I was on a lot of depakote and lithium when I was on it so I don't know how it does as a mood stabilizer. But I've not been on a mood stabilizer for well over a year now (I'm on 2 but at such low doses they help with anxiety and not much else) and Seroquel worked fine for a year. And we went with a 2nd AP instead of even discussing stabilizers (I've been through most to all of them) and that seems to be working. If I could have taken lamictal I probably would still be on it. But I had the rash and that was that because I had it badly. They discussed trying it again while I was IP a few years ago and my pdoc called my IP doc to tell him no. But it seems like the 2 APs are hopefully going to work and I'm down to a just higher than normal dose of Seroquel from a really high dose so hopefully I'll get to a normal dose of it and off the weak stabilizers which will leave me on 4 psych meds plus cogentin.

I remember geodon making me really sleepy but it was really odd sleep that wasn't very restful. Lots of dreams and awakenings. But my sleep is either screwed up or heavily medicated so apparently at that time I wasn't medicated enough to sleep well.

If I ever am forced to go off benzos I will be in big trouble. Asking about that is on my list for my pdoc next time. I take 2 mg of klonopin and 5 mg of valium every day. The valium is for the side effects of the typical AP but we tried switching me to valium only and it just made things worse. I don't fall asleep easily on valium and then I sleep all day. I did go off them once temporarily after a suicide intent landed me IP and since klonopin was the drug I was most considering that was taken away. But it was restarted within 2 months because I just need it and hydroxyzine wasn't enough alone. However a trip to IP will take me off one of them because the IP dr hates benzos and so he'll take away my klonopin. I have to stay out of IP until we figure this out (or my pdoc will have to ask him to not change it).

I hate calling too. I have email for my pdoc but getting it is hit or miss so if it is important I have to call and tell her secretary I need her to read the email I sent. Last month I think I called weekly between med changes and an appointment issue and I hated it. She says it is fine though. I miss when she got emails regularly. That was so much easier.