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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by mellow on February 8, 2010, at 13:45:39
Hi, I've dropped in on this board from time to time to read about med withdrawals and such, but i have never participated...anyhow I've had a bipolar diagnosis since 2006...this diagnosis came after a hospitalization that last 8 days in late 2005 for severe depression, a 20 pound weigh loss and substance abuse (mostly alcohol and pot)...the social worker i saw recovering from the hospital stay thought i was closest to a cyclothymic pattern...she worked closely with a doc who started me on Lamictal 50mgs and Trileptal 150mgs in addition to the Lexapro 10mgs and Risperdal 3mgs i was prescribed in the hospital...i can't really remember all the dosage ajustments over the next year as i was very angry about taking meds, often didn't take my meds on days i wanted to drink, and didn't really participate much in medication decisions...
Around 2007 i got sober and haven't touched drugs or alcohol since...i changed docs in mid 2007 when i moved across the country...i think my doc has managed my meds well...I had a lot of environmental stressors (very stressful job, planning a wedding...) in early 2009 and i started therapy in somewhat of a crisis state...my mood was very low...i couldn't sleep more than about 5 hours a night and i began to see my addictive behaviors emerge in the form of fast food addiction...since starting psych meds 4 years ago i am 80 pounds heavier...
My doc prescribed Topamax at 100mgs (titrating from 25mgs-100mgs in a month) in place of the Trileptal 300mgs with the hopes that it would slow my appetite and it did but i felt like a basket case, it screwed with me cognitively...around this time i had about a 3 day high in which i got more done at work than i had in months...my time card was for 62 hours that week and i felt like god...this rarely happens to me and seems to be one of the few times i have had a really euphoric high break through my meds...my doc boosted my Risperdal up from just .5 mgs up to a full 2 mgs and reduced my Celexa to just 10mgs...the low started almost immediately and it was the weekend i got married...the Topamax was making me stutter and have some blackouts when i couldn't remember what i was talking about mid conversation...my doc told me if i couldn't handle it to cut the dose in half to 50mgs...i did this and for 3 days felt like i was going to die...Its kind of a shame as i was really spaced out for my honeymoon in Aspen and it just got worse when we got home the following week as i was just a ball of emotion...i would get out of bed, pace the around and sob...the doc increased my Celexa up to 20 mgs and i responded amazing in less than 48 hours...it was like i was a new person...(i live in fear of these swings every day, they make me feel like i'm crazy!)
My therapist helped me through the withdrawal and also suggested i look for a new job and reduce stress in my life...she helped me work on self esteem issues i have had my entire life and i put out resumes and got an incredible job in August of 2009...since August i have had very few problems with my mood...my Doc has cut my Risperdal in half down to just 1mg...i'm sleeping pretty decent for a shift worker...i know 3rd shift is bad for people with mood disorders but i love my work and unfortunately we operate at night...i've been doing it for years...
I still have some days that are a little weird...sometimes on the weekend i can still sleep 14 hours like it was nothing...and i have headaches which cause me to take advil almost everyday...i'm currently taking 100mgs Lamictal, 20mgs Celexa (Citalipram) 50mgs Topamax, and 1mg Risperdal...i'm trying to get off of the Topamax completely and maybe get to a point where i can just use the Risperdal on days when i am really anxious and just need something to knock me out and start fresh the next day...A Lamictal/Celexa combo with talk therapy every other week is what i am shooting for...i'm really making progress with some of my issues with this therapist...is anyone else doing well on an ssri/Lamictal combo...
sorry for the blog...long first post ; )...i look forward to chatting with you guys...writing this was actually really therapeutic!
Posted by bulldog2 on February 8, 2010, at 15:35:07
In reply to 1st post..., posted by mellow on February 8, 2010, at 13:45:39
> Hi, I've dropped in on this board from time to time to read about med withdrawals and such, but i have never participated...anyhow I've had a bipolar diagnosis since 2006...this diagnosis came after a hospitalization that last 8 days in late 2005 for severe depression, a 20 pound weigh loss and substance abuse (mostly alcohol and pot)...the social worker i saw recovering from the hospital stay thought i was closest to a cyclothymic pattern...she worked closely with a doc who started me on Lamictal 50mgs and Trileptal 150mgs in addition to the Lexapro 10mgs and Risperdal 3mgs i was prescribed in the hospital...i can't really remember all the dosage ajustments over the next year as i was very angry about taking meds, often didn't take my meds on days i wanted to drink, and didn't really participate much in medication decisions...
>
> Around 2007 i got sober and haven't touched drugs or alcohol since...i changed docs in mid 2007 when i moved across the country...i think my doc has managed my meds well...I had a lot of environmental stressors (very stressful job, planning a wedding...) in early 2009 and i started therapy in somewhat of a crisis state...my mood was very low...i couldn't sleep more than about 5 hours a night and i began to see my addictive behaviors emerge in the form of fast food addiction...since starting psych meds 4 years ago i am 80 pounds heavier...
>
> My doc prescribed Topamax at 100mgs (titrating from 25mgs-100mgs in a month) in place of the Trileptal 300mgs with the hopes that it would slow my appetite and it did but i felt like a basket case, it screwed with me cognitively...around this time i had about a 3 day high in which i got more done at work than i had in months...my time card was for 62 hours that week and i felt like god...this rarely happens to me and seems to be one of the few times i have had a really euphoric high break through my meds...my doc boosted my Risperdal up from just .5 mgs up to a full 2 mgs and reduced my Celexa to just 10mgs...the low started almost immediately and it was the weekend i got married...the Topamax was making me stutter and have some blackouts when i couldn't remember what i was talking about mid conversation...my doc told me if i couldn't handle it to cut the dose in half to 50mgs...i did this and for 3 days felt like i was going to die...Its kind of a shame as i was really spaced out for my honeymoon in Aspen and it just got worse when we got home the following week as i was just a ball of emotion...i would get out of bed, pace the around and sob...the doc increased my Celexa up to 20 mgs and i responded amazing in less than 48 hours...it was like i was a new person...(i live in fear of these swings every day, they make me feel like i'm crazy!)
>
> My therapist helped me through the withdrawal and also suggested i look for a new job and reduce stress in my life...she helped me work on self esteem issues i have had my entire life and i put out resumes and got an incredible job in August of 2009...since August i have had very few problems with my mood...my Doc has cut my Risperdal in half down to just 1mg...i'm sleeping pretty decent for a shift worker...i know 3rd shift is bad for people with mood disorders but i love my work and unfortunately we operate at night...i've been doing it for years...
>
> I still have some days that are a little weird...sometimes on the weekend i can still sleep 14 hours like it was nothing...and i have headaches which cause me to take advil almost everyday...i'm currently taking 100mgs Lamictal, 20mgs Celexa (Citalipram) 50mgs Topamax, and 1mg Risperdal...i'm trying to get off of the Topamax completely and maybe get to a point where i can just use the Risperdal on days when i am really anxious and just need something to knock me out and start fresh the next day...A Lamictal/Celexa combo with talk therapy every other week is what i am shooting for...i'm really making progress with some of my issues with this therapist...is anyone else doing well on an ssri/Lamictal combo...
>
> sorry for the blog...long first post ; )...i look forward to chatting with you guys...writing this was actually really therapeutic!Does the addition of lamictal prevent sexual problems that ssris often bring? Good luck with with your new med combo and the changes you made in your life.Sounds like you have good docs and therapists working with you.
Posted by mellow on February 8, 2010, at 16:19:30
In reply to Re: 1st post..., posted by bulldog2 on February 8, 2010, at 15:35:07
it's hard to say...i've been on Lamictal for over three years now at a pretty stable dose so i wouldn't really know if it changed any sexual side effects i was having at the time i started taking it...i had some impotence initially when i started my cocktail which was just Celexa and Risperdal in 2005 but it went away after about 3 or 4 months...i will say that obesity (i'm weighing in at 290 now) probably hasn't helped my sex drive or that of my wife's if you know what i mean...
Posted by Phillipa on February 8, 2010, at 16:52:11
In reply to Re: 1st post... » bulldog2, posted by mellow on February 8, 2010, at 16:19:30
Welcome to babble first thing make very sure you continue on a mood stabalizer and antipsychotic. You don't want to cycle anymore. Glad your're doing well with docs and therapist. Phillipa
Posted by janejane on February 9, 2010, at 6:46:19
In reply to 1st post..., posted by mellow on February 8, 2010, at 13:45:39
Have you considered the possibility that you are getting rebound headaches? Sometimes chronic use of analgesics can actually make things worse. Sorry I don't know much about it or have any links handy, but you should be able to do a search and find info. It just rang a bell for me when I read that you take advil almost every day.
Posted by Phillipa on February 9, 2010, at 20:21:22
In reply to Re: 1st post... » mellow, posted by janejane on February 9, 2010, at 6:46:19
Yes if I take motrin for more than a day and go off headache still present. Phillipa
Posted by mellow on February 10, 2010, at 6:39:59
In reply to Re: 1st post..., posted by Phillipa on February 9, 2010, at 20:21:22
> Yes if I take Motrin for more than a day and go off headache still present. Phillipa
Thanks for the advice! I'm gonna try no Advil today and see how it goes...
As far as the headaches go I'm going to assume they are related to my obesity and general poor health as for now. I way 290 pounds and I know i am insulin resistant. My wife (a registered dietitian) thinks i am most likely what they call pre-diabetic...I've ruled out full blown diabetes b/c i don't meet the requirements for resting blood sugar...
I just started a new diet/lifestyle plan and i want to see how the headaches are say 6-8 weeks from now after eating healthy continuously and doing some exercise...the last thing i want is to get stuck on another med for migraine or get some strange diagnosis when i could just be feeling like crap from years of eating junk food and not taking care of myself.
I just increased my dose of omega 3's up to 3000mgs, started 4mgs Magnesium Citrate at bed for relaxation and I'm taking a wheat grass shake during the day as well for fiber and vitamins...we'll see how it goes...I'll keep you guys posted!
Peace
This is the end of the thread.
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