Posted by morgan miller on July 30, 2011, at 8:51:03
In reply to Re: The difference between cyclothymia and BPll?, posted by floatingbridge on July 29, 2011, at 23:06:25
> O.K. Maybe I used to have BP ll. What the f*ck do I know? I used to be able to write. It was very difficult with never knowing what f*ck*ng mood I would be in and whether my brain would work that afternoon, that week, that month.
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> But it was never 'lite'. I just read that in three places. What the heck is 'bipolar lite'? I suppose not having mania. But there is nothing else lite about this. I feel like whatever *this* is is slowly killing me.
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> It's now like, will my brain work this year? Maybe next? Ever again?
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> Yeah, I'm a little worked up. I am posting to myself now.
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> I see my new pdoc in less than two weeks. Do I just beg for lithium? I am really scared :-/
>
> But on the outside, I am o.k.Hey FB...Lithium might not be a bad place to start. I believe you mentioned having an o.k. response to a moderate dose(600mg?) in the fairly recent past. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Some here have suggested lamictal, which might help. Have you tried it? I can't remember. I'm not a huge fan of lamictal, but it does help a lot of people. I just think lithium is a far cleaner substance, with more potential to actually help a brain recover in the long run.
I don't know much about treating cyclothymia, but it sounds like a real pain in the arsh. For you, it may be that starting very simple in the beginning, like a medium dose of lithium, might be the way to go. If you get even some relief, enough to help you feel a little stronger, it would be worth it I think.
The only reason why I'm not crazy about stims and benzos are the potential long term implications. Both of these classes drugs have more potential for neurotoxicity than other ones like lithium and depakote(again, a middle range dose, nothing heavy).
I would be interested to see how you responded to things like holy basil(new chapter supercritical), 4-600 mg magnesium glycinate, uridine plus fish oil(25 mg triacyteluridine and 800 mg combined EPA/DHA), and ayervedic herbs like bacopa and gotu kola. These things would have a more subtle supportive role of course. After a while, they may also help your brain get back to functioning a bit better(this would also improve after you've been stabilized by a medication or two for a while).
Morgan
poster:morgan miller
thread:992265
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110728/msgs/992317.html