Posted by Sabina on February 1, 2004, at 23:59:54
In reply to Re: meds options *shadow » Sabina, posted by CareBear04 on February 1, 2004, at 16:46:47
i didn't like to mention before as i didn't want to seem like i was pushing a particular drug over another. i don't know how often this class of drug is actually being prescribed to people and with what range of symptoms, but seroquel was the atypical antipsychotic that helped me with what i had previously referred to as being "nervous," but what i now know as bipolar II. it doesn't really matter what i call it, of course, because my grandmother spent her entire life in much the same condition without a label of any kind.
i would call it a miracle drug for me, yes, because it gave me a peace of mind that i never imagined possible. whatever the chemical action of this drug, it was exactly what i needed to feel right for the first time ever. even as a small child i would wake up from sleep so worried as to make my parents call various people we knew (it was probably only 9pm, really) to make sure that they were alright. i could never relax and was always too frightened to enjoy life.
i'm not saying that i'm absolutely "torment free" now and that there were no side effects (at first). i still have mood fluctuations due to monthly hormonal changes, but i'm not suicidal like i was before. also, there was definitely a period of side effects to get through. still, i would characterize it as no worse than the "mental static" that gripped me periodically before taking it, so there ya go. then again, at that point i was also turbo detoxing from an ssri (lexapro. my last!), for which i had NO tolerance. in any case, the break-in period didn't last long at all.
i have heard that zyprexa is a preferred atypical antipsychotic 1) if you can afford it and 2) if weight gain isn't an issue. it is "new and improved," has a lower side effect profile, can be taken "as needed" for immediate relief without being sedating, etc. i sound like a commercial, so why am i not on it? 2) weight gain *is* an issue, and zyprexa packs a wollop. maybe in the future, after menoopause, as needed...maybe then i can manage it; but not now. anyway, i'm already well set on a small dose of seroquel, so why disturb it?
good luck to any and all who venture into the atypical world searching for relief. i'm fascinated by the chemical makeup of our brains: how i could have reacted so negatively to ssri's when they have helped so many, etc. i don't know much at all about how any of it works, i'm just glad that it does.
poster:Sabina
thread:307532
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040131/msgs/308369.html