Hi I am one of these lerkers :confused: and not sure if this is were to post this but i am a BP patient been on Lamictal 400 mg at night with Abilify 15mg at night also and topamax 25mg 3x a day but the depression is a bit out of control and I am on Effexor and PDoc wants to take me off Dep. drugs all together and I am a bit nervous about that all together, is there any other new depression drug out there that may go with these that may be ok I may beable to bring up to him? I am just kinda of scared to go off my depression drugs he tried takibg me off effexor before and i really crashed. i am on 175mg of them a day. i know that i have to come off them slow. wow...that will throw me for a loo loo again, but i see him tomarrow a.m. but just thought i might ask you all? thanks Juliewi.. thanks again

have a great day.

Hi, Julie:wave: I am not Bipolar but have been researching the drugs for my daughter who has recently been diagnosed. From what I have read, Wellbutrin is one of the antidepressants that does not have the possiblility of throwing somebody who is Bipolar into a manic episode. Whether that is going to help you is another thing??

Also, some of the antiepileptics/anticonvulsants have a tendency to help with the depression as well. I believe risperdal and seroquel are two of them. Suprisingly my daughter has tested positive for Major Depression and the pdoc started her on Risperdal trying to avoid the SSRI's that should be avoided since they have also diagnosed her with Bipolar.

I hope this helps and I am sure that others with far more experience will chime in as well.;)

Good luck....I know finding the right med combination is the key to doing well when you are Bipolar. I am in the midst of that for my daughter and it takes alot of patience ant trial and errror which I am sure you already know.:dizzy:

~ Goody:angel:

As long as you're on a mood stabilizer while taking an SSRI, and not just taking an SSRI alone, there really shouldn't be a problem regarding you being thrown into a (hypo)manic episode. Also, maybe it's not the Effexor that's the problem- maybe it's the mood stabilizer. A good mood stabilizer should be able to prevent both (hypo)mania and depression by itself. Are you bipolar I or II? If you're bipolar I, then Lithium may be a good choice. Bipolar II's don't have as much success on Lithium, and usually need the anti-epileptics, like Depakote and Tegretol, and/or an atypical anti-psychotics and an SSRI thrown in. Bipolar patients may do wonderfully on a mood stabilizer for the (hypo)mania and an SSRI for the depression; you don't have to totally avoid SSRI's as long as you're on a mood stabilizer because the mood stabilizer should be protecting against the (hypo)mania to begin with. That may be why your doctor (and goody's daughter's doctor) wants to avoid SSRI's- because they're not sure if the other "bipolar" medications, like the Abilify and the Lamictal are working properly yet. However, if you're still depressed, I'd say that you need something extra, either a different SSRI, or as goody suggested, the addition of an atypical anti-psychotic. Good luck, God bless, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask! :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-

I hope this helps and I am sure that others with far more experience will chime in as well.

Hehehehehehehehe....just as I said and knew I could count on GatsybyLuvr to bail me out!!! Yes....the SSRI's are okay with a safety net in place such as the mood stabilizers. It takes a long time to figure this all out and I am the baby around here as far as that goes and the first to admit that!!! Oh...and by the way I am such a humble soul.....humility is my biggest strength!!!:angel:

Thanks, Gastby....you're an angel:angel: and I still love how much knowledge and wisdom you possess!!!:D

((((HUGS)))) ~ Goody:wave:

Hi Julie

I am sorry to hear that you are having a rough time right now. It is scary to hear things from a pdoc, like when they say they want to take one off of certain meds and a person isn't ready to do so. That is very easy relate to, and my heart goes out to you a bundle. ((hugs)) :angel:

My meds include: Topamax (mood stabilizer), Abilify (antispychotic), Wellbutrin XL (antidepressant), and Buspar (anxiety). So far, things have faired quite well for me with this combo mix. However, with each individual every drug effects a person differently. Wellbutrin is an antidepressant that has low side effects and has been quite effective for me. That is just my case scenario.

I've tried the SSRI's and they were horrible for me. They all caused me to go manic. That was my experience with them. That was when I only took an antidepressant; period and the doctors didn't know I was bipolar either. Now I'm so much better off.

If you feel that you are leary of the situation you are in then tell the pdoc, and tell him that you want to try a new antidepressant before throwing in the towel completely with them. It is your life and mental state; not theirs.

Take care Julie. You have a terrific name. ;)

Hugs

Coffeegirl

Well you all have been wonderful, :) :) :) Thank you all so ver very much... I cant tell you all that I am so happy I have found this board and you all...:angel: :angel: I feel so very open, and honest with you guys. Thanks again... I just hope he does something well for me I am also scared of gaining weight and that is why the lithum thing isnt a option for me right now. I guess. I have tried a ton drugs from Celexa to Buspar to you name it they have had me on a ton of different drugs even ADD to ADH meds so i belive the now have be pegged, as bipolar and OCD i spend something horrible... and am very bipolar. so i know that is were the ocd is comming into factor also, but i am rambling i do that often, cause i dont chat alot with others here at home i am disabled i have been diabled i have a 3 1/2 year old son with a congenital heart disease. and mysef with 3 heart congestive heart failures also at 39 years old i am. But really I am in overall good health now. That was over 10 years ago that all happened so interesting life here kinda. But I will keep you all posted to see what he does tomarrow i will see i am sure he will take me off that stuff cause he is not a big effexor fan so i will be left to be a old ornery depressed person again if he dont do soemthing else there is anotehr i heard about that starts with a c----- i thought but it may have been a weight gaineer also i dont know. thanks again julie :)

I was wondering, which med you were refering to as an atypical anti-psychotics and an SSRI thrown in (what are those that you were refering to? Can you give me some examples of these? thanks julie

Julie....the atypical antipsychotics include aripiprazole (Abilify), risperidone (Risperdal), clozapine (Clozaril), olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel), and ziprasidone (Geodon). From what I have read in regards to latest studies, it is recommended that one of the atypical antipsychotics other than clozapine be utlized as a first line treatment option in newly diagnosed patients. However, for people already taking a conventional antipsychotic medication that is working well, a change to an atypical may not be the best option.

SSRI's are antidepressants such as Zoloft, Paxil, & Prozac which when utilized alone in somebody who is Bipolar may trigger a manic episode. That is why Gatsbyluvr explained that in combination with other meds particularly a mood stabilizer, the concern of that happening is diminished.

Some pdocs feel that a small dose of an antidepressant will take the edge off of the mood stabilizer enough to balance things out.

I hope that helps you out in understanding things a little bit more.

In reading your post alot of times the meds they use for ADD actually will make somebody who is Bipolar worse. AND.....many times somebody who has Bipolar has been misdiagnosed with ADD. Just something to think about.

Take some time to research the meds.....and my daughter's pdoc explained to me as well as a friend who has bipolar that even though you may have had a bad experience with a med in the past, when it is introduced a second time you may find that it actually works. so you may wish to keep that in mind as well.

Keep asking questions but remeber, what may work for one person may not work for another. And what causes weight gain in one will not in another.

Good luck ~ Goody:angel:

Well what is the other drugs available other than those,? i guess i am looking for those whom dont cause the weight gain and cause mania, that isnt my problem, i dont need to be calmed down. it is my other stuff. thanks julie i hope i make sence. thanks julie

i guess looking for something that he will replace effexor with . thanks julie that is what i am scared about.

Julie

Well, unfortunately, julie, there's a risk of weight gain with a lot of the psychiatric medications, but the atypical anti-psychotics in particular. There's also a risk of developing diabetes with them, too, so if you can steer clear of Risperdal and Seroquel, I would. The SSRI's are funny in that they can either cause weight gain or weight loss. Strange. In some people, the increased serotonin causes increased appetite, and weight gain, and for others, it's decreased appetite and weight loss. Go figure. When you're referring to "your other stuff," do you mean medication that is used for your other conditions? For OCD, which I do have (I'm not bipolar), SSRI's are also used, so luckily, you can kill two birds with one stone in a sense and treat the depression and the OCD with the same medication. Granted, the SSRI's don't always work for OCD, but that's another story. OCD is usually treated most effectively with a combination of an SSRI and CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). I'm a pure obsessional, so the SSRI's didn't work well for me, and my newly-diagnosed Asperger's prevented CBT for working, but, oh, well...:rolleyes: For your OCD, I'd suggest Zoloft. It seems to work the best, either that or Prozac; I've been on both. I've heard horrific stories about Paxil, and my anxiety got worse on Lexapro. However, many are helped by that for depression- it's been a miracle for my mother and maternal grandfather. It really just all depends on a person's individual neurobiological make-up, and sadly, it is a lot of trial and error, as goody said. If you have questions about the OCD medications (or the bipolar ones), I'd be happy to try and help you! :angel:
-GatsbyLuvr1920-

Wow Amazing all the things you know, it sounds as if you are a PDoc yourself, we sure get well knowledgeble after awhile dont we with our drugs, but boy you got me there, I sure cant tell you all them names and ssr to sssri, wow. what are the ones the sss whats that help you lose the weight? any names i can throw at him tomarrow sorry i am asking its that i see him in the am and i want to have something in my mind. ? thanks

I just cant thank you guys soooo sooo much for all your help ...

Ya know that OCD stuff is something else i get on something and i take it to a extent...i go to thearapy 3 x a month for that. so i am working with that beahavoror part of it also.

thanks agaon. you guys are faboulous.

julie

Julie ~ Gatsybyluvr is better at this than I am.....she is one walking resource center;) and has a wealth of knowledge which has helped me out as well.

If you are looking for an antidepressant to take the place of your Efflexor the only one that I know of that will not cause weight gain is Wellbutrin XL but as has been previously said there are no guarantees.

Also....have any of the other meds that you are on been added since you last tried to get off the Efflexor??? Because there is a chance that you may not have as bad an experience as last time. Some of the mood stabilizers alos have an antidepressant effect so you may be okay.

Do you trust your pdoc??? If you do then perhaps discuss your concerns with him and see what he may come up with tomorrow. I know having as much knowledge as possible is important but telling your pdoc what you need is important too and he should have the expereince and knowledge to help alleviate your fears.

Please let us know how it goes tomorrow and good luck!! ~ Goody:angel:

Well, Both of you thank you so so much I just cant thank you enough, I am gonna turn in here and I guess 9:00 a.m. will come soon enoough and if he dont listen to my needs I do have a name of one that I saw a no. of years ago whom is about fourty five min. away from me other than my one here right in my same town that has all my old records and i do have trust in him, so tomarrow will be the straw that breaks the camel's back. SO we shall see. I will be the first to jump on here to tell you both what he does say. And again thank you again for all of your help

good night

Julie in WIsconsin