when meds don't work effectively...

What the heck do you do?

My psych has said my mood has been all over the place the past seven months or so. He wants to look at other mood stabilizers. I disagree with him. I am depressed right now and have been for a couple of months, but I have had no elevated moods as far as I can recall. Two weeks ago I was put on an SSRi which frankly sent me a bit nuts. I still feel depressed but not so angry, nevertheless my doc wants me to stop taking it. I don't think I have given it enough time to work at two weeks. What do any of you think? I am so depressed that dying seems a preferable option.

Meds have improved things from what they were, but they just don't seem to stop everything all together. I am bipolar by the way. How do the rest of you do on your meds? Do you still have break through symptoms?

Thank you

Alot of mood stabilizers do a few things, they keep your mood from fluctuating yes, but they also boost the effects of other medications such as antidepressants.Some also help you sleep.It's a good option if your not wanting to up the dose of your antidepressants.The perfect combination will leave you able to function, have less severe depression that doesn't last as long and more manageable manic phases that also dont last as long, it is possible to illiminate these to next to nothing with the right medications. Finding them however is a long and frusterating process for some people. Stick it out and comply with changes if they don't yeild excellent results. The pdoc wants you healthy, and you want to be healthy, you both have the same goal but he/she is educated on how to get you there so try to roll with the changes as much as you can if you can help it.I sure hope things work out for you, and i wish you a quick journey to find what will work. keep us posted on how your doing.

Ryask

Thanks

I am already on lithium plus an antipsychotic. I have tried all the other mood stabilisers! Not sure what's left to be honest.

Hi donut, SSRI anti-d's can't be tolerated by some with bipolar. You may want to try a different anti-d. I'm on wellbutrin (anti-d, but not a SSRI) and it works well for me. I'm on lamictal as my mood stabilizer.

Meds are 60% of the equation for me, the other 40% comes from exercising, eating healthy, seeing a therapist, using a SAD lamp, taking supplements (omega3, multi-vitamin, vitamin D, vitamin C), regular sleep etc. But in saying that when my meds weren't right no matter what I did wouldn't help. I mostly suffered with depression and I alternated between major and minor depression until a med change in May of this year. I was put on lamictal and taken off lithium. I have been diagnosed since 2007.

It took seven years of trying different meds to find what works best for me. Clozapine and selegiline have really been useful for my bipolar plus some other meds for sleep. I hope you find the meds that work best for your symptoms.

I spent alot of time trying diff meds to get a good combo. Remember the manias feed the depression, even a really short mania (a day or two) can cause a nasty depression,I heard of one person who had 2 years of depression for a 1 day mania.... control the manias, and then maybe you won't need antidepressants, or maybe you still will... I think your doc is right. But as always, what you put into your body is up to you.
Take care and s

I'm still working on a med combo - but 2 weeks is DEFINITELY not long enough to tell if a mood stabiliser is working.
I know all about those deep depressions. I'm seeing my pdoc on Wed to get my meds changed. I know i cannot carry on the way I am, and I've spent long enough on my current mood-stabiliser to tell that something needs to be added.

And - there's always the option of getting a second opinion, or going to another pdoc altogether. When I was in that position, I spoke to my T and went to a new pdoc on her recommendation

All the best for wednesday suga