What med do you recommend for mixed state?

I have problems with side effects from SSRI... insomnia, anxiety and impaired short term memory.

Never tried anticonvulsants... Please share experience

Conventional wisdom would be that a mood stabilizer would help to stabilize your moods and keep you symptom free. Sometimes you need to take more than one in combination. This would be drugs like lithium, depakote, tegretol, topamax; newer drugs like Lamictal.

When I was mixed, I was in the hospital and put on Lithium immediately. I think I was also put on Seroquel at that time. My SSRI was drastically reduced as well.

Meds are different for everyone. And everyone is different. Plus every medicine is different.

In addition, every medicine reacts differently when combined with others.

Listen to your shrink. If you have no faith in him, switch. Medications are MANDATORY for us to deal with mental illness.

This is no picnic. Don't cut corners. Don't try and think for yoursef, you are probably not thinking clearly.

Remember -

Insanity isn't pretty.