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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Krazy Kat on January 29, 2002, at 12:52:41
Heh, there. Back on the board, looking for answers.
I have noticed that if I smoke moderately (3-4 cigs a day or so), I feel better. I have more energy and my mind is clearer.
Do y'all think this is an indication that a stimulant might help me? I've always been afraid to try one for fear it will make me agitated and irritable (SSRI's do this to me).
Thanks!!
- KK
Posted by TSA West on January 29, 2002, at 19:05:43
In reply to Stimulants for Bipolar Disorder?, posted by Krazy Kat on January 29, 2002, at 12:52:41
Greetings from the zany world of Psychiatry,
I wonder if you've tried Wellbutrin which might give you the stimulation and antidepressant/anti-irritability effect you need.
Also, Prozac or BuSpar are anecodotally said to be good for irritability (http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/split/Buspirone-for-anxiety.html) or (http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/split/Fluoxetine-for-irritabilit.html)
Let me know what you think,
TSA West
Posted by anniebananie on January 30, 2002, at 1:18:19
In reply to Stimulants for Bipolar Disorder?, posted by Krazy Kat on January 29, 2002, at 12:52:41
I'm about to start taking a small dose of a stimulant & I'm bipolar, but I'm going to be trying it for ADD (which I am not fully convinced that I have). I've been warned to be on the watch for mania. Curious to see what happens because I too find myself able to think more clearly after some kind of stimulant. The other day a friend and I were talking and when I mentioned that I'd never gotten high from cocaine (which I have not done in at least a decade), just focused, she looked at me as though I were from the moon. What happens to you with coffee and other stimulating stuff?
Annie
> I have noticed that if I smoke moderately (3-4 cigs a day or so), I feel better. I have more energy and my mind is clearer.
>
> Do y'all think this is an indication that a stimulant might help me? I've always been afraid to try one for fear it will make me agitated and irritable (SSRI's do this to me).
>
> Thanks!!
>
> - KK
Posted by Ritch on January 30, 2002, at 9:55:33
In reply to Re: Stimulants for Bipolar Disorder? » Krazy Kat, posted by anniebananie on January 30, 2002, at 1:18:19
> I'm about to start taking a small dose of a stimulant & I'm bipolar, but I'm going to be trying it for ADD (which I am not fully convinced that I have). I've been warned to be on the watch for mania. Curious to see what happens because I too find myself able to think more clearly after some kind of stimulant. The other day a friend and I were talking and when I mentioned that I'd never gotten high from cocaine (which I have not done in at least a decade), just focused, she looked at me as though I were from the moon. What happens to you with coffee and other stimulating stuff?
>
> Annie
>
>
> > I have noticed that if I smoke moderately (3-4 cigs a day or so), I feel better. I have more energy and my mind is clearer.
> >
> > Do y'all think this is an indication that a stimulant might help me? I've always been afraid to try one for fear it will make me agitated and irritable (SSRI's do this to me).
> >
> > Thanks!!
> >
> > - KKHi, I have got mixed ADHD and bipolarII and never got *high* from amphetamines (tried coke once or twice-not very impressed). They can make me really anxious though. When I tried low-dose Adderall I got very *quiet*. People commented on it at work--"you're very quiet, what's up?". Normally, I am more chatty. I would just go ahead and try it like your pdoc wants and see what happens. Just make sure the dose is LOW.
Mitch
Posted by JohnX2 on January 30, 2002, at 18:38:19
In reply to Stimulants for Bipolar Disorder?, posted by Krazy Kat on January 29, 2002, at 12:52:41
I would try Wellbutrin. Its also marketed as
Zyban to help people quit smoking. For a lot
of people it has the effect you mentioned. It
may be used by a bipolar patient as an adjunct
medicine to mood stablizers. This is a very
common anti-depressant used by pdocs for bipolar,
although I don't know the exact historical roots
for this.-John
> Heh, there. Back on the board, looking for answers.
>
> I have noticed that if I smoke moderately (3-4 cigs a day or so), I feel better. I have more energy and my mind is clearer.
>
> Do y'all think this is an indication that a stimulant might help me? I've always been afraid to try one for fear it will make me agitated and irritable (SSRI's do this to me).
>
> Thanks!!
>
> - KK
Posted by anniebananie on January 30, 2002, at 23:20:05
In reply to Re: Stimulants for Bipolar Disorder? » anniebananie, posted by Ritch on January 30, 2002, at 9:55:33
> Hi, I have got mixed ADHD and bipolarII and never got *high* from amphetamines (tried coke once or twice-not very impressed). They can make me really anxious though. When I tried low-dose Adderall I got very *quiet*. People commented on it at work--"you're very quiet, what's up?". Normally, I am more chatty. I would just go ahead and try it like your pdoc wants and see what happens. Just make sure the dose is LOW.
>
> MitchThanks. Glad to hear it wasn't instant mania for you. As soon as my insurance gets all the paperwork processed, I'm going to try 2.5mg adderall which I think is as small as it comes.
Take care,
Annie
Posted by MB on January 31, 2002, at 2:37:02
In reply to Re: Stimulants for Bipolar Disorder? » anniebananie, posted by Ritch on January 30, 2002, at 9:55:33
> Hi, I have got mixed ADHD and bipolarII and never got *high* from amphetamines (tried coke once or twice-not very impressed). They can make me really anxious though. When I tried low-dose Adderall I got very *quiet*. People commented on it at work--"you're very quiet, what's up?". Normally, I am more chatty. I would just go ahead and try it like your pdoc wants and see what happens. Just make sure the dose is LOW.
>
> Mitch
Interesting. Meth (in the old days) never got me "high" unless i took something else with it. cocaine calmed me right down...like it almost zoned me out like a Thorazine zone-out. Lately, I've noticed that too much Adderall makes me *anxious* but not really "high". Well, let me take that back...once, i did get a little euphoric (probably a manic switch) and when the stuff wore off, the dysphoria was worse than anything I've ever felt. Note to self: what comes up (mania) must come down (horrible dysphoric, agitated depression).MB
ps. By the way, I don't think I was always bipolar. Kindling effect? Too many med changes changing my brain?
Posted by Ritch on January 31, 2002, at 9:55:19
In reply to Re: Stimulants for Bipolar Disorder? » Ritch, posted by MB on January 31, 2002, at 2:37:02
>
> > Hi, I have got mixed ADHD and bipolarII and never got *high* from amphetamines (tried coke once or twice-not very impressed). They can make me really anxious though. When I tried low-dose Adderall I got very *quiet*. People commented on it at work--"you're very quiet, what's up?". Normally, I am more chatty. I would just go ahead and try it like your pdoc wants and see what happens. Just make sure the dose is LOW.
> >
> > Mitch
>
>
> Interesting. Meth (in the old days) never got me "high" unless i took something else with it. cocaine calmed me right down...like it almost zoned me out like a Thorazine zone-out. Lately, I've noticed that too much Adderall makes me *anxious* but not really "high". Well, let me take that back...once, i did get a little euphoric (probably a manic switch) and when the stuff wore off, the dysphoria was worse than anything I've ever felt. Note to self: what comes up (mania) must come down (horrible dysphoric, agitated depression).
>
> MB
>
> ps. By the way, I don't think I was always bipolar. Kindling effect? Too many med changes changing my brain?Hi, I can recall depressive episodes all the way back to when I was about seven or eight years old. Interestingly, they also were at certain times of the year (seasonal). I can recall the attentional problems back to six or seven (2nd grade)-got a report card and had A's and B's for the subjects but a "U" (unsatisfactory) for "listening" and "following directions"! My parents were livid about it (that's why I remember). The hypomanias go back only as far as Jr. High school (no pun intended!-).
The kindling thing with BP-I seems to be viable to me. With BP-II I wonder if it would really be *progressive* without medications. However, that slideshow about neuroprotection and lithium/Depakote makes me wonder. The thing I find kind of scary was the slide that seemed to intimate that antidepressants cause nerve cell death (for just bipolars??). I couldn't hear the thing due to bandwidth-just looked at the slides. Do you or anyone know what he said about that particular thing?
Just curious,
Mitch
Posted by MB on January 31, 2002, at 12:14:00
In reply to Re: Stimulants for Bipolar Disorder? » MB, posted by Ritch on January 31, 2002, at 9:55:19
> >
> > > Hi, I have got mixed ADHD and bipolarII and never got *high* from amphetamines (tried coke once or twice-not very impressed). They can make me really anxious though. When I tried low-dose Adderall I got very *quiet*. People commented on it at work--"you're very quiet, what's up?". Normally, I am more chatty. I would just go ahead and try it like your pdoc wants and see what happens. Just make sure the dose is LOW.
> > >
> > > Mitch
> >
> >
> > Interesting. Meth (in the old days) never got me "high" unless i took something else with it. cocaine calmed me right down...like it almost zoned me out like a Thorazine zone-out. Lately, I've noticed that too much Adderall makes me *anxious* but not really "high". Well, let me take that back...once, i did get a little euphoric (probably a manic switch) and when the stuff wore off, the dysphoria was worse than anything I've ever felt. Note to self: what comes up (mania) must come down (horrible dysphoric, agitated depression).
> >
> > MB
> >
> > ps. By the way, I don't think I was always bipolar. Kindling effect? Too many med changes changing my brain?
>
> Hi, I can recall depressive episodes all the way back to when I was about seven or eight years old. Interestingly, they also were at certain times of the year (seasonal). I can recall the attentional problems back to six or seven (2nd grade)-got a report card and had A's and B's for the subjects but a "U" (unsatisfactory) for "listening" and "following directions"! My parents were livid about it (that's why I remember). The hypomanias go back only as far as Jr. High school (no pun intended!-).
>
> The kindling thing with BP-I seems to be viable to me. With BP-II I wonder if it would really be *progressive* without medications. However, that slideshow about neuroprotection and lithium/Depakote makes me wonder. The thing I find kind of scary was the slide that seemed to intimate that antidepressants cause nerve cell death (for just bipolars??). I couldn't hear the thing due to bandwidth-just looked at the slides. Do you or anyone know what he said about that particular thing?
>
> Just curious,
> Mitch
Nerve death just for bipolars? I'd rather not know. I'm already depresed enough about these meds I'm on dropping my IQ by about 20 points.MB
Wait, what did I just say?
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