Posted by SLS on February 11, 2007, at 0:03:15
In reply to Re: Patience..., posted by chiron on February 10, 2007, at 17:01:08
> Thanks for the words of encouragement.
> Do you know if 'stabilizers' can make your destabilization worse in the initiation phase?I have certainly seen people react negatively to specific mood-stabilizers that have been tried on them. However, I can't say that I have seen a general pattern of getting worse before getting better. It's possible, I guess. Gabitril is one drug that comes to mind. Keppra is another, but for different reasons. It seems to have a biphasic response curve. Lower dosages can have an antidepressant effect while higher dosages are needed for a stabilizing or anti-manic effect. However, if you go too high in dosage when depression is the predominant mood state, it can make things worse. So, some people go on to feel better on Keppra later as they reduce the dosage, preparing to discontinue it. With Depakote, things can start out good and end up worse thereafter. However, this can be a miracle drug for some people.
For the most part, I would have to say that if a mood-stabilizer makes you feel worse, it probably is not the right drug for you. As alway, though, there are going to be instances that deviate from the norm, so, I wouldn't want to assert that these generalizations are true in 100% of cases.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:731565
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070207/msgs/731732.html