Posted by Mike634 on August 1, 2004, at 19:40:18
I have found that sometimes just reading what someone else had taken is helpfull so I thought I would post my meds.
First episode was 6 1/2 years ago at end of college -very depressed with some mixed. Bounced around on depakote, effexor, clonopin for a few months. Then it seemed that lithium (1200) and depakote (3000) calmed me down. exercised like crazy for a couple months to get me out of the depression. Was a bit hypomanic then but was off meds for year and a half.
Then fell into awfull awfull depression for 16 months. Tried paxil, then lithium (messed up thyroid at 1500), risperdol (made me an absolute zombie), clonopin, stelezine. No progress. Then tried depakote (only needed 2000 this time to get therapeutic level) which seemed to help. Then took myself off everything else except dep. and added effexor -37.5, 75, 150 and finally 300. Miracle! In a month completely recovered, perhaps too much -- made me a little hypomanic, and took myself off meds. No withdrawel from effexor
Off meds for another year until falling into moderate depression two years ago. Got depakote on board with zyprexa and made many trials with effexor and wellbutrin. This time however, they just caused me to get atypical, painfull mania. Added lamictol after a year which has helped with mixed states. Tried effexor again- was OK at 37.5 and 75 but made me go manic at 150. Tried adding Geodon and trileptal. That made my mind completely useless. Got off the trileptal and had horrible withdrawel from the geodon. Didnt sleep for three days, muscle rigidity, just awfull.
Actually tried adderal about 9 months ago because of some ADD but kept me up at night. Stopped depakote because my doctor wanted to try a different mood stabilizer. (then just taking zyprexa 5.0 and lamictol 100) Tried Keppra but somehow made me feel awfull mania pain. Then tried zonegran as the mood stabilizer. Added strattera for ADD but seemed to make me more depressed so stopped it. Then tried effexor again. This time it made me more depressed! NO joke, very strange, I was convinced however, that things were interecting with the zonegran. Something about that med I didnt like- was convinced my IQ had dropped since I started it, and was just crying all the time. Now I am on lithium 900 lamictol 150 zyprexa 5. Stable, but STILL quite depressed. Its a strange depression, I am not like emotionally depressed, but I cant concentrate, cant read well, not smart, cant multi-task, anhedonia, and just not interested in much- its like having profesional depresssion or something. Convinced that an antidepressent has to be added to end this.
My doctor is excellent and has his own web-site on bipolar- good info is anyone is interested:http://home.comcast.net/~pmbrig/BP_pharm.html
well, hope that little story is informative to anyone---
poster:Mike634
thread:372961
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040730/msgs/372961.html