Posted by SLS on May 19, 2012, at 6:45:46
In reply to Scott- what to add?, posted by Sheilac on May 19, 2012, at 6:17:15
> I guess I understand that Trileptal and Lithium are keeping me stable and the depression just needs to be addressed.
Remember, though, that it often takes 600 mg of Trileptal in order to get the most out of it. Depakote made me feel more depressed. Trileptal was neutral, and probably the cleanest anticonvulsant mood-stabilizer I have tried.
> Is Abilify the right med to do that?
Maybe yes and maybe no. You never really know for sure. You just have to try it. It is a lifesaver for some people with depression.
> I took it last night and I feel groggy this morning, like I need some Adderall.I don't think you could come to any conclusions after the first dose. That "drugged" feeling could be a startup side effect that completely disappears within the first week. For you, I think that feeling groggy is better than experiencing hyperarousal or anxiety. Some people cannot tolerate Abilify because of these effects. Perhaps this initial grogginess is an indicator that Abilify will have anti-manic effects. Because you are bipolar, you might need 10 mg of Abilify to glean an antidpressant effect. I would keep this in mind if dosages of 5 mg and less don't work, AND you are tolerating the drug well.
What was it about Lamictal that you could not tolerate?
> Maybe I should have just tried to go down to 18mg of Wellbutin and work up from there?
Your reaction to Wellbutrin was so intense at a relatively low dosage, that I doubt you would feel well on it at any dosage.
> I'm not used to feeling this drugged.
Well, lets hope that this is only a startup effect.
Parnate is a drug worth considering for your type of depression. Even Emsam might help.
So, you can speak to your doctor about:
1. Returning to Wellbutrin at an extremely low dosage.
2. Increasing the Trileptal to 600 mg.
3. The grogginess that might eventually disappear.
4. Using higher dosages of Abilify if necessary.
5. Trying an MAOI like Parnate or Emsam.I really would like to know about your experience with Lamictal. What happened with it that caused you to abort your trial?
- ScottSome see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:1018227
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120508/msgs/1018228.html