View Single Post
Anonymous46341
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Lightbulb Feb 09, 2019 at 04:15 PM
 
I actually had this prepared from a document I created a while back. I just updated it. Maybe I forgot one medication or didn't know about one.

Before my official bipolar disorder diagnosis (ages 14 to 32):
  • Buspar (Anxiolytic. First psychotropic med ever when 14 years old, for anxiety. Prescribed by GP. No follow-up. Didn’t help much then and when I tried it years later after bipolar 1 dx. Short-term.)
  • Prozac (Antidepressant. Prescribed by university psychiatrist when in likely mixed manic episode in college at age 21, stopped after 2 weeks max and likely became elated hypomanic/manic. No follow-up.)
  • ???Mystery meds (likely antidepressant) prescribed by a hospital psychiatrist in Taiwan when I was about 24 years old (clearly made me manic making me quit my job – losing money – and then travel around Asia by myself). No follow-up.
  • Paxil (Antidepressant. Prescribed by GP when I was maybe 25/26 years old. Took max 2 weeks then “switch”. No follow-up.)
  • Effexor (Antidepressant. At maybe 26/27? Prescribed by same GP who prescribed Paxil. Took max a few weeks then “switch”. I then returned to same GP yet again maybe 5 years later. This GP referred me to a psychiatrist.)
  • Lexapro (Antidepressant. Prescribed by psychiatrist at about 31/32 years old. Took for about three months while attending that psychiatrist’s group therapy. Became hypomanic. Was diagnosed with bipolar disorder for first time. The psychiatrist wanted me to stop the Lexapro and start a moodstabilizer, but I rejected the diagnosis, quit all medications, and stopped seeing him on the spot. I was 33 at the time.)
After official bipolar disorder diagnosis at 33:
  • Lithium ER (Moodstabilizer. Prescribed during first hospitalization for mania with mixed features at age 34. Took for several months to over a year??? Developed hypothyroidism Was taken off. Was put back on Lithium ER about 4 years later. Remained on it for about 4 or 5 years. I developed mild kidney damage and was weaned off. Lithium was not particularly effective and gave me 10 different side effects, not happening all at once. It was weight neutral.)
  • Seroquel (Antipsychotic. Prescribed in low dose, initially, along with Lithium during first hospitalization. Dose increased. Went off for some reason. Was put back on a couple other times during a 4-year period. Doses ranged from 50 mg to about 800 mg. It was helpful, but I complained of some weight gain and sedation, at times.)
  • Neurontin (Moodstabilizer. Prescribed sometime around age 36? Was only one it for about a week until I was hospitalized for maybe the 3rd or 4th time.)
  • Risperidone (Antipsychotic. Great med but I developed elevated prolactin level and gained some weight. I was maybe 36/37 years old at the time. I forget why I was taken off.)
  • Haldol (Antipsychotic. Only for a short period when I was severely manic – in the hospital. Emergency injections.)
  • Zypreza (Antipsychotic. Helped my mania quite well, but made me gain lots of weight in a short time, plus gave me akathisia, so it was stopped. Was told to consider it a possible “emergency” medication, in the future.)
  • Cymbalta (Antidepressant. Made me manic despite being on mood stabilizer and antipsychotic. I forget which ones.)
  • Pristiq (Antidepressant. It made me manic despite being on a moodstabilizer and antipsychotic.)
  • Trileptal (Moodstabilizer. Didn’t prevent mania for that long.)
  • Vistaril/Hydroxyzine (Antihistamine. Anxiety. Made me very sleepy.)
  • Lamictal (Moodstabilizer. Seemed good, but too activating at high doses. Made me feel slightly cognitively impaired. I eventually went back on a few years later, and have since been on a low dose for about 8 years. Acts like an antidepressant, for me.)
  • Abilify (Antipsychotic. On for a very short time. Developed akathisia. Did not prevent a full-blown manic episode in conjunction with 300 mg Lamictal.)
  • Depakote (Moodstabilizer. Worked well at controlling my mixed mania but not my depression. Gained about 30 lbs on this drug and it increased my triglycerides and cholesterol – unless Invega, which I took with it, did that.)
  • Invega (Antipsychotic. Worked well but increased my prolactin level. Note: During the time I took this medication I developed a pituitary microadenoma. It grew to 8 mm. After going off of this med for 1 year a new MRI showed the tumor had disappeared.)
  • Klonopin (Benzo for anxiety. Made me severely tired. My dose was eventually lowered and lowered. I’ve been on this medication since – 8 or 9 years.)
  • Wellbutrin SR (Antidepressant. Did nothing to help my severe depression.)

    Series of ECT treatments.
  • Geodon (Antipsychotic. Had briefly tried a few years earlier and went off. Put back on it along with Lithium after going off the above three medications. Stayed on Geodon for over 7 years up until a couple years ago. It gave me akathisia after 5 years, but no other side effects. It was never able to ward off my manias sufficiently, so Navane, see below, was added.)
  • Wellbutrin XL (Antidepressant. Made me briefly ultra ultra rapid cycle, which is odd for me. Lamictal was again added, which extinguished a long depression, but then I became hypomanic.)
  • Tegretol XR (Moodstabilizer. Put on for more mania control and relief of musical hallucinations. Initially it gave me intermittent blurry/double vision. Now I have virtually no side effects. I’ve been on this medication for about 8 years. It’s my primary moodstabilizer.)
  • Navane/Thiothixene (Antipsychotic. First time only on it for a couple of weeks before I went into the hospital mixed manic. Second time, after going off Wellbutrin XL, it was more helpful, but then eventually caused a dystonia, so I was weaned off.)
  • Trilafon/Perphanazine (Antipsychotic. Excellent medication for my moods. I felt great! The only side effect complaint was quick weight gain.)
  • Seroquel XR (Antipsychotic. Very helpful. I started at slightly lower doses of 150 mg, but my dose went up. At times I struggled with sedation, but it would ease. When I was taken off Geodon, my Seroquel XR dose went up to as high as 650 mg. I’ve learned to ease sedation. I really like this medication. It’s not weight friendly, but not as weight unfriendly as other antipsychotics. I’ve been on this medication for about 8 years. Two years as my primary antipsychotic.)
  • Ativan (Benzo primarily for anxiety, but was also given in emergency injections in isolation rooms. I was put on it as an “as needed” med about 7 years ago. I abused it very briefly. I still take it “as needed” but don’t abuse it. I've also used this for akathisia relief.)
My current medication list is in my signature.

Other medications sort of related to psych issues/side effects:
  • Librium (a benzo that assisted with alcohol detox)
  • Naltrexone (for alcohol cravings early one after 1st of 10 hospitaliztions)
  • Campral (for alcohol cravings after Naltrexone failed)
  • Synthroid/Levothyroxine (for hypothyroidism)
  • Metoprolol (Beta Blocker. Primarily for tachycardia, but curbs anxiety-like issues that may be involved.)
  • Inderal/Propranolol (Beta Blocker. Primarily for tachycardia, but I think it curbs that by it’s antianxiety-like abilities. I have taken this for about 10 years.)
  • Provigil (Worked beautifully at controlling my fatigue, but then I went manic. I abused this med for a short time. I had been put on it a couple times before it became Xd off the list.)
  • Cogentin/Benztropine (Took for akathisia relief on two different occasions. Couldn’t take the constipation side effect.)

Last edited by Anonymous46341; Feb 09, 2019 at 04:58 PM..
  Reply With QuoteReply With Quote