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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sheilat on April 10, 2010, at 11:45:41
My daughter has Bipolar and has been on medication since she was 11. She is now 17. I am concerned about the method that my daughters doctor is recommending for switching from Seroquel 600mg to Tripletal. The doctor wants her to continute to take the same dose, 600mg of Seroquel, while she adds on a schedule--300mg of Trepletal for 2 weeks, then another 300mg for 2 weeks. Essentially she will be taking 600mg of Seroquel and 600mg of Trepletal concurrently. This concerns me a great deal. My daughter is 17 and weighs about 200 pounds. The doctor says she wants to do it this way to prevent instability; however, my daughter has been "messing" with her Seroquel dosage over the last 3 months anyway--sometimes taking none, a half pill, or one. I cannot see an advantage to making the switch this way. Why not titrate down from Seroqeul while adding tripletal? What is your advice?
Posted by Phillipa on April 10, 2010, at 12:51:38
In reply to Medication swithch for daughter, posted by sheilat on April 10, 2010, at 11:45:41
Just wanted to say I feel for your Daughter to be a teen so vulnerable and have a weight problem. Probably why she is messing with the seroquel . Any way to eliminate that and just trileptal. Might allow her to lose weight. Of course I know nothing of your Daughter other that your discription. Wishing her the best. Phillipa
Posted by sheilat on April 10, 2010, at 13:16:25
In reply to Re: Medication swithch for daughter » sheilat, posted by Phillipa on April 10, 2010, at 12:51:38
Thank you, Phillipa. I appreciate your sympathy for her. She does feel bad about her weight. The Seroquel seems to make her feel tired and have low energy.
Posted by bleauberry on April 10, 2010, at 13:40:25
In reply to Medication swithch for daughter, posted by sheilat on April 10, 2010, at 11:45:41
The first thing I would do is question the reasoning for the switch. Is it really needed? Maybe, maybe not, I don't know, I just think it is a valid question.
Second, I agree with your gut instinct to do slow cross tapering. In very small steps.
The weight is an issue, regardless of the cause. Genetic, medication, whatever. From this point on, the rest of her life, she needs to eat for health and not for pleasure. It is a totally different mindset that takes about 3 months to get accustomed. Once there, the taste buds actually change and prefer the new foods over the old ones. The right foods will, in the long run, also provide a noticeable boost to the efficacy of any other treatments.
Foods I am talking about: Heavy emphasis on raw or very slightly cooked veggies; fruits, primarily ones with the least sugars which is berries...buy them frozen and they are affordable...blueberries in particular have multiple significant health benefits, mix em with raspberries; very low sugar intake; low caffeine intake; absolutely no artificial sweeteners except Stevia which is healthy; free range eggs and meats that are not grown with antibiotics or hormones; organic as much as possible with the veggies...we don't want to be accumulating the traces of chemical pesticides and herbicides in bipolar; generous amounts of purified water; avoid wheat, pretend she is gluten intolerant, she might be, that in itself can cause bipolar-like appearance; limit dairy; enjoy dark chocolate; enjoy seeds and nuts; take fish oil caps if after a trial she doesn't have any adverse reactions to them; if you can't pronounce a word on an ingredient label, or if that ingredient isn't a food, or you don't know what it is, don't buy it.
And keep in mind, second opinions in the medical profession are not uncommon. You can always consult with another doctor for their take on the situation. Someone else might have some really good ideas to either confirm or debate the current path.
Bipolar, along with any other descriptive name of any cluster of symptoms displayed psychologically, in my opinion requires a comprehensive permanent approach in treatment. It isn't just a pill, or this or that. It's everything all put together.
Just my thoughts on that.
Posted by Deneb on April 17, 2010, at 23:34:16
In reply to Medication swithch for daughter, posted by sheilat on April 10, 2010, at 11:45:41
Hello sheilat
Welcome to Psycho-Babble. I hope your daughter does well with the med changes. They can be rough. Losing weight is also extremely difficult in the long term. I wish her luck.
Deneb
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