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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by SheilaC on August 8, 2008, at 14:43:50
I have tried Depakote, Abilify and most recently used Seroquel to treat mild BPII. The Depakote made me hyper, the Abilify made me swell up and hungry. I have been taking Seroquel now. I take it at night and it makes me sleep. The next day I feel initially irritable, then hyper?! What's up with this? Also - I feel like the Seroquel takes away my personality.
I thought mood stabilizers were supposed to mellow or even you out? Why would they make me hyper? I find myself taking Xanax during the day to keep from getting hyper.
Anyone had similar experiences? What should I take as a mood stabilizer? I can't take antidepressants - they make me manic.
Also - Lamictil made my mouth and gums break out in blisters (painful).
Posted by B2chica on August 8, 2008, at 14:57:10
In reply to Hypomania w/mood stabilizers?, posted by SheilaC on August 8, 2008, at 14:43:50
as far as i know depakote was the only "mood stabilizer" you mentioned Abilify and seroquel are both antipsychotics.
what about Topomax (secondary mood stabilizer but good for helping against weightgain)
or Trileptal.
and of course the gold standard Lithium.personally i haven't had much luck with moodstabilizers they don't seem to do much for me. or they actually activate small moodswings.
i did have a terribly initial reaction to trileptal but that was just me (and a .05% of population i'm sure)
i'm on topomax now and kinda helps against eating too much, but didn't help too much with moodswings while i was on lexapro. so i'm not too much help there.but remember we ALL react differently to meds.
i guess if i were to suggest on i'd say give topomax a try, see what it can do for you.
***********
are you dealing more with depression or mania?
zyprexa is an AP that you may want to take a look at also.
unfortunately its the only one that works like a charm for me. but it can be a weight gainer. if you try it just remember to drink lots of water and you wont gain as much (at least that's my trick). but it works good on my depression and i don't have mania on it either.
but it will make you tired in the morning, hard to get going. at least it does me.best wishes
b2c.
Posted by Phillipa on August 8, 2008, at 17:01:29
In reply to Hypomania w/mood stabilizers?, posted by SheilaC on August 8, 2008, at 14:43:50
Oh you've already tried lamictal with me it was excess salivation constant spitting in a cup. Listed as rare reaction. Couldn't have been a cold sore? Phillipa
Posted by blueboy on August 9, 2008, at 7:57:54
In reply to Hypomania w/mood stabilizers?, posted by SheilaC on August 8, 2008, at 14:43:50
> I have tried Depakote, Abilify and most recently used Seroquel to treat mild BPII. The Depakote made me hyper, the Abilify made me swell up and hungry. I have been taking Seroquel now. I take it at night and it makes me sleep. The next day I feel initially irritable, then hyper?! What's up with this? Also - I feel like the Seroquel takes away my personality.
>
> I thought mood stabilizers were supposed to mellow or even you out? Why would they make me hyper? I find myself taking Xanax during the day to keep from getting hyper.
>
> Anyone had similar experiences? What should I take as a mood stabilizer? I can't take antidepressants - they make me manic.
>
> Also - Lamictil made my mouth and gums break out in blisters (painful).Mouth/gum blisters are the one thing that should get you off Lamictal IMMEDIATELY. This is how Stevens-Johnson usually starts and it is very serious and untreatable. It can be fatal and if you live, you can get a lot of disfiguring scars especially in the mouth and face region.
So sorry you got them. Lamictal is the only mood stabilizer I've ever taken so I can't help with the rest.
My non-professional opinion would be to try lithium -- and titrate up very slowly. There was a psychologist on the board that reported good results, on occasion, with sub-therapeutic levels of lithium. You'd want to take the lowest dose that helps, due to side effects.
SSRI's were horrible for me, too. You really need to get as stable as possible (i.e. stop the cycling) before you start messing with other things.
Your comment about "mellowing out" could be right or wrong. If you are constantly cycling into hypomania, yeah, you might call successful treatment "mellow". But if you feel hyper all the time, check your diagnosis.
Lamictal is best known for preventing cycling into depression, so you might not have wanted it anyway.
This is the end of the thread.
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