maybe a differet line up? I couldn't handle depakote or risperidone, so now I'm prescribed abilify and lamictal. works nicely, and...here's the big thing...i can actually tolerate these drugs.

also...in Bipolar I, one doesn't necessarily -have- to take a tranquilizer, at least...not every.single.day. The old school treatment protocols usually focused on mood drugs, with low dose tranquilizers used for mania and sometimes depression. having said that...

some people need a tranquilizer, no matter the diagnosis. some people actually do better on carefully selected, carefully dosed older tranquilizers versus the newer ones. perphenazine and loxapine are both older ones that are often easier to tolerate than the other older drugs, and they're cheaper than the new ones, too.

sorry this is happening. not all shrinks actually listen. ive had some power trip on me, and its kind of scary, actually. hope things get better for you.