Posted by wcfrench on April 19, 2003, at 13:17:27
In reply to Rate Lamictal as stabilizer, posted by Ponder on April 19, 2003, at 12:25:23
It seems to be working OK for me as a stabilizer, but not as well as Depakote did. I feel a little brighter on it, but the overall effect doesn't seem as "stabilizing" as Depakote did, but I might still have to increase the dosage, or add another mood stabilizer to reach maximum effectiveness. I am moving to Las Vegas next week and my damn doctor won't get me an appointment and won't call in a higher dosage after I keep telling him I need to go up on the Lamictal. He thinks 250mg is in the "dangerous zone" and that 400mg is only for patients with epilepsy. Damnit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a pool man. Get with it dude, I took as much as 3600mg Neurontin, I'm a high responder. I feel good after 200mg for some time, but I need more.
I know it was only recently approved (a few years back?) as a mood stabilizer, as is the trend with a few other epilepsy medications. It wasn't designed specifically for that task though, so to say that you would need an adjunct such as Lithium or Depakote to achieve maximum effectiveness would make perfect sense. It definitely gives me an antidepressant response though, in comparison with Depakote. With Depakote, I was in a stable, though negative disposition. Maybe I should try Lithium as adjunctive therapy, but I don't want my pee to smell like salt again. :-D And the days go by...
Once I reached the state of "OKness" and not total despair, books have proven to be my greatest therapy, no holds barred. "Meditation as Medicine", "The Power of Now", "Present Moment Awareness", and currently, "Emotional Longevity" (a really good one) have all taught me so much, in so many different ways. Very highly recommended. Drugs can only get you so far, and my lofty aspirations lead me to one day being able to function without medication, though I won't be upset if it doesn't happen. If you can read and it doesn't bother you, do it. Amazon has lots of good recommendations in these categories, and the reviews are always pretty accurate. See you guys.
-Charlie
poster:wcfrench
thread:208531
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030417/msgs/220656.html