-

I have lived with this illness for 10 years now and the one med remains constant in my regimen-Lithium. I have never taken Effexor or buproprion, never many antidepressants actually, as I suffer more from mania/psychosis than depression. I did have Seroquel restarted last week at 50 mg/night and I sleep better already. I guess since I have no pharmaceutical background it would be wrong of me to tell you what to do about your meds, that should be between you and doc. I do know many on this board have been helped by Lithium-it is the "cornerstone" of my med therapy. ;)
thankyou toby i appreciate your input. I wasn't after pharmacuetical advice more advice to those taking these meds that really know if they are good or not. And you confirmed my long hours of homework with lithium, "the cornerstone"...I reckon it could be good for me too.

We shouldn't have feel "second-hand" should we?? We have the right to feeling great also - that's my dilema - sometimes it's hard for me to make my psychiatrist see that. It isn't like I can't express myself, but he just mumbles and goes on about the risks of lithium while i'm say "what about the benefits"....but thankyou for your help and answering my post.

Hi,

For eight years I took Lithium. I always have had the mania before the depression, but the depressions lasting much longer then the mania. My understanding is that the Lithium is best for mania and it worked for me. No mania, no depression, but left me a little flat with weight gain, small hand tremors, and lowered thyroid (treated with synthroid) . After eight years I went off all drugs for two years, but began very bad mood swings. My pdoc put me on 250mg of Lamictal which worked very well for one year, but now I am breaking through. My understanding of Lamictal is that it helps more with the depression then the mania, and has done great things for people suffering more with depression. But I still need help more with the mania so the depressions will stop. The pdoc wants to supplement the Lamictal with an anti-psychotic medication that will cause weight gain, which I can not tolerate. I've done some study on Topamax (a side effect--- weight loss), which also helps with the mania. So, I am going to speak to pdoc about a cocktail of either Lithium (smaller dose then first time around) with help with mania with the Topamax, or Lamictal and Topamax. Anti depressants always made me swing. I will never consider taking them again. I suggest you find another doctor who will work with you. Good Luck, K....

lithium 450 and wellbutrin 150 in the morning, and lithium 450 and seroquel 200 at night works for me.

I did see my psychiatrist and he didn't but me on lithium due to my bulimia...I have bipolarII and bulimia. Any change in weight aggrevates my bulimic self so i have trust his judgement.
I am taking Efexor 150mg at night and seroquel 50mg at night/25mg in the morning.
Both these meds don't aggrevate my bulimia so he went with a increase of status quo.
Shining_Star

Hi Shining Star

Just a thought - if you can find a homeopath in your area they can help with difficulties some people experience with meds. You may need to ask around a bit as some don't like to treat people taking conventional meds, but many are happy to, it's just a question of getting the right one for you. They don't interfere with your meds, but they can help to address the overload of chemicals in your system. Basically when the liver is working too hard (because of excess chemicals) it can leave you feeling sluggish. There's also a really good book called Optimum Nutrition for the Mind by Patrick Holford - there's loads of good advice about diet in there, which can really help with the energy levels as well.

Good luck

Hi, I've been bipolar for 45 yrs. I was one of the 1st diagnosed and I've been thru a number of different meds. I've taken Prozac[sp?] which worked well, but I found I could not think well while I was working on my college degrees. After taking it for 3 yrs I asked to be switched to Wellbutrin [buproprion] and to this day, 10 yrs later, I'm still taking it and it still works well for my depression. As for the mania, for me it's short lived and I can pretty well handle that on my own without meds. My manic events will last only a few hrs and then it only comes on a few times a month at most. During those times, I get a lot of house work done and I never leave my house during that time [shopping during a manic event is likely to get out of hand for any bipolar]. For my husband, Wellbutrin [buproprion], was not enough, he has to also take Effexor. Even that was not really enough and we found a variety of vitamins, diet, exercise, and a regular sleep pattern really help. Add to that we wear only cool or neutral colors..nothing red or orange or loud and we don't wear patterns, which are known to aggravate a person with bipolar disorder. Also we decorate our home in neutral and cool colors...white, baby blue, and deep teal. We keep our personal lives as calm as possible...all these work together to help us lead a pretty normal life. Also...this I found really works for my husband when he is down...I put in the DVD deck...a funny movie and sometimes..I tickle him...seriouly..it's not only fun both the both of us and we both end up laughing. It really helps him with not being depressed...try it..it does work!