Posted by fluffy on January 9, 2004, at 16:24:35
In reply to Re: Lithium » fluffy, posted by AMD on January 9, 2004, at 14:24:33
Hi Adam--My replies are with a ***.
>
> ### That is so good to hear! I had been gradually
> ### decreasing the dose until yesterday, when I ### finally quit. Already my mind is a bit
> ### clearer, although I now fear I'll be obsessed
> ### with 'wondering' whether I am in fact
> ### back to my clear-thinking self. I will
> ### consider myself back to normal when these
> ### obsessions dissipate.***Believe me--you'll know when you're back to full thinking capacity. It will just creep in slowly, and you'll find yourself not even thinking about it (like you hypothesize).
> ### They talk about the 'trade-off' -- for me
> ### I'd rather be a bit manic than unable to
> ### experience the highs and lows of life.
>
***I think all of us wished our "normal" was hypomanic--we'd be dynamos--unstopable and genius. But alas--what comes up must come down. At this point, I experience more depression than hypomania. So the trade off for me better damn well mean that I'm less depressed!> ### I think we need a directory of psychiatrists
> ### with mental illnesses themselves, organized
> ### by symptoms and medications used. I'd feel
> ### so much better talking to, and confident
> ### about, a doctor I knew had experienced
> ### the same symptoms I had, and that had taken
> ### the same medicines she's prescribing for
> ### those symptoms.
>
> ### Lithium is the only medicine I've taken that
> ### really made me feel like I wasn't myself.
> ### And I hardly got started on it -- just took it
> ### on-and-off for one or two weeks at a time
> ### for two months.
>
***In theory, I like this idea--but only when I'm frustrated. Scientific objectivity has its place, for sure. Otherwise, all of us head cases would be manipulating the hell out of one another. Sometimes people with the same diagnosis can be more judgemental and biased about treatments and medications. (of course, based on their personal experiences).> > (bipolar II, rapid cycling
> > Currently on 250mg depakote, 25mg Lamictal,
> > 2g omega 3's, Temazepam for sleep)
>
> ### How is this combination working for you? I
> ### admit, I hesitate to take a lot of
> ### (prescription) drugs. I've now taken three
> ### in my lifetime (Celexa, Lithium, Lamictal)
> ### and I hope to be off the Lithium soon,
> ### gradually off the Celexa, and eventually
> ### off of everything.
>
> Adam***I'm really not sure how this combo is doing for me yet. I'm ramping up on Depakote slowly and hopefully again on the Lamictal. It's only been two days on Depakote. So far, I just feel kinda foggy , slow and heavy. It may pass as I get used to it. Lamictal has by far been the most successful for me. I've been searching for the drug to put the final touches on my coctail--I still rapid cycle on Lamictal alone, and have lots of irritability and sleep problems (basically, hypomania). I need a "mania cap". to get me evened out i think. Lithium was not my bag. Trileptal worked great, but it started leaching sodium from my system, which is dangerous. So I had to quit.
I've been at the drawing board for almost a year now trying to get all this worked out. *sigh*
I'll keep y'all updated.best of luck,
katy
poster:fluffy
thread:287670
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040109/msgs/298751.html