Posted by Ron Hill on February 25, 2003, at 18:34:31
In reply to Re: Lamictal and Pre-emptive Strikes, posted by catmint on February 25, 2003, at 15:42:48
Hi Amy,
Sorry to hear that you are having trouble. Hang in there. There's an answer out there for you; the trick is finding it.
>Have you gained any weight on the low dose of Lithium?
Nope. Nada. Zippo. But, YMMV. However, I gained 30 pounds on Depakote (not to mention the hair loss, rash, and worsened depression). Depakote is a good medicine for a lot of people, but it was not a good fit for me. The only side effect I've had with Lithobid (600 mg/day) was frequent urination for the first couple of weeks when I first started the med.
>I am meeting with my pdoc on Thursday and will mention both to him. I was a lot less irritable on Depakote, but I don't want to combine it with Lamictal.
Amy, your dx is BP II, right? What moodstabilizers have you tried besides Lamictal and Depakote? Why did you discontinue the Depakote, weight gain? What other meds are you currently taking?
Clearly, the 50 mg/day of Lamictal is not providing enough mood stabilization, which is not surprising at that low dosage. Where is your pdoc going with this? Is it his/her plan to gradually ramp up the Lamictal until the dose is finally substantial enough to function as a mood stabilizer?
Amy, have you ever tried to add a low dose of an atypical antipsychotic to a moodstabilizer? I bring this up because of what you told me last week about the one hallucination episode.
I posted the following link earlier in this thread, but I'll place it here as well. If you can, scan over the relevant portions of the document before your pdoc appointment. Make sure your pdoc fully understands the difficulty you are having. Insist that he/she gives you the time needed to talk through your symptoms and possible remedies. Who cares if you go over the allotted fifteen minute appointment time limit!
http://www.psych.org/clin_res/bipolar_revisebook_index.cfm
Amy, keep us informed regarding your progress. Also, let me know what your pdoc says.
-- Ron
poster:Ron Hill
thread:203376
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030224/msgs/203800.html