I need advice for medicine

[sumer0821]

I have tried so many diffrent meds and none seem to work however they all have the side effects I cannot stand, I took lithium and it made me super sick I lost 9 pounds in 4 days. with depokote all I did was sleep and feel like a dead head I am trying tegretol now and I am so bitchy seriously every one hates me even me. Even as I am being grouchy I feel like I should shut up but I  cant and my muscles are so sore. Any one on a med that they love and would like to recomend?

[jimgreg]

ive heard everyone say that not all drugs work for the same people..thats true..i was on seraquil for 2 yrs did great then 1 day my heart rate went up to 150bpm.had to stop it..thats a good one but makes you sleep..thats what it does slows the manic to nothing...YOU SAID LITHIEM MADE YOU SICK..THIOS WAS MY 2ND DRUG SINCE I BEEN BP..I HAVENT HAD NOT ONE SIDE AFFECT...AND IT MADE YOU SICK.why dont you ask him for the 200mg xr,s  of serquil  they work 24 hrs time released..or you can start off at 100mgs at bedtime then everyday you go up till you get to 600mgs..if you have any sleeping problems you wont with this..once you sleep ur 8 hrs its in you but the sleep part is gone...to me lithium and serquil are brother and sister...but lithium dont sedate you like serquil does..i  belive what everyone say..what one med would do for them might not you..were all difft chemasty!!   there's another one thats popular lamictal..they say this wons a winner..you have to take it in stages cuz of risk to a serious rash..but never heard of anyone getting it..hey good luck to you..ever need me just mail me...james

[Lizz67]

Like James, I like Seroquel and Lithium.  Seroquel was awesome for helping me sleep and I only take a low dose now (200mg).  I added Lamictal for a post-manic depression, and it worked okay, not great.  But I have been stable for three years being on these three. I haven't been hospitalized and I've been able to work.
This summer I added Prozac to help a depression after my dad's death (last year).

I haven't had any severe side effects from these.  The Prozac gave me a headache for a couple of weeks.  And going on Lithium usually causes thirst and dry mouth.

As we'll all keep saying on here, different meds affect different people in different ways, but I wanted to share my positive experience with you.

[monkeyc]

Lithium an cause nausea in some patients, I get it some mornings on an empty stomach and they key is to eat something but in some people its very bad and doesnt work for them.

I always advise people to talk to their doctors about drugs - for example SSRI drugs which can caused serious side effects in some BP's including mixed mania and suicidal thoughts.  Everyone is different so its vital to work with your doctors to find the right mix of drugs.

[Lizz67]

monkeyc your comment about SSRI's being potentially dangerous for BPs is important.

I should add to anyone reading my post above that I am on TWO mood stabilizers and my doctor wouldn't try an antidepressant on me without this safeguard.

[shortcircuited]

Give the Tegretol a month or two before you give up.  If you are dysphoric (bitchy,) then you might need to be careful about adding an antidepressant.  You may want to try adding another mood stabilizer, but probably not lamictal, because it is typically activating, and it sounds like you need more of a downer.  If I were you, I might talk to my doctor about switching to Trileptal--it's like Tegretol with less side effects.

I took Trileptal and Abilify for a while and it made me a nervous wreck, which I now think was from the Abilify.  I took a really low dose of Abilify, and people on higher doses said it made them sleepy.  I was afraid to take more to see if it would have an opposite effect--that defies logic, but sometimes medicine is that way.

For example. Seroquel is usually best for sleep at 100 mg or lower.  When you go higher, it can mess up your sleep (if you're only taking it for sleep.)

Now I take Tegretol and Wellbutrin, and that seems to be working for me except that I think the Wellbutrin may have triggered olfactory seizures when I was taking it with lithium, seroquel, and prednisone--which all increase the seizure risk of Wellbutrin.  Wellbutrin is supposed to be least apt to trigger mania, but for those who are triggered, it is usually very bad.  Wellbutrin is kind of in a class of it's own, working on dopamine and norepinephrine to some extent.

[PenelopeAnn]

Was the Lithium the regular kind or the slow release/extended release kind, such as Lithobid. I was unable to tolerate regular Lithium, but do great on Lithobid. The side effects are lessened.
I can only tell you what went wrong with for me with the rest of them, because either they didn't help AND they gave me unpleasant side effects or I wasn't able to take them long enough because of the side effects. There are so many to consider-
Trileptal, Lamictal, Tegretol, Topomax (topamax), Neurontin (I am told not as helpful as the other anticonvulsants)
Sometimes mixed with antipsychotics- Zyprexa, Respirodal, Sometimes Abilify is given alone for BP, and a new one that I can't recall. I like Seroquel.

The best combination is different for everyone. I did best on what I am on now, Lithobid and Seroquel.

[irishwriter]

hi, sorry to hear you are having such problems with meds. one of the major difficulties with this disease is that everyone's treatment is so individual. bts. dysphoric does not mean bitchy it means the opposite of euphoric where a person can have the deepest depression and be manic as well. forgive me if i'm wrong but i have bp with dysphoric mania and wouldn't know how to be bitchy if i tried! my daughter tells me i should practice at it as prople tend to walk all over me. I  found lithium to have very few side effects priadel 1200 and recently added zyprexa 12.5 and rivotril 1mg (klonopin) and this mix seems to be working better than any before. fingers crossed. would love to lose the constant desire to be dead, my diet is also full of fruit and veg and i walk or swim every day even if i have to drag myself out there! good luck with your search for right combo,

[monkeyc]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysphoria

Yep its the flip side of euphoria and I get it as well in mixed state episodes which seem to be common for me I just had never researched it enough to find what it was, though bitchiness could definetly be a symptom - mine are irritability, anger, depression and rapid mood swings for example and irritability would likely be called bitchy in some people.