when does it ease up

[hrt3105]

after about 3 years i was finally dx with BP, currently fairly stable on lamictal an prozac,   still have severe depressive attacks an thoughts of suicide to stop the pain, meds are going on about 6weeks now any idea whn they will kick in

[imsmiley12]

It took me the better part of 4 years to find the right combo of meds to effectively help me.  Man did it ever seem like it was never gonna happen.  Turned out the right combo for me was lamictal, cymbalta, and risperdal.  Every med reacts different to every person, so just 'cause some of us have had an issue with a med doesn't mean you shouldn't be open to trying it.  I hope all goes well for you!!

[monkeyc]

We were all new at it once :)  Dont worry, thats why we post here, to share what we have seen and experienced - everyone is different so talk to your docs.

And dont be afraid to shout out or ask questions - for me talking to other people is very helpful and there's a lot of people here who know what you are going thru and can give you a much needed smile and a cheer up or just a shoulder to lean on when you need it.

[cowgirlnerd]

You will find that a lot of us know quite a bit about medications - but it's by trial and error.  We just don't want you to have to suffer like we have.

Talk to your doctor as soon as you can, and see what they say.  Like LeftCoastChick and Monkey, I have taken both of those (among mannny other anti-depressants before getting the BP diagnosis).  It's somewhat a guessing game.

Just know that the depression will lift when you get the right combo - and it might come back, but being level is wonderful.  

[hrt3105]

thanks for the info, like i said all of this is new to me i'm still trying to get a handle on it myself

[LeftCoastChick]

Yikes prozac? like others have said, that's not one of the best drugs, I was on Cymbalta, and I ended up in the hospital, you really need to see your doctor asap. I was only on the drug for a month, and took me 6 weeks to wean of it.. it's an evil drug.

[Amyjo101]

I have to agree, my daughter was misdiagnosed on her first hospitalization and sent home on Lexapro. Instead of making her the typical manic that anti-depressants do it sent her into a steady deep depression. Not knowing she was bipolar when her medication was change about 5 months later to Zoloft and Xanax she started cycling. That was when she started getting more suicidal again. She had two active attempts and two more hospitalization before ending up on Lamictal and Lithium. Which kept her stable for about 10 months and now we are weaning her lamictal and starting Geodone. She is leveling back out. But from what i have gotten from everyone.... SSRI's are a bad thing for bipolar and if your feeling suicidal on the Prozac you need to let someone know it is Notorious for causing suicidal ideations in people being treated with it. So you need to call your doctor or someone to tell them what is up.

Amy

[monkeyc]

Prozac?

Prozac has been known to cause severe mania and suicidal thoughts and actions in BP sufferers - I tried to commit suicide on Prozac.  SSRI drugs are not a great idea for Bipolars according to most modern thoughts and based on my experiences you would not get me within a mile of a bottle of prozac...

Have you got a pdoc?