Big decision... Need advice please.

[ImNotCoolThnx]

Within the past hour I just found out something really, really sucky.

I don't know if anyone has seen my other posts about me switching an anti-depressant called wellbutrin which is known to rarely make acne worse for another one, but I just did that. I am diagnosed as severely depressed / bi-polar, it changes from psych to psych. I've been on a combonation of medicine-wellbutrin and depakote-for the past year and a half, and this past year being stable on the meds has been one of the best of my life. I feel good every morning, I don't want to die, I have a job, I went from getting straight F's (yes thats right 0.25 - 0.75 GPA's) to straight A's, no more drugs (was addicted to pot & coke) and I feel pretty good. However, this last year and a half has been plagued but terrible acne on my face and back, which, as I said before, I thought was from wellbutrin. It turns out that depakote is WELL KNOWN for causing acne on your face and back!!!! I think my psych has been purposely hiding this from me, but I did my research into multiple sources this morning and asked him today and he says, "Yes, facial and bodily acne is a side effect consistant with depakote and other lithium based meds."

So my decision I have to make is this:

Risk trying a new mood-stabilizer and having my acne pretty much go away back to my normal self, OR Stay on the depakote, be not depressed chemically, but be depressed cause of acne anyway?

any advice would be appreciated, I think I'm gonna stop taking the depakote though since they originally put me on it to stop the seizures from the wellbutrin and when they found it helped so much they were just like yep hes prolly bi-polar he needs the mood stabilizer.

[poreoilyme]

How about Zoloft?

[ImNotCoolThnx]

Well yeah that's the question.

I can go ahead and try switching to a different med, but the problem with anti-depressants / mood-stabilizers (sorry I didn't mention it above) is that it's pretty hard to find the right one or the right combo that works. It took me 8 months of TORTURE, in and out of withdrawals (puking, ulcers, night sweats, insomnia, excessive tiredness, turning into a complete maniac, etc.) and side effects including F*cking grand mal seizures to get this combo right. But I think now that I know what chemical's work on me it would be easier to just find new meds along the same lines that don't cause acne. It's the risk you see, they might not work, I might get really depressed and **** up my life again.

[trainboxer]

Wow, you know I just read about that a few minutes before you posted. Something about lithium based antidepressive stuff causing acne. That's nice that all this time your doc didnt even mention it! I wonder is there any other type of meds you could take that dont create acne or make it worse?

[CroquetGirl]

Hi,
Glad to hear the medicine has helped your mood. I was on an antidepressant (and it didn't affect acne one way or the other), and when I switched medicines I had a terrible time. Only you know how bad it can feel, but I think I would personally stay with the medicine you're on and keep the acne. It's a big trauma to go through not only changing your medicine but having acne at the same time!
Another thing that might be possible is stay on your medicine but also take acne medicine. You'd have to look in to drug combinations (some can cause huge problems), but I think maybe topical medications should be okay while you're taking Wellbutrin (don't quote me on that though)!
Good luck!