Posted by PsychoSage on February 27, 2004, at 5:21:55
In reply to Re: Bipolars on Wellbutrin? » PsychoSage, posted by katia on February 26, 2004, at 23:51:40
> >>I just started on a little bit of provigil on top of those two, and that gives a lot more energy as well as brain stimulation.
>
> HI Psychosage,
> Thanks for such a long post!! very helpful. What you said above - you have more brain stiumlation and energy on Provigil. 1. What is Provigil?It is a stimulant that is not like amphetamine or ritalin [methylphenidate]. It has less side effects than those drugs, but some experienced stimulant users claim that it doesn't do much for them. I think it is very potent. It is prescribed for shift-work disorder and narcolepsy[first approval was for this in 98 i believe] It is relatively knew on the market in the US. It is prescribed off-label for many things including depression and ADD..
and 2. Doesn't wellbutrin give enough energy and stimulation? That's what I'm hoping for anyway. Focus and energy, but not agitation.It is more of an antidepressant for me. Many ADHD people take it alone for their symptoms, and they are successful with it.
>
> >>I think wellbutrin is good if you do not do well with anything with serotonin which makes me indifferent and sleep more. Those drugs also make me cloudier or almost stoned. Lots of Bipolars are switched on by those SSRIs because if the serotonin really works well, then the dopamine will kick in as well. It is odd how these drugs never work the way they claim they work, and that even goes for the selective ones. All the systems and pathways are connected and overlap in varying degrees, so if one is being revved up, I think a signal might go to another pathway to say it's time to party.
>
> **The problem is, I only tried ADs prior to being dxed as BP. I have no idea how I'll do on any of them with a mood stabilizer. I was a zombie on Zoloft and Celexa made me more depressed and an insomniac. Effexor and Serzone made me hypomanic and then with Eff. depressed and stoned feeling. Do you think this is an inidication how they will do for me WITH a MS? I too have just started Trileptal - I'm only at 125mg right now. I also currently take a smidge of Seroquel for sleep and 12g of fish oil.
>
> Thanks again-
> KatiaI am new to mood stabilisers too. i think I started out at 300, then I moved to 600. I was having some issues, so they bumped me up to 1200 which is generally the upper limit for most, but it's not unusual for epileptics to hit 1800 or 2400. check out www.bipolarworld.net
Mood stabilizers are supposed to keep you from being a little lightening bug, so it's like insulation. They can also prevent depression, but that depends on the person and the drug.
An antidepressant should just be added if you are having trouble while a MS should be a maintenance drug unless you are depressed a lot then you need both as maintenance.
Basically, I do not go near the serotonin drugs for the reasons I admitted above. I wouldn't care if they are activating or if they even worked perfectly. They always either poop out or just cause more trouble for me, and I have a hard time figuring them out. I say that because I fiddled with the dosage for them for years. I couldn't tell if they helped my anxiety or caused it by making me irritable or agitated. I think they may be good for short-term therapy, but they take my emotions away from me.
I don't like antipsychotics either even though my brain glitches occasionally.
You have several different drugs going on there, so be vigilant about side effects. Seroquel is sedating, and doesn't just affect you after you take it. it can have a partial effect all day.
You will make your own path obviously, so my experience will not predict yours but try to track your symptoms. good luck
poster:PsychoSage
thread:259757
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040223/msgs/318141.html