Posted by Lucia Francisca on December 13, 2005, at 23:26:06
In reply to topamax and loss of creativity?, posted by tarabara on December 13, 2005, at 21:18:36
Hi tarabara! Gosh, I think I have much in common with you! I'm a Ph.D. student also--writing the dissertation right now--and I have bipolar II also.
I've wondered about the creativity stifling issue with meds too. I took Lexapro for 5 years, but only switched to Seroquel, a mood stabilizer, about a month and a half ago. Seroquel has been working well, actually. I haven't had the insomnia, super irritable phases my pdoc says is hypomania. My fingers are crossed.What is Topamax? I haven't heard of it--is it an antidepressant or mood stabilizer? I know when I started on Lexapro, I didn't get those "highs" really anymore, where the ideas just raced through my head, I felt like I was the best in the world, felt highly sexual, etc... I missed those highs in a way, but not being depressed and anxious and insomniac was better. I don't know how Seroquel will affect my moods over the long run yet though.
So, I don't have a clear answer to your question, of course. You might want to check out Kay Jamison's book on creativity and mental illness, Touched with Fire. It's on artists who had mental illnesses, like Virginia Woolf, John Keats, etc. She's a psychiatrist herself who suffers from bipolar disorder and says Lithium has helped her a lot.
Anyways, good luck with everything. It seems there are a few of us Ph.D. students on the board. Let's keep keepin' on. We'll make it! (I should take my own advice and optimistic attitude!:))
All the best, Lucia
> hi. i've been recently diagnosed with bipolar II. i'm still learning about it and i've been prescribed topamax and will get up to 200mg/day at the end of the titration period. i am a phd student and have started to realize that i rely on my hypomanic states to get my work done and that is usually when i have the best fusion of ideas (maybe because they are flying around in my head!!!) is topamax going to take that away from me? i enjoy that aspect.
poster:Lucia Francisca
thread:588797
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20051211/msgs/588868.html