Posted by Maximus on September 5, 2004, at 12:48:01
In reply to Lamictal vs. Lithium?, posted by becksA on September 5, 2004, at 11:32:40
Which one to choose? It's not easy. Why?
Well, Lithium is a very good anti manic med. However if taken alone, it has poor antidepressive properties.
On the other hand, Lamictal is a very good antidepressant in the treatment of bipolar depression. However it is a poor anti manic drug.
You see, it depends a lot of the symptoms you need/want to treat. Are you more often depressed than manic/hypomanic or vice versa? But neither of them possess anxiolytic properties.
The usual treatment is to take them both together or take one of them and add something else. Find the right combo is often a quest.
Ex:
1- Lithium + Lamictal.
2- Lithium + antidepressant.
3- Lamictal + a small dose of an atypical antipsychotic.
4- Antidepressant + an AAP.
5- The list goes on...Moreover i will add two things. Lithium *may* cause anxiety, but it is rare (although it seems to speed up my mind). Neurontin is not a mood stabilizer although it has very good anxiolytic properties.
Hoping this helps!
poster:Maximus
thread:386669
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040904/msgs/386700.html