Posted by fattoush on September 13, 2009, at 19:47:17
In reply to Re: St John's Wort on Bipolar II » fattoush, posted by Ron Hill on September 13, 2009, at 19:30:08
I don't know the comprehensive list of anti-epileptics but here is what I tried. I tried Depakote, which I gave up on because of fatigue, excessive sleepiness, weight gain, and hair loss. I took it a long time ago, more so for my migraines than my depression. I wasn't that depressed back then so I can't comment on its effectiveness on depression. I've also tried Topamax, again for migraine, three separate times. Every time I took Topamax, I went - long story short - crazy. I was jittery, belligerent, teary, suicidal, etc.... The reason I gave it so many tries was its effectiveness as a migraine prophylactic. The latter times I tried it, it was with other meds on board and at lower doses, so I thought I'd have a different reaction. I've tried Lamictal and though I could tell from as soon as 50 mgs that there was some improvement (I felt serene) it was also aggravating my headaches. At just 75 mgs, I felt that my head was stuck in a vice around the clock, seven days a week.
I am quite sure that Lithium has been effective on my depression and I am definitely not BPI. I know that a lot of literature states Lithium as better on mania but many psychiatrists, three I've consulted, believe it is quite effective on depression. I know that there's been support for it doing away with suicidal ideation and that is what happened in my case. I also know that I am better at higher doses, less depressed, but I can't tolerate the higher dose because I get very tired and short of breath.
poster:fattoush
thread:916539
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090912/msgs/916966.html