i need help

[babygirl_80]

I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder a year ago.  my physician put me on celexa, inderal, klonopin and trazadone.  with celexa alone i have rage attacks, when she added klonopin to the regime i got migraines hence the inderal.  The trazadone was added to help me sleep (i was averaging 1-2 hrs a night).   i wanted to sleep all the time and could not stay awake.  After a few months of this i decided something need to change, doctor switched klonopin with lithium and stopped the inderal and trazadone.  I thought the klonopin was doing good (less risks involved), i could not get doctor to understand that i felt lithium was not a good choice for me.  doctor wants to change medicine every few months to something different, i feel like a yoyo so i took myself off the medicines.  who do i need to see to get straightened out medication wise?  I feel lost and confused.

[horselover65]

If you're seeing a regular physician, you really should see a psychiatrist. This can be very difficult to treat. It is not one-size-fits-all and if there is a combination that works well without side effects then I wouldn't think a decent psychiatrist would want to change that. Without a valid reason, competent psychiatrists don't put us through extra adjustments. I am sorry you've gone through this. There's something to be said for consistency and a nice routine. I hope you have both soon.

[ILADVOCATE]

One thing first. "With Celexa alone I get rage attacks". Celexa is an anti-depressent. It can set off mania for someone who has bipolar. That is of concern and you might want to speak to your psychiatrist about that. Lithium is a standard mood stabilizer and does work quite well. Klonopin is an anti-anxiety medication but not a mood stabilizer. If you can't tolerate Lithium there are other choices such as Lamictal but give it a chance. In the meantime I would think the anti-depressent might be worsening things and you might want to speak to your psychiatrist about this.