Posted by med_empowered on January 9, 2007, at 5:28:59
In reply to Re: Bipolar II - it really sucks » Jimmyboy, posted by blueberry1 on January 9, 2007, at 4:44:10
phillipa--trileptal kind of helped my anxiety (more of a general relaxation thing; it didn't reduce panic attacks or greatly improve my social phobia), but it didn't really show up until 600mgs/day, and it was pronounced @ 1200mgs/day. Those dosages made me stupid, though, which is why I don't take Trileptal any more.
Jimmy--I think maybe you should try something other than the traditional "mood stabilizer" route. Its worth noting that most "mood stabilizers" are good anti-manics (most sedatives are), but they don't do so well for depression (lamictal maybe, but apparently the study design made its results seem alot more impressive). You could try an atypical neuroleptic, but if your symptoms don't include psychosis or mania, that strikes me as overkill. I read a study where some Bipolar and schizoaffective patients did quite well with Wellbutrin, combined with benzos and/or low-dose neuroleptics. Some people w/ bipolar disorders find straterra and edronax to be helpful for their depressions.
Also, psychotherapy can be very helpful.
poster:med_empowered
thread:720616
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070107/msgs/720694.html