neither Lithium nor Valproic

Hi there. Next Friday is time for me to see my pdoc and I'm gonna discuss how clear it is that both lithium and valproic acid are not working for me as they should (lithium creates hypothiroidism and is unclear it actually helps against my crisis AND valproic, well, too soon to know if it's helpful but already giving me a hard time with side effects).

I wonder if any of you has ever traded the same waters. What is there left to do if neither lithium nor valproic offer a valid solution for us?

(Oh and for those who tried pharmacogenetics... the most complete test I've found comes from Genomind in the US, but I'm not sure I'll manage ordering it, being so far away from Spain... It would be nice to get rid of all this trial and error that my doc enjoys so much...)

Thanks for your answers. Take care. D.

Lithium and valproic acid are definitely the go-tos as good anti-manic mood stabilizers, especially of the ones that don't interact with antipsychotics. Lamictal is usually better for the depression end of the disorder. Some others may work, but don't have the proven efficacy behind them. I have done well taking carbamazepine (Tegretol), but it is known for the interactions I mentioned. I doubt many psychiatrists would want to switch to it without hefty backup medications or a more "classic" bipolar. When I first started it I took near a whole pharmacy.

Are you only taking 300 mg of the valproic acid? That is a small dose. I took it in the past, including with Invega, but was on over 1,000 mg. I forget the Invega dose I took. It was near 12 years ago. What are the side effects you're experiencing? I remember what mine were.

At only 400 mg of the Lithium, I assume you're being weaned off? That is also a small dose. I took 1,200 mg, and then 900 mg. I never found it particularly helpful for me, either. It gave me numerous side effects, including hypothyroidism. Frankly, the hypothyroidism was no biggie compared to others. Perhaps your thyroid will recover after stopping it. Mine didn't because doctors kept me on Lithium despite the thyroid issue. My Synthroid dose went up and up. I've been off of Lithium for about 9 years, yet still require 150 mcg of this thyroid replacement med. Oh well! It's a small pill.

Hi Soupe! I modified my signature with the actual doses, not extremely high, but still, giving me trouble. I take both valproic and lithium as a combo and I believe valproic has given me the following: increased sweats, urinate far more often, tiredness even bradycardia and a fainting spell (still not very clear, I need to see my pdoc about it).

I'm tired of lithium because it won't make my crisis happen less often... but my pdoc swears by it. VAlproic was supposed to fix that but has only complicated the equation without proving helpful (I still need to check if I'll have another crisis in 6 months to see if it works). ALL THIS is just a pain in the ***... I'm truly very tired and my pdoc informs me in a need-to-know basis. I hope you have found somebody that orientates and comforts you well...

My ideal scenario would be finding an antipsychotic with mood-stabilizing properties that could simplify the equation... does that exist?

as always, thanks for your input. Regards

Sometimes it's a matter of your body adjusting to a new medication. I remember when I first started taking Tegretol (carbamazpine) that I had dizziness and even momentary blackouts, of sorts. As for the latter, I had a couple driving incidents where I went through stop signs, a couple traffic lights, and down one-way streets/lanes in my own town, where I knew all of the streets. Hopefully fainting won't happen to you again. That certainly is concerning. Maybe your low blood pressure caused your fainting?

I had polyuria/polydipsia (sp?) while on Lithium, but not valproic acid. Who knows how things work. In any case, I hope your body will soon adjust to the new medication. Please do be patient, if your psychiatrist suggests it. I was grateful that I was patient through some of my initial Tegretol side effects. They went away in a matter of weeks.

Wow, yes driving is dangerous when your body is still adjusting. As you can tell by my messages, i'm a bit impatient... It's been 3 or 4 months since my pdoc raised my valproic and this effect is the last thing I was expecting... I could have harmed myself badly... the worst is I cannot prove the fainting is linked to the valproic, despite it appears as a (serious and rare) side effect. I truly tell you: I'd like to quit valproic and lithium asap... I know my doctor will offer resistance, but I'm getting no much benefits from pumping these chemicals into my system . Geez.

See ya.