Best medicine for bipolar? [Archive] - HealthBoards Message Boards

court91

02-25-2009, 11:07 PM

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noams

02-25-2009, 11:27 PM

The best drugs are the ones that will work for you, everybody with mental illness is so different. It can take many months for medication to work, the brain needs to adapt. It took me over a year on Efexor before I really felt in control. It is all about trial and error.

calibear

02-26-2009, 12:28 PM

Hi iam a wife/ caregiver to my husband who has bi polar/ scophophina/ broderline personality disorder. has you ever tried Gedon that works great on moods and if you seeing things that noth supposed to be thire and if you hearing things that is not suppose to be thire.
Angelia

CarenR

02-26-2009, 03:18 PM

I have taken Zyprexa for two years and it works for me to stop mania and helps me sleep.... I wont change to another medicine...

hugs, Caren

Zyprexa

dreams in neon

02-27-2009, 05:48 PM

I echo noam's response.

Two meds designed to treat psychosis are Risperdal and Geodon. I used to take Risperdal for the past 2 years, but after experiencing no relief for my auditory hallucinations, started taking Geodon. Now I no longer hear voices except for when I'm manic, depressed or off of my meds.

Having said that, your experience may differ.

court91

02-28-2009, 07:56 PM

thanks guys! i really appreciate it, ill talk to my doctor about it.

Gia029

02-28-2009, 08:06 PM

I take Paxil and Risperdal and that combo works wonders for me. I start to get angry/moody if I try and cut back the risperdal so I am resigned to the fact that I will probaby be on it for life. It has made a huge difference in my life. I no longer get paranoid/silly thoughts and the moodiness is gone. You may have to try a few different meds till you find the one that works for you unless you get lucky and find something that is suitable right off the bat. It was a bit of trial and error for me. I started out with Effexor and that didn't work for me.

last flowers

02-28-2009, 08:39 PM

i have taken all sorts of meds and still felt unwell. i am now on wellbutrin xl, lamictal, abilify, klonopin (sometimes dalmane for sleep) I feel great. 2 weeks on feeling sooo good and happy to be productive and feel 'normal'. i feel , light, if you know what i mean.
good luck

calibear

03-01-2009, 02:22 PM

thanks guys! i really appreciate it, ill talk to my doctor about it.

iam a wife/caregiver to my husband who has bi polar/ schophina/ broderline personality disorder he is taking the theese meds: depakote ER, Wellbutrin XL Geodon .And like i said befor the Geodon helps him really well on hearing stuff that is not there and seeing things that is not there. And the other meds that he is taking suppoose to stable him but does sometime but not all the tme . And the dr does not listen to us caregivers.
Angelia

dreams in neon

03-02-2009, 03:53 AM

katlin09

03-02-2009, 05:53 AM

Hi, I take Lamictal, Cymbalta, Abilify, Buspar, Topamax, Clonazapem and prn Seroquel as needed. So like everyone else has said, different meds work for different peoples. It just depends on how willing you are to try different meds that you and your pdoc suggest and see what works.

kat

dreams in neon

03-02-2009, 06:05 AM

I forgot to mention Topamax. Although I take it for migraines, it also works as a mood stabilizer.

katlin09

03-02-2009, 06:10 AM

Dreams,

You haven't slept yet tonight either have you?

k

dreams in neon

03-02-2009, 06:26 AM

Kat,

Nope. I think it's because I slept earlier. I tried going to bed at 10pm, but couldn't fall asleep. I took a second Clonazepam as well as my 300mg PRN dosage of Trazodone, but neither of them helped. I hate it when this happens because I start to rapid cycle and after several days of this, end up manic.

katlin09

03-02-2009, 06:37 AM

Dreams,

I didn't even nap today and I'm still up all night, welcome to depression 101. I'm going to pop a seroquel as soon as I find out whether my son's school is closed or just delayed opening because of the snow. Otherwise I am gonna be one cranky bi*** today.

k

dreams in neon

03-02-2009, 06:44 AM

Kat,

I know what you mean. My sister is coming over today to help me with some things I need to do, but I'm hoping to get to bed around 6am so that I can sleep for at least an hour before she arrives.

katlin09

03-02-2009, 06:52 AM

Dreams,

Okay heard from the school, closed today. I just took some seroquel and am gonna try to catch some zzzzz's. I'll catch ya later.

Get some sleep.

kat

dreams in neon

03-02-2009, 06:57 AM

Kat,

I'm going to head to bed around 6am. First I'm going to get something to eat. Talk to you later.

cheerus

03-03-2009, 01:02 PM

I take 5 different meds for my bipolar: Depakote, Fluoxetine, Geodon, Trazodone and Clonazepam. Ever since the Clonazepam was added, I'm doing much, much better...and that's after a little over a year and a half of being unstable. It's important to remember that everyone reacts to meds differently. What works well for one person may not work well for another. It may take some time to find the right med combo, but hang in there. Once you do, the wait will definitely be worth it.

Dreams in Neon, I'm glad you found the meds that work for you. I Agree with your post everyones different and what works for one person may not work for another. My father is on Depakote & it works wonders for him. I Am on Lithium along with prozac have been for over 7 years now & it works for me.I Take clonazepam as needed. But Lithium & prozac daily.and your right the wait is definitely worth it once you find the right medicine that works for you. My doctor actually suffered from bi-polar and so he could really relate & I Was lucky because the first medicine he put me on was Lithium and it worked for me along with prozac. At first I Didn't want to be on medicine & my doctor explained to me its no different then if someone would have a heart disease they'd take a medicine to help the heart and with a mood disorder you must take a medicine to help the brain. Hes so right so to anyone out there that has a mood disorder it can be treated and you can live a normal life. You need a good doctor and the right medicine for you. Goodluck dreams with your meds hope they continue to work for you. Bren

dreams in neon

03-04-2009, 01:47 AM

Thanks, Bren! I'm glad your doctor was able to help you given the fact that he also has bipolar. I'm hoping I can do the same when I receive my Ph.D. and eventually start my own practice working with clients who have bipolar, schizophrenia and PTSD. I'm so happy that Lithium and Prozac are working well for you! I used to take them in combination back in the early to mid 90s. I don't remember how effective they were for me only because it was such a long time ago and ever since taking meds for bipolar 3 years ago, my memory isn't as sharp as it used to be. Smile.

irishwriter

03-04-2009, 05:18 AM

Hi all, im taking lamictal and risperdone and im still having mania and depression. Im just sick of all of this and i want it to be over with so i can live a "normal" life. Ive been reading some threads about lamictal and many people are saying that it doesnt really help them either. Im schizophrenic, bipolar and i have add. phew, so in everyones opinion what is the best medicine for these disorders?

Thank you!

court91

as has been said there are no right combos as every individual is different. i found lithium did not help but lamictal seems to help a little with abilify, thyroxine, clonazempam and xanax. have tried so many different ones now i'd fill the page with them all. keep at it and talk to your pdoc.

dreams in neon

03-04-2009, 07:42 AM

I also have schizophrenic symptoms of auditory hallucinations (I've been hearing voices since 1991), delusions and paranoia (I've had paranoia since 1995) as part of my bipolar. I take Depakote, Fluoxetine, Geodon, Trazodone and Clonazepam. I've found that Geodon works wonderfully well in addressing my schizophrenic symptoms except when I'm manic or depressed. I used to take a high dose of Risperdal for the past 2 years, but it didn't help relieve my symptoms. Having said that, what works well for one person may not work well for the next. If you're unhappy with your med combo, I would let your pdoc know and ask to be placed on different meds.

dreams in neon

03-04-2009, 07:46 AM

court91

03-04-2009, 10:51 AM

court91,

How many milligrams of Lamictal are you on? If you just started taking this med, it may take some time before you experience any relief since you need to be slowly titrated to a therapeutic dose (which starts at 100mg, but can be as high as 600mg).

He just bumped me up to 100mgs, i take 100mgs at night and 50mgs in the morning. He just put me on Celexa too which is 10mgs at night and im on 1mg of Risperidone at night and .5 in the morning. It seems to be helping, but not as i wish it would.

dreams in neon

03-04-2009, 12:33 PM

He just bumped me up to 100mgs, i take 100mgs at night and 50mgs in the morning. He just put me on Celexa too which is 10mgs at night and im on 1mg of Risperidone at night and .5 in the morning. It seems to be helping, but not as i wish it would.

It may take a little time before you feel better on Lamictal. Then again, it's also possible that you could notice a change within a few days. I have heard of cases where people have experienced improved moods within 2-3 days of taking 100mg or more of Lamictal. I hope this is true for you!

katlin09

03-04-2009, 09:01 PM

Most people take a while to get the true benefits from Lamictal, it's just one of those drugs that takes a while to get to the max dose for you and the max benefit. The FDA max therapeutic dosage is 300mg, but pdocs will go up to 400mg - 500mg. Getting meds right is such a mixture of pdoc's experience, patients body chemistry, and symptoms. My meds have been switched 4 or 5 times in the last 2 1/2 months. Right now I'm on lamictal 300mg, Buspar 45mg, Abilify 10mg, Topamax 100mg, Trazadone 150mg, Biotin 1000mg, and Vitamin D 1000mg. My pdoc used to have me on 3000 mg of Fish Oil also but it was causing some bleeding problems so he took me off of it last week. I also take Oxycontin 80mg, Percocet 6 10/325's a day for Chronic Pain, and Premarin for post surgically induced menopause. So I have an added problem in that narcotics usually cause depression as well. So it's just a matter of trying to make all the medications "play" well with each other. Even with the Trazadone I don't sleep much, usually go to sleep around 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning and get up at 7:00. I can't remember the last time I got more than 3.5 hours sleep in one night.

kat

irishwriter

03-05-2009, 04:43 AM

court91,

How many milligrams of Lamictal are you on? If you just started taking this med, it may take some time before you experience any relief since you need to be slowly titrated to a therapeutic dose (which starts at 100mg, but can be as high as 600mg).

court

i'm on 350 of lamictal and increasing incrementally by 25 every 5th day so will be on 400 by next week. i found it gave me a few hours relief almost immediate but is boosted now by abilify. am also taking lexapro, thyroxine, xanax and klonopin. seems so far to be the best combo so far. nothing else has given me any relief at all. hope lamictal works for you.

dreams

pdoc started me on 25 increasing every 5th day. so quite low dose to start with. i do seem to have flu symptoms a lot but he say's not related. as i rarely get it i am incined to believe it is the lamictal.

dreams in neon

03-05-2009, 06:10 AM

irishwriter,

Your flu symptoms should gradually disappear. I also had nausea when I started taking Depakote 3 years ago. However, this improved by the second week following my initial dosage. I now take 1500mg of Depakote and do not experience any side effects as a result except for hand tremors, hair loss (which I take Centrum Silver for) and short term memory loss. While some may wonder why I choose to accept these side effects, I consider it a trade-off especially after being put on a new med (Clonazepam) which does a great job of controlling my rapid cycling. It seems that all 5 of the meds I take for BP are finally working in combination with each other to help keep me stable.

dreams in neon

03-05-2009, 06:40 AM

irishwriter,

Thanks to my Clonazepam, I'm getting confused and am having some trouble understanding posts. Since you listed the meds you are on, you can disregard my question.

dreams in neon

03-05-2009, 06:42 AM

court91

03-05-2009, 07:27 AM

everyones so nice on here, thanks to all of you for the support. it really helps.

last flowers

03-05-2009, 10:23 AM

irishwriter,

Thanks to my Clonazepam, I'm getting confused and am having some trouble understanding posts. Since you listed the meds you are on, you can disregard my question.

hi dreams in neon :) i take the lamictal 300 mgs. at night. i took it in morning and made me tired. not now. i take klonopin for anxiety and when i need to relax (sorta like wine without the headache) and for sleep at night. i can take up to 4 a day, but usually take 2. doesnt seem to bother me. (but then, i am used to being somewhat confused, so...) I think the abilify has saved me. it totally clears my head. what a relief. take care of yourself.

bipolar rapid cycling,mixed
last flowers

last flowers

03-05-2009, 10:30 AM

everyones so nice on here, thanks to all of you for the support. it really helps.

Hi Court. it is nice ... i didnt think that i would ever feel somewhat normal ever. but, i have a good mix of meds now and when to take them, and i feel wonderful(my pdoc will say i am manic and ready to crash, but i beg to differ. i think this is what living is supposed to feel like. i am happy now. my family is so happy for me and always asks me if it is a good day still, we are keeping track,, i have felt great for two weeks now. i dont know if i can stop counting now or not:)

hope you are well and happy, if not i am sorry and if i can help... let me know.

last flowers bipolar rapid cycling/mixed states.

dreams in neon

03-05-2009, 11:40 AM

JD1014

03-05-2009, 04:34 PM

Hi. Recently diagnosed here, and have gone to lithium to quell the bouts of explosive rage (usually in a manic state).

irishwriter

03-06-2009, 04:43 AM

I know someone with BPI who takes 600mg of Lamictal and is doing very, very well. I've also heard that there isn't a difference once dosages are raised higher than 200mg, but I think this varies from person to person.

dreams,

i found at 200 the effects started to wear off but this is the same story with every med i have taken. at first they work well then increase, increase, increase until eventually my body gets used to them and they stop working. i really hope this doestn't happen this time as this is the best result so far. sorry if i'm repeating myself!!

glad clonazepam is working. i too find it good. abilify helps clear my brain too. am now on 25mg of that. stilll cutting though but reducing which i think seems to be better than just stopping all at once. doing fewer and fewer cuts which is good.

hope you continue to feel better.

dreams in neon

03-06-2009, 05:08 AM

dreams,

i found at 200 the effects started to wear off but this is the same story with every med i have taken. at first they work well then increase, increase, increase until eventually my body gets used to them and they stop working. i really hope this doestn't happen this time as this is the best result so far. sorry if i'm repeating myself!!

glad clonazepam is working. i too find it good. abilify helps clear my brain too. am now on 25mg of that. stilll cutting though but reducing which i think seems to be better than just stopping all at once. doing fewer and fewer cuts which is good.

hope you continue to feel better.

I had similar problems with Depakote. It had to be raised recently to 2000mg when I was IP and then decreased to 1500mg since 2000mg is the highest dosage I can take. The attending pdoc felt more comfortable lowering it in case I run into any further problems at which time my pdoc could increase it to 2000mg again.

I'm now on day 8 without any rapid cycling. It seems hard to believe, but I give all the credit to my pdoc for adding Clonazepam to my med combo. It's funny how it took him 2 months to stabilize me when my old pdoc couldn't even do this (not that he tried) in 1.5 years.

last flowers

03-06-2009, 09:35 AM

hey, what kind of bleeding problems. i have some weird red spots on my arms, and seems to be bleeding under my skin, has a name but i forget.
last flowers

last flowers

03-06-2009, 09:38 AM

last flowers,

I asked several people I know who have BP and take Clonazepam if clouded thinking is common while on this med and they said yes. A counselor I've known for a long time said the same thing, but also said this should improve the longer I'm taking it. I think she's right because I'm noticing slight improvement as each day passes. :)

dreams, the clouded feeling does go away and it is a great med. i can drive and function on it, with no problem. mine are only 1 mg. i can take two without any problems, even if i am out and about.

best wishes to you dreams.
last flowers

katlin09

03-07-2009, 01:28 AM

Last Flowers,

I'm also a sufferer of SH/SI and the fish oil can make you bleed alot and have a slower clotting time, so I had to stop it. Do you take Fish Oil?

kat

last flowers

03-07-2009, 10:28 PM

hi Kat, i just started with the fish oil because i read somewhere that it is good for your brain. i go to dermo on monday, so will see what she says.
last flowers

last flowers

03-07-2009, 10:30 PM

Last Flowers,

I'm also a sufferer of SH/SI and the fish oil can make you bleed alot and have a slower clotting time, so I had to stop it. Do you take Fish Oil?

kat

hi there again Kat, but sorry for my ignorance as i am new , but what is sh/si?

my best to you as always

last flowers

katlin09

03-07-2009, 10:37 PM

Last Flowers,

No you're not ignorant, we have all these "initials" and expect everyone to know what diagnosis they stand for. SH/SI stands for "Self Harm/Self Injury, my specialty so to speak is cutting, pretty severe...so I have to watch meds that make me bleed to freely.

Fish Oil does that, as a matter of fact if you have any kind of bleeding disorder then you're not supposed to use it at all. My pdoc(Psychiatrist) had me on a high dosage 3000mg a day, because it is helpful for Depression and my diagnosis is BiPolar with severe med resistant Suicidal Depression, so we try anything and everything that might possibly have some effect. I am also on Lamictal, Abilify, Cymbalta, Vitamin D, Biotin, Topomax, Buspar and Trazadone.

Good luck on your BP journey.

kat

irishwriter

03-08-2009, 06:25 AM

dreams.

me too, the foggy feeling has diminished now, i do find that the combo of abilify and lamictal affect my balance so am hoping this too will pass as i reach the therapeutic dose for me. am now on 375 of lamictal and 25 of abilify. read that both can affect balance and cause clumsiness. i keep bumping into things and breaking things , mug, ashtray and glass. i haven't broken anything in a long time prior to this. i also keep dropping things (unbreakables luckily).

i still find klonopin great because it has a long life and slows down the 'high's of abilify.
also great for sleep although as said i take xanax with it then.

irishwriter

03-08-2009, 06:27 AM

dreams in neon

03-08-2009, 09:51 AM

I agree with you about Clonazepam, irishwriter. From what I understand, it's the strongest benzo available and stays in your system for 8 hours as opposed to Xanax which is a short acting benzo.

court91

03-08-2009, 01:27 PM

Does abilify work really good? because most of the people on here are saying it does and ive read up about it but since im on lamictal, risperdal and celexa do you think it would be safe?

dreams in neon

03-08-2009, 02:43 PM

Meds work differently for each of us, but I know several people who are taking Abilify and doing well.

katlin09

03-08-2009, 07:25 PM

Court 91,

I take Abilify but honestly can't tell you how well it works, as I am on 3 mood stabilizers, Lamictal, Abilify, and Topomax, so it's hard to tell which one is doing what. As to whether any of them work well enough, I still stay pretty unstable for the most part, suicidal ideations, SH, and severe depression come and go on a weekly basis.

As for you, it's not unheard of to take 2 mood stabilizers, and Celexa is an anti-depressants which once again is normal to take if your depressed and works with mood stabilizers.

hope this was helpfull for you.

kat

caitlin122

03-08-2009, 10:00 PM

I personally have had great success with Effexor ER and Depakote. It took me years of trial and error on many different meds ranging from Lithium to Wellbutrin to Zyprex to Lamictol and many others. It all depends on your own personal chemistry and what works for you. If Lamictol is not working for you, I would suggest speaking with your doctor about trying a different mood stabilizer or anti-depressant/antio-anxiety. I would however recommend stay away from Lithium. I know it works for some, but it almsot killed me. I had an awful time with Lithium.

dreams in neon

03-08-2009, 10:15 PM

Speaking of Lithium, my pdoc wants to add a small dose to my Depakote, Fluoxetine, Geodon, Topamax (which I take for migraines), Trazodone and Clonzepam if I can't get my rapid cycling and depression under control. If I find out that my current depressive state is the typical depression I normally feel during this time of year, I might give it a try. It can't hurt. I used to be on Lithium in 1991 although I no longer remember if it helped me or not.

katlin09

03-08-2009, 11:07 PM

Dreams,

I thought you weren't supposed to take Depakote and Lithium at the same time?

kat

caitlin122

03-08-2009, 11:31 PM

dreams in neon

03-09-2009, 12:08 AM

Dreams,

I thought you weren't supposed to take Depakote and Lithium at the same time?

kat

My pdoc said there isn't any harm as long as the dose of Lithium is very low. Besides, I don't know if my pdoc plans to add Lithium on a temporary or permanent basis. He didn't say. I'll have to discuss that further with him tomorrow anyways since I need to determine the reason for my current depressive state.

dreams in neon

03-09-2009, 12:11 AM

Your not as far as I know. I was on Lithium first, which led to a suicide attempt, then on Depakote. But when I was on Depakote, I was still over medicated with many anti depressants, anti anxiety pills and sleep meds. It was way too much. Depakote by itself works great

How many milligrams of Depakote do you take? I'm on 1500mg. I used to be on 2000mg, but the attending pdoc when I was IP recently decided to lower it in case I experience future problems with mania.

caitlin122

03-09-2009, 12:31 AM

irishwriter

03-09-2009, 05:25 AM

How many milligrams of Depakote do you take? I'm on 1500mg. I used to be on 2000mg, but the attending pdoc when I was IP recently decided to lower it in case I experience future problems with mania.

dreams.

i think a lot of people take small dose of lithium to boost other drugs so i wouldn't worry about giving it a try. glad to hear you got the movie channels.
i find i don't have the concentration for movied but watch lots of one hour shows, er, house, ghost whisperer, greys anatomy etc.. and they work for distraction but i play backgammon on phone while watching!

dreams in neon

03-09-2009, 05:32 AM

I was on 1000 mg of Depakote. It worled really great. I think I need to go back on it.That dose seemed to work well for me. Depakote in my mind is really. I would never mix Lithium w/Depakote. Those two together make you a zombie

My pdoc informed me that this wouldn't be the case as long as I'm given a small dose of Lithium with my Depakote. Given the depression I've had (and still have right now), I'm willing to try anything.

dreams in neon

03-09-2009, 05:35 AM

dreams.

i think a lot of people take small dose of lithium to boost other drugs so i wouldn't worry about giving it a try. glad to hear you got the movie channels.
i find i don't have the concentration for movied but watch lots of one hour shows, er, house, ghost whisperer, greys anatomy etc.. and they work for distraction but i play backgammon on phone while watching!

This is exactly what my pdoc said. I also had concerns about taking Lithium, but he said as long as I take a small dose, I should be fine. I don't have the concentration necessary for movies either, but if they are humorous, I find I can pay attention to them.

mowgli

03-09-2009, 05:35 AM

dreams in neon

03-09-2009, 05:37 AM

I've never had depakote, but do take lithium and apart from a few initial problems, like a funny taste in my mouth and my body odour changing (that was weird!) and heart palpitations, which was just my anxiety finding another new way to present itself, it's been for the better.

I used to take Lithium many years ago, but no longer remember how well it worked. At this point, I'm willing to try anything my pdoc thinks will help me.

court91

03-09-2009, 10:45 AM

katlin09

03-09-2009, 11:24 AM

Mowgli,

It's interesting that your med caused heart palpitations as a way to make your anxiety over adding a new med manifest itself.

I re-started Trazadone for sleep last week and have palpitations to the point of being so loud in my ears I have to sit up in my bed. I didn't have this the last time I used Trazadone, and I wonder if it's just anxiety over the med not working *which it doesn't* and the fear of not being able to sleep, which I can't, I usually drop off around 4 or 4:30 then have to be up at 6:30 to get my son off to school.

kat

dreams in neon

03-09-2009, 03:35 PM

Kat,

Have you thought about increasing your dose of Trazodone? I take 300mg whenever I'm manic or can't sleep and it knocks me out within 5 minutes.

katlin09

03-09-2009, 05:05 PM

That's one of the med tweaks have to do with pdoc tomorrow along with completely getting off of cymbalta, and increasing abilify, ought to be a fun week this week, I hate med changes and they hate me.

kat

dreams in neon

03-09-2009, 05:28 PM

Kat,

Med changes can be so frustrating.

How far along are you in finally getting off of Cymbalta? If I remember correctly, you were one or two doses away from your last dose? Does your pdoc plan to put you on a different anti-depressant like Wellbutrin? My pdoc told me that if my Fluoxetine stops working, we could try Wellbutrin.

Good luck at your appointment tomorrow! Let me know how it goes!

katlin09

03-09-2009, 05:44 PM

I should of had my last dose on Sunday, I'm on the 1 every 5 days leg of the race, so I think i won't have to take anymore.

I've used Wellbutrin before and didn't do much for me, I plan to ask him tomorrow what the plan is for the anti-d. Lord knows i definitely need one.

So, we'll see.

kat

mowgli

03-09-2009, 08:58 PM

Kat- I was wondering have you ever tried St. john wort, or a combination tablet with st. john wort and valerian (and someother vitamins and things)?

katlin09

03-10-2009, 12:25 AM

I've used both of them in the past. Can't take st. john's wort, doesn't mix with some of the psych meds I'm on, and valerian is more of a sleeping pill than anything and I can take 6 of them and still not go to sleep. Plus they smell like stinky socks. *l*

My pdoc combines hollistic medicine with traditional medicine so he has me on almost as many vitamins/herbals as psych meds.

kat

mowgli

03-10-2009, 01:36 AM

Bum- both that they don't work and smell like stinky socks:eek:

katlin09

03-10-2009, 02:33 AM

Mowgli, I take it you've never used Valerian Root? If you start it, just hold your nose when you open the bottle and when you swallow the pills.
*l* kat

dreams in neon

03-10-2009, 02:37 AM

Mowgli, I take it you've never used Valerian Root? If you start it, just hold your nose when you open the bottle and when you swallow the pills.
*l* kat

Ewww. And I thought the vanilla flavored Depakote horse pills I used to take were bad. LOL!

mowgli

03-10-2009, 04:42 AM

No- can't say I have- and now I'm pretty sure I won't either! St johns wort and echinachea smell like hay, I think. So we can give them to the horse with your pills Dreams- it will be one happy gee-gee!!

irishwriter

03-10-2009, 05:25 AM

This is exactly what my pdoc said. I also had concerns about taking Lithium, but he said as long as I take a small dose, I should be fine. I don't have the concentration necessary for movies either, but if they are humorous, I find I can pay attention to them.

dreams,

glad to see on other post that you are getting another break from rapid cycling. have you started low dose of lithium yet? i was on 1200 and while it didn't work for me the side effects were minimal. so a small dose should be fine. glad too that the klonopin clonazepam works so well. it is a great drug. i am prescribed three times/ day 10mg which would be 180/month i think but less that 100 does it fine. i usually only take 5mg and leave the 10 for nights that i cannot sleep. pdoc says it is only when the dosage doesnt do the job and one keeps needing increases that they would worry about addiction but given that with most of our meds we can't stop cold turkey anyway what's the difference? luckily i was on xanax for long time and never got addicted. on it again now and still don't take full prescribed dose. three weeks supply usually lasts over four weeks. i like tohave some as back up because they are they only drug i pay for privately (they're cheap anyway) because my doc won't prescribe them so i get the via pdoc and he's not always near a fax macine to send script. i asked him this time to do a repeat script so we'll see if that happens. watched a documentary last night part of a series of three about how suicide impacts on families and sadly my predominant question was 'please tell me what meds he took that worked!!'. his familiy was lovely and very honest and i guess it depressed me in that my brother's suicide six years ago seems to have had v. little impact on most of my family and i find that sad. sorry for such a long post!!

last flowers

03-10-2009, 10:05 AM

:angel:Mowgli,

It's interesting that your med caused heart palpitations as a way to make your anxiety over adding a new med manifest itself.

I re-started Trazadone for sleep last week and have palpitations to the point of being so loud in my ears I have to sit up in my bed. I didn't have this the last time I used Trazadone, and I wonder if it's just anxiety over the med not working *which it doesn't* and the fear of not being able to sleep, which I can't, I usually drop off around 4 or 4:30 then have to be up at 6:30 to get my son off to school.

kat

hi kat, i tried the trazadone a while back and oh boy did i not like the way it made me feel. awful.
i never was and sill am not a good sleeper. i took librium for sleep /anx when i was a teenager(back in the day :)) but i now take dalmane and my pdoc does not worry about addiction. also, if that does not help i add in a klonopin. usually works. as long as the pills work and i sleep i dont worry about addiction. (figure i will always have to use something to sleep sooo...

best of luck to you, get some rest

last flowers

dreams in neon

03-10-2009, 11:10 AM

dreams,

glad to see on other post that you are getting another break from rapid cycling. have you started low dose of lithium yet? i was on 1200 and while it didn't work for me the side effects were minimal. so a small dose should be fine. glad too that the klonopin clonazepam works so well. it is a great drug. i am prescribed three times/ day 10mg which would be 180/month i think but less that 100 does it fine. i usually only take 5mg and leave the 10 for nights that i cannot sleep. pdoc says it is only when the dosage doesnt do the job and one keeps needing increases that they would worry about addiction but given that with most of our meds we can't stop cold turkey anyway what's the difference? luckily i was on xanax for long time and never got addicted. on it again now and still don't take full prescribed dose. three weeks supply usually lasts over four weeks. i like tohave some as back up because they are they only drug i pay for privately (they're cheap anyway) because my doc won't prescribe them so i get the via pdoc and he's not always near a fax macine to send script. i asked him this time to do a repeat script so we'll see if that happens. watched a documentary last night part of a series of three about how suicide impacts on families and sadly my predominant question was 'please tell me what meds he took that worked!!'. his familiy was lovely and very honest and i guess it depressed me in that my brother's suicide six years ago seems to have had v. little impact on most of my family and i find that sad. sorry for such a long post!!

I saw my pdoc yesterday. He decided not to change my meds just yet since I was able to go 9 days without rapid cycling and because I think I was depressed over the weekend due to the weather. (I can't think of any other reason for my depression.) However, he did say that if my depression worsens or continues, he will adjust my meds accordingly which I assume involves adding a small dose of Lithium since I'm already on the second highest dose of Depakote and the last time my Fluoxetine was raised from 20mg to 40mg, I experienced a mixed episode.

katlin09

03-10-2009, 06:05 PM

Irish,

Hate to be corrective but I think you mean 1 mg, as 10 would knock your ass under the table and you wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

kat

dreams in neon

03-10-2009, 07:46 PM

Irish,

Hate to be corrective but I think you mean 1 mg, as 10 would knock your ass under the table and you wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

kat

Kat is right. The highest dose Clonazepam comes in is 2mg. If Irish were taking 10mg, she could be referring to Diazepam.

However, I'm willing to guess that it was a typo.

irishwriter

03-11-2009, 05:22 AM

Kat is right. The highest dose Clonazepam comes in is 2mg. If Irish were taking 10mg, she could be referring to Diazepam.

However, I'm willing to guess that it was a typo.

kat and dreams,

your both right! it was typo, .5mg or 1mg!!!! blame it on brain fog! lol

dreams in neon

03-11-2009, 05:34 AM

kat and dreams,

your both right! it was typo, .5mg or 1mg!!!! blame it on brain fog! lol

No problem! LOL! The same thing happened to me when I started taking Clonazepam, so I can relate.

Speaking of which, my pdoc has me take
1-2 tablets 2-3x/day as needed. (.5mg)

So far, I've only had to take 2 tablets every 48 hours. I've now had 2 days without any rapid cycling.

irishwriter

03-12-2009, 04:42 AM

No problem! LOL! The same thing happened to me when I started taking Clonazepam, so I can relate.

Speaking of which, my pdoc has me take
1-2 tablets 2-3x/day as needed. (.5mg)

So far, I've only had to take 2 tablets every 48 hours. I've now had 2 days without any rapid cycling.

dreams,

that's great news. see post on tardive diskenesia to see mad night i had last night! thought i was going to explode out of my skin! my script for clonaepam is the same. i usually take two/day though. .5

dreams in neon

03-12-2009, 10:54 AM

dreams,

that's great news. see post on tardive diskenesia to see mad night i had last night! thought i was going to explode out of my skin! my script for clonaepam is the same. i usually take two/day though. .5

I'll check out the thread right now...

court91

03-12-2009, 12:06 PM

i have a question for everyone, is there different types of abilify or is there just one pill that treats all? my pdoc just put me on abilify yesterday :)

dreams in neon

03-12-2009, 12:13 PM

There is only one version of Abilify (Abilify itself), but a generic form (Aripiprazole) is expected to be released in October, 2014.

court91

03-12-2009, 12:22 PM

There is only one version of Abilify (Abilify itself), but a generic form (Aripiprazole) is expected to be released in October, 2014.

okay because the website confused me lol

dreams in neon

03-12-2009, 01:57 PM

okay because the website confused me lol

This may not have been clear from the company website, but Abilify is a mood stabilizer as well as an antipsychotic.

katlin09

03-12-2009, 05:24 PM

dreams in neon

03-12-2009, 05:59 PM

1 type abilify with several different dosages (mg). As dreams said it's a mood stabilzer/anti psychotic and it also works as an anti depressant for BiPolar Depression.

What dosage are you taking? I jsut started it 3 weeks ago, I'm now at 10mg and it seems to be starting to work. I haven't noticed any side effects except some blurry vision, but that's going away.

kat

Kat,

I'm glad Abilify is helping your depression. That's great!

zhope

03-12-2009, 11:05 PM

There's also lithium. For me, it's the only thing that works on my major depression. I have not been diagnosed bi-polar, but possibly slightly hypo-manic. I know lithium is a mood stabilizer. Lamyctal didn't help my depression at all.

katlin09

03-12-2009, 11:12 PM

It's interesting that Lithium helps your depression since it's generally prescribed to control Manic, and hypomanic states, not depression.

kat

dreams in neon

03-12-2009, 11:54 PM

Actually Kat, Lithium has been proven to be very effective at treating depression especially when it is paired with an anti-depressant. (You can read this information yourself by doing an Internet search for "Lithium + depression.") I used to take Lithium many years ago when I was misdiagnosed with major depressive disorder. That's part of the reason why my tdoc thinks I had bipolar back then since Lithium is given as a mood stabilizer. Now that I think about it, Lithium never worked for me, but I think this was due to the fact that I had psychotic depression and was constantly hearing voices. I wasn't on an antipsychotic at the time -- only Lithium and Prozac.

katlin09

03-13-2009, 12:25 AM

I used to take Lithium 18 yrs ago when I used to get Manic, but they described it as being a med for mania or hypomanis states. Ya learn something new everyday.

kat

dreams in neon

03-13-2009, 12:29 AM

Kat,

I think it is only recently (since 1991) that Lithium was used primarily for mania and hypomania. I'll have to ask my pdoc since he's been practicing for over 30 years.

dreams in neon

03-13-2009, 12:30 AM

My pdoc also told me at the time (1991) that Lithium would help my voices, but it never did.

katlin09

03-13-2009, 12:31 AM

That's when I started on it, in '91.

dreams in neon

03-13-2009, 12:39 AM

Kat,

I know you won't see this post until tomorrow, but back in 1991, what were you diagnosed with? I was misdiagnosed as having major depressive disorder.

katlin09

03-13-2009, 02:59 AM

In '91 I was diagnosed with just plain old BP, they didn't have all the sub categories then, but I tended to be manic, I'm not sure if it was due to the meds or not. Which is wierd because now I'm just the opposite. But the only med I was on was Lithium, once again they didn't tend to put you on 5 different psych meds like they do now.

kat

dreams in neon

03-13-2009, 03:06 AM

Kat,

When did your BP turn from mostly manic symptoms to depressive symptoms?

The only thing I don't understand about my misdiagnosis back then was why my pdoc didn't put me on an antipsychotic to address my voices. Why she put me on Lamictal, I don't know except that it could have been to help relieve my depression in addition to Prozac. As it turned out, Prozac eventually pooped out on me a year later, so I was switched to Paxil which worked much better for me.

I stopped taking psychotropic meds in 1995 and continued going without until Febuary, 2006 when I had my first manic/psychotic episode.

The reason why I stopped taking meds was because I was receiving training at a local deafblind center after I lost my hearing. After I started learning sign and participating in a support group, my confidence began to grow exponentially and I no longer felt depressed.

I've been asked countless times why I stopped taking my meds and to be honest, I don't have a good reason. I guess I didn't feel like I needed them.

The attending pdoc who oversaw my treatment when I was IP in 2006 told me I probably had bipolar for many, many years that went undiagnosed due to my blindness and deafness. In his words, my "mental illness was masked by hearing and sight impairment" which makes perfect sense when you think about it since people paid more attention to the fact that I couldn't see or hear than they did my bipolar symptoms even though they weren't severe at the time.

katlin09

03-13-2009, 03:16 AM

That's a good question because I was dx'd BP after my first suicide attempt and severe depression after my oldest son was born. Honestly knowing now how I react to major med changes, I think that my manic state was caused by some change in meds, and that's how I got put on Lithium. I only stayed med compliant for about 2 years then decided I was "cured". Then went back to a Pdoc after another suicide attempt, med compliant for 2 or 3 years, so on and so forth...Once I got stable I always convinced myself I was cured, but as the years went on it got harder and harder to get stable. 8 years ago when another pdoc, who I hated to go to, put me on Wellbutrin without a mood stabilizer/anti psychotic, I went nuts. So now I've been med compliant for a year and a half, am rarely stable, love my pdoc and tdoc and have no plans of changing anything anytime soon.

kat

dreams in neon

03-13-2009, 03:25 AM

Oops. In my previous post, I meant to type Lithium -- not Lamictal. D*mn hypomania.

dreams in neon

03-13-2009, 03:31 AM

That's great, Kat. In the 18 years I've seen pdocs and tdocs, I've only had 2 pdocs and 2 tdocs that I've liked. The rest were self-centered and arrogant. One of the most insensitive pdocs I've ever met was the one who oversaw my treatment in 2006 when I was IP. One afternoon during my appointment with him, I informed him that I was being followed. In a rude, insensitive tone of voice he said, "You're NOT being followed." I felt like crying right then and there because he KNEW I was extremely paranoid due to my manic state. To be fair though, I wasn't completely honest with him about the extent of my voices or paranoia. He gave me a weekend pass after 2.5 weeks, but 2 hours after I was released, I started hearing voices that threatened to kill me. The voices were male and talked to each other about killing me if I left my apartment. They specifically told me, "If you leave your apartment, you will suffer the consequences." Anyways, I ended up going back to the hospital and still heard the same voices not to mention other voices I heard since the day of my admission. I'm glad though that he was honest about my diagnosis when I asked him what my voices were caused by to which he replied, "You have something called manic-depression." It was then that everything finally made sense. Everything that happened to me finally had a name although I was shocked to hear this and it took me a year to finally accept the fact that I had bipolar.

katlin09

03-13-2009, 03:38 AM

I had one good one when we lived in Texas out of 4 there. He was a very nice Christian based pdoc, very caring. Since we moved to NC, I've had 4pdocs and 2 tdocs, the 2 I have now are the only 2 I've like here and that's over a span of 10yrs.

One reason I think it will be easy to stay med compliant this time, it because i believe that somehow they won't let me not be. I know they care about me and have my best interests in mind and I trust them to make the correct decisions, not to mention the fact that I haven't been stable for more than 3 weeks at a time over the past year and a half.

kat

dreams in neon

03-13-2009, 04:19 AM

Kat,

My pdoc is the same way. He understands that my bipolar is considered "severe" and stressed how important it was for me to take my meds. I hate it when people do that, but he did it in a nice way. He didn't even scold me after I told him about the time I was in a manic state and didn't take my meds for a week because I felt really, really good. Even 2 weeks ago when I told him I didn't want to go IP despite my rapid cycling, he said he understood and that it was perfectly fine if I wanted to try taking Clonazepam to see if it would work before going to the hospital. I'm telling you, when the day comes that I need to change pdocs and tdocs, both of them are going to be a hard act to follow. My pdoc plans to retire or reduce his practice in 2012, so I'm not looking forward to that -- not at all.

irishwriter

03-13-2009, 05:49 AM

i have a question for everyone, is there different types of abilify or is there just one pill that treats all? my pdoc just put me on abilify yesterday :)

hi court,

am on lamictal and abilify with the latter thought to boost the former. i have found that this seems to be one of the best combos. i missed doses of both day before yesterday and had major manic night. i also take thyroxine, lexapro and xanax and klonopin (clonzepam or rivotril). prob told you that already. my abilify dose is 25/day with 10 in morning, 10 between 3 and 4pm and 5 at night. lamictal is 200 morning and 200 night. keep forgetting the 200 at night because i was taking 400 in the mornings. hope abilify works for you.

i was on lithium, zyprexa, amytryptiline, mannerix, lexapro, effexor xl, xanax and rivotril in various combos for over a year. was misdiagnosed with clinical depression about 20 yrs ago but have had depression for thirty years, with major manic/ ecstatic episodes since i was 15. at least now pdoc and i are trying different drugs to find the right ones for me. effexor caused major suicidal urges and extreme agitation which led to cutting last july and even off it now i still cut. it is a dangerous 'drug' to get into and impossible to stop though i do keep trying. haven't had a 'high' in about a year and half and had one good full day since then! now on this combo i get a few hours of feeling relatively ok most days but any stress triggers cutting. it has become my coping mechanism.

HD7

03-13-2009, 10:28 AM

Hi guys, I'm new to the discussion board obviously. I'm just trying to figure out what's wrong with my 17 year old son since the doctors are just throwing labels around. Border line Bi Polar, schizo affective, and so on.

He complained of hearing voices "a crowd talking all at once" and had really scary visions of walking into our home and finding us all "slaughtered" as well as seeing his little brother crying (who he loves dearly) and cutting his throat among other things.

We've had him in treatment for depression and He tried to take his life back in Dec. of last year. We had put him in a local treatment center here and they only kept him like 7 days. They started him on Lexi pro where he had really bad side affects. Then they tried Abilify(sp)and had even worse results. Then they tried him on seriquil (sp) which took care of the voices and visions but made him even more depressed.

So my wife took him to his appointment with his psychiatrist and my son told him that now he has a plan of how to kill himself and do it right this time. The Doctor recommended that we put him back into the treatment center where he is now. The same place he was before. He seems to get really high before he crashes.

No one seems to know what's wrong with him. He has suicidal thoughts everyday. They can't figure out how to treat the depression which just baffles me. Does this sound like bipolar?

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Tim

dreams in neon

03-13-2009, 10:59 AM

Since he hears voices, it could be bipolar I or II with psychosis, schizoaffective disorder or atypical bipolar.

In BPI or II with psychosis, people hear voices only when they are manic or depressed.

In schizoaffective, people are psychotic during normal mood states as well as during a manic or depressive episode.

In atypical bipolar, people experience psychosis during manic and depressive episodes, but also have frequent hypomania or rapid mood swings.

I'm not a pdoc, but he might to try Lamictal. It's an excellent mood stabilizer used to treat depression.

However, the one thing to be aware of as far as Lamictal is concerned is that his dose will need to be titrated gradually from 25mg (starter pack) to 100mg in order to avoid any possible side effects.

court91

03-13-2009, 07:12 PM

hi court,

am on lamictal and abilify with the latter thought to boost the former. i have found that this seems to be one of the best combos. i missed doses of both day before yesterday and had major manic night. i also take thyroxine, lexapro and xanax and klonopin (clonzepam or rivotril). prob told you that already. my abilify dose is 25/day with 10 in morning, 10 between 3 and 4pm and 5 at night. lamictal is 200 morning and 200 night. keep forgetting the 200 at night because i was taking 400 in the mornings. hope abilify works for you.

i was on lithium, zyprexa, amytryptiline, mannerix, lexapro, effexor xl, xanax and rivotril in various combos for over a year. was misdiagnosed with clinical depression about 20 yrs ago but have had depression for thirty years, with major manic/ ecstatic episodes since i was 15. at least now pdoc and i are trying different drugs to find the right ones for me. effexor caused major suicidal urges and extreme agitation which led to cutting last july and even off it now i still cut. it is a dangerous 'drug' to get into and impossible to stop though i do keep trying. haven't had a 'high' in about a year and half and had one good full day since then! now on this combo i get a few hours of feeling relatively ok most days but any stress triggers cutting. it has become my coping mechanism.

i hope everythings well for you now, i missed a nights worth of doses once when i was on risperdal, lamictal and celexa and i went crazy. i couldnt sleep and people were screaming at me. that night reminds me that i have to take my medicine kind of like an alarm LOL ive heard everyone talk about how much medicine theyve been on before they found the right ones and i just hope i dont have to go through the same thing, it gets my hopes up.

i havent cut since ive been on medicine and i look at all the scars on my arms and get depressed because i feel the pain i felt when i cut. i used to burn myself with cigarettes too because i got used to the pain of cutting :( i regret that now.

court91

03-13-2009, 07:17 PM

1 type abilify with several different dosages (mg). As dreams said it's a mood stabilzer/anti psychotic and it also works as an anti depressant for BiPolar Depression.

What dosage are you taking? I jsut started it 3 weeks ago, I'm now at 10mg and it seems to be starting to work. I haven't noticed any side effects except some blurry vision, but that's going away.

kat

my pdoc put me on 10mgs right away because he replaced the risperdal with it. im glad that its starting to work for you! how long did you get the blurry vision for?

dreams in neon

03-13-2009, 08:47 PM

katlin09

03-14-2009, 12:19 AM

Court,

I had the blurred vision for about a week after starting the 10 mgs.

kat

irishwriter

03-14-2009, 05:07 AM

i hope everythings well for you now, i missed a nights worth of doses once when i was on risperdal, lamictal and celexa and i went crazy. i couldnt sleep and people were screaming at me. that night reminds me that i have to take my medicine kind of like an alarm LOL ive heard everyone talk about how much medicine theyve been on before they found the right ones and i just hope i dont have to go through the same thing, it gets my hopes up.

i havent cut since ive been on medicine and i look at all the scars on my arms and get depressed because i feel the pain i felt when i cut. i used to burn myself with cigarettes too because i got used to the pain of cutting :( i regret that now.

court,

thanks, am better in that less crazy now!! still a bit hyper at night but tired at the same time (does that make sense?) i burned too stopped that as soon as i came off the effexor. i hope i didn't put you off. most people find the right meds fairly quickly, it is just that i am very med resistant and even when i find ones that work, they seem to only work for a while then my body gets used to them and we have to start again.

have a lot of family coming next week for my daughter's musical and pdoc keeps telling me not to have anticipatory anxiety! will have to see ex husband (v. abusive emotionally and sexually) so not to anticipate how stressed i will be is not so easy! will have plenty of xanax and klonopin to hand! unfortunately pdoc is away now for two weeks so i won't even have him to call.

hope you are doing well.

irishwriter

03-14-2009, 05:16 AM

katlin09

03-14-2009, 06:04 PM

Irish,

I think you've been misinformed....the majority of BP sufferers take a while to find the proper med combo quickly. It usually takes a while of trial and error.

kat

dreams in neon

03-14-2009, 07:02 PM

irishwriter,

From what my pdoc told me, it isn't uncommon for people with BP to spend a year or more finding the right med combo. It took me 1.5 years although in my case this had more to do with an inattentive pdoc. Ever since my new pdoc added an anti-depressant and Clonazepam to my cocktail, I've been doing better.

irishwriter

03-15-2009, 06:38 AM

Irish,

I think you've been misinformed....the majority of BP sufferers take a while to find the proper med combo quickly. It usually takes a while of trial and error.

kat

hi kat,

i guess thinking in terms of my thirty year search for the right drugs makes anything else seem quick!! on another site most people seem to have found the ones that work within a couple of years!! that seems like a very short time to me!!! :)

last flowers

03-15-2009, 08:52 AM

hi kat,

i guess thinking in terms of my thirty year search for the right drugs makes anything else seem quick!! on another site most people seem to have found the ones that work within a couple of years!! that seems like a very short time to me!!! :)

hi kat, my husband says it seems i havent felt this good in 20 years. sad isnt it? all those years, i wonder what effect it had on my oldest son(20) when it was bad. i always tried to do my best with my kids. that is one thing i can say, i feel i did well. so hard.
i take 15 mg abilify in am. it has been a lifesaver. took it awhile ago,stopped due to side effect, hand tremors and stiffness. but back on now. is worth it.
but the stiffness can be so painful. is there someting effective for that?
i almost cry when i try to get out of bed in the morning. i wake up 4or so times a night, so not good sleep.

have a good day everyone, if your birds are out, listen to them sing. (i watch them on their bird feeder, very peaceful) sorry for the long reply
last flowers

dreams in neon

03-15-2009, 09:54 AM

irishwriter,

Actually, it's good that your husband said what he did because it means you're improving. Every little bit of improvement helps. That's the way I feel. I'm delighted by the fact that I was able to go 9 days without rapid cycling despite the fact that I was depressed last Friday-Sunday, depressed again on Tuesday and am manic for the 4th day in a row. We need to look for small victories when it comes to bipolar. If we don't, it's too easy to look at the negative instead of the positive. :)

katlin09

03-15-2009, 02:34 PM

Last Flowers,

For you that is quick, did not mean to sound appethetic. You sound like you have a very supportive husband and that is always a plus. Have you ever just sat down and talked to your son, he's old enough to handle this conversation now. Perhaps it would give you both some clarity and release of guilty feelings.

I had to do this with me soon to be 19 yr old son, actually I was forced to when he found one of my "sharps" in the bath room a few months ago. I felt like the absolute worst, most useless parent in the world and it brought the suicidal depression to a head which is where my suicide attemp in July came from. I couldn't exept what I'd done to my baby boy, as I will always think of him, even though I have a 10 yr. old.

When I got home from the hospital, probably too early, but my pdoc got me out, under his watch and I had to see him twice a day every day. Zach came to me that day and said mom we're going to talk about this, I was so ashamed I just couldn't do it, but he stayed with me and wouldn't leave my side until i could. My son, my child made me feel so much better about myself, he said so many wise things, he understood so many things, he was a bit shocked that "old" people, moms, did this, he had several friends in school that did, and he supported them as much as he could, but it was a bit of a shock. But talking about the depression and the SH, helped so much.

So have a conversation with your son if you think he's ready, explain to him about the BiPolar and ask him how it affected his life, he's old enough to handle it.

kat

katlin09

03-15-2009, 02:43 PM

Last Flowers,

Do you take anything with the Abilify? I've not had that side effect with it, actually the only side effect I've had is some blurry vison in the activation phase.

My knees are very stiff, and I can barely walk in the morning not due to meds but due to another disease that I have, what I do is get into a very very hot bath first thing in the morning, almost so hot that I can't stand it. Sometimes I don't feel like it, but I make myself. With it just being your hands, you could fill a basin with very hot water and soak them for a while to loosen them up first thing in the morning. What I use during the night is a heating pad wrapped around my worst knee or between both of them, have you tried heating pads on your hands, maybe taken a string, or wide shoelaces and wrapping them around your hands? For me it's all about heat to keep them loose and then ice during the day if the pain gets to bad. I am also on very hard narcotics during the day, but those come from my Chronic Pain Dr., so that's not an option for you, but Ibuprofen would probably work, if your stomach is in good shape.

These are the main things that I can think of, I hope they can help you, if not let me know and I'll wrack my brain for something else, I see my CP doc this week, and I've had her for 10 yrs. and she's incredibly nice, she works with my pdoc and tdoc to make sure all my meds play well together, so I could ask her for suggestions also.

katlin09

03-15-2009, 02:46 PM

Irish,

OMG I didn't realize that you've been fighting so long for a good med combo, kudo's to you for not giving up. I've been on and off with good and bad, and giving up meds all together when I thought I was HEALED, yeah right, for the past 20 or so. I've not been the greatest patient up until the last year and a half, but now since the BP and SH have gotten so severe, I've decided along with my pdoc and tdoc that if i'm to try and stay alive, i've not got much of a choice.

kat

dreams in neon

03-15-2009, 03:07 PM

I stopped taking meds for my depression and auditory hallucinations in 1996 (long story) and didn't start taking them again until my first manic/psychotic episode in 2006.

According to the attending pdoc who oversaw my IP treatment at the time, I've had bipolar for many, many years (which he said was masked by my blindness and deafness).

Eventually my symptoms became so severe that I had a manic/psychotic episode. (As it turned out, I was manic from December 2004-March 2006 which I've been told isn't unusual -- my manic symptoms consisted of auditory hallucinations, delusions and paranoia in addition to other signs of mania like extreme happiness/irritability, not sleeping for days and difficulty concentrating)

The only other time I deliberately stopped taking my meds was during a manic episode I had not long after I was diagnosed as BP. I felt really, really good and therefore didn't think I needed my meds, so I stopped taking them for a week. It wasn't very long before my auditory hallucinations, delusions and paranoia returned in full-force. After that incident, I've been 100% med-compliant ever since.

katlin09

03-15-2009, 04:04 PM

Dreams,

Your a better patient that I was. My first suicide attempt was in '90 and my latest of 6 was this past July '08. I have also been an SH/SI participant since 1982 off and on. I would be med compliant for a while here and there, but always convinced myslef I was healed. The SH and suicidel incedents/idalities have been so severe this past year and a half, have forced me to be med compliant although I've had many many med changes as you know.

k

dreams in neon

03-15-2009, 04:16 PM

Kat,

I know how you feel. I've been hospitalized a total of 9 times. All of my IP stays were for severe suicidal depression except for two (2006 for my first manic/psychotic episode and last November).

As far as SH is concerned, Clonazepam has definitely helped with that. It has also reduced the intensity of my PTSD flashbacks.

I consider Clonazepam to be my miracle drug since it helps control my rapid cycling, extreme anger/irritability, SH and PTSD flashbacks. I can't thank my pdoc enough for adding it to my med combo. That was a very smart decision on his part.

katlin09

03-15-2009, 04:22 PM

my pdoc took me off the klonopin after a 3 month stay, it had some conflicts and didn't play well with some of my pain meds, and those can't be changed, soooo such is that. I was on it more for sleep than anything else. He's not nuts about the really addictive benzo's as I already have a few meds that I'll have to detox from sooner or later, hopefully within the next 2 years once I have my right new rebuilt and get through the 1 yr. healing process. Then I'll have a 5 yr. break before both knees have to be repaclaced and back on the narcotics for a while. Unfortunately, unlike "normal" people when I take narcotics, having been on them for 6 years, I have to take really large amounts so I have to detox off them.

k

k

texastoast

03-16-2009, 01:29 AM

katlin09

03-16-2009, 01:33 AM

Probably 90% of BP meds cause weight gain, so that's not an unusual side effect. Of course all people react to meds differently so not everyone gains weight, but most people on the meds that say weight gain is warranted gain weight.

I can say though I've never heard of anyone gaining weight from klonopin, that's unusual.

texastoast

03-16-2009, 01:36 AM

Kat, I'm not sure I understand what "warranted weight gain" means. Do you mean people just eat so much more they gain weight (not my case), or it slows their metabolism down so much that they barely burn any calories and put on lots of weight?

katlin09

03-16-2009, 01:50 AM

In most cases it's the latter, you just can't burn the calories. Most people as soon as the realize they are gaining weight try everything to lose it, but it's almost impossible. I gained 12 lbs. from Seroquel and so far have only lost 3 lbs of it....it's hard to get rid of it. I take Lamictal, Abilify, Buspar, Topamax, and Trazadone...the Topamax kills my appetite to the point that I have to keep a Food Intake Diary per my pdocs request, but yet I'm still not losing very much weight, it's just really hard to lose once you gain it.

k

dreams in neon

03-16-2009, 04:41 AM

Although weight gain isn't a common side effect of Klonopin, it is possible.

dreams in neon

03-16-2009, 04:44 AM

Speaking of weight gain, I went from weighing 125 to 157 in 2 years thanks to my BP meds. After having several depressive episodes last year, I lost 30 pounds and dropped down to 127. Ever since then, I've continued to lose weight (since I don't eat when I'm manic or depressed) and now weigh 114 pounds.

irishwriter

03-16-2009, 05:35 AM

hi kat, my husband says it seems i havent felt this good in 20 years. sad isnt it? all those years, i wonder what effect it had on my oldest son(20) when it was bad. i always tried to do my best with my kids. that is one thing i can say, i feel i did well. so hard.
i take 15 mg abilify in am. it has been a lifesaver. took it awhile ago,stopped due to side effect, hand tremors and stiffness. but back on now. is worth it.
but the stiffness can be so painful. is there someting effective for that?
i almost cry when i try to get out of bed in the morning. i wake up 4or so times a night, so not good sleep.

have a good day everyone, if your birds are out, listen to them sing. (i watch them on their bird feeder, very peaceful) sorry for the long reply
last flowers

last flowers,

my kids 22, 20 and 15 nearly 16, tell me that if there was an award for good mothering i would get it!!! they say no, i did not fuck them up even though i always felt that the disease must be having some impact on them so am glad that they have turned out to be lovely human beings, all of whom have dealt with various degrees of depression but with immediate help came out the other side ok so far. they know what to look out for and when to seek help so maybe that is a good thing. am on 25mg of abilify and seem to have developed tardive dyskenesia, face out of control, rapid movemnent of legs and getting hyper in body even though v. tired mind. am cutting down to 15mg today. can't consult pdoc because he's away for two weeks so i hope it works and that he understands. am glad to hear you have a good husband. mine was terrible and drug and alcohol addicted so separated in 1995 and divoced (yay) in dec '06. best thing i ever did for my children.

irish writer.

last flowers

03-16-2009, 08:50 AM

hi irish, i take 15 mg abilify. has made all the diff for me. i am good now. for now :)
i was having very bad neck stiffness and body aches. the doc gave me a prescription for a med for the stiffness and tremors caused by the abilify (that is why i stopped it awhile back. the med she gave me is: generic: benztropine mes tabs .5 mg . pres is for 1 or 2 a day. i take 1 at night. i am glad i gave it a go with it and it was so wonderful getting up this morning without wanting to cry ... yea!!! :) let me know if you try it and how it all works for you, esp. the abilify. but get the other pill i think you will be happy.
best to you
last flowers

last flowers

03-16-2009, 08:55 AM

In addition to being on wellbutrin, prozac, lamictil, abilify, ambien CR for sleep, I also was put on Klonapin about two weeks ago for extreme anxiety, which is a pretty new symptom for me. It makes me feel like crap, and I've gained 6 lbs in just two weeks. I'm going to my doc tomorrow and telling her I won't take it anymore.

hi texastoast, i didnt gain any weight on the klonopin, have been on it forever. but, the ailify i added just a bit ago, and have gained 7 lbs since and it will not come off, dont want to gain weight, but like feeling good.
keep me posted.
last flowers

last flowers

03-16-2009, 09:21 AM

haLast Flowers,

For you that is quick, did not mean to sound appethetic. You sound like you have a very supportive husband and that is always a plus. Have you ever just sat down and talked to your son, he's old enough to handle this conversation now. Perhaps it would give you both some clarity and release of guilty feelings.

I had to do this with me soon to be 19 yr old son, actually I was forced to when he found one of my "sharps" in the bath room a few months ago. I felt like the absolute worst, most useless parent in the world and it brought the suicidal depression to a head which is where my suicide attemp in July came from. I couldn't exept what I'd done to my baby boy, as I will always think of him, even though I have a 10 yr. old.

When I got home from the hospital, probably too early, but my pdoc got me out, under his watch and I had to see him twice a day every day. Zach came to me that day and said mom we're going to talk about this, I was so ashamed I just couldn't do it, but he stayed with me and wouldn't leave my side until i could. My son, my child made me feel so much better about myself, he said so many wise things, he understood so many things, he was a bit shocked that "old" people, moms, did this, he had several friends in school that did, and he supported them as much as he could, but it was a bit of a shock. But talking about the depression and the SH, helped so much.

So have a conversation with your son if you think he's ready, explain to him about the BiPolar and ask him how it affected his life, he's old enough to handle it.

kat

kat, when each son was old enough , explained that my brain is wired differnly and it causes my moods/ my depression and that we can always talk about it. when i am depressed i let them know that i am just having a brain problem at the time and we talk about it. since i have felt good for the past 3 weeks, my 13 year old would ask me every day how i felt that day, did i still feel good. he is sweet and supportive also. i keep track of them too to make sure they do not have this also, it is so prevelant in my family history. it is cause for concern. but so far so good for the 20 yr old also.
you take care and thanks for the advice

last flowers:angel:

court91

03-16-2009, 11:50 AM

court,

thanks, am better in that less crazy now!! still a bit hyper at night but tired at the same time (does that make sense?) i burned too stopped that as soon as i came off the effexor. i hope i didn't put you off. most people find the right meds fairly quickly, it is just that i am very med resistant and even when i find ones that work, they seem to only work for a while then my body gets used to them and we have to start again.

have a lot of family coming next week for my daughter's musical and pdoc keeps telling me not to have anticipatory anxiety! will have to see ex husband (v. abusive emotionally and sexually) so not to anticipate how stressed i will be is not so easy! will have plenty of xanax and klonopin to hand! unfortunately pdoc is away now for two weeks so i won't even have him to call.

hope you are doing well.

wow id be anxious if i were you, thats alot going on all at once. plus since the pdocs away you really dont have anyone to talk to besides us and you know that were all here for you! lol im doing well thanks, today is a good day i feel really happy and i want to get up and do somthing but theres absolutely nothing to do lol

court91

03-16-2009, 11:53 AM

Court,

I had the blurred vision for about a week after starting the 10 mgs.

kat

the reason i asked was because the night i started to take it my vision was blurry up until today, it wasnt bad though just every once in awhile.

court91

03-16-2009, 11:58 AM

court,

I haven't engaged in alot of SH behaviors myself ever since I started taking Clonazepam. It's been a real godsend for me in more ways than one. I'm glad your meds are helping you reduce your cutting. That's definitely good news!

thats great! im happy for you! i think everyone here knows the pain emotionally when it comes down to SH.

irishwriter

03-17-2009, 04:17 AM

wow id be anxious if i were you, thats alot going on all at once. plus since the pdocs away you really dont have anyone to talk to besides us and you know that were all here for you! lol im doing well thanks, today is a good day i feel really happy and i want to get up and do somthing but theres absolutely nothing to do lol

court.

thanks a million, glad to hear you are doing well even if for one day. i had one day last year some time!!! it was great. ah no, at least now i get a few hours good enough during the day so it allows me to get some things done (not a lot but some). have to get cleaning house for family coming (good excuse to do it) but have no motivation so i'll prob end up doing it at last minute. i don't know how some people have perfect houses. i view mine as somewhere to live in where i hope most people feel welcome. my family are very judgemental though and would take note of anything out of place and then gossip about it afterwards! yes , they're gems!

katlin09

03-17-2009, 01:36 PM

Irish, I'll share a secret with you....those of us who ahve perfectly clean houses also have OCD and we actully walk around the place at 1 or 2 in the morning making sure all the vacumn tracks are in the same direction after we've dusted everything for the 12 time and rearranged the pantry and towel racks so they're perfectly straight...otherwise we don't sleep.....Geez i think we're flippin nuts!!!! *L*

kat

katlin09

03-17-2009, 01:38 PM

hey I could get my family together with your family then they'd all have something to sit around and bi***/gossip/complaine about and we could just go off and party somewhere! Deal??????

kat

dreams in neon

03-17-2009, 01:39 PM

court91

03-17-2009, 01:39 PM

court.

thanks a million, glad to hear you are doing well even if for one day. i had one day last year some time!!! it was great. ah no, at least now i get a few hours good enough during the day so it allows me to get some things done (not a lot but some). have to get cleaning house for family coming (good excuse to do it) but have no motivation so i'll prob end up doing it at last minute. i don't know how some people have perfect houses. i view mine as somewhere to live in where i hope most people feel welcome. my family are very judgemental though and would take note of anything out of place and then gossip about it afterwards! yes , they're gems!

yeah my mom cleans the house 24/7 its so annoying, i hear you on the motivation part i have no motivation to do anything what so ever lol hopefully you get everything done in time im understand because im family are very judgemental too!!

katlin09

03-17-2009, 02:37 PM

I'm so pathetic I'm ashamed to admit this but after my son, who is all of 10, vacumned his room I would go in and redo it 'cuz the lines weren't straight. Fianally my tdoc suggested that Nick and I come to an agreement where I don't go into his room to clean but he has to keep it relatively neat and picked so I don't have a stroke when I walk by it. Thankfully since I came off of the Cymbalta for good last week, the OCD is letting up some, as you can probably tell with all the typo's lately! *L*

kat

dreams in neon

03-17-2009, 03:21 PM

I'm a neat freak and always have been, but you can blame my mother for that. When I lived at home, she used to take all of my clothes that weren't folded properly or put on the correct hangers and throw them all over the floor.

katlin09

03-17-2009, 08:17 PM

OMG, this is really starting to freak me out.....my dad used to empty our dressers in the back yard, if their were any clothes on the floor not put away.

*lol* scouts honor.

kat

dreams in neon

03-17-2009, 08:27 PM

In the back yard? Why did he do that?

Sometimes I would spite my mother by leaving my clothes on the floor. LOL!

katlin09

03-17-2009, 08:50 PM

Because that's were the mud puddle that he made with the water hose was. he said that's what they used to do to him in basic training so it was good enough for us.

dreams in neon

03-17-2009, 09:08 PM

Kat,

Your father and my mother would have made a great pair. My father not only sexually abused me, but also repeatedly punched me in the stomach and told me how much he wished he had never adopted me. I hate my father for what he did and I hope he's rotting in h*ll because of it.

katlin09

03-17-2009, 10:01 PM

I had to passout with an ulcer in a parking lot so that my mom would finally believe that I was way overstressed from being molested by my father, (which she new 'bout, but did nothing) to take me to the hospital, where I stayed for 2 weeks.

Hopefully your father is saving a nice front row seat in the "rotting" section for my so called father, but we'll need 2 cause the bit** will be right there with 'em!!!!

kat

dreams in neon

03-17-2009, 10:30 PM

Kat,

I don't like the fact that my mother emotionally abused me, but at least I can say that she defended me. Whenever my father lifted a hand towards me, she'd alway step in and say, "If you're going to hit my daughter, you hit me first." I love my mother even though she was very strict. I miss her dearly and have ever since she passed away in 2004. As for my father, I could care less. My tdoc asked me one time what I'd say to him about his sexual abuse and I said he's not worth wasting my breath on. I'd rather punch my father in the stomach 1,000 times over than say a single word to him.

typeing

03-18-2009, 12:44 AM

Kat,
You think they can save some more seats, some people here need to.... visit

katlin09

03-18-2009, 12:55 AM

Hmm Ours was more of a family affair mom did the hitting, demoralizing and ignoring what was going on in the dark, and dad did what happened in the dark....so yep they can all have first row seats or just fall in the pit and burn alive forever, that works for me.

And there have been requests for additional seats, see above posts.

kat

typeing

03-18-2009, 12:58 AM

There are some things my family won't even admit to.

Hmm Ours was more of a family affair mom did the hitting, demoralizing and ignoring what was going on in the dark, and dad did what happened in the dark....so yep they can all have first row seats or just fall in the pit and burn alive forever, that works for me.

And there have been requests for additional seats, see above posts.

kat

katlin09

03-18-2009, 01:28 AM

Oh gosh I didn't know we were talking about admitting....my mom thinks she was June Cleaver...and they say I'm mental and my dad is a Deacon in his church!!!! I'm not allowed/supposed to have any contact with either of them per my pdoc's request and neither of them have a clue. Now to be fair I have to admit up until a year and a half ago I treated my dad normally because my brain had blocked everything out, I had this big chunk of my life that I just didn't remember...but then the damn broke, my brain woke up and I REMEMBERED......but it's not like he didn't know what he'd done!

So yeah neither of them will admit to anything, they think they're just two spiffy individuals!!! Man I hate those 2 people more than any other people on the face of this planet.

dreams in neon

03-18-2009, 01:43 AM

I can think of someone I know on another BP message board who could join your parents and my parents in the pit. She told me to change pdocs after I mentioned the fact that he said manic episodes can cause one to get sick. That really p*ssed me off because as you know Kat, I LOVE my pdoc.

dreams in neon

03-18-2009, 01:44 AM

The counselor who e-mailed me today also said she's not surprised I'm sick given the fact that when people don't eat or sleep regularly due to mania, it increases their resistence to different viruses. This seems to be in line with what my pdoc, tdoc, past attending pdocs while IP and an ER doc told me.

typeing

03-18-2009, 02:02 AM

Kat, I'm sorry. :( some people deserve to burn...

irishwriter

03-18-2009, 06:52 AM

yeah my mom cleans the house 24/7 its so annoying, i hear you on the motivation part i have no motivation to do anything what so ever lol hopefully you get everything done in time im understand because im family are very judgemental too!!

court.

still haven't done anything, guess i'll be doing it in a panic on friday and praying they don't arrive early! my stress levels are off the charts, was up at 5.30 yesterday morning and from 2.30 to 5.00 this morning and then up at 7.00 to get megan to school. am exhausted. roll on monday when it will all be over. think i'll take extra xanax for the duration!

irishwriter

03-18-2009, 06:55 AM

This sounds like me when I'm manic. I always clean when I'm manic. Since I'm a rapid cycler, my apartment is spotless. LOL!

kat and dreams

any chance you'd fly over today and clean my house. am in panic and v. stressed!:confused:

katlin09

03-18-2009, 09:37 AM

thanks typeing, I try to control my anger....but with certain past areas it just doesn't work.

katlin09

03-18-2009, 09:41 AM

Dreams,

Does the other therapist not take into the account of how much of a beating your body and immune system take after a manic episode? Does she have a clue how much energy and how many calories are burned during a manice episode and then most people don't eat and sleep so none of that is being replenished. Not to mention the fact that 75% of your immune system is regulated by your intestines so if your not Drinking liquids properly, eating properly, and evac'ing your system properly your whole immune system is out of whack??? Jeez we might as well go ahead and get our medical degrees so we can teach some of these "medical professionals" what's correct.

kat

katlin09

03-18-2009, 09:53 AM

Irish,

Let's see, I'm afraid of heights so I don't fly, of course and then there's that whole fear of falling too.....I can take a boat I like boats....so I can be there in oohhhh lets see, a week, how's that????

kat

dreams in neon

03-18-2009, 12:06 PM

kat and dreams

any chance you'd fly over today and clean my house. am in panic and v. stressed!:confused:

I'm no longer manic right now, but check back in a few days. I'm sick with a cold and *always* get manic once I start to feel better.

dreams in neon

03-18-2009, 12:08 PM

court91

03-18-2009, 04:10 PM

court.

still haven't done anything, guess i'll be doing it in a panic on friday and praying they don't arrive early! my stress levels are off the charts, was up at 5.30 yesterday morning and from 2.30 to 5.00 this morning and then up at 7.00 to get megan to school. am exhausted. roll on monday when it will all be over. think i'll take extra xanax for the duration!

lol thats weird because i sleep like 24/7 im always so tired during the day and i dont feel like doing anything. how old is your daughter?

court91

03-18-2009, 04:13 PM

mtbjoe

03-18-2009, 04:16 PM

I was diagnosed bipolar 7-8 months ago by a pdoc and she put me on 300mg of Neurontin at night which seemed to help especially with sleeping (searched the whole thread and could find this one even mentioned). I can sleep but I can't remember if I've ever not had a nightmare and this seems to have made then less intense.

Felt good but by the end of the day I'd start to get really angry so she add Lamictal 100mg pill, half in the morning and half in the afternoon which seems to have leveled me out during non episode periods which also became further apart.

Xanax is my don't leave home without it medicine since my main symptom is anxiety which ranges from daily uncomfortableness (is that a word?) to crippling, paralyzing panic attacks where I know for a fact that I'm dying at that very moment which can last for hours. Xanax can't barely even make a dent in those and unfortunately the only "medicine" that works for me at that point is alcohol which I wish could never touch again but under that level of intensity I won't hesitate to go there just to make it stop.

Sorry to go off topic there but a bunch of posts ago I believe it was Dreams who mentioned that Clonazepam was the strongest benzo so did you mean strongest as in most potent or as in longest lasting? Will this or maybe something I'm not familiar with have a chance at stopping a grand maul panic attack where Xanax can do (almost) nothing? And one more new guy question now that I've been diagnosed with bipolar instead of just having panic disorder (and other issues) do I refer to these as manic episodes or still panic attacks?

Thanks all!!

katlin09

03-18-2009, 06:06 PM

Mtbjoe,

It was probably me that said Klononpin was the strongest Benzo. It is strongest in potency and most addictive/dependency causing if taking in too large a dose too frequently.

Also panick attacks/anxiety attacks remain with their name, they don't go over to manic eps. as far as I know. I have major anxiety attacks all the time, but am incredibly rarely ever manic. I take Buspar for my anxiety and it works really really well, it's not a benzo, not habit forming, purely an anti-anxiety med.

Hope things continue to go well for you.

kat

katlin09

03-18-2009, 06:07 PM

katlin09

03-18-2009, 06:09 PM

Dreams,

I was referring to the other tdoc that told you being manic didn't have anything to do with being sick....or did I get that wrong?

kat

dreams in neon

03-18-2009, 06:43 PM

Dreams,

I was referring to the other tdoc that told you being manic didn't have anything to do with being sick....or did I get that wrong?

kat

My tdoc never said anything to me about mania not having anything to do with being sick. He said that it does.

I don't think I was clear in my post. I said that someone on a different bipolar message board told me my manic episode had nothing to do with my cold and that the only reason I'm sick is because I picked up a cold virus.

court91

03-18-2009, 08:57 PM

Court,

I've been on Abilify for 4 weeks now and haven't had any side effects except perhaps the intense insomnia, but no spasms, ticks, or weight gain. If I may ask, what other meds are you taking? I know several that cause these kinds of things.

kat

im on lamictal, celexa and abilify. i told my pdoc today and he put me on cogentin he told me thatll help the spasms.

katlin09

03-19-2009, 02:26 AM

I'm on Lamictal also with the Abilify, but the only side I had with that was agitation, activation and anger with the fist month or so. Does your pdoc say it's the abilify that's causing it?

k

court91

03-19-2009, 06:47 PM

I'm on Lamictal also with the Abilify, but the only side I had with that was agitation, activation and anger with the fist month or so. Does your pdoc say it's the abilify that's causing it?

k

no he just put me on that medicine and said that itll help the spasms. he didnt say anything but he asked me if i wanted to change medicines and i told him that i want to stay on abilify for a little bit to see if everything works but if not i want to be put on geodon because i heard that was a good medicine too.

katlin09

03-19-2009, 06:50 PM

the only thing bad I've heard about Geodon is it can cause major weight gain, but it's supposed to be a great med.

as usual.

k

dreams in neon

03-19-2009, 06:59 PM

court91

03-19-2009, 09:00 PM

You may or may not gain weight on Geodon. I've been on Geodon for awhile, but I haven't had any problems with gaining weight. Then again, that could be due to my rapid cycling. I don't know. It wouldn't hurt to try it for awhile to see what kind of an effect it has on you.

gaining weight isnt an issue for me, i only weigh 112 pounds and im 17. so id like to gain more weight lol i was so excited to be put on abilify and now im disapointed. do you think ill twitch forever now? or just when i stop taking this medicine?

dreams in neon

03-19-2009, 09:12 PM

The med you're taking for muscle spasms should help eliminate them.

They may disappear gradually over time, but it's difficult to know that for sure since this varies from person to person.

Then again, you may need to take this med indefinitely. There really isn't a way to know one way or the other until after you've taken it for awhile.

It's not fun being on several meds, but if it means the difference between feeling well and not feeling well, I'd take whatever I had to in order to feel better.

court91

03-19-2009, 09:15 PM

dreams in neon

03-19-2009, 09:19 PM

I understand completely. It normally takes 4-8 weeks for meds to start taking effect, but then again, the med you're taking for muscle spams may work much sooner than that. I'd wait 2 weeks to see if it helps. If it doesn't, I'd contact your pdoc to let them know.

irishwriter

03-20-2009, 04:53 AM

lol thats weird because i sleep like 24/7 im always so tired during the day and i dont feel like doing anything. how old is your daughter?

Court,

she is fifteen, my sons are 20 & 22 and are both coming home for weekend (only real good thing!!). friday and i still only have a little bit of tidying done. pdoc told me to stop worrying about it. so i stopped immediately! not!

i find abilify has given me a twitch in my face and restlessness everywhere else even though am tired can't sleep v. well. i have reduced it but megan tells me when my face goes it looks like i'm going to snarl. lovely thing to have happen when family come!!

still cutting. talked to pdoc, yesterday, he was great and we talked for ages on phone but when i got off i had to cut!

also i was supposed to call his office to tell his secretary about letter i need from him within half an hour of his call and i completely forgot. now i'll have to wait until he comes back. :(

court91

03-20-2009, 11:14 AM

court91

03-20-2009, 11:20 AM

Court,

she is fifteen, my sons are 20 & 22 and are both coming home for weekend (only real good thing!!). friday and i still only have a little bit of tidying done. pdoc told me to stop worrying about it. so i stopped immediately! not!

i find abilify has given me a twitch in my face and restlessness everywhere else even though am tired can't sleep v. well. i have reduced it but megan tells me when my face goes it looks like i'm going to snarl. lovely thing to have happen when family come!!

still cutting. talked to pdoc, yesterday, he was great and we talked for ages on phone but when i got off i had to cut!

also i was supposed to call his office to tell his secretary about letter i need from him within half an hour of his call and i completely forgot. now i'll have to wait until he comes back. :(

aww, i have a little sister thats 16. shes starting to show signs of a disorder (like bipolar im guessing) shes starting to fail in school and shed rather hang out with friends than go to school. she used to get A's and B's. i really hope that its something else because i dont want her to go through that. shes a great person.

im sorry that your cutting, you must really be stressed. hopefully everything gets better and you get over the tough part which for me is waiting for something to happen and you know its already gonna happen, just like you waiting for your family to come.

are your children showing any signs of a disorder? i hope not :(

irishwriter

03-21-2009, 06:59 AM

aww, i have a little sister thats 16. shes starting to show signs of a disorder (like bipolar im guessing) shes starting to fail in school and shed rather hang out with friends than go to school. she used to get A's and B's. i really hope that its something else because i dont want her to go through that. shes a great person.

im sorry that your cutting, you must really be stressed. hopefully everything gets better and you get over the tough part which for me is waiting for something to happen and you know its already gonna happen, just like you waiting for your family to come.

are your children showing any signs of a disorder? i hope not :(

court.

yes all three of them have had bouts of depression. all got immediate help and the one that still gets recurring depression is my daughter. studies have shown that the earlier the treatment (particularly with boys) gives them more of a chance. my pdoc has seen all of us which is great as then he sees the whole picture with me. yesterday my stress levels were off the charts and of course i left the cleaning to last minute so was physically wrecked too.
so hopefully things can only get better from here. hope to avoid ex husband tonight so fingers crossed.

i hope your sister would agree to talk to someone even a school counsellor, that might help her if she is willing. can you talk to your parents about her and your worries? hope you are doing ok?

court91

03-21-2009, 01:47 PM

court.

yes all three of them have had bouts of depression. all got immediate help and the one that still gets recurring depression is my daughter. studies have shown that the earlier the treatment (particularly with boys) gives them more of a chance. my pdoc has seen all of us which is great as then he sees the whole picture with me. yesterday my stress levels were off the charts and of course i left the cleaning to last minute so was physically wrecked too.
so hopefully things can only get better from here. hope to avoid ex husband tonight so fingers crossed.

i hope your sister would agree to talk to someone even a school counsellor, that might help her if she is willing. can you talk to your parents about her and your worries? hope you are doing ok?

well i was planning on having my tdoc talk to her but i dk if they can do that without paying for it. i wonder if i can bring her in the room with me and see if she can talk to them.

i cant really talk to my parents about it because she told me not to tell them, but its somthing serious you know? your gonna have these disorders for the rest of your life and she might as well start seeing some one before they get worse. im afriad that shes gonna be exactly like me and wait untill she starts going crazy. she told me that she doesnt want to take medicine for the rest of her life and i said believe me kristen, it will get so bad that you want to die and cut yourself and i told her that the older you get it gets worse. im surprised that she even told me.

im doing fine, thanks for asking the twitches are starting to go away a tiny bit because of the new medicine he put me on. can you take 600mg motrin with all this medicine? because my gyno put me on them for cramps. my pdoc said tylenol works with pretty much any medicine but im afriad about the mortin.

did your family come yet?

last flowers

03-21-2009, 03:39 PM

i have a question for everyone again lol ive been on abilify for im guessing 5 days now and my neck is starting to twitch and i cant stop moving. the only time i dont move is when i lay down so ive been laying down and sleeping like all day just so my neck doesnt twitch. to stop my neck from twitching another way is if i move some other way like if i move my legs or somthing. is this my add or is it because of the abilify? im getting sick of it.

i take 15mg abilify am. i get tense muscles,jaw tightening and some twitching with my tounge. (or chattering with my teeth, have to concentrate to stop it)
i stopped before b ecause i was afraid of it being permanent, but feel too good to stop now. works wonders for me).
let me know how your symptoms keep affecting you.

always happy for a good day
last flowers

last flowers

03-21-2009, 10:48 PM

if you get twitches, stiffness, etc from abilify, there are different meds your pdoc can give you to counteract this. when mine is bad i take the meds.
it does feel good to not be stiff.
good luck
last flowers

irishwriter

03-22-2009, 06:40 AM

i take 15mg abilify am. i get tense muscles,jaw tightening and some twitching with my tounge. (or chattering with my teeth, have to concentrate to stop it)
i stopped before b ecause i was afraid of it being permanent, but feel too good to stop now. works wonders for me).
let me know how your symptoms keep affecting you.

always happy for a good day
last flowers

court,

yes had all those symptoms on 25 mg of abilify and even when i reduced to 15. also included restless legs, rapid weight gain in spite of health diet and exercise, inability to think of words needed etc. pdoc stopped it on friday. still twitching but improving and legs improving too.

good luck with it. :)

irishwriter

03-22-2009, 06:48 AM

well i was planning on having my tdoc talk to her but i dk if they can do that without paying for it. i wonder if i can bring her in the room with me and see if she can talk to them.

i cant really talk to my parents about it because she told me not to tell them, but its somthing serious you know? your gonna have these disorders for the rest of your life and she might as well start seeing some one before they get worse. im afriad that shes gonna be exactly like me and wait untill she starts going crazy. she told me that she doesnt want to take medicine for the rest of her life and i said believe me kristen, it will get so bad that you want to die and cut yourself and i told her that the older you get it gets worse. im surprised that she even told me.

im doing fine, thanks for asking the twitches are starting to go away a tiny bit because of the new medicine he put me on. can you take 600mg motrin with all this medicine? because my gyno put me on them for cramps. my pdoc said tylenol works with pretty much any medicine but im afriad about the mortin.

did your family come yet?

that sounds like a good idea, glad also to hear twitches starting to go away. never heard of motrin?. try telling your sister that if she had any other disease she would not hesitate to get treatment. even treatment for flu or cold counts!!

yes family came as did ex husband. v, stressed out, had bit of melt down last night, could not stop sobbing. my daughter (megan, so good) gave me my mother's day gift then, a beautiful silver bracelet and boys brought a cake for today.

memorial for my brother (suicide six years ago and just wanted to remember him even though no longer a catholic) went well apart from everyone changing their plans at last minute so got there about an hour and a half late but priest did not mine and ceremony was lovely, then i had brought dinner stuff and he provided dessert so that part was good. there were only nine of us instead of 14 but it worked out ok and was a good thing to have before the show. i organised it with priest about a month ago and they all knew of arrangments.

hope you are good and wish you only good things for your sister. my kids are all good at the moment and all are instantly aware when to talk to pdoc.

court91

03-22-2009, 01:39 PM

that sounds like a good idea, glad also to hear twitches starting to go away. never heard of motrin?. try telling your sister that if she had any other disease she would not hesitate to get treatment. even treatment for flu or cold counts!!

yes family came as did ex husband. v, stressed out, had bit of melt down last night, could not stop sobbing. my daughter (megan, so good) gave me my mother's day gift then, a beautiful silver bracelet and boys brought a cake for today.

memorial for my brother (suicide six years ago and just wanted to remember him even though no longer a catholic) went well apart from everyone changing their plans at last minute so got there about an hour and a half late but priest did not mine and ceremony was lovely, then i had brought dinner stuff and he provided dessert so that part was good. there were only nine of us instead of 14 but it worked out ok and was a good thing to have before the show. i organised it with priest about a month ago and they all knew of arrangments.

hope you are good and wish you only good things for your sister. my kids are all good at the moment and all are instantly aware when to talk to pdoc.

thats good that the ceremony went well! thats alot going on all at once, but at least its over now right? im sorry to hear about your brother thats so sad. i bet when you got your presents it made you feel a little better.

dreams in neon

03-23-2009, 02:21 AM

irishwriter

03-23-2009, 08:35 AM

Court91,

Why do you think that BP will get worse and cause someone to cut? If a person doesn't have SH tendencies, they won't develop it because of BP. Usually people who SH have done so for many, many years. It isn't something that "just happens."

hi dreams,

i suppose i had been having sh in different forms over the years, anorexia, shredding scalp and self medicating with alcohol. the cutting though was triggered by extreme agitation caused by effexor xl and lexapro which were added to boost lithium and zyprexa at the time. also burning though have stopped that. that was last june or july having been clear of anorexia for 10 years, (rearing it's ugly head again now), and self medicating (now able to have one or two drinks at weddings or something and then stop. scalp i still do sometimes along with cutting. although have reduced that now to less per day than before. :)

last flowers

03-23-2009, 08:53 AM

irishwriter, regarding the abilify, how much weight did you gain and how fast?
what med did your pdoc change you to? how are the side effects on that? i like the way i feel on abilify but gained almost 10 lbs first month. i dont like that, will need new clothes if it continues.
best to you
last flowers

last flowers

03-23-2009, 09:19 AM

In addition to being on wellbutrin, prozac, lamictil, abilify, ambien CR for sleep, I also was put on Klonapin about two weeks ago for extreme anxiety, which is a pretty new symptom for me. It makes me feel like crap, and I've gained 6 lbs in just two weeks. I'm going to my doc tomorrow and telling her I won't take it anymore.

texas,when you quit the klonopin, what did the pdoc put you on? does it help? side effects?

last flowers

dreams in neon

03-23-2009, 11:45 AM

hi dreams,

i suppose i had been having sh in different forms over the years, anorexia, shredding scalp and self medicating with alcohol. the cutting though was triggered by extreme agitation caused by effexor xl and lexapro which were added to boost lithium and zyprexa at the time. also burning though have stopped that. that was last june or july having been clear of anorexia for 10 years, (rearing it's ugly head again now), and self medicating (now able to have one or two drinks at weddings or something and then stop. scalp i still do sometimes along with cutting. although have reduced that now to less per day than before. :)

What you're describing is a side effect of the meds you were given. That still doesn't constitute SH that occurs instantly due to BP.

Having said that, I congratulate you for reducing your cutting. Good for you! :)

I've found that Clonazepam is helping to reduce my SH behaviors due to its' calming effects. It's also helping to decrease the intensity of my PTSD flashbacks as well as my voices.

katlin09

03-23-2009, 06:05 PM

I'm confused by this post Irish, how does it correlate to what dreams posted. I have to say I was also concerned about what Court wrote I just addressed it in a PM to her. SI is not caused by BP, and BP is not caused by SI, it just doesn't work that way. And suggesting that to a 14 yr old who doesn't currently have a history of SI is just wrong adn potentially damaging. Telling them that your BP can get so bad that you want to cut yourself is actually suggesting to them that, that is a proper way to handle the stress of having BP.

I'm sorry that your meds have increased your SI tendencies but SI is either something you had prior to the BP, or a coping skill you chose to do to handle your stresses. I'm glad that your doing better with the SI.

And honestly I'm not trying to be condeming or judgemental I just really really don't want any other people young or old to get sucked into the horror's of SI/SH, horrors that you and I know all to well.

kat

katlin09

03-23-2009, 06:07 PM

last flowers,

I've been on Abilify for a month and a half now and haven't gained a pound, so I think it's a person per person case.

kat