trying to find out what meds will work

I am recently diagnosed within the the last month. Been to the hospital 2 times. Have been out a couple days after staying in for 10 days. Still wasn't sleeping on my own. I am now on 2000 mg of Depokote, 6 mg of Risperdal (they say only temporarily and then they will cut back) a med for nightmares and benedryl to help with sleep.

I am frustrated and feel slowed down but am still not sleeping without taking doxepin, which they say can keep me in mania however I need to sleep!! In the hospital they were giving me a barbituite for sleep that obviously I cannot have out of hospital. I feel scared and pls don't judge me about the high doses I was in a very bad mania. Not a fun one I went into psychosis. I have appt with p doc next Thursday.

Any words of encouragement would be much desired.

No judgement on your doses, everyone needs a different amount of meds for it to be effective. Hopefully your pdoc can find something that will help you sleep. Welcome to the boards.

I'm sorry you still can't sleep but wfeel slowed down. I hope your pdoc can figuree out wha tmeds you need soon. Have you tried any other mood stabilizers or antipsychotics besides the Depakote/Risperdal?

Welcome. You shouldn't find any judgement here. Different people need different doses of medicine to work and during a manic episode, my Pdoc told me, that it normally takes a higher dose to be effective then when not in a manic episode. From what you describe it sounds like a scary time right now. If things get worse can you call your Pdoc for guidance before next Thursday?

I talked with pdocs nurse. She said she can't say yes or no on the Doxepin. She said I may be going to far on the depressed side. Idk, the whole thing is exhausting. I don't prefer the psychosis I was in but do prefer the mania before it went bad. I can call an on call psychiatrist if I get really bad this weekend. That gives me a little peace of mind. I don't want to go to the hospital again. I know that.

I haven't tried any other mood stabilizers or anti-psyches. New to it. I always thought I had depression with some hypo-mania that I could tolerate until this episode.

Thx everyone for the support.

Btw love the Tori quote she is my ultimate favorite musician. That felt so needed.

Welcome to the forum...I have been lucky with my disorder because I am a retired psych nurse. I actually told my Pdoc what I would take and what I would not take.She is very cooperative. My meds have kept me out of the hospital. It has been suggested a couple times that I go but I refuse because of my experience in the State Hosp. It was Hell in there. I actaully suffer from PTSD from working there. I am usually hypomanic and/or slightly depressed. Better than the deep hole of despair or being psychotic. I am just rambling so I will shut up. I hope you feel better soon. It sounds to me that you need a med assesment and possible change or adjustment.

Welcome to PC. it can take some time and fiddling to get the combination of meds which works right for you. Hope you can get your sleep sorted out quickly cos that is really important. Non-medical things like warm milk, reading before bed, having a warm shower and those kind of things can help with the sleep as well. Try making it darkish for an hour before you try to go to bed and steer away from stimulating activities near bed time. Hope you get a good med balance soon.

the only thing to do is to talk to your pdoc continuously until he/she gets your meds right. sorry your having a hard time

I lowered the Risperdal and omg I feel waaaaaay better. Told the nurse, she said hey if you feel better. At the 6mgs it was just creating anxiety that was awful. Restless body syndrome, now I am taking 3 mgs divided in half. I still am taking Doxepin to sleep but will deal with that at my appt Thurs. I got really sick through this as well, had awful flu vomiting and coughing. Made it through though. Hope others are doing well.

I was hospitalized once for mania, however I worked as a psych nurse (oh, the irony). In my experience from both sides of the desk you usually are discharged with more medications in higher dosages than what you will prescribed after you are under the care of your personal psychiatrist. The hospitalization experience is acute. The idea is to get you under control and discharged ASAP. There really isn't time to tweak your medications in the hospital. I was better when I was discharged (not delusional or psychotic) but I was still somewhat manic. Try and work with your doctor to achieve the right meds, combinations and dosages. Even then it is seldom static. Good luck.

Welcome to PC!!
I hope you find the best med combo soon
Good luck with your appt - maybe it's a good idea to make a list of things you want to ask or say to the pdoc, so that you feel less anxious about forgetting important things

Yeah I am just worried they will put me on Seroquel for the sleep. I was completely opposed to that but now, hey if it works. I still don't feel completely like myself prior to all this. I was also diagnosed with PTSD and felt the psychiatrist in the hospital didn't even take that into consideration about the sleep and nightmares.

Anybody ever go through times when you feel the psychiatric community just wants to shut you up. I am feeling a mistrust right now that can't be good for my psyche. Idk, wish I was on right meds and feeling scared about it all.

Hello and welcome to PC - I am so sorry it has been rough for you. Finding the right meds can take a lot of time and can be frustrating. Hang in there and keep posting!

I am in the same boat as you. I have been diagnosed for a little over a year with mixed and rapid cycling bipolar disorders. I have been on at least 20 different medicines trying to find the right ones that will stop the ups and downs. Still nothing. I have been put into the hospital once after overdosing on the many medicines prescribed to me by my pdoc. I really think he was out to kill me. I was a zombie for almost a year. My sleep does not come easily. I believe I am getting ready to go back into inpatient care to try to get meds that work. I don't know how much more of this I can take.

Sorry to hear what you are going through. I know its hard but remember that it is temporary. I know deep down the docs are just trying to do their best with what they have. They don't live in our bodies. They don't live in our lives except at that appt. Hope is what is getting me through. I hope this won't last much longer, I hope I turn out ok, I hope I find stability, I hope. Very corny but it helps to listen to music and write and cry and pray even though I am not religious. Remember the meds are just one aspect. Coping skills, therapy, nutrition and exercise all play a part as well. Hang in there. Keep us updated. This board has been my hope on some days ya know.