Posted by Tony P on May 13, 2004, at 19:36:51
In reply to Re: Lamictal out of system: how long? » Tony P, posted by AMD on May 11, 2004, at 15:03:12
Zyprexa is said to have a half life anywhere from 21 to 54 hours, so perstence for a week or more is not impossible.
I'm not a pharmacolgist, but I think the risk of permanent damage after one dose or even a few days of the newer AP's is essentially non-existent. I know it can be frightening, but in reality you're far more likely to be struck by lightning or win the lottery, let alone be run over by a careless driver.
My pdoc says Lamictal has regular anti-anxiety properties as well as its major effects, so I'm not surprised if you experienced withdrawal symptoms cutting it suddenly. I don't know whether it hits the GABA receptors like Valium etc. One rule of thumb is to cut back as slowly as you stepped up.
Remember (my pdoc just reminded me!) that some of the confusion, memory problems and general haziness are also very typical symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.
I'm a rapid cycler too, especially when on AD or getting off meds, and probably BP 2/3. Believe me, you don't want a full-blown manic attack! Apart from being dangerous in a couple of obvious ways, my pdoc says recent evidence indicates that the more manic episodes you have, the worse your prognosis is for for recovery or good control.
Mind you, a bit of hypo-manic euphoria can feel pretty tempting - as long as you don't max out your credit card, or whatever your favourite thing to overdo is! I would rather feel a little too good than a little too bad - who wouldn't! - but they can both be risky for me as I then tend to try to self-medicate.
I am on 300 mg/day Lamictal and no other AD or stabilizer right now, but I have other meds (benzos, Zopiclone and OTC's) to wean off/detox from, so I won't really know how well it's working until I'm off the roller-coaster in a month or three. I feel pretty good most of the time at the moment, but tend to get hyper, scattered and compulsive - it's really early days off one med. for me so I'm trying not to project into the future. However, down the road, if I feel the depression coming back, or anhedonia (i.e. levelled out, but just no fun or joy in life), I may ask my doc about adding an A/D to the Lamictal, as you have done.
Celexa blew my mind the one time I briefly tried it on its own (this is classic BP3, as they are now starting to define it), but my pdoc recommended Effexor if the Lamictal wasn't working or sufficient by itself, and I have wondered myself about Wellbutrin with Lamictal - the dopamine effect of WB is a really good cure for the blues or the blahs for me, but by itself again I get the hypomania, insomnia and anxiety.
Tony
> I'm worried because ever since I took a 2.5 mg of Zyprexa almost two weeks ago, I've felt horrible. I feel like I'm coming out of it, but I'm scared I lobotomized myself with that single pill. Have there ever been any cases of permanent brain damage from a single dose of an atypical AP? I can't concentrate! Until this weekend I had dry mouth, and felt dizzy. I'm still getting dizzy spells, but not as much.
> [rest of thread snipped]
poster:Tony P
thread:345531
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040510/msgs/346573.html