Posted by kathrynbabble on May 12, 2001, at 23:30:20
In reply to Re: Topamax Experiences?, posted by maribeth on January 21, 2001, at 9:36:05
> Hi This is long but if you have the time and insight I ask you to please read and respond.
I have been diagnosed as manic-depressive. I was doing well on 20mg of elexa. However, doing well turned into doing too well(hypomania) and then turned into even more extreme hypomania where I had planned to sleep with 3 people I knew plus I had cyber sex with a married man I know and someone I did not know. I was seeing a therapist at the time and he spotted the change in me and sent me to a psychiatrist. he made me drop to 10mg of Celexa and I had withdrawl in the form of extreme agitation. For example, I was extremely irritated that my purse was too deep??? I emptied it out along with any other purse like items I could find onto the counter in an angered frenzy. I knew it was irrational but could not stop just the same. About a week later I woke up at about 6:30am and went about my morning as usual. At 8:00am I started to try to get ready for work. I began to feel very strange. I have had anxiety attacks before and this was not one of them. I could not concentrate on getting ready. Everything was extremely clear and vibrant as if it had just rained in the house. I kept trying to put my make up on but I kepy feeling like I kept putting make up one someone else. My hands were not mine either. I kept thinking that if I looked in the mirror my face would be a hallucination. I kept trying to pace from room to room and talk myself down out of it and my voice was not mine either. Something kept telling me that the next time I turned the corner into the next room the real snake (something hallucinatory half animated half real - threatening just the same) was going to be there. I took part of a Xanax to try to calm down and tried to get a hold of my doctors and my mother. It took hours to completely calm down. I tried to drive to work just after taking the xanax and i could not go over 35 mph I had to call in. I did not know if it was going to get better or worse. Nothing even close has ever happened to me like this before. I had been having very vivid and hallucinatory type dreams all night and every night as well.
I ended up trying Topamax starting with 25mg per night for 5 nights, then 50mg for 5 nights, then 25mg in am and 50mg in pm thereafter from then on with 10mg of celexa. On my 4th morning of that I went into a blind rage and crying spell. The kind I had before any medication a long time ago. I called the internist I have that listens to me better than the psychiatrist I have been sent to. I asked if i could go back up to 20mg of Celexa. he told me to go aheadwhereas the psychiatrist said that I would wait weeks into stabilizing on the Topamax to do so. I would have ended up in big trouble that way. I can get very hostile and paranoid. I am wondering (finally - I know) if anyone else out there has had a volitle reaction to getting used to Topamax? I am doing much better now that I am back on 20mg of Celexa with it. I am having the drowsiness and the strange tingles in the feet but nothing else besides the anger stated earlier. Any responses would be greatlle appreciated. This is my first post on a thread of any kind. Sorry for the strange name I had troubles signing up - had to add something - it is late.
poster:kathrynbabble
thread:50878
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010507/msgs/62693.html