dreams in neon
07-08-2009, 06:31 PM
This may seem like a stupid question, but I'm literally at the end of my rope. I can't take larger sized pills because I'm unable to swallow them. I also can't take capsules because my CTS (carpal tunnel syndrome) is too severe and I cannot open them. My pdoc just prescribed Depakote Syrup, but I can't see and am unable to accurately measure my dosage. For now I'm swallowing Depakote Sprinkles as best I can (with a great deal of difficulty) Does anyone know of a mood stabilizer that has dissolvable pills or small pills that are easy to swallow? I don't even care if it treats rapid cycling bipolar -- at this point I just need to find some alternatives to what I'm taking now.
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light the world
07-08-2009, 06:51 PM
Well I know that tegretol can come in a liquid form and also as a chewable tablet. But thats all I know about this sort of mood stabilizer. I don't know anything else about others. If you like I can help find some other info on other mood stabilizers. Whether these forms of tegretol are still available I don't know. Whether this med is right for you I don't know either.
Llama
07-08-2009, 08:13 PM
When I was in the ER once and very manic I was given Zyprexa Zydis (sp?). It is a dissolvable form of Zyprexa.
Hope that helps.
Hope that helps.
light the world
07-08-2009, 08:35 PM
Lamictal also comes in a chewable form as well.
strawberrysc
07-08-2009, 08:55 PM
Hi Dreams. Sorry to hear that you were so sick. I am new to the boards, but noticed that you were not posting like you normally do. I am glad to hear that you are feeling better. I take Zyprexa Zydis, which is a dissolving tablet that you take orally. It works really well for treating mania, which is what I was having problems with. I take Geodon as well, but the anxiety and racing thoughts didn't stop until I was taking Zyprexa. I take the Zyprexa Zydis because it makes me less hungry than the Zyprexa regular pill. I hope this helps.
dreams in neon
07-08-2009, 09:09 PM
Hi everyone,
Thanks for your responses. I appreciate getting some kind of an idea of what is out there and available. I know none of you can tell me which med is right for me. I can't see pictures, so I have no idea what kind of formulations different meds come in. Abilify came to mind since it is a dual acting mood stabilizer and antipsychotic as well as Zyprexa which has been mentioned. My neighbor helped me with the Depakote syrup and I cannot swallow it. After one gulp, I almost regurgitated it (sorry to be so graphic). I was told that Abilify is a very tiny pill and that Zyprexa (again as mentioned) comes in a dissolvable form, so those are 2 meds I can consider. I really want to stay away from any liquid forms of a mood stabilizer because they taste awful -- or at least Depakote does. I only had to take 2 teaspoons full, but one was more than enough for me. I finally gave up and decided to take a huge drink of water along with my Depakote Sprinkles and will do that again later tonight. Fortunately, I see my pdoc next week so we can discuss Abilify, Zyprexa and other alternatives at that time. If worse comes to worse, I can try to hang in there with Depakote Sprinkles and just do the best I can in taking my time swallowing them. At least I can do that on my own and don't have to worry about getting assistance from another person in order to take my meds. Thanks everyone for your replies! By the way, if my post wasn't clear, I was looking for a mood stabilizer that treats mania as opposed to depression since my bipolar falls more on the manic side and I'm already on an anti-depressant.
Thanks for your responses. I appreciate getting some kind of an idea of what is out there and available. I know none of you can tell me which med is right for me. I can't see pictures, so I have no idea what kind of formulations different meds come in. Abilify came to mind since it is a dual acting mood stabilizer and antipsychotic as well as Zyprexa which has been mentioned. My neighbor helped me with the Depakote syrup and I cannot swallow it. After one gulp, I almost regurgitated it (sorry to be so graphic). I was told that Abilify is a very tiny pill and that Zyprexa (again as mentioned) comes in a dissolvable form, so those are 2 meds I can consider. I really want to stay away from any liquid forms of a mood stabilizer because they taste awful -- or at least Depakote does. I only had to take 2 teaspoons full, but one was more than enough for me. I finally gave up and decided to take a huge drink of water along with my Depakote Sprinkles and will do that again later tonight. Fortunately, I see my pdoc next week so we can discuss Abilify, Zyprexa and other alternatives at that time. If worse comes to worse, I can try to hang in there with Depakote Sprinkles and just do the best I can in taking my time swallowing them. At least I can do that on my own and don't have to worry about getting assistance from another person in order to take my meds. Thanks everyone for your replies! By the way, if my post wasn't clear, I was looking for a mood stabilizer that treats mania as opposed to depression since my bipolar falls more on the manic side and I'm already on an anti-depressant.
Llama
07-08-2009, 11:02 PM
lol depakote syrup does sound gross!
And abilify is a very small pill. The 30mg is an average size pill. But I take samples from the human service center and I take two 15mg pills. They are very tiny.
And abilify is a very small pill. The 30mg is an average size pill. But I take samples from the human service center and I take two 15mg pills. They are very tiny.
dreams in neon
07-08-2009, 11:06 PM
lol depakote syrup does sound gross!
And abilify is a very small pill. The 30mg is an average size pill. But I take samples from the human service center and I take two 15mg pills. They are very tiny.
I would rather take an IM injection anyday over Depakote syrup and I can't stand needles. LOL.
I'm definitely going to look at Abilify. I also like the fact that it also treats negative symptoms (voices, paranoia, delusions) so if it works well for me as a mood stabilizer and antipsychotic, I could cut down my meds from 5 to 4.
And abilify is a very small pill. The 30mg is an average size pill. But I take samples from the human service center and I take two 15mg pills. They are very tiny.
I would rather take an IM injection anyday over Depakote syrup and I can't stand needles. LOL.
I'm definitely going to look at Abilify. I also like the fact that it also treats negative symptoms (voices, paranoia, delusions) so if it works well for me as a mood stabilizer and antipsychotic, I could cut down my meds from 5 to 4.
irishwriter
07-09-2009, 06:32 AM
This may seem like a stupid question, but I'm literally at the end of my rope. I can't take larger sized pills because I'm unable to swallow them. I also can't take capsules because my CTS (carpal tunnel syndrome) is too severe and I cannot open them. My pdoc just prescribed Depakote Syrup, but I can't see and am unable to accurately measure my dosage. For now I'm swallowing Depakote Sprinkles as best I can (with a great deal of difficulty) Does anyone know of a mood stabilizer that has dissolvable pills or small pills that are easy to swallow? I don't even care if it treats rapid cycling bipolar -- at this point I just need to find some alternatives to what I'm taking now.
hi dreams,
can you break any of the pills in half to make them smaller and try swallowing them with some milk. apparently this makes it easier to swallow them. when your current meds are working so well it seems a pity to have to get used to new ones again. seroquel comes in really small pills if that is of any use to you. i also find lamictal easy to swallow. try the milk thing anyway, it would be great if it worked.
iw
hi dreams,
can you break any of the pills in half to make them smaller and try swallowing them with some milk. apparently this makes it easier to swallow them. when your current meds are working so well it seems a pity to have to get used to new ones again. seroquel comes in really small pills if that is of any use to you. i also find lamictal easy to swallow. try the milk thing anyway, it would be great if it worked.
iw
dreams in neon
07-09-2009, 10:01 AM
hi dreams,
can you break any of the pills in half to make them smaller and try swallowing them with some milk. apparently this makes it easier to swallow them. when your current meds are working so well it seems a pity to have to get used to new ones again. seroquel comes in really small pills if that is of any use to you. i also find lamictal easy to swallow. try the milk thing anyway, it would be great if it worked.
iw
iw,
Depakote Sprinkles can be split in half, but I don't have the hand strength (due to severe carpal tunnel syndrome) to split them even with a pill splitter -- my hands are very weak and in need of surgery.
I didn't know milk makes pills easier to swallow. I've never tried that, but will after I finish typing this post. Thanks for the suggestion.
By the way, I was told to be careful about taking pills with milk if you have a sensitive stomach since it can cause nausea. This has never been an issue for me, but I've avoided taking my meds with milk for this reason.
However, given the difficulty I'm having with swallowing Depakote Sprinkles, I'm going to try it anyways. If I eat a meal along with my meds, this should help minimize any nausea I might experience.
I'll talk to my pdoc about Seroquel and Lamictal as well. Lamictal is used for treating rapid cycling bipolar. It's also a mood stabilizer we've discussed before, so that might be the option I choose. I'll think about this further and let you know what my pdoc and I decide next week.
Thanks again!
can you break any of the pills in half to make them smaller and try swallowing them with some milk. apparently this makes it easier to swallow them. when your current meds are working so well it seems a pity to have to get used to new ones again. seroquel comes in really small pills if that is of any use to you. i also find lamictal easy to swallow. try the milk thing anyway, it would be great if it worked.
iw
iw,
Depakote Sprinkles can be split in half, but I don't have the hand strength (due to severe carpal tunnel syndrome) to split them even with a pill splitter -- my hands are very weak and in need of surgery.
I didn't know milk makes pills easier to swallow. I've never tried that, but will after I finish typing this post. Thanks for the suggestion.
By the way, I was told to be careful about taking pills with milk if you have a sensitive stomach since it can cause nausea. This has never been an issue for me, but I've avoided taking my meds with milk for this reason.
However, given the difficulty I'm having with swallowing Depakote Sprinkles, I'm going to try it anyways. If I eat a meal along with my meds, this should help minimize any nausea I might experience.
I'll talk to my pdoc about Seroquel and Lamictal as well. Lamictal is used for treating rapid cycling bipolar. It's also a mood stabilizer we've discussed before, so that might be the option I choose. I'll think about this further and let you know what my pdoc and I decide next week.
Thanks again!
dreams in neon
07-09-2009, 10:12 AM
iw,
Just wanted to let you know that I took my morning meds with milk and they were much easier to swallow (especially the Depakote Sprinkles). I also don't feel the slightest amount of stomach upset. Thank you for the suggestion! I really appreciate it! If this works out well for me, I won't have to change mood stabilizers. <crossing fingers> I hope today is a good one for you. :)
Just wanted to let you know that I took my morning meds with milk and they were much easier to swallow (especially the Depakote Sprinkles). I also don't feel the slightest amount of stomach upset. Thank you for the suggestion! I really appreciate it! If this works out well for me, I won't have to change mood stabilizers. <crossing fingers> I hope today is a good one for you. :)
irishwriter
07-10-2009, 08:05 AM
iw,
hi dreams, am so glad that helped. i used to have a neighbour who found it difficult to swallow any kind of pill and that worked for her. i also find that eating even the corner of a dry cracker can stop any nausea from developing.
iw
Just wanted to let you know that I took my morning meds with milk and they were much easier to swallow (especially the Depakote Sprinkles). I also don't feel the slightest amount of stomach upset. Thank you for the suggestion! I really appreciate it! If this works out well for me, I won't have to change mood stabilizers. <crossing fingers> I hope today is a good one for you. :)
hi dreams, am so glad that helped. i used to have a neighbour who found it difficult to swallow any kind of pill and that worked for her. i also find that eating even the corner of a dry cracker can stop any nausea from developing.
iw
Just wanted to let you know that I took my morning meds with milk and they were much easier to swallow (especially the Depakote Sprinkles). I also don't feel the slightest amount of stomach upset. Thank you for the suggestion! I really appreciate it! If this works out well for me, I won't have to change mood stabilizers. <crossing fingers> I hope today is a good one for you. :)
seaturtle
07-10-2009, 10:48 PM
Glad to hear that, Dreams.
If you find it doesn't work, try asking your pharmacist what she can do for you. They can compound meds and do all kinds of things to accomodate people with cannot deal with regular pills and liquids.
Is the carpal tunnel going to be treated pretty soon?
Hugs,
Seaturtle
If you find it doesn't work, try asking your pharmacist what she can do for you. They can compound meds and do all kinds of things to accomodate people with cannot deal with regular pills and liquids.
Is the carpal tunnel going to be treated pretty soon?
Hugs,
Seaturtle