Tacea Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 Hi folks, I hope the New Year finds you well. I'm bipolar and I've been struggling with meds for a lifetime. At the moment I'm still on Lamictal 250mg. which I've been on for over a year. Things were tolerable until I started having the anxiety "rushes" from hell. Doc added a low dose of Paxil 2 mo. ago for the anxiety (GAD/panic) and it helped a lot, but added fatigue, zippo sex drive, and brain fog. I was still cycling so he added 75 mg of Trileptal. It helped with the cycling alright - put me out to lunch. Tingling, more fatique, blurred vision so bad I was afraid to drive, add more brain fog...you get the pic. So....this is where I'm asking your help. Is anyone on meds for bipolar that friggin' works w/o throwing us into outer space, or a permanent wrinkly spot under the covers cuz we're too tired to get up? Anything that doesn't make us tip the scales or suck our thumb in lala land? I'm a writer. I need to choke up words on the spot, and have the memory to spell a simple word, put together a simple phrase. I'm going to lose my job with my mind (or what's left of it). HELP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenbean Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 oh, tacea, all i can do is sympathize. if you look at my "ditching the dopamax" thread in the anticonvulsants forum you'll see i've been basically making the same lament for the last few weeks here. i'm tired of feeling stupid, worrying about losing my job, and feeling like crap physically. (and i am on the verge of ditching the dopamax for good. i'm gonna talk to the pdoc about it on monday.) all i can say is, there are cocktails that work...i'm sure other folks will be along shortly to tell you about them...and in the meantime, hang in there, you're not alone! bean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Century Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 I seem to be doing fairly well on lithium (only 450mg), abilify (only 5mg), wellbutrin (300mg). then i take some other meds for other problems.... but this is a new cocktail, i may be in the honeymoon period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borzage Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 A low dose of Seroquel works for me, with occasional Xanax if I start to freak out. Also healthy foods, exercise, no drugs or alcohol, regular sleep and stress management. It takes more than just meds to manage Bipolar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wake me when i'm dead Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 I'm a writer. I need to choke up words on the spot, and have the memory to spell a simple word, put together a simple phrase. I'm going to lose my job with my mind (or what's left of it). HELP! amen tacea. preaching to the choir. whilst looking at something this morning that i wrote a few days ago, i was disgusted by my flagrant abuse of punctuation. my piece was peppered with unnecessary punctuation that made the read through halting and painful. in any case, i don't hear of many with my particular combination. it sounds somewhat contradictory and likely usher me quickly and quietly into mania, but it works for me. lamictal, dexedrine and celexa. i have to admit i've felt pretty good of late, and wonder if this combination is possibly (finally? something i've always feared would happen, but didn't want to try tinkering with a machine that was moving alone quite well without help) slowly but surely jacking me up to a manic state. and then i feel odd for having to scrutinize my recent decent disposition for signs that something's wrong. i wonder what it's like to feel good and not worry about it. i guess it's been a while since i've felt anything like this, so it takes some getting used to. and then again, *BAM* i might slam into the side of the craggy cliff after i trip on my shoelace and have a nasty tumble that rolls me over the edge. digit diarrhea am) 100mg lamotrigine; 20mg dexedrine noonish) 10mg dexedrine pm) 40mg celexa [fluctuates between 20-60 mgs]; clonazepam prn long answer to a short question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tacea Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 Thanks bean, (cute name I'm so sorry you're going thru this too. I feel like I'm losing so much of my life trying to sort all this out and find the right meds. Just when I think I have it, it quits or I get some nutty side-effects that force me to stop taking it. What are you on and what have you tried, if you don't mind my asking? Hugs!!! oh, tacea, all i can do is sympathize. if you look at my "ditching the dopamax" thread in the anticonvulsants forum you'll see i've been basically making the same lament for the last few weeks here. i'm tired of feeling stupid, worrying about losing my job, and feeling like crap physically. (and i am on the verge of ditching the dopamax for good. i'm gonna talk to the pdoc about it on monday.) all i can say is, there are cocktails that work...i'm sure other folks will be along shortly to tell you about them...and in the meantime, hang in there, you're not alone! bean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tacea Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 Thanks for the suggestions and replies, folks. It's just nice to be able to talk with people that are going through the same or similar situations I'm a writer. I need to choke up words on the spot, and have the memory to spell a simple word, put together a simple phrase. I'm going to lose my job with my mind (or what's left of it). HELP! amen tacea. preaching to the choir. whilst looking at something this morning that i wrote a few days ago, i was disgusted by my flagrant abuse of punctuation. my piece was peppered with unnecessary punctuation that made the read through halting and painful. in any case, i don't hear of many with my particular combination. it sounds somewhat contradictory and likely usher me quickly and quietly into mania, but it works for me. lamictal, dexedrine and celexa. i have to admit i've felt pretty good of late, and wonder if this combination is possibly (finally? something i've always feared would happen, but didn't want to try tinkering with a machine that was moving alone quite well without help) slowly but surely jacking me up to a manic state. and then i feel odd for having to scrutinize my recent decent disposition for signs that something's wrong. i wonder what it's like to feel good and not worry about it. i guess it's been a while since i've felt anything like this, so it takes some getting used to. and then again, *BAM* i might slam into the side of the craggy cliff after i trip on my shoelace and have a nasty tumble that rolls me over the edge. digit diarrhea am) 100mg lamotrigine; 20mg dexedrine noonish) 10mg dexedrine pm) 40mg celexa [fluctuates between 20-60 mgs]; clonazepam prn long answer to a short question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenbean Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 What are you on and what have you tried, if you don't mind my asking? hey tacea, don't mind at all. after lots of disastrous tries with ADs alone (prozac, zoloft, effexor, cymbalta etc) i finally got the right dx (hellooo! i'm bipolar!). then i was incredibly fortunate to get great results with lamictal alone, and just occasional ativan prn for sleeplessness when i got too wound up. then i started getting odd skin reactions apparently related to the lamictal (bumps, red spots, rashy-kinda things - not the sjs rash) so i had to taper off, and now i'm trying topamax and lexapro. the SE of the topamax are really making me miserable, though, and i don't think it's doing much of anything so far. the lexapro seems to be elevating my mood somewhat, but also making me speedier than i should be. so i think i'm going to be trying something new very soon. pdoc's been on holiday vacation, and will be in the office again on monday, so i'm hoping to talk with her then. but as you can see from all the other responses...there is hope...it just takes lots of patience. and you're definitely not alone in your frustration. good luck, and keep coming back and letting us know how you're doing. bean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anelize Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 As you can see by my list, I've tried various and sundry drugs to try and get to that "sweet spot". So far, the current cocktail is the best one, and has been for about the last 3 years. I've had one fairly ugly mania, mainly because seroquel isn't fully absorbed by my new digestive system, and I, unfortunately, didn't know that. Oh well, live and learn *wry grin*. Dose upped, mood back on track. So, bottom line: Seroquel 300mg, Lamictal 400mg, Effexor 150mg. Lots of vitamins, a relatively stress-free life, and sleeping on a very rigid schedule. Best to you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel1 Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 I don't know aboaut your coctail, but i have been stable, not stable, changed or tweaked meds, stable , not stable, lather, rinse, repeat. It sucks, but i am stable now and just know you are not alone. it can take years to find the right coctail. Or maybe not. who know? but i'm pulling for ya. mel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tacea Posted January 6, 2008 Author Share Posted January 6, 2008 Thanks to you all. Yes, I know about years of trial and error. Also the fact that the meds that are working will eventually become ineffective and you need to start over again. Lamictal was holding me decently, under I started developing a panic disorder. Now, we're back to square one. It seems that Topamax and Seroquel come up quite I don't know aboaut your coctail, but i have been stable, not stable, changed or tweaked meds, stable , not stable, lather, rinse, repeat. It sucks, but i am stable now and just know you are not alone. it can take years to find the right coctail. Or maybe not. who know? but i'm pulling for ya. mel Thanks to you all. Yes, I know about years of trial and error. Also the fact that the meds that are working will eventually become ineffective and you need to start over again. Lamictal was holding me decently, under I started developing a panic disorder. Now, we're back to square one. It seems that Topamax and Seroquel come up quite a I don't know aboaut your coctail, but i have been stable, not stable, changed or tweaked meds, stable , not stable, lather, rinse, repeat. It sucks, but i am stable now and just know you are not alone. it can take years to find the right coctail. Or maybe not. who know? but i'm pulling for ya. mel Hehe....that last sentence was "quite a bit." Now I'm even posting in doubles. LOL Thanks to you all. Yes, I know about years of trial and error. Also the fact that the meds that are working will eventually become ineffective and you need to start over again. Lamictal was holding me decently, under I started developing a panic disorder. Now, we're back to square one. It seems that Topamax and Seroquel come up quite I don't know aboaut your coctail, but i have been stable, not stable, changed or tweaked meds, stable , not stable, lather, rinse, repeat. It sucks, but i am stable now and just know you are not alone. it can take years to find the right coctail. Or maybe not. who know? but i'm pulling for ya. mel Thanks to you all. Yes, I know about years of trial and error. Also the fact that the meds that are working will eventually become ineffective and you need to start over again. Lamictal was holding me decently, under I started developing a panic disorder. Now, we're back to square one. It seems that Topamax and Seroquel come up quite a I don't know aboaut your coctail, but i have been stable, not stable, changed or tweaked meds, stable , not stable, lather, rinse, repeat. It sucks, but i am stable now and just know you are not alone. it can take years to find the right coctail. Or maybe not. who know? but i'm pulling for ya. mel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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