Dexedrine and BP I

[Mielo]

Hi
I have BPI, OCD, anxiety disorder etc etc.
I rapid cycle.
I am on: Seroquel, Lamotragine, Clonazepam, Wellbutrin, Celexa, Remeron
Also: Synthyroid, Lasix, inhalers, Metformin, Ibuprofen, Emtec, etc

I was put on Dexedrine and three days in it was fabulous.  The night day switch reversed.  I woke completely in the am and got tired at night.  And I felt calm.  Now with taking two half tabs I feel nothing.  I cannot decide if this is a good thing or not.  2008 was the year from hell.  Now I have a family member seriously ill and coping with that which is difficult.  I am even calm with the nurses while on an ordinary day I would like to ***** slap them.  Is this what happens with Dexedrine?  I wondered if I am having a reaction like kids put on Ritalin.  My shrink said I had had such a horrible year he almost hoped I would go a little high and have some fun.  He is away for a week = ideas, hints, experiences??
I will listen with respect to whatever anyone writes.
With thanks.  Mielo

[erfer]

I take dex on a as needed basis as well. If I take it for three days in a row or more-i only sleep between 0-3 hours of sleep at nite. When I stop taking it I sleep for two days straight and am so tired and hungry. I dont get any euphoria from dex. The come down is also harsh for me. In the early years when I was taking 65 mg a day-I worked-cleaning,gardening,rollerblading for 7 hours at a time and took long hikes to collect rocks.I started craft projects-I would rearrange and stare at my rocks for hours and hours. I no longer work hard or do anything productive on dex. It turns me into a robot where I have severe ocd symptoms. When I am depressed it lifts my mood still. Its weird though bc sometimes it makes me talkative and other times it makes me mute. I really miss the part when dex made me extremely productive-keeping a clean house and garden-working out excessively. Now Im ten pounds over weight-I dont eat until midnight. Its just a very strange med for me. My behavior is so inconsistant-changing how I feel or act when I take it. Sometimes it makes me out going but now mostly it makes me an introvert with major ocd like symptoms. I am also add and bpl. Maybe thats why it works differently on different days. I was never bipolar until i started taking 65 mg of dex. I believe taking that high dose made me biolar at age 34. I only take btwn 10-30 mg now and only for a few days in a row.  I really am convinced that it made me bipolar. Prior to using dexedrine-i only had add. My friends and family cant believe how differnt and weird I have become. I started tking itin the begining of  2001.  and with in 9 months I became a raving lunatic-rapicd cycling moods. I also had a major manic attack that lasted over a year, I have had several manic attacks since. I wish I never started this med. I am convinced that i would not be bipolar if I hadnt taken high doses and abused it when i first started it. I will say that it does help me focus and remain calm when it works right, but i just dont know-i never should have abused it for all those years. It really caused serious damage to my mental health and its permanat. Basically, I only take it when I am depressed now which is quite often bc im a rapid cycler. I now take seroquel, xanax, geodon, lamictal, klonopin, propranolol)as needed), synthroid, and very low doses of prozac and wellbutrin when Im really really depressed. I am rarely in remission from my bipolar. Im 45 now and still a total mess. When I sought help for depression  after getting a dui-I went to a totally unethical and crazy shrink who put me on a ton of psychiatric meds. Prior to seeing that shrink-i never took pills of any kind. Now I see a shrink regurlarly and am on so many meds and I am treatment resistant. It makes me wonder if I'd be better off taking nothing. The pills arent working and im always switching moods anyway-so what good is all this medicine. I actually never thought of that. Im going to ask my shrink if i should stop taking these meds since im treatment resistant anyway. Its a F-ing mess and I have been totally crazy since i began seeing a shrink. I was totally normal. My parents are still confused and so sad about my predicament. Sometimes I just cant believe how all of this happened and how my life has changed so much. Its really tragic. my life is ruined-i believe bc i sought the help of a shrink.

[aadel]

Apart from my regular BP2 cocktail (Effexor, Lithium, Risperdal, Clonazepam),  I take Dexedrine on an as-needed basis.  I have to say that it is the only med that immediately improves my depression.  However, I can't take it for too many days in a row.  If I do, I end up exhausted and rattled.

  I have a supply of 5 mg tablets and 10 mg spansules (extended release).  This allows me to choose whichever one I feel may be right at the time.  It's the spansules I have to watch.  I try not to take them for more than 2 or 3 days in a row.

All the best!

[LeftCoastChick]

I was on that med, before I was diagnosed BP2, now exact same dagnosis as you. It was great for a bit, then it sort of wore off. My pdoc said to take dex holidays. It didn't make me anxious at all, it helped me get back my sleep patterns back and have some "oomph* during the day. I don't suggest this as a first drug to try, I'd been through "the mill* with meds and they all caused sluggishness with me. I'm also slightly ADD, so it helped calm the brain down a bit, I loved it, but I had to stop taking it when I stopped seeing my first pdoc, my GP wouldn't prescribe it, I was "bummed out" by that.
When I mentioned it to my pdoc, he was pretty resistant to it, because I now rapid cycle pretty quickly, so he doesn't want to trigger anything further. I'm now pretty sensitive to having even more then 1 cup of coffee.  

[ILADVOCATE]

Dexedrine is technically a stimulant and an amphetamine so its entirely possible. You might want to speak to your psychiatrist about changing this specific medication. It is related to Ritalin which despite being in this category helps people with adhd. Both can set off mood changes in people with bipolar however.