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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by TrishP on August 12, 2005, at 13:57:52
I am taking 150XL Wellbutrin and only 37.5 Effexor. I took Effexor before at 75mg, which was great for mood, but bad for personal life. Now at the lower dose, I get anxious and feel a little manic sometimes. My moods feel all over the place. My doc wants me to take 300XL Wellbutrin, but it makes me tired and numb, almost more depressed. She also suggested Risperal or Seroquel as mood stabilizers, but I'm afraid of the freaky, permanent mouth twiches.
And I can't sleep (manic and anxious). I am taking .50mg of Klonopin and 50mg of Trazadone to sleep. If I feel a little crazy during the day I'll take half a Klonopin.
I know I probably need somethings to take with the Wellbutrin to help keep me stable. I'm just afraid of the personal side effects.
I've never tried lith or depakote because I'm afraid of getting fat.
What should I do? I see my doc on Monday. The Wellbutrin alone makes me feel to manic.
Posted by med_empowered on August 12, 2005, at 16:45:26
In reply to Feeling anxious and manic..., posted by TrishP on August 12, 2005, at 13:57:52
hey. I understand your fears about side-effects, and I think its important that we all make decisions about what we are and are not willing to accept as potential consequences of any treatment. I had problems with anxious, manic-y feelings in the past (its a lot better now), so I think I kind of understand where you're coming from (although everyone's situation is different). In my experience, benzos (Klonopin, Librium, Ativan, Tranxene in particular) helped calm everything down enough so although I wasn't exactly smiling and jumping for joy, I still felt in control and reasonably comfortable. Klonopin in particular has a reputation for having some mood-stabilizing qualitites, so it might make sense to up your dose a little, or at least RX a little more for you to take as-needed. Trileptal has probably been the best mood-stabilizer for me, although it definitely has its downsides...on the positive side, there aren't any blood tests, its pretty much weight-neutral, and the adverse effects on emotions and cognition are much milder and easier to control through careful dosing than with, say, lithium or depakote. Have you considered a tricyclic? They're not popular for bipolar disorder, since they seem to cause more "switching" than the newer meds, but they help some people...Tofranil is probably one of the best anti-depressants I've ever taken. Surmontil, for instance, is a very little-used tricyclic that appears to have **very mild** antipsychotic-type effects...there's some research into using it for schizophrenia (the doses required are apparently massive) and it has a reputation for causing less "switching" than other Tricyclics...plus, its sedating, so it can be a godsend if you're suffering from insomnia. There's also Remeron to consider. As for mood-stabilizers..if you want to avoid the antipsychotics, Keppra, trileptal, and Lamictal can all be effective and don't require blood testing and seem to have a better side-effect profile than some other options. If you decide to try the antipsychotics, you might want to avoid Risperdal; for whatever reason, it seems to be pretty rough compared to the other atypicals. Good luck!
Posted by tecknohed on August 13, 2005, at 19:32:43
In reply to Feeling anxious and manic..., posted by TrishP on August 12, 2005, at 13:57:52
Hello TrishP.
There are indeed many scarey reports out there about efexor and I understand your worry. Though I could easily find many such reports for 'any' med that I've been on. Each med will have it's followers, and it's critics.
I've been on Efexor about 4 times, taken on it's own, 225mg. Each time I had some relief for up to 4 months, then it would poop out. Each time I stopped the drug without tapering down (NOT RECOMMENDED) and experienced little discomfort, appart from some strange dizzeness. In fact I've never tapered down from any drug apart from Nardil. (makes me wonder whether sometimes tapering off a drug can make the withdrawal worse, not better).
Just wanted you to here from someone who found efexor 'not all that bad'. (:
Posted by tecknohed on August 13, 2005, at 19:36:34
In reply to Re: Feeling anxious and manic... » TrishP, posted by tecknohed on August 13, 2005, at 19:32:43
> Hello TrishP.
>
> There are indeed many scarey reports out there about efexor and I understand your worry. Though I could easily find many such reports for 'any' med that I've been on. Each med will have it's followers, and it's critics.
>
> I've been on Efexor about 4 times, taken on it's own, 225mg. Each time I had some relief for up to 4 months, then it would poop out. Each time I stopped the drug without tapering down (NOT RECOMMENDED) and experienced little discomfort, appart from some strange dizzeness. In fact I've never tapered down from any drug apart from Nardil. (makes me wonder whether sometimes tapering off a drug can make the withdrawal worse, not better).
>
> Just wanted you to here from someone who found efexor 'not all that bad'. (:OOPS! SORRY!
WRONG POST - WRONG PERSON!!!!
This is the end of the thread.
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