Posted by Christ_empowered on October 8, 2012, at 12:04:20
Can Provigil have mood-stabilizing properties? I've noticed that, even though I have a moody psychotic "problem" (call it Bipolar I, call it schizoaffective...whatever), low-dose stimulants help my mood. Somehow, my anxiety goes down a notch, I'm a little more productive, a little happier (but not euphoric...I'm not looking to hit the Rx speed real hard), and things are just...better.
Now, I go to a Public Health doc. As far as I know, most (all?) controlled substances are out. Not a big deal. I'm not freaking out to the point that I need a benzo, and I don't think I really have ADHD/ADD. What I have is some kinda moody, sometimes psychotic, sometimes mildly compulsive "thing" that seems to respond well to: reasonably dosed Abilify (15-30), occasional sedatives, and mild stimulation. Basically, its like the 60s all over again: uppers and downers till you hit the sweet spot.
Seriously, though: I'm not looking to perfect my cocktail or anything. I'm only Abilify right now. I just need a little bit of improved focus and concentration and mood elevation w/o having to worry about drug-induced agitation, (hypo)mania, psycosis, etc. In my dream world, I could get 20mgs adderall xr and be done with it. Since this isn't my dream world, I think Provigil (maybe Nuvigil?) might be the best I can do.
Would it help? There's some indication that amphetamines can help level mood, even in Bipolar I (I'm guessing they level it at a higher level), but I can't get an amphetamine unless I get a private practice doc. Do you think this applies to Provigil/Nuvigil as well? Is that even OK to use in Public Mental health?
poster:Christ_empowered
thread:1028032
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20121001/msgs/1028032.html