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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by MichaelJr on June 6, 2006, at 23:35:45
My doctor is pushing mood stabilizers really hard for me. At this time I think Im just gonna switch doctors.
I am doing ok on geodon 120 mg. I agree that i do have some inner irritability, which the mood stabilzers can help for. But me and my therapist dont think I am cycling. My doc believes I am having mania and need a mood stabilizer. Sure maybe I am not the most stable all the time, but I am definitely not bipoler or really having serious mania. I do have some anxiety, but I think its best if I try to work on that naturally. A combination of mediatation and exercise has really helped for me with that in the past.
Anyways my symptoms are not too severe. It would be nice to take care of my irritability, but I am definitely functional. I can more or less live with it.
The side effect profile I am hearing about depakote seems pretty serious. Weight gain, very sedating, etc. Ive that if youre seriously ill it might be worth it. But Im not seriousyly ill, Im more of a functional bordenline case. I dont think I need it.
Any thoughts?
Posted by Caedmon on June 7, 2006, at 12:30:40
In reply to do I really need depakote?, posted by MichaelJr on June 6, 2006, at 23:35:45
Why are you taking Geodon? What symptoms/ diagnosis is it treating?
If you feel your anxiety and irritability is not that bad, maybe you could ask about low doses of Depakote, just to see how it affects you. Who knows, you might like it.
- Chris
Posted by Phillipa on June 7, 2006, at 21:29:36
In reply to Re: do I really need depakote?, posted by Caedmon on June 7, 2006, at 12:30:40
Why the geodon it's an antipsychotic. Love Phillipa
Posted by med_empowered on June 8, 2006, at 0:14:47
In reply to Re: do I really need depakote?, posted by Phillipa on June 7, 2006, at 21:29:36
Geodon @ 120mgs is kind of hefty--for schizophrenia, they usually top out around 160. Add depakote to that and..you have a pretty mind-numbing cocktail. I'd say also check on the Geodon--maybe you could do without it? Some people on APs and mood stabilizers can do OK on just a mood-stabilizer. If you want/need a mood stabilizer, there are less hardcore options (trileptal, lamictal, keppra) available.
Posted by MichaelJr on June 8, 2006, at 0:45:55
In reply to Re: do I really need depakote?, posted by Caedmon on June 7, 2006, at 12:30:40
hey guys
thanks for the input.
My diagnosis is schizo affective, severe depression, and panic disorder.
The this is, I was doing ok on geodon 60mg. The doc said that upping the dose could make a huge difference. He was wrong, the difference was pretty subtle.
Now this new doc wants to throw all these new drugs at me. Im not sure why, its kind of bizarre in that its not like hes just trying to help me. He seems to have some bizarre fetish for giving me a mood stabilizer. Its really odd. I get the feeling that he has all these weird ideas about whats going on in my head and it doesnt seem accurate. He keeps saying mania mania mania. I dont really think I have mania. If I do its not severe. My therapist also agrees with me and she knows my life a lot better than he does.
The plus is that he gave me a very small amount of depakote to start out. Im willing to try a small dose of mood stabilizer but only if that would allow me to decrease my geodon.
I think i need a different doctor anyways. This guy pissed me off already. I had a pretty bad reaction to the lamictal he gave me and hes saying that it wasnt the lamictal that caused my problems. Just a bad doc that doesnt really listen and thinks he has it all figured out. Hes only 33 too so Im gonna move to an older doc i think.
Posted by CEK on June 10, 2006, at 8:02:08
In reply to Re: do I really need depakote?, posted by MichaelJr on June 8, 2006, at 0:45:55
The last time I was hopitalized for wanting to commit suicide, the pdoc there put me on Depakote. I was there in the hospital for a week and remained on 1000mg of Depakote for 2 weeks. I felt I had no emotions whatso ever. Only depression which was still very severe. My regular pdoc stopped the Depakote. He thought it was making my depression worse. I have been diagnosed as bipolar 2 with rapid cycling and mixed episodes with major depression and GAD, but the depression is the worse out of all of it. My doctor put me on Lamictal. I'm 3 days into 5 weeks on it and so far, the depression is not any better.
This is the end of the thread.
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