Tell us what crazy coctails you are on

[Überpolarbear]

I'm sort of trying to figure out how coctails for bipolar look like.

until now i found out that most of the time there is:

1. at least 2 mood stabilizers (lithium + Anticonvulsant, excluding antipsychotics zyprexa, seroquel etc.)

2. at least one atypical antipsychotic (zyprexa, seroquel, sometimes Risperdal)

3. one Antidepressant (Wellburtin, less often SSRI)

4. Klonopin and shit like that.

My coctail looks like this (but doesnt work really that well)

675 mg lithium, 300 mg clozapine, 50 mg lamictal (lamictal being tappered off)

have a nice time replying

cheerz

Polar bear

[Silver]

I don't think that is the "most of the time" medication list.

I'd actually argue that lithium plus an AED plus an AAP plus an AD plus a BZ is generally excessive for maintenance. This doesn't mean that someone's specific drug list here is inappropriate, by the way, just that piling 5 drugs on for maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder is not the usual route.

There's more than one type of bipolar disorder. There's no "one size fits all" algorithm. That's why the many published algorithms branch off as much as they do.

[Velvet Elvis]

Note that a lot of the people who end up here are not typical of the bipolar population at large. People who get good results with the first treatment they try are a lot less likely to hit the google looking for info. People who have been through a half dozen or more med trials and not had any luck with them are the ones most likely to be looking around on the net for any info they can find that might help them.

[Kablume]

I have been through quite a few cocktails but the one I'm on now will be at the bottom of this post.

[San]

I've been on everything and had ECT treatments.

The cocktail I'm on right now isn't bad.. its in my signature.

[Anelize]

I went through several cocktails before settling on this one (in my sig) about 5 years ago, give or take. The doses have changed over the years, and my last try to get off seroquel was last year, which failed miserably. I'll stick with what works. Good luck finding what works for you.

[isis]

mine are in my sig too.

[withing]

I don't know if I've ever been on a "cocktail". The most psych meds I've been on at one time was three, and those included Topamax, Seroquel, and Welbutrin. I was (am) on pretty low doses of them too. I'm still on the Topamax and Seroquel. That mixture works for me. They at least keep me from going full-blown manic and deep-dark depressed.

[isis]

I don't know if I've ever been on a "cocktail". The most psych meds I've been on at one time was three, and those included Topamax, Seroquel, and Welbutrin. I was (am) on pretty low doses of them too. I'm still on the Topamax and Seroquel. That mixture works for me. They at least keep me from going full-blown manic and deep-dark depressed.

thats a good thing!

[LunaRufina]

Mine's in my signature. I've split it up into two times a day, though I was taking it in groups of three times aday. I was also until recently taking risperdal and I'm still taking lorazepam more than I want to be.

*sigh* oh well. I see a new doctor in days and stuff will probably be switched around.

[Thomas]

Mine is in my sig too. After trying six or so cocktails over six years, we seem to have finally hit one that works. I have been pretty stable for the last several months on my current one.

Tommy

[themadhatter]

100 mg of Lamictal twice a day, 15 mg of abilify 90 mg of cymbalta, klonopin when needed. I used to be on more crap but the hospital pulled me off of three meds.

[rowen]

Mine are on my sig. Only taking three at low doses at the moment, which isn't too bad.

[mj1127]

Mine are in my sig too. I've been on less, but I've had a really hard time getting stable, so it's currently a lot.

The Vyvanse is for ADD, the Neurontin and Lexapro for anxiety (BP related, I think, not GAD, but nobody is certain about that), and I'm hoping I can get rid of the Lexapro now that I'm on Neurontin.

[BPBear]

My current cocktail is

1000 mg Depakote

200 mg Zoloft

30 mg Abilify

160 mg Geodon

30 mg Buspar

3 mg Lunesta

I realize its a lot of meds but the combination is working well at keeping me stable. It's been several months since I have cycled. The Buspar was just added on recently because I am feeling very anxious at work.

[netsavy006]

I'm currently on 3 medications

I take Cogentin 1mg + Lexapro 10mg + Fish Oils 1200mg in the AM.

Then at 7pm I take Abilify 15mg, Cogentin 1mg, and Lexapro 10mg.

[plspush]

I take 3 medications as well.

In the morning I take lithium ER 300mg, Invega 9mg, and Lexapro 5mg.

then in the afternoon sometime I take Lithium ER 300mg.

then I take the lithium at night one more time.

[sdjeff]

Well, mine are in my sig. For some reason when I read it I get nervous. Oh well

[Spanophile]

Mine is in my signature. I feel strange being on 2 APs and only being BPII. They really seem to work well together for me though. I just hope I don't get TD from them!

[papertrees]

3mg invega, 15 mg abilify and 100 mg topamax for schizoaffetcive disorder and borderline personality disorder.