Hey you guys,
I've been bipolar for...well who really knows how long. Anyway, it was just handled poorly. I won't go into much detail but my PCP listened to my symptoms and said "oh you're bipolar here's some prozac and welbutrin good luck." when I asked him if I should see a psyciatrist he said, "no i'm bipolar and i know what this is." I shouldn't have taken his advice. A couple years later and i finally have a psyciatrist who changed my meds to prozac and lamictal. She never once questioned my PCPs diagnosis even when i told her I was concerned b/c he had no qualifications to just listen to me for 5 minutes and label me. Since that time I've develped this nasty thing called bulimia, something I've found subsides for awhile but comes back full force...it's never far from my mind. I never had trouble with this before and i attribute it to my original PCP.

Now I have no doubt in my mind I'm bipolar. I do have all the symptoms but herein lies the problem. Prozac 20mg and Lamictal 300mg do nothing for me. I still have my mood swings. Granted the mania isn't as frequent but it still occures. I don't switch moods so fast it usually goes: mania, numbness, depression and around and around. Used to be either one or the other. Has anyone else had this problem. I mean...it's prozac, it should fix the problem shouldn't it??? My psychiatris even said Lamictal would elevate my mood some more but it seems to have no effect. I don't know what to do. I'd try to find someone else to go to but who? No one seems to really listen.

Howdy, My advise to you would be to ask your doctor to wean you off Prozac. I can't believe they have you taking it. It is common knowledge that antidepressants can cause mood swings in some bipolars, even if they are on a stabilizer. I am one of those. I would never ever attempt an antidepressant. Tried them a few times and really wish I hadn't. My mood swings are the same as yours, and I too am taking lamictal (250mg). It does make things better but I still swing a little. I think I could do better on a higher dose but my doctor won't go past 250. Before lamcital I was on lithium for eight years. I think it a better stabilizer but it did keep me a little flat. I may go back, or ask if I could go on a combo of lithium and lamictal. I wish you well.. karen.

but i feel like if i go off prozac my depression side will only get worse, it's not helping me much now but it's a little better than it was before. for some reason i feel no hope for normalsy or don't think i'd know it if i felt it. prozac is supposed to make you happy right? well i don't understand why my mania is so minimal but my depression is the same, maybe slightly better. gosh, if that's the case just hook me up to more anti depressants b/c i can handle the mania but the depression i can not

My hypo mania always came first (3-7 days), then I would fly down to a suicidal depression (2-4 weeks), and then a quickly rose to normalcy (2-4 weeks). I still have this pattern but to a lesser degree. I always thought..., cure the mania and the depression would stop, or at least subside greatly. I got there on 1200 mg lithium, once stable, I tried antidepressants, with bad results. I don't know what to tell you, antidepressants work for some and not for others. I think lithium is supposed to be better for mania. Lamictal better for the depression. That has been my experience and I think you'll find studies that say the same. If your mood swing starts with mania that leads to depression, stop the mania, best with lithium. If you start with depression and go straight to mania, then use the lamictal. But, what do I know? I'm just someone who has tried both, and that's how its worked for me. For me, lamictal doesn't work as good as the lithium had. Antidepressants just made things worse.

I'm sorry your having such a hard time. I can much emphasize. Maybe you should ask another psychiatrist for a second opinion... k.

what about geodone? does it work? my dtr had been diagnosed with bi polar disorder and our pcp is prescribing 60mgs of geodone daily. Is this a antidepressant ot a stabilizer noone seems to know or maybe i am not asking the right people please someone help me!!!