Posted by brussell on January 2, 2004, at 15:21:36
In reply to DESPERATE: depression, weight gain and BPII meds, posted by JaybeeTee on January 2, 2004, at 10:34:49
Dr. Eugene Landry was sued and lost his license to practice psychology due to his "treatment" of Brian Wilson, which included isolating him from his friends and controlling every aspect of Brian's personal life.
JaybeeTee:I also received a diagnosis of BPII on the basis of my terrible mood swings, and was advised to use mood stabilizers and possibly Depakote. I wouldn't touch Depakote due to the side effects you graphically described, but I did use Lamictal for several weeks. It seemed to have a mild AD effect, but mainly it stabilized me in a moderately depressed state, and it made me stupid.
I quit the Lamictal and tried Parnate, a MAOI antidepressant. It actually seems to be working. I describe the effects as similar to Welbutrin on steriods, but without the anxiety.
BP2 is a very fuzzy diagnosis. If you aren't hypomanic (like me) or if your hypomania is infrequent and does not have negative effects on your functioning I think it can be counterproductive to use BPI treatments.
Have any of the antidepressants you have tried made you manic or hypomanic? If not, I think you should treat your depression more aggressively with antidepressants. Your good reaction to Welbutrin and your more "atypical" depression (weight gain, difficulty in moving) makes me think you would be a good candidate for Parnate. It has one of the best side-effect profiles of any AD, in my opinion. It almost never causes weight gain and it has made me much more alert and motivated. I believe you can use Lamictal with it if you need a mood stabilizer, although you would need to check with your doctor.
Please don't give up; there are definitely more options out there. On a practical note, you might find it helpful to get rid of high-carb snacks. If the food isn't around; it's easier to avoid eating it!
Good luck, and once again, I think you should try a MAOI. They aren't magic, but have worked for many people when nothing else does. Don't give up on therapy, either. You may just need to find someone else. It probably can't cure your depression, but at least you won't be completely alone with these awful feelings.
Hang in there.
poster:brussell
thread:295706
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031231/msgs/295803.html