what to use for depression

Markdauphin · Apr 30, 2011, 10:10 AM

I'm currently taking tegretol and the side effects are killing me. My pdoc wants me to stay on the tegretol until he's certain it's not going to work. The depression and racing thoughts are awful and I don't know what will be effective. Any ideas out there? Help!

dragonfly2 · Apr 30, 2011, 01:47 PM

It sounds like you may be in a mixed episode. I take Lamictal to help with the depressions and we added some Risperdal when I had a mixed episode last fall. Lamictal and Tegretol are in the same class of medications, so it's not something that I think could be added - it could be used instead of the Tegretol. Have you tried any other meds before? Are you taking anything besides the Tegretol? How long have you been on it?

dragonfly2 · Apr 30, 2011, 02:00 PM

Hello again...

Sorry about my ignorance earlier - I went back to look at your other posts and see that you've been on the Tegretol for a month or so now. Have you ever tried Lamictal? It has some good antidepressant qualities, especially for bipolar depression. As for straight antidepressants, I've had good luck with Wellbutrin. I can't take SSRI's at all - I get manic and rapid cycle something fierce. I agree with the other replies on the earlier post - the med shouldn't be making you feel worse.

I'm not sure where you're located, or what your health care system is like, but don't forget that you are the consumer. If you don't like the treatment you're getting from your pdoc, find a new one. I changed pdocs last fall and it has been the best thing for me. Absolutely love my new one and we're trying some things that the old one never could have handled.

Binti1962 · Apr 30, 2011, 02:20 PM

I've had good success with Effexor XR and Abilify.

blueoctober · Apr 30, 2011, 05:45 PM

I'm on lamictal (mood stabilizer) and wellbutrinXL (anti-d). Lamictal isn't as good at controlling the highs, so it really depends on your symptoms. I've been on meds that had side effects (including lamictal) that have gone away, but like dragonfly2 mentioned this is your body and you do have a say in your treatment.

Markdauphin · May 01, 2011, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueoctober

I'm on lamictal (mood stabilizer) and wellbutrinXL (anti-d). Lamictal isn't as good at controlling the highs, so it really depends on your symptoms. I've been on meds that had side effects (including lamictal) that have gone away, but like dragonfly2 mentioned this is your body and you do have a say in your treatment.

I tried lamictal several months ago and I couldn't sleep at all. Tegretol is the only med I am currently on. I am at a loss as to what to use for a mood stabilizer and what to use for depression. I tried welbutrin a couple of years ago and it did nothing for depression and I didn't sleep at all while taking it. Would lithium be a better choice than Tegretol?

blueoctober · May 01, 2011, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markdauphin

I am at a loss as to what to use for a mood stabilizer and what to use for depression.

Ideally a mood stabilizer is all a person would need to control the bipolar. Lithium has worked well for many people, so it may be worth a try. I was on it for the first 2 years after my diagnosis. My mom has been on it since she was diagnosed (she was diagnosed when I was a child; I'm 35 now). Lamictal is better for me, but I suffer with depression most often. I have also started using a SAD lamp and this made a huge difference for me this past winter.

The med process is a very frustrating part of a BP diagnosis. What works for one person won't work for another and what works for me now may not continue to work 10 years from now. I hope you find a med combo that works well for you.

BlackPup · May 02, 2011, 05:25 AM

tegretol sucks I hate it sooo much it totally knocked me out too and I lost my memory
I'm on lamactil, abilify, lithium, zoloft and edronax....
If you are suicidal lithium is a great place to start, lamotrigine takes a long time to get to an effective dose, the abilify is great but expensive, the zoloft/edronax combo will likely cause a mania if you are not on a mood stabiliser...

dragonfly2 · May 02, 2011, 08:31 AM

I'm sorry to hear that you've had such a difficult time despite multiple med trials. Not sure if you've tried Seroquel, but they've found it helpful for depression - both unipolar and bipolar. It could be used with a traditional antidepressant and will probably help you sleep.

Here's a link to an article about it : http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorde...lar-depression

I hope you find some relief soon.

dragonfly2 · May 11, 2011, 02:11 PM

Hi

It's been a while...just wondering what you and your doctor have decided to try, if you've seen him yet. Any relief??

mgran · May 11, 2011, 02:18 PM

I found tegretol really horrible, and it did sod all. Lamotrigine on the other hand made a real difference, within a fairly short period of time, and I no longer notice any side effects at all.

Markdauphin · May 12, 2011, 03:01 PM

I'm meeting with my pdoc next week and hopefully we can find something better. My big concern is sleep when trying different meds. Also racing thoughts which seem to affect sleep.

dragonfly2 · May 13, 2011, 11:20 AM

So, not too much longer then...that's good. Keep us posted.

Markdauphin · May 13, 2011, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonfly2

So, not too much longer then...that's good. Keep us posted.

Has anyone tried Gabapentin for anxiety and depression? Was it helpful for racing thoughts?

dragonfly2 · May 13, 2011, 09:55 PM

I took gabapentin as a mood stabilizer about 10 years ago and it didn't do a heck of a lot for my mood. It did help a bit with anxiety, but was pretty useless otherwise. You might be interested to read an article I found about it. The company was sued for illegal marketing. Basically, people did better on placebo than they did on gabapentin.

Here's the link: http://bipolar.about.com/cs/neuronti...ontin_suit.htm

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