Posted by Lazarus on September 15, 2003, at 20:42:04
This is my first post.
In 1987 I was diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder, Rapid Cycling. The rapid cycling has been getting worse. I have been seeing the same psychiatrist for 16 years. In addition, I was recently told that I have a "disturbed identity", which he hasn't elaborated on.
Anyway, the psychiatrist says that lithium is best for BP disorder. It turns my world gray, however, so I don't take it on a steady basis. Thus he has been prescribing antipsychotics. The first was Geodon, which gave me insomnia. Then Risperdal; I developed akathisia on it. Seroquel was next, and I still take 25 mg as a PRN to sleep. The Seroquel doesn't help with mania, though, so I take Zyprexa, 2.5 mg nightly. The Zyprexa helps with sleep problems but I feel that I am getting hooked on it.
My psychiatrist has been pushing me to take Abilify. I take one quarter of one 15mg tablet (3.75 mg) every other day. Sometimes I take 5 mg. Yes, I get agitated on it, but not so badly that I can't take it. I like the way it is activating instead of sedating. I sense that Abilify is one of the stronger antipsychotics on the market. It does an excellent job of masking my discomfort of having to live in this world.
Thank you for listening to my story.
Lazarus
poster:Lazarus
thread:260431
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030912/msgs/260431.html