Posted by Elizabeth on December 28, 2001, at 12:29:41
In reply to Are antidepressants right for someone with Bipolar, posted by JackD on December 18, 2001, at 17:20:28
A lot of people with BP need ADs, yes. A general rule is that you should get on a mood stabilizer because of the risk of a manic reaction from an AD alone. Sometimes it's assumed that people who get worse on ADs must be bipolar. I think this is a mistake, but it is true that ADs can cause problems (including severe mania or mixed mania, not just a pleasant hypomania) for bipolar folks.
FWIW, I had a similar problem on Nardil, but not on other ADs. Adding anticonvulsants and lithium didn't help me, but I think the lithium is a good idea for you. (600 mg of lithium was the amount that put me at a therapeutic serum level, FWIW. You might need more depending how much you weigh; also, I think the therapeutic range for bipolar disorder might be higher than that for AD augmentation.)
Anyway, I wouldn't worry about it too much -- just be sure to watch for any signs of mania or hypomania.
best,
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:87320
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011222/msgs/88038.html