glitterpants Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 So, I'm recently diagnosed BPII, and get manic as all hell on antidepressants on their own. I'm on 150 mg seroquel, which undepresses me enough for me to get out of bed and only think of suicide once or twice a day. But I'm still super depressed. And everything that people do that can be perceived as negative just makes it worse. What do I do? /whine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 AD with an atypical antipsychotic to stabilize your mood. The AAP stops the mania/hypomania you experience with the AD's so you can take the med. Lithium is often used as a last resort AD with success, and it is a true mood stabilizer. ETA: Since you are on a AAP already, you may need to bump up the dose to successfully be on an AD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 To me, it sounds like you need to talk with your pdoc asap about a serious med tweak. Adding a mood stabilizer comes to my mind, but just talking from my own personal experiences here. The Seroquel alone just isn't cutting it for you right now, so I'd vote for saying so to your pdoc and see what he/she can offer you as an alternative to feeling depressed as fuck, and keep checking in here on CB...it's been a lifesaver for myself and many others who have hit bottom... good luck. -Lav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ooh_shiny! Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 doesnt abilify have the ability to control both mania and depression depending on the dosage? thats what my pdoc said. *shrugs* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Überpolarbear Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 seroquel MADE me depressed as fuck. i'm happy it's working somehow for you though. i dont really think seroquel is good for treating derpession. a good idea is to take a REAL mood stabilizer (vaplroic acid, lithium, CARBAMAZEPINE(my lifesaver)...), with some real antidepressants (particularly wellbuttrin which doesnt even make ME manic or mixed (that MEANS something). another thing that comes to my mind is adding lamictal. it's not that good at stabilizing mood or preventing mania but it's pretty god damn antidepressive and is SUPPOSDED to not to cause mania (in my case it did. noone knows. or maybe i was manic and it just faild to cure it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SashaSue Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Since you're getting a partial response from Seroquel already, your logical first step might be to try increasing the dosage. Seroquel can work well for depressive symptoms, usually at a dosage range of, I think, about 200-400. If that doesn't work, you might want to consider lamictal, which has worked well on depression for a lot of CB members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glitterpants Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 Well, I've been bumped up to 200 mg, and I'm seeing the doc in a week and a half. At that point, he might bump me up more, and/or add an anti-depressant at some point. I'm thinking I want to try zoloft because it treats social anxiety, which is the one thing I have that never goes away no matter what I'm on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ooh_shiny! Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Since you're getting a partial response from Seroquel already, your logical first step might be to try increasing the dosage. Seroquel can work well for depressive symptoms, usually at a dosage range of, I think, about 200-400. If that doesn't work, you might want to consider lamictal, which has worked well on depression for a lot of CB members. if you get manic easily, i would be VERY cautious when using lamictal in my own experience. it made me batshit manic on multiple occasions. its amazing for depressions though. Saved my life a few times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glitterpants Posted January 27, 2010 Author Share Posted January 27, 2010 So, I ended up in the hospital last night. I was pretty intent on killing myself, but in my city, the psych ward doesn't take depressives. Only if you're psychotic or overly bothersome. So basically I got to sleep in "observation". The psychiatrist informed me in the morning that if they were to admit me, they wouldn't change my meds or even give me a solid diagnosis (BPII is only my working diagnosis, which leads to my mother never shutting the fuck up about the possible differentials), just keep me there and do nothing until I wasn't suicidal anymore. So the upped my seroquel again, to 300 mg. But somehow, I don't think this med is going to do it on its own. Of course, having a solid diagnosis would be nice, for a start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malachi Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 I started out on just an antidepressant, but that spun me into a terrible period of rapid cycling. Lamictal has really balanced me out while raising me up from the deep depression I was in, without triggering mania. And I know how you feel about wanting a solid diagnosis. My dx has been changed a couple of times, and my therapist and pdoc disagree on my current one. Personally, I just let the treatment speak for itself, and the meds I'm on now are working. Hopefully your clinicians will find something that works for you soon. In the meantime, keep us posted. Best wishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoamihere Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 Zoloft pulled me out of a major depressive episode fast, unfortunately it also sent me straight into mania. Still it's always worth trying any med as they affect us all differently. Who knows it could be your perfect cocktail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glitterpants Posted January 30, 2010 Author Share Posted January 30, 2010 And....life still sucks. Slightly less, but it still sucks. Sigh. Isn't 300 mg of seroquel supposed to be the therapeutic dose for bipolar depression? Oh yes, and I live in a university residence. Apparently some powers that be are thinking of kicking me out because "residence is not a hospital" and that suicidal/self-harm gestures distress other people. But the hospital won't take me. And I have no rent money. Fucking peachy. That's the last time I tell people who work here that I feel like offing myself. (Not right at this moment. It comes and goes.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SashaSue Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 I actually think it's paxil that's supposed to be especially good for social anxiety, but I could be mistaken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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