Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 836352

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Think I'm becoming manic again

Posted by Horned One on June 25, 2008, at 7:11:29

Last night was bad. I had so much energy I didn't want to get into bed, like a force was pushing up through my feet. Still, I took my zopiclone and forced myself to lie down. Turned off the lights and as the silence and the darkeness crept in, I began hallucinating. I could hear somone breaking into the house, footsteps on the stairs, voices whispering, shapes shifting in the shadows, sinister presences. The moment I dozed off I was woken by a flash of light, a strange blue-white orb floating above my bed. That I woke this morning to find Britain is in the midst of an alien invasion (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1336870.ece) was of no comfort, but at least the fact that I woke means that I must have eventually slept.

My social worker is on holiday, so I have no-one to contact, but at least I have no lingering psychotic symptoms during the day. Some possible points of interest:

* Just started spltting my 100mg dose of lamotrigine to 50mg morning and night. Perhaps the night-time dose is disrupting my sleep?

* Took a dose of codeine before retiring, so maybe the extra dopamine combined with the lack of distraction brought on mild quasi-psychotic symptoms?

Benzos usually do the trick, so I would ask for some lorazepam to see me through, but until my social worker gets back next week I'm on my own. Hopefully this was just a one off and won't happen again tonight.

-Horny

 

Re: Think I'm becoming manic again » Horned One

Posted by Phillipa on June 25, 2008, at 10:56:39

In reply to Think I'm becoming manic again, posted by Horned One on June 25, 2008, at 7:11:29

Oh dear do you cycle have you taken anything else? There has to be someone to call to stop any manic episode. It wasn't a dream was it. You said it started as soon as in bed. Maybe go to the hospital? Isn't there someone to call? Please take care. Love Phillipa

 

Re: Think I'm becoming manic again

Posted by blueboy on June 25, 2008, at 13:59:40

In reply to Think I'm becoming manic again, posted by Horned One on June 25, 2008, at 7:11:29

Good lord, how awful. My sympathies. I have the same sort of problem but quite a bit milder. Like you, the only thing that has every helped me is a benzo (Clonazepam).

Your post is unfortunate for me, sigh, since I'm just starting out on Lamictal. I'm going to see the doc tomorrow. We're going to have to discuss treatment options for my hypomania.

Hang in there. It must be very difficult indeed to cope with borderline mixed-state mania. I don't usually get close to psychosis at all and it's bad enough.

I am so fearful of being put on one of those nasty bipolar medications, eg. depakote or lithium.

 

Re: Think I'm becoming manic again » Phillipa

Posted by Horned One on June 26, 2008, at 16:10:41

In reply to Re: Think I'm becoming manic again » Horned One, posted by Phillipa on June 25, 2008, at 10:56:39

I stopped amisulpride over a week ago, I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but I'd be dismayed if it did. I took 50mg today and it hasn't made any difference, I'm still on the borderline of psychosis. It's getting dark and the voices are starting again. I feel like they're in my body.

There is somenody on call but I don't want to bother her. I'll wait until my social worker comes back on Monday. I think I can deal with it myself this time. I have some Zyprexa and I'd take that if the worst came to the worst, but not yet. I was at the hospital on Monday to collect my zopiclone, but I won't be going back as a patient ever again if I can help it. My social worker has promised me that she wouldn't let them take me. They need the approval of two social workers to get a section, and unless she says the word they can't do it. They were talking about sending people on holiday as a rest cure rather than to hospital because the enorced hospitalization is more traumatic than the illness itself.

-Horny

 

Re: Think I'm becoming manic again » blueboy

Posted by Horned One on June 26, 2008, at 16:45:57

In reply to Re: Think I'm becoming manic again, posted by blueboy on June 25, 2008, at 13:59:40

Last night I skipped a 50mg dose of Lamictal just in case it was that that was upsetting my sleep, but it didn't make much difference. The hallucinations were milder, but they still kept me from getting to sleep for a while. My mind seems to become hyperactive on a night. I wanted to take more zopiclone, but resisted in case I run out early and they say I've been abusing it. I don't think that would really be abuse though. They were giving me lorazepam with zopiclone in hospital, and I think the restful sleep I got on that was what helped me get better. I think I need some lorazepam or a bit of Valium. I took clonazepam for almost five years, and I think that's really the main reason why I never had a serious manic episode during that time.

I was put on lithium in hospital. We started out at 400mg, then titrated up to 600mg after two weeks. It didn't suit me though, gave me rage attacks and urges to self-harm. It also gave me strange perceuptial distortions, like mild or quasi-hallucinations. I stopped taking it the day I was released from hospital. I've requested valproate in preference to an antipsychtoic in my advance directive. I took it once and I didn't like the flatness it made me feel. I think it would be better than APs though - I think once you go down that route it's very difficult to get out of it. Pdocs start to think of you as 'thought disordered' (as in the Schizophrenic sense), but with mood stabilizers it's more like "Oh, so you have a mood disorder then? How are you feeling today?", whereas with APs it's like "I see you're taking Zyprexa. This drug is being used to treat your thought disorder. How have your thoughts been over the last week?". I found that really annoying and quite upsetting because nobody ever asked me how I felt (and I was feeling pretty bad), it was always "So how have your thoughts been then?".

It is difficult to cope with what I'm experienceing right now. Last night I tried a mediation exercise, just allowing the thoughts, the voices, the weird noises, to just pass through my consciousness, not reacting, neither becomming attached or averse to any of the thoughs or hallucinations as they arose in my mind. After a few minutes of lying in the dark doing this, breathing slowly and calmly, the worst seemed to pass. I think this is a skill that all people who have experienced psychosis should be taught. It might lessen their dependence on antipsychotic medication.

You can try a similar thing during crises with your mood. Good luck with the appointment. Lamictal is a good drug, the only mood stabilizer that has worked for me, but it isn't a great anti-manic drug and that's what I like about it - you can still be somewhat hypomanic yet stable. Hypomania can be a very productive (and enjoyable) state of mind.

Thanks for your response.

-Horny

 

Re: Think I'm becoming manic again » blueboy

Posted by Marty on June 27, 2008, at 9:31:31

In reply to Re: Think I'm becoming manic again, posted by blueboy on June 25, 2008, at 13:59:40


Horned,

Has this state you describe started AFTER or BEFORE you runned out of Tianeptine ?

Tianeptine could cause your brain to produce more serotonin receptors while you're on it and I think stopping it abruptly could result in some kind of serotonin pathways overstimulation which would mean, in part, psychotic-like feelings and possibly hallucinations. When you close your eyes in the dark, do you see somethings ? some colorful particles/shapes moving etc ?

/\/\arty

 

Re: Think I'm becoming manic again » Marty

Posted by Horned One on June 27, 2008, at 11:57:11

In reply to Re: Think I'm becoming manic again » blueboy, posted by Marty on June 27, 2008, at 9:31:31

It was a few days after I ran out. My order came yesterday and last night I didn't have any problems, although I took an extra zopiclone just to be sure I slept.

-Horny


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