Posted by dddiane on April 19, 2003, at 15:51:19
I've been taking Topamax as a mood stablizer since late November, I am bipolar, and it has been a great medication for me, very effective. After a couple of months I adjusted to the cognitive stuff, and though I'll never get used to the dry mouth, I can live with it.
But this is the wierd thing. At 100mg I felt great. My mania was under control, though I still had a touch of depression. Then I had to bump up to 125mg to keep the mania under control. That worked for a couple of months. Then the depression ceased to be a problem. That was great. Then I had a sudden manic break through. 150mg brought it back under control and I felt peaceful again. For two weeks. Now I'm at 175mg and I'm wondering if I'm going to have to go up to 200mg in a week or two, because my sleep is getting a little dicey and I'm feeling a little "speedy" again.
This is very odd to me because I was stable, maybe a little hypomanic, but stable at the same dose of Tegretol for many years. I had to quit Tegretol because of hyponatremia and rash.
I have been taking Topamax for over five months now and when it is working, which is most of the time, it works so well. I'm very productive at my job, my depression is gone, and I'm happy. Nothing has worked this well. It is just puzzeling to me how a certain mg works for a while, and then it just isn't enough anymore.
Has anyone else had this happen? What is an effective dose for other people here with bipolar? I am a bipolar I who tends to hang out on the manic end of the scale when under medicated.
Thanks!
Diane
poster:dddiane
thread:220701
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030417/msgs/220701.html