Posted by loosmrbls on March 26, 2001, at 14:25:17
In reply to Anyone w/ ideas for BP II Rapid Cycling / PMDD??, posted by Cateb on March 25, 2001, at 6:41:43
You didn't mention trying lithium, which is surprising since it is not only one of the "big two" for Bipolar Disorder, but is often used with great success for both unipolar and bipolar depression.
I'm not sure what you are currently taking, but if you are on an antidepressant(s) without a mood stabilizer, this can make the mood instability/cycling worse and they are to be used with caution in bipolar patients. Being on the max dose of two of them without a mood stabilizer could be making you feel a lot worse!
I would suggest trying lithium. It has a great track record for both bipolar disorder and depression, and works differently than the other "mood stabilizers" (anticonvulsants like depakote) out there. Using the slow-release formulations also is great at minimizing some annoying side effects.
I have been on numerous antidepressants and thought I would never see an improvement until trying lithium.
Hope this helps. Good luck to you.
poster:loosmrbls
thread:57469
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010319/msgs/57593.html