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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by Zyprexa on September 4, 2011, at 5:15:58
In reply to RACING THOUGHTS, posted by crazyjoe on September 3, 2011, at 23:07:22
zyprexa. Don't remember if depakote worked on racing thoughts, but it did slow me down a lot, so maybe it would.
Posted by clubfitter on September 4, 2011, at 7:19:59
In reply to Re: RACING THOUGHTS, posted by Zyprexa on September 4, 2011, at 5:15:58
geodon
Posted by Solstice on September 4, 2011, at 8:54:49
In reply to RACING THOUGHTS, posted by crazyjoe on September 3, 2011, at 23:07:22
Geodon put a stop to the racing thoughts for my daughter - and didn't cause her to gain any rate. Abilify is a similar medication, but it is very prone to weight gain. People who tend to do well with one, have trouble with side effects if they take the other.
Solstice
Posted by Phillipa on September 4, 2011, at 11:16:06
In reply to Re: RACING THOUGHTS, posted by Solstice on September 4, 2011, at 8:54:49
I didn't know that. Why is that I wonder? Different mechanism of action? Phillipa
Posted by floatingbridge on September 4, 2011, at 11:55:35
In reply to Re: RACING THOUGHTS » Solstice, posted by Phillipa on September 4, 2011, at 11:16:06
I have heard (from my pdoc) and seeing some posters here work with it, that Geodon is good while being very tricky to dose. Anyone have any comment on that?
Posted by Solstice on September 4, 2011, at 14:11:22
In reply to Geodon, posted by floatingbridge on September 4, 2011, at 11:55:35
> I have heard (from my pdoc) and seeing some posters here work with it, that Geodon is good while being very tricky to dose. Anyone have any comment on that?
I'm not sure what characteristics might make it qualify as tricky, but I think most psych meds require a lot of fooling around and adjusting. My daughter started with a starter pack, if I remember correctly. It also took patience to wait for the side effect of extreme sleepiness to wear off. I think she slept through a couple of weeks of school when she first started. She has bipolar. Before treatment, she spent the majority of her time in a hypomanic state. Some of her time was spent in what I would consider a 'normal' state, and then she'd have these crazy irritable rages that were generally short - but were quite alarming. When she was finally diagnosed and treatment began, she went through a significant period of grief over losing the hypomanic state. I'm not kidding. She resented losing it, and she would get angry with both me and her doctor about it. This went on for several months. Then she went through a period of 'wonder' - because for the first time in her life (I think she was 14), her mind had slowed down enough that she began to really be aware of the feelings of others, and of her own feelings as well. It was very startling to her to figure out how to deal with the emotions. It was amazing for me to watch. It was like watching a gift unfold, to see a daughter I loved and believed in arise from the rubble and confusion of hypomanic bipolar. After she stabilized, she could give these hysterical descriptions of how her racing thoughts worked. And it wasn't until after she finished grieving over losing hypomania.. and started to find pleasure in experiencing normal emotions and attachments to others.. that she could really explain what went on inside herself before treatment began.
So I think bipolar in general is 'tricky.' My daughter's most difficult symptoms were concentration, racing thoughts, and impulsivity. It's hard to say whether it's a chicken or egg thing. As for dosing, after she stabilized, we had to deal with how her developmental age contributed. She entered puberty later than most, and her body underwent a ton of changes that no doubt affected the geodon. After a good 8 - 12 months, everything felt like it landed on two feet. She was able to tell her doctor and I when she felt bipolar symptoms.. and she developed a sense of her threshold for when she needed a medication adjustment. Somewhere in the middle, she suggested splitting her dose, and that worked wonderfully. Right now she takes 60mg in the morning, and 60mg at night. She's been on it now for almost three years. Her doctor added Intuniv about seven months ago to see if it would smooth out the shifts in mood that she complained about, and her difficulty with concentrating. The geodon did a great job eliminating the impulsivity. Her racing thoughts have been significantly reduced, allowing her to function much better in school. However, the racing thoughts and inattention continue to periodically rise to the surface.. and that is what has prompted adjustments in the geodon, and eventually adding intuniv. She's in a good spot right now. She takes advanced placement subjects for all but math and Latin. She's an extremely dedicated student, and has been successful socially.
Anyway, I think bipolar itself is tricky.. so it might not be the medication itself, as much as it's the trickiness of what the medication is attempting to treat. Even if you don't have a bipolar diagnosis, if geodon is being started to address mood instability - it might be that treating mood instability is tricky - regardless of what medications or med combos are attempted.
Best wisdom I can offer is to look at it from a 'long haul' perspective. Don't expect it to be easy or quick. Be attentive to your symptoms. There are great mood charts online - find one you like and use it to keep track of everything; your doctor will love you for it. And hang in there. Be sure to give med trials lots of time (unless you experience dangerous side effects) - for example, a med like geodon will make you terribly sleepy - but if you get impatient and don't give your system long enough to bounce back, you might abort the perfect treatment. My daughter was very frustrated with the extent of her initial sleepiness - and it lasted so long that we thought it might never go away. Then it started to improve, little by little. It reappears every time her dose is raised, but now only lasts a few days. We just try to schedule med changes during breaks from school.
Well.. that was more than 2cents worth :-)
Solstice
Posted by floatingbridge on September 4, 2011, at 16:54:18
In reply to Re: Geodon, posted by Solstice on September 4, 2011, at 14:11:22
Hey, thanks. That is a great illustration and observation.
My brother used it for his BP.
Posted by sigismund on September 4, 2011, at 18:00:28
In reply to Geodon, posted by floatingbridge on September 4, 2011, at 11:55:35
I recall someone who said he experienced akathesa and had a horrible time of it.
Posted by floatingbridge on September 4, 2011, at 18:01:46
In reply to Re: Geodon » floatingbridge, posted by sigismund on September 4, 2011, at 18:00:28
You met my brother?
Posted by Phillipa on September 4, 2011, at 20:06:10
In reply to Re: Geodon » sigismund, posted by floatingbridge on September 4, 2011, at 18:01:46
Did that happen to him? Is he stable now? Love Phillipa
Posted by floatingbridge on September 4, 2011, at 21:10:42
In reply to Re: Geodon » floatingbridge, posted by Phillipa on September 4, 2011, at 20:06:10
He refuses medication. We haven't spoken. He tells me to get my few fillings replaced and pray to god. He claims to be able to cure me. Usually our conversations drop off a cliff. Too bad because he could really help me by sharing his real med experiences and trials. That's a closed book now.
Posted by Phillipa on September 4, 2011, at 21:24:04
In reply to Re: Geodon » Phillipa, posted by floatingbridge on September 4, 2011, at 21:10:42
FB he really is not well. I'm sorry :( Phillipa
Posted by Solstice on September 4, 2011, at 21:31:45
In reply to Re: Geodon » Phillipa, posted by floatingbridge on September 4, 2011, at 21:10:42
> He refuses medication. We haven't spoken. He tells me to get my few fillings replaced and pray to god. He claims to be able to cure me. Usually our conversations drop off a cliff. Too bad because he could really help me by sharing his real med experiences and trials. That's a closed book now.
Refusing medication is unfortunately too common when it comes to bipolar patients. They are notorious for taking it in the first place only when their bipolar-driven behavior causes major upheaval, and then once they start feeling better, they decide they no longer need medication. The difficult feature of bipolar is that when they are in the heat of it, they are totally unaware of how destructive their behavior is.. until they end up on the streets, in the hospital, or in jail.
It must be really hard to watch your brother flounder.
Sol
Posted by floatingbridge on September 4, 2011, at 22:20:13
In reply to Re: Geodon » floatingbridge, posted by Solstice on September 4, 2011, at 21:31:45
It is painful, Sol. You are correct.
Posted by sleepygirl2 on September 4, 2011, at 22:48:22
In reply to Re: Geodon » Solstice, posted by floatingbridge on September 4, 2011, at 22:20:13
I'm sorry he doesn't get the help he needs fb. :-(
tragic really
Posted by morgan miller on September 5, 2011, at 8:56:44
In reply to RACING THOUGHTS, posted by crazyjoe on September 3, 2011, at 23:07:22
Depapkote is a great drug, I would try it before an antipsychotic. Just cut out the heavy carb foods for a while, exercise and supplement with l-carnitine(1000 mg/day). This should keep you from gaining much weight, if any at all, on Depakote. Also, make sure you take some l-methylfolate while on Depakote. Depakote can depletes stores of both folate and l-carnitine.
Morgan
Posted by floatingbridge on September 5, 2011, at 9:17:34
In reply to Re: RACING THOUGHTS, posted by morgan miller on September 5, 2011, at 8:56:44
Gosh Morgan, I just came on another enyrty about depakote being more suitable for men. Jim phelps I believe. He says it's great stuff, but hesitates to prescribe for wome,
Yes he says excellent for racing thoughts had enducing sleep at night.
Goog luck CJ.
Posted by morgan miller on September 5, 2011, at 13:35:00
In reply to Re: RACING THOUGHTS » morgan miller, posted by floatingbridge on September 5, 2011, at 9:17:34
Hmmm. yeah maybe it is more likely to cause issues with women, I don't really doubt this. Still, there are many women out there doing just fine on Depakote.
Posted by morgan miller on September 5, 2011, at 14:08:42
In reply to Re: RACING THOUGHTS » morgan miller, posted by floatingbridge on September 5, 2011, at 9:17:34
Who is Jim Phelps?
I did a little research and it does appear Depakote can cause issues for women that men are not susceptible to-some more rare than others. I would guess that for a healthy women, with no endocrine or other health issues, Depakote may be worth trying, especially when running out of options. We have to weigh the benefits and risks with these things. Again, I know for sure that there are women out there doing very well on Depakote.
Is Crazyjoe a woman?
How are you feeling FB?
Morgan
Posted by floatingbridge on September 5, 2011, at 14:44:24
In reply to Re: RACING THOUGHTS, posted by morgan miller on September 5, 2011, at 14:08:42
Jim phelps has a good site about PBiI. Just google his name.
No, I think Joe is a guy.
I'm gonna shut up about depakote and endocrine disruption. Because it is a good med regardless.
Me, I've been better, gloomy and moody, since the damn lamictal rash, but working on accepting a minor setback :-).
How are you doing?
P.S. Jim Phelps speaks highly of depakote for racing thoughts.
Posted by morgan miller on September 5, 2011, at 17:20:24
In reply to Re: RACING THOUGHTS » morgan miller, posted by floatingbridge on September 5, 2011, at 14:44:24
Ha ha, no biggie FB, it's good to know that depakote carries greater risk for certain things in women.
I'm o.k., been more run down lately. Life stuff is a little whacky, but manageable. I will likely run through a course of doxicycline soon here. Gotta rule out Lyme as a complicating factor.
Hopefully you get another shot at Lamictal and avoid any rash this time around.
M-
Posted by crazyjoe on September 5, 2011, at 18:39:08
In reply to Re: RACING THOUGHTS, posted by morgan miller on September 5, 2011, at 17:20:24
thanks i'm a guy --always scared off of depakote because of weight gain /hair loss--never tried it ---tegretol no weight gain on it 3 years works ok at 6oomg. if i go above it blurred vision
Posted by morgan miller on September 5, 2011, at 23:34:13
In reply to Re: RACING THOUGHTS, posted by crazyjoe on September 5, 2011, at 18:39:08
So will Tegretol work now?
You only have to be on a high dose of Depakote for a short while, then you can scale back to a lower dose. I'm pretty sure the weight gaind is somewhat dose dependent. Also, like I said before, you probably do have some control over how much weight you gain on Depakote, if any. What's more important, your mental health or gaining an extra ten pounds or so for a short time.
Morgan
Posted by crazyjoe on September 7, 2011, at 20:56:17
In reply to Re: RACING THOUGHTS » crazyjoe, posted by morgan miller on September 5, 2011, at 23:34:13
starting to think about depakote----it seems it works ok for some people...tegretol is ok just can't get past 600 when i go to 800 blurred vision and i swear i forget to put sentances together
Posted by morgan miller on September 9, 2011, at 18:27:08
In reply to Re: RACING THOUGHTS, posted by crazyjoe on September 7, 2011, at 20:56:17
If depakote works, you can likely drop the tegretol. Just remember, take l-carnitine and l-methylfolate when your on depakote.
This is the end of the thread.
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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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