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Re: Topamax and weight and sleep and mood » MountainAngel

Posted by Cece on May 29, 2002, at 13:52:31

In reply to Re: Topamax and weight and sleep and mood, posted by MountainAngel on May 28, 2002, at 14:33:53

I am BPII, with a long history of chronic depression.

I loved the weight loss effect of topomax and needed it.
But after a few months it turned against me- I got unliveable cognitive problems, especially word finding and not being able to speak sentences in the right order. I was very sorry to have to stop, but it hadn't done much for me as a mood stabilizer anyway.

The first drug I took was Depakote- 1000mg/day. It helped me but slogged me down. Over time I have worked my dose down to 250mg/day which gives me the good effect without the grog.

In addition to the Depakote, what finally, after many many trials has really helped me with mood stability and sleep is Neurontin 900mg/day (spread into 3 doses, with an occasional extra 100-200 if I start to get hyper and frantic or can't sleep), Lamictal 300mg/day (in the morning), and trimipramine (TCA) 25 mg/day (at night).

I've also recently added thyroid supplement which is helping a lot with mental alertness and getting up in the morning. I was only borderline low when I began and we are pushing me to the upper limits of the normal range. It is not making me hyper. My pdoc told me that thyroid disorder can mimic any and all psychiatric disorders, and some docs use it as the first drug successfully (Peter Whybrow at UCLA is a leader in this)- even in people who do not show thyroid deficiency in testing.

Hang in there- it can take many trials to find what's right for you and many of us have had the 'guinea pig blues'- but it's worth it. Of course, make sure you have a smart, up-to-date pdoc who you trust to be on your side.

Best,
Cece


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