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Default Sep 17, 2020 at 07:14 AM
  #1
My neurologist dislikes my pdoc's current treatment plan. I take 20mg of Geodon daily. It is the lowest dose possible, but my neurologist went on a tangent about how dangerous APs are and that I shouldn't be on one regularly if I'm only intermittently psychotic. He recommended I only take it as needed and not take anything during my stable periods as my current time between episodes is 20 months or so.

He then went on to say that if I felt like I needed to be on a maintenance med that I should try Lamictal. He said that would help to keep any abnormal electrical activity in my brain under wraps and it would stabilize my mood. He also said it is safer for the body than Geodon.

I researched it briefly and saw it is helpful for depression. I have never been depressed. I am worried it might be activating for me and send me into mania. I do not really have mood swing issues regularly and stay euthymic most of the time.

Also, it seems like there are plenty adverse side effects from taking Lamictal. Any ideas as to why he might consider it to be safer for me?

I am very sensitive to meds and I have reservations about trying something new. Any thoughts you all have are most welcome. I speak to my pdoc again next week and I want to be prepared before we discuss all of this.
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Default Sep 17, 2020 at 10:30 AM
  #2
Lamictal is considered quite safe. The only reason I discontinued it was it gave me a flat affect. Far from activating me it rendered me flat. I felt no highs, but no lows either. I guess I could have tried a lower dose but I just quit it altogether.

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Default Sep 17, 2020 at 11:00 AM
  #3
I would like to share my experience with neurologists. I've seen 4 of them over the years. One was a European neurologist with a background in psychiatry. The other three were "only" neurologists, no psychiatric background.

The one was an excellent and caring MD. He was supportive of my diagnosis and respectful of the meds my pdoc had prescribed. I actually saw that neurologist because I was having frequent, disabling migraines. At that time there weren't any outstanding treatments for migraines. Imitrex was just starting to be used, but it had the side effect of causing such sleepiness that if you took it you had no choice but to sleep for several hours.

So that neuro prescribed Depakote. Interestingly, the Depokote did reduce my migraines substantially. I stayed on it for about a year.

The other 3 neurologists were anti-psychiatry. It seemed to me that they saw themselves in competition with pdocs. The first 2 were dismissive of my diagnoses. All they did was send me for EEG's and tell me everything looked okay with my brain. 'Bye, see ya.

Okay. The fourth neuro. My pdoc had ordered a brain scan (MRI). It looked normal, but she referred me to a neurologist anyway. I was so looking forward to the appointment. So there I was, sitting in the exam room and waiting for the neurologist to come in. When he did he looked at my list of medications, looked up at me and I mean this seriously - he raised his voice almost to the point of yelling at me and snapped out, "As long as you are on Klonopin I cannot help you in any way!" A pretty ridiculous thing to say,considering that many neurology patients take Klonopin for seizures.

He left the exam room. I waited a while. He never returned, so I got dressed and left. It was a horrible experience.

The take-away was that the neuro seemed to hold me responsible for my mental illness and for taking meds as prescribed.

Bottom line, my trust in neurologists is not high. I would take what they say with a grain (or two) of salt. I don't think they know what they like to think they know about the complexities of the brain.

Of course, your neuro might be an excellent MD. I just want to share my less-then-helpful experiences with the 3 out of 4 MD's I saw, and that apparently it's well-known that, in general, neuro's have a "thing" against psychiatry.

As fort Lamictal...I find it immensely helpful. I have never had any side effects from it, except what Nammu mentioned - the "flat" affect and feeling that I have no personality. That was remedied by a decrease in dose, which worked really well.

Remember than if even one person with one possible side effect reports it, that side effect has to be listed as a possible side effect of the given medication.

I've known many people on Lamictal, both with BD1 and BD2. I've never heard anyone complain of anything bad about Lamictal besides the slow titration up that the med requires.

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Default Sep 17, 2020 at 02:19 PM
  #4
Lamictal caused hypomania for me but it works well for a lot of people. A lot of doctors recommend it because it has fewer side effects and is more helpful in the depressive mood states unlike other mood stabilizers that are primarily anti manic. The flip side of that is true too - Lamictal is not approved for acute mania so many have to take another mood stabilizer alongside Lamictal to truly stabilize moods. I could never be on Lamictal solo because it was too activating.
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Default Sep 17, 2020 at 08:22 PM
  #5
Quote:
Originally Posted by BethRags View Post
I would like to share my experience with neurologists. I've seen 4 of them over the years. One was a European neurologist with a background in psychiatry. The other three were "only" neurologists, no psychiatric background.

The one was an excellent and caring MD. He was supportive of my diagnosis and respectful of the meds my pdoc had prescribed. I actually saw that neurologist because I was having frequent, disabling migraines. At that time there weren't any outstanding treatments for migraines. Imitrex was just starting to be used, but it had the side effect of causing such sleepiness that if you took it you had no choice but to sleep for several hours.

So that neuro prescribed Depakote. Interestingly, the Depokote did reduce my migraines substantially. I stayed on it for about a year.

The other 3 neurologists were anti-psychiatry. It seemed to me that they saw themselves in competition with pdocs. The first 2 were dismissive of my diagnoses. All they did was send me for EEG's and tell me everything looked okay with my brain. 'Bye, see ya.

Okay. The fourth neuro. My pdoc had ordered a brain scan (MRI). It looked normal, but she referred me to a neurologist anyway. I was so looking forward to the appointment. So there I was, sitting in the exam room and waiting for the neurologist to come in. When he did he looked at my list of medications, looked up at me and I mean this seriously - he raised his voice almost to the point of yelling at me and snapped out, "As long as you are on Klonopin I cannot help you in any way!" A pretty ridiculous thing to say,considering that many neurology patients take Klonopin for seizures.

He left the exam room. I waited a while. He never returned, so I got dressed and left. It was a horrible experience.

The take-away was that the neuro seemed to hold me responsible for my mental illness and for taking meds as prescribed.

Bottom line, my trust in neurologists is not high. I would take what they say with a grain (or two) of salt. I don't think they know what they like to think they know about the complexities of the brain.

Of course, your neuro might be an excellent MD. I just want to share my less-then-helpful experiences with the 3 out of 4 MD's I saw, and that apparently it's well-known that, in general, neuro's have a "thing" against psychiatry.

As fort Lamictal...I find it immensely helpful. I have never had any side effects from it, except what Nammu mentioned - the "flat" affect and feeling that I have no personality. That was remedied by a decrease in dose, which worked really well.

Remember than if even one person with one possible side effect reports it, that side effect has to be listed as a possible side effect of the given medication.

I've known many people on Lamictal, both with BD1 and BD2. I've never heard anyone complain of anything bad about Lamictal besides the slow titration up that the med requires.
Well, Beth, I am shocked, SHOCKED, that there was Klonopin in Casablanca. Because I am a superior being, I shall never speak to you again!!!

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Default Sep 17, 2020 at 09:09 PM
  #6
For now, we are positing that most of my psychosis has its roots in often unrecognized mania-mixed stuff. Current thinking is that that percolating mania spins up my psychosis occasionally. So, addressing the mania is critical as well as, of course, going after the psychosis proper.

So, in you, this notion that stabilizing your 'mood' could prevent your psychosis is quite clever, far as I am concerned. Do you have some degree of as yet clinically unappreciated and stealthy mood dysregulation? Sneaky mixed stuff-anxiety? Perhaps you should apply that big brain and its exquisite organizational acumen to attack that. If I was required to venture a guess, I might go with, 'possibly. Probably.' It is an endlessly crafty and subterraneanly sneaky illness.so difficult to identify when it is operating...

The problem with lamictal is that it is a depression med and you do not seem to have psychotic depression. So, it would not be my choice for you.

I cannot speak to Geodon as have not been on it. But been on many APs.

If you go this route, my choice for you would be Abilify or Rexulti. In my opinion, they are the most thoughtfully designed atypicals and have minimal SE usually. You cannot afford SE w your insane life responsibilities. Abilify is not a szr med, but those all have waaaay more SE. There is reason they call it Depressakote...

Just if I were in your shoes, I wld start Abilify. My goal wld be to eliminate the psychosis, as it is scary, painful, injures our brains, and can be lethal due to impaired judgment. I was on the highest dose for 12 yrs before I had a single adverse event.

Fern, I think you have some serious thinking to do. Go back to childhood. Review relationships. Review school and job performance. I know you are a star. But that is not a bipolar vaccine.it is a legit risk factor. Van Gogh. Einstein, probably. Could go on all week.

Sketch it out. Review your psychotic episodes. Every single detail about the weeks leading up to them. What were the stressors and their severity? Family issues. The endocrine situation, as in, do these episodes both occur at the same time in your cycle? Sleep. All supplements, meds, caffeine, alcohol, recreational meds-drugs. What were the dates and days? Same time of month? Were pets ill. Are you a current events junky. Compulsive or obsessive or ruminative issues. Thoughts occasionally that you, yourself, find odd or a tad off or frightening or confusing. I went through a period where every time I was on a 2nd or 3rd floor with a patio, the thought of pushing someone off would not leave me alone. Negative symptoms. Motivation. Fatigue. Anhedonia or limited joy capacity. Memory, data processing, language, hearing, or vision issues.

Do you like tense or dark or heavy books and films. Exercise. How much puter time and what specific type prior to episodes. Triggering of known trauma. Is it possible you have unappreciated additional trauma. Diet soda is a massive NMDA antagonist--drink it?

Travel prior to episodes. What was the nature of your day and evening exposure to light and what kind of light. Light can cause psychosis all by itself. Stressful or charged dreams. Fear in your life, real or imagined. What about shame and guilt.

That is a start. This is what I look at on my life.

Hus and love!!!!!

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Default Sep 17, 2020 at 09:55 PM
  #7
I was on lamictal for 4 years for depression. It worked quite well for me for the time I was on it. No ups, some downs but things were stable enough to go through some big life changes without a problem.

I had a hard time with it in the beginning as I was titrating up to my target dose. I experienced rapid cycling. My mood would flip every couple of hours. This lasted until I got to my target dose and then things were ok.

Also while titrating up I got several rashes. They all ended up being benign but you have to watch for them.

I stopped it because it was damaging my liver. I found out about it after a year of significant, unexplained weight loss and unexplained pain in my stomach.

If you do start it, I suggest that you get your liver function tested once a year, it's a blood test. Lamictal has known side effects on the liver.

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Default Sep 18, 2020 at 08:06 AM
  #8
Thanks to everyone for the info. It confirms what I know about all of these drugs. It is essentially a crapshoot as to whether or not it would be beneficial to me. As my pdoc once said, the best we can do is guess. They all seem to have side effects that can be detrimental given the right variables.

Bpcyclist, you crack me up. Get out of my brain! Of course I've leveraged my analytical and critical thinking skills to determine what's going on. I've also sought outside feedback. Here's what we have thus far.

My mood is fairly stable. I experience emotion regularly the vast majority of the time. I have agitation alongside my cycle and there are up and down times that coincide with life events, but the intensity is what one would expect of a normie.

I have obsessive traits. I have a deep need to know and I attack anything that comes along where I feel I am lacking in knowledge. I do this to my detriment and it was a factor in both of my episodes.

I stay away from the news pretty much altogether nowadays as I know it was a major component of my first episode. I haven't followed any of it since 2018. I have found this to be a freeing and wise move.

It appears that taxing my mind on project work is a major trigger for me. This happened in both episodes. I was working on something complex and my mind obsessed over it. I couldn't put it down when it was time to let go I began externalizing the work and it took on a wildly exaggerated existence.

I was diving way to deep in spiritual waters before each episode. The specifics were different each time, so I didn't see this angle properly the second time around. I am still working to find what fits, but for now I think keeping things as simple as possible is a good route for me. Daily gratitude and connecting with the Earth is a good zone to be in for now.

I cannot remember my fitness or diet routine before my first episode other than to say I was pretty healthy. I stopped working out about a month or so before the second episode and stopped paying attention to my food choices. I believe this is most definitely something to keep an eye on in the future. I track it closely now.

I have trauma in my past. Childhood and adult related. The childhood trauma was repressed and it surfaced days before I lost my mind the first time. It shattered me. I know it was a huge factor in how the doors to my illness unlocked. It wasn't at play the second time around. The psychosis had a similar feel, but the undertones were different.

Each episode coincided with a hormonal shift in my cycle. I 100% believe it is related. The same was true for my mother. I find it to be more than a coincidence.

No substance issues, but I did move from one cup of coffee to two right before I got sick the second time. I will not make that mistake again and if I desire more in the future I know it could be a sign of bad things to come.

Emotionally speaking there were triggers each time. The abuse was a big part of the first and I was also contemplating quitting my job. The second included some issues with my son that were disstressing. The thing about it is that the instability was already at play and then the emotional triggers occurred. They were not the root, just the straw that broke the camel's back. I need to go back further to see where it starts and the starting point lies within periods of emotional stability. The imbalance point seems to be a combo of mental stress due to obsession and physical issues.

Speaking of physical issues... I had multi-day headaches before each episode. I do not have headaches regularly and these were strange. It felt like a pressure in my brain at the brain stem and pain at my temples. I also had nausea that reminded me of morning sickness. My ability to eat properly was hindered. Then, the insomnia came. I am a great sleeper, so this was way out of the norm. My body was restless and I tossed and turned constantly.

I was not euphoric either time, but my mind raced. The first time progressed to where I could not sit still. I screamed a lot. I was like a puppet. I did not think, my body just acted instantly. I blacked out for a lot of it. The second time I was very calm, but my thoughts were psychotic. I did not black out for it. Essentially, I caught it and medicated it before it went off the rails.

In between episodes random delusional psychotic thoughts will pop up when triggered by something external. I squash them instantly as I know they are not real. They are like echoes and I see them as electrochemical responses that are triggered because my brain wired them deeply when I was ill and perhaps subconsciously at well times.

Treatment has been relatively easy. A tiny dose of Geodon seems to be a magic bullet for putting out the fire. That is consistent with people who have SLPE or schizophrenia like psychosis of epilepsy. However, my brain scans show no lesions or tumors thankfully.

I am currently tracking myself holistically looking for imbalance on any one front. I have thoughts about what brings these episodes on, but not enough data to prove it.

To sum it up... I'm on it. Analysis is my jam, except obsessive analysis is my downfall. It is a fine line, but I'm looking for answers and adjusting my strategy with eyes wide open. I'm also leaning on others to see through their eyes. Thanks for lending me yours. It is helpful.
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Default Sep 18, 2020 at 08:42 AM
  #9
Fern I feel like in many ways we share the same illness profile. I had one episode lasting one treated with APs....after discontinuing APs at my docs advice...9 months later a little blip. I had also changed doctors at this point. Doctor two basically said, since you’ve got psychosis you need an AP regardless of whether you try lamictal or not. So I opted not. While I have bipolar I don’t get major cycles outside of psychosis....the abilify seems to stabilize both my moods and psychosis. Abilify comes in low doses suitable only for depression etc, I’m somewhere between there and the dose for psychosis(10-30) at 7.5 mg but I’ve been as low as 2.5 mg effectively. What I like about Abilify is it’s a partial agonist at dopamine so it’s not got some of the traditional side effects of APs that come form that. I’ve basically been on the stuff for around ten years now, one word of advice though is if you’re not on fish oil get on it because it will help keep your cognition healthy whil eon AP. I went through some cognitive problems a few years back and now I’m back to baseline for the most part.

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Default Sep 18, 2020 at 08:58 AM
  #10
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Originally Posted by Sometimes psychotic View Post
Fern I feel like in many ways we share the same illness profile. I had one episode lasting one treated with APs....after discontinuing APs at my docs advice...9 months later a little blip. I had also changed doctors at this point. Doctor two basically said, since you’ve got psychosis you need an AP regardless of whether you try lamictal or not. So I opted not. While I have bipolar I don’t get major cycles outside of psychosis....the abilify seems to stabilize both my moods and psychosis. Abilify comes in low doses suitable only for depression etc, I’m somewhere between there and the dose for psychosis(10-30) at 7.5 mg but I’ve been as low as 2.5 mg effectively. What I like about Abilify is it’s a partial agonist at dopamine so it’s not got some of the traditional side effects of APs that come form that. I’ve basically been on the stuff for around ten years now, one word of advice though is if you’re not on fish oil get on it because it will help keep your cognition healthy whil eon AP. I went through some cognitive problems a few years back and now I’m back to baseline for the most part.
Thanks for this. Yeah, I have sensed in the past that we share very similar attributes.

Thanks for the info on Abilify. I'll check into it now that I have two people I trust who think it may be a good fit.

I do take fish oil daily. I started shortly after my first episode. I have memory issues, but I feel pretty ok otherwise.
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Default Sep 18, 2020 at 11:59 AM
  #11
Taxing my mind on any work project and overanalyizing - both leading to being spun out and often trigger an episode....
I sure relate to that! It seems to me that those tendencies are a hallmark of BD.

I recently redecorated my apartment. I had several pieces of furniture to assemble. I'm pretty sure that neurotypicals would spread the assembly work over a period of time...maybe 5 or 6 days, or even longer. I started out with a determination to assemble as much as I could, as fast as I could.

I put on some music and went to work. By the fifth hour I was...crazy. I was drenched in sweat from working so hard, I was so wound up I could have been my own one-woman assembly line. The faster I worked, the faster I worked.

The following morning I was convinced that Nazis were holding my therapist hostage in her home. That was a whole scenario. I was destabilized. Having suicidal thoughts (not plans, but the thoughts were an intrusion, as though a switch had been turned on). My therapist gave me homework to find a positive statement. I found 8 and they all seemed to jumble together. There was one in particular that had so much meaning I felt it could save everyone and every thing. I was surprised when my therapist didn't seem as astounded by it as I was. I had records (music) playing in my mind to the point at which I felt like crying.

I ended up asking my pdoc to increase my Lamictal dose. She did, and I'm feeling much more centered and stable.

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Default Sep 18, 2020 at 12:44 PM
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Originally Posted by BethRags View Post
Taxing my mind on any work project and overanalyizing - both leading to being spun out and often trigger an episode....
I sure relate to that! It seems to me that those tendencies are a hallmark of BD.

I recently redecorated my apartment. I had several pieces of furniture to assemble. I'm pretty sure that neurotypicals would spread the assembly work over a period of time...maybe 5 or 6 days, or even longer. I started out with a determination to assemble as much as I could, as fast as I could.

I put on some music and went to work. By the fifth hour I was...crazy. I was drenched in sweat from working so hard, I was so wound up I could have been my own one-woman assembly line. The faster I worked, the faster I worked.

The following morning I was convinced that Nazis were holding my therapist hostage in her home. That was a whole scenario. I was destabilized. Having suicidal thoughts (not plans, but the thoughts were an intrusion, as though a switch had been turned on). My therapist gave me homework to find a positive statement. I found 8 and they all seemed to jumble together. There was one in particular that had so much meaning I felt it could save everyone and every thing. I was surprised when my therapist didn't seem as astounded by it as I was. I had records (music) playing in my mind to the point at which I felt like crying.

I ended up asking my pdoc to increase my Lamictal dose. She did, and I'm feeling much more centered and stable.
Wow, yeah I feel you. That came on quickly and sounds very intense.

My projects are thinking ones, but its possible I could end up in a similar boat with a physical project.

My brain goes to the savior complex theory of everything type thinking as well. I feel it is due to our temporal lobes misfiring. I think that also explains the music factor. I too have a radio in my head that plays non-stop to the point of madness when I'm unwell.

I am so glad the dose adjustment worked for you Beth.
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Default Sep 18, 2020 at 02:01 PM
  #13
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Originally Posted by fern46 View Post
Thanks to everyone for the info. It confirms what I know about all of these drugs. It is essentially a crapshoot as to whether or not it would be beneficial to me. As my pdoc once said, the best we can do is guess. They all seem to have side effects that can be detrimental given the right variables.

Bpcyclist, you crack me up. Get out of my brain! Of course I've leveraged my analytical and critical thinking skills to determine what's going on. I've also sought outside feedback. Here's what we have thus far.

My mood is fairly stable. I experience emotion regularly the vast majority of the time. I have agitation alongside my cycle and there are up and down times that coincide with life events, but the intensity is what one would expect of a normie.

I have obsessive traits. I have a deep need to know and I attack anything that comes along where I feel I am lacking in knowledge. I do this to my detriment and it was a factor in both of my episodes.

I stay away from the news pretty much altogether nowadays as I know it was a major component of my first episode. I haven't followed any of it since 2018. I have found this to be a freeing and wise move.

It appears that taxing my mind on project work is a major trigger for me. This happened in both episodes. I was working on something complex and my mind obsessed over it. I couldn't put it down when it was time to let go I began externalizing the work and it took on a wildly exaggerated existence.

I was diving way to deep in spiritual waters before each episode. The specifics were different each time, so I didn't see this angle properly the second time around. I am still working to find what fits, but for now I think keeping things as simple as possible is a good route for me. Daily gratitude and connecting with the Earth is a good zone to be in for now.

I cannot remember my fitness or diet routine before my first episode other than to say I was pretty healthy. I stopped working out about a month or so before the second episode and stopped paying attention to my food choices. I believe this is most definitely something to keep an eye on in the future. I track it closely now.

I have trauma in my past. Childhood and adult related. The childhood trauma was repressed and it surfaced days before I lost my mind the first time. It shattered me. I know it was a huge factor in how the doors to my illness unlocked. It wasn't at play the second time around. The psychosis had a similar feel, but the undertones were different.

Each episode coincided with a hormonal shift in my cycle. I 100% believe it is related. The same was true for my mother. I find it to be more than a coincidence.

No substance issues, but I did move from one cup of coffee to two right before I got sick the second time. I will not make that mistake again and if I desire more in the future I know it could be a sign of bad things to come.

Emotionally speaking there were triggers each time. The abuse was a big part of the first and I was also contemplating quitting my job. The second included some issues with my son that were disstressing. The thing about it is that the instability was already at play and then the emotional triggers occurred. They were not the root, just the straw that broke the camel's back. I need to go back further to see where it starts and the starting point lies within periods of emotional stability. The imbalance point seems to be a combo of mental stress due to obsession and physical issues.

Speaking of physical issues... I had multi-day headaches before each episode. I do not have headaches regularly and these were strange. It felt like a pressure in my brain at the brain stem and pain at my temples. I also had nausea that reminded me of morning sickness. My ability to eat properly was hindered. Then, the insomnia came. I am a great sleeper, so this was way out of the norm. My body was restless and I tossed and turned constantly.

I was not euphoric either time, but my mind raced. The first time progressed to where I could not sit still. I screamed a lot. I was like a puppet. I did not think, my body just acted instantly. I blacked out for a lot of it. The second time I was very calm, but my thoughts were psychotic. I did not black out for it. Essentially, I caught it and medicated it before it went off the rails.

In between episodes random delusional psychotic thoughts will pop up when triggered by something external. I squash them instantly as I know they are not real. They are like echoes and I see them as electrochemical responses that are triggered because my brain wired them deeply when I was ill and perhaps subconsciously at well times.

Treatment has been relatively easy. A tiny dose of Geodon seems to be a magic bullet for putting out the fire. That is consistent with people who have SLPE or schizophrenia like psychosis of epilepsy. However, my brain scans show no lesions or tumors thankfully.

I am currently tracking myself holistically looking for imbalance on any one front. I have thoughts about what brings these episodes on, but not enough data to prove it.

To sum it up... I'm on it. Analysis is my jam, except obsessive analysis is my downfall. It is a fine line, but I'm looking for answers and adjusting my strategy with eyes wide open. I'm also leaning on others to see through their eyes. Thanks for lending me yours. It is helpful.
Oh, I know you're on it.

Gotta go read a buncha stuff...

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Default Sep 18, 2020 at 03:48 PM
  #14
Thank you, fern. I'm hoping my pdoc will allow me to raise my AP (Trilafon) a few mgs, too.


I entirely agree about our temporal lobes misfiring. It can be thoughts or physical...anything. I fortunately have my spiritual beliefs that remain consistent throughout, but I refrain from conversing about spirituality or religion too much because wow, can that set off an episode!

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Default Sep 21, 2020 at 12:44 PM
  #15
I talked to my psychiatrist today. We discussed all of my options and came up with a strategy. I'm grateful to have a plan that addresses some of my concerns.

We decided to taper off the Geodon. I've had twitching and involuntary tongue movements while on it, so that could be the start of TD. He said he could put me on another med for TD, but I hate the idea of treating side effects when there are other options.

He was comfortable with my not taking anything again and then using Geodon as a prn should any of the psychosis symptoms appear. Depending on the length of time between said possible future episodes, we may transition me to Abilify full time if it becomes clear it is needed. We both agreed Lamictal is probably not right for me given my lack of depression and anxiety symptoms.

I plan to be very vigilant in tracking my status everyday and I worked out a plan to have my husband review my tracking weekly to look for any discrepancies. I figure if his perception of me is off from my own, that's a red flag. He is comfortable with all of this and happy to help.

I will continue to see my pdoc monthly for now and will also continue my monthly therapy sessions. I will of course call my pdoc right away if any psychotic sympyoms creep up while I'm off the Geodon. Hopefully I will be able to enjoy a long period of stability following this taper. My liver likes the idea of taking a med break.

Thanks to everyone who weighed in. It was helpful to toss around ideas before I met with my doctor.
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Default Sep 22, 2020 at 09:07 AM
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Excellent! Keeping track of your moods will be most helpful. I hope you have a long period of stability ahead of you, fern.

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Default Sep 22, 2020 at 03:19 PM
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Originally Posted by BethRags View Post
Excellent! Keeping track of your moods will be most helpful. I hope you have a long period of stability ahead of you, fern.
Thanks a lot Beth! I appreciate the kind words of support.
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Default Sep 22, 2020 at 06:41 PM
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Originally Posted by fern46 View Post
I talked to my psychiatrist today. We discussed all of my options and came up with a strategy. I'm grateful to have a plan that addresses some of my concerns.

We decided to taper off the Geodon. I've had twitching and involuntary tongue movements while on it, so that could be the start of TD. He said he could put me on another med for TD, but I hate the idea of treating side effects when there are other options.

He was comfortable with my not taking anything again and then using Geodon as a prn should any of the psychosis symptoms appear. Depending on the length of time between said possible future episodes, we may transition me to Abilify full time if it becomes clear it is needed. We both agreed Lamictal is probably not right for me given my lack of depression and anxiety symptoms.

I plan to be very vigilant in tracking my status everyday and I worked out a plan to have my husband review my tracking weekly to look for any discrepancies. I figure if his perception of me is off from my own, that's a red flag. He is comfortable with all of this and happy to help.

I will continue to see my pdoc monthly for now and will also continue my monthly therapy sessions. I will of course call my pdoc right away if any psychotic sympyoms creep up while I'm off the Geodon. Hopefully I will be able to enjoy a long period of stability following this taper. My liver likes the idea of taking a med break.

Thanks to everyone who weighed in. It was helpful to toss around ideas before I met with my doctor.
Onward, ho!!

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Default Oct 14, 2020 at 06:15 PM
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Well, Beth, I am shocked, SHOCKED, that there was Klonopin in Casablanca. Because I am a superior being, I shall never speak to you again!!!

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Default Oct 31, 2020 at 03:02 PM
  #20
Something I very recently read about Lamictal is that one of the side-effects of the med can be back pain. For 3 years I've been on Lamictal; for 3 years I've had back pain in a specific location. No otc painkillers relieve it. My GP sent me to physical therapy a couple of years ago, that didn't help, at all.

I'm left wondering if the Lamictal is causing the back pain.

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