Posted by SLS on July 20, 2004, at 23:03:05
In reply to Re: non-sedating med for BP2?, posted by Lyrical13 on July 20, 2004, at 18:25:28
Hi.
> What experience do you have with BP2? Patient, doctor, or both?
I have a strange kind of bipolar disorder where there is chronic depression with medication-induced manias. Like a great many people here, I'm just a regular Joe who needed to learn something about mental illness because my doctors weren't able to fix me so easily.
> It definitely helped stabilize the hypomania. I was spending, not sleeping much (4-6 hrs per night) and was incredibly irritable (just ask my husband....)
I agree with Starlight. I think Trileptal is worth considering, especially when mania and impulse control are issues. It is a sister drug to Tegretol, but doesn't carry with it the same risk of producing agranulocytosis, a negative reaction that affects the production of white blood cells.
Neurontin is a drug that some doctors have faith in and others don't. After looking at Neurontin for a few years, the NIMH feels that it is of limited value as a mood stabilizer when used alone, but can be useful when combined with Lamictal. It definitely possesses anxiolytic properties and seems to help with anxiety disorders. Perhaps your doctor has had positive outcomes when using Neurontin in cases such as yours. I guess you need to decide how much confidence you have in his expertise to trust his judgment.
> Has Geodon been used for BP?
Yes, but it has been known to trigger mania. I haven't seen too many success stories with Geodon. All of the atypical neuroleptics have demonstrated antidepressant properties. However, not all of them are of equal value in treating acute mania. Abilify is the first AP I would choose for an antidepressant effect where severe manias are not an issue. It is a clean drug, although it can produce some anxiety and insomnia during the first 2-3 weeks.
What's the deal with Effexor? Did it continue to work despite your problems with Seroquel? Seroquel is kind of funny. It can be less sedating at higher dosages than it is at lower dosages. I know someone who gleans an excellent antidepressant and antimanic (psychotic) effect with Seroquel only once she reaches 700mg. She couldn't stay awake at dosages below 400mg.
You really do have quite a few options. I guess it depends on how you feel about moving in the direction of using APs and how much time you are willing to invest in trying MS emphasized treatments. I don't think I would head in the direction of going back to Celexa, though.
What does your doctor have to say about your reaction to Lamictal?
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:367348
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040719/msgs/368446.html