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Re: Gabapentin for Bipolar2

Posted by linkadge on June 28, 2016, at 19:09:18

In reply to Re: Gabapentin for Bipolar2, posted by KarenRB53 on June 28, 2016, at 18:36:50

For many people, SSRIs act more as emotional anesthetics than antidepressants. It depends on how long you've been off. Its not uncommon for people to feel "better" (mood wise) when they come off antidepressants only to have it slowly dissolve into a host of other symptoms.

Now it could be that you are bipolar, but I just wanted to make the point that coming off AD's can throw the brain chemistry for a ride which can resemble many other illnesses. Not everyone coming off the drugs immediately lapses back into depression.

>Could the agitation, anxiety and being emotional >actually be indications that I need mood >stabilizers?

Possibly, but not necessarily. Again, if you stopped SSRI's recently (within say 2-4 months), then you may need more time to really tell. SSRI withdrawal can often involve the symptoms you describe: anxiety, agitation, heightened emotional responses. SSRIs often dampen emotional range, and so coming off them can do the opposite.

You could retest by going back on a small amount of SSRI. If it improves things, it might be a sign that your brain is still adjusting to not being on an SSRI.

You can certainly try mood stabilizers (with your doctors supervision, of course), but I recommend going slow and recognizing that there could be different forces at work.

Bipolar II can be difficult to diagnose and doesn't always work the way regular bipolar works.

For instance...here is a study suggesting that long term prozac was actually effective in controlling both depression and mania in BP II.

http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/prozac-bipolar-II-relapse-prevention-071012

Being sensitive to meds myself, I have found that I need to go much slower (going on and coming off) that I need to move in very small doses and that I need to listen to how meds are affecting me.

Linkadge


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