[Secretum]

I started tegretol about 3 weeks ago. This is the first psychiatric medication I've been on for this long (was on lamictal, but had a bad reaction after 2 weeks).

When you find a medication that is effective, is it obvious? Do you suddenly feel more stable, or do the benefits creep up subtly, until one day you realize you feel much better?

According to the pharmacist, tegretol will start having an effect between 4-6 weeks after the first dose is taken. I've been in a depression for the past month, though I've had a few good, or even hypomanic, days or hours due to my ridiculous cyclothymic temperament. Today, I feel better. I don't feel depressed, just very bored and apathetic. I'm not "cured", and I definitely would not want to stay like this forever; I have virtually no motivation. But I don't feel depressed. Even the physical symptoms are letting up; I still feel fatigued, but it's not as bad.

So, I'm wondering if this could be the beginning of my response to the tegretol? Or perhaps it's just another temporary visit to see the sun before my cycling brings me right back down again... I suppose only time will tell, but I'd appreciate your responses about what it feels like to have a medication take effect. Thanks.

[Ygrec23]

It's so terribly personal, Secretum. Like it or not, all of our bodies and metabolisms are different in their own ways. Some drugs, like opiates and aspirin for example, have a reasonably stable across the board effect. Others, like for example anti-depressants (sigh), seem to depend almost entirely on other body chemistry factors that differ from person to person. I wish it weren't so. But it does appear to be so. If, after two or three months, you don't seem to have the kind of positive effect you were looking for, in my experience at least, it's time to talk with pdoc again about what might work better.

It's so enraging and frustrating to realize that in terms of psychopharmacology we're still in the middle ages. And we are. Regardless of what anyone says or tells you. There will come a time when this is no longer so. But that time is not yet. All we can do now is keep trying drug after drug after drug, hoping that we find something that has a positive effect on our minds. I'm so sorry. Take care.

[BNLsMOM]

There are two meds that have made a real difference with my moods. One was Risperdal, which I felt the effects of over the course of a few weeks. The other was Wellbutrin which I felt the effects of within a few days. There was also Depakote, and although it helped tremendously, I didn't feel the full effect until I added the other meds. I also take Prozac, Propanolol, and Trazodone.

I agree with Ygrec. I think it is based on the dosage, your metabolism, and who knows what other reactions inside your brain, and the fact that everyone is so very different.

[alwaysrejoice]

I've been on every medication in the book, and I never found one that really helped me. I keep trying though...It's like a med roller coaster.