Posted by Chris A. on May 7, 2000, at 23:24:50
In reply to Re: Vagal nerve stimulation, posted by SLS on May 7, 2000, at 9:24:52
Scott,
You're gifted at asking good questions. My memory and cognition aren't too clear, so I won't get them all answered. I am going to save your suggestions for med lists to make up.We've been using mostly right unilateral electrode placements. Bilateral placement seems to really do a job on my memory. It is wierd, but the results seem to be better when one particular doc does the ECT. I sure hope he's on tomorrow. My response to ECT has been about 20% of what would be ideal.
The consultant I see every year or so thought ziprasidone would be promising as a mood stabilizer, having possibly fewer side effects than some of the competition.
Are you taking Parnate now? It switched me to hypomania. Why not try olanzapine in combination with it first rather than sulpiride or amisulpride? I have at least one local friend for whom it has been a miracle drug (olanzapine). I don't remember the specifics of taking Parnate, but know I did more than once and for for fairly lengthy periods. I also have a local friend who does fairly well on a Lithium/Parnate combo. She is very clearly a classical BP I.
Lately my depression has been pretty simple, as described in Jamison and Goodwin. That is not always the case, however. Sometimes I have gotten pretty desperate and gone out in high gear wanting to end it all, driving winding canyon roads far exceeding any safe speed and struggling with indecisiveness about suicide. Once a pDoc dx me with agitated depression - before we knew about the bipolar.
I'm a non-responder to Lithium - we certainly tried. It also complicated the thyroid picture. Lamictal is one mood stabilizer I'm willing to revisit, but I have to be careful with its AD effects.
We've tried all sorts of combos, but I'm sure there more out there. Hopefully I didn't suffer through probability and statistics many years ago for nothing!
Five a.m. comes early, so I'd better turn in.
God Bless,
Chris A.
poster:Chris A.
thread:32546
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000429/msgs/32706.html