[spiritual_emergency]

I was wondering if anyone works with their doc to adjust their meds according to where they are in their cycle? For example, if you're on a mood stabilizer do you bring in an anti-psychotic when manic and then phase it out as you stabilize once more? Might you do the same with an anti-depressant if you're in a depressive phase?

I'm guessing that if anyone is doing this they'd be most likely to have been dealing with bipolar disorder for a long-enough period of time that they have a good understanding of their larger cycle. I suspect it would be difficult to adopt this kind of approach for those who cycle rapidly or those who are so new to the experience they don't yet have a good understanding of their personal pattern of cycling.

Anyway, does anyone tailor their medication treatment in this manner or is it more typical to get one medication program and stick with it unless forced to alter it?

[1963.Susan]

lol i thought you meant menstrual cycle.

in my experience, pdocs tend to add or increase meds for an extreme point in your cycle, but then don't reduce or eliminate them after that point passes. then they do the same thing for the next extreme. leads to lots of meds all the time. i think they don't want to take the time to try to head off an extreme when it's starting (or have it start on a weekend, etc.), so they just leave you on the meds full-time.