[Travelinglady]

One of my former pdocs yanked me off of my antidepressants, saying I was getting manic. Then my last pdoc put me back on a low dose of Wellbutrin. Now my current one decided (with my approval) to take me off of the Wellbutrin to see if I'd start getting depressed. Well, guess what? I am heading down.....

I know pdocs are so scared we bipolars might become manic, but I really feel like I need to be back on the Wellbutrin! Any of you folks taking an antidepressant and not heading into mania? Help! I don't want to have to go back into the hospital. The last two times I went it was because of depression.

[bipolarmedstudent]

I'm on cymbalta, and it was making me manic before I went on depakote. Even though I was on abilify (an anti-psychotic) at the time. Now that I'm on depakote and abilify, together they keep me from going manic on the cymbalta.

[Travelinglady]

I've been taking Tegretol as my main med since November a year ago. So, it's not like I'd just be taking an anti-depressant by itself. I was doing fine with the Wellbutrin, but my pdoc said she felt like she wanted to take me off of SOMETHING! Ha! I don't think that was the drug to choose. I was happy with the way things were. Maybe I shouldn't have been so agreeable.

[SeekerofLight]

I wrote a research paper for my psych class about anti-depressants causing mania. Guess what? There is no empirical data proving this. I am on Cymbalta without an antipsychotic and I am not manic. I think the key is to keep the dosage at a manageable level.

[moremi]

Originally Posted by PAYNE1

One of my former pdocs yanked me off of my antidepressants, saying I was getting manic. Then my last pdoc put me back on a low dose of Wellbutrin. Now my current one decided (with my approval) to take me off of the Wellbutrin to see if I'd start getting depressed. Well, guess what? I am heading down.....

I know pdocs are so scared we bipolars might become manic, but I really feel like I need to be back on the Wellbutrin! Any of you folks taking an antidepressant and not heading into mania? Help! I don't want to have to go back into the hospital. The last two times I went it was because of depression.

I do take zoloft but my pdoc yanked me off of pristiq because he said it was not meant to be used in people with bipolar because it causes mania. It did bring out quite a lot of hypomania and I went full blown manic on it one time. I cant say that it caused it but probably helped. It was also spring at the time and I go manic in the spring like clock work.

[BipolaRNurse]

I had to get off Wellbutrin, because it literally made me manic and psychotic. I'm on Celexa now, and before my pdoc added Lamictal I was pretty unstable; now that I've been on both for a couple of months and still titrating up on Lamictal, life has smoothed out tremendously and he is thinking of weaning me off the Celexa. I'm not sure if that's a good idea knowing how depressed I get in the winter months. Maybe I can stay off of it for the summer and fall, and take it only during the winter when I'm so down. Right now I feel like I don't need any meds at all, but I know better than to go off them.....I'm only now starting to feel good again and I'm not going to blow it!

Yes, and Wellbutrin as it happens. For a long time, my psych wanted to stick to just adjusting dosages on the Lamictal. Not sure if it was feeling that it should be able to do it by itself or hesitation over knowing of my bad past reaction to ADs (mis-dx'd and mismedicated with ADs alone a few years back by a GP with disasterous results). But a long-endured depression just wasn't budging. I'd asked about the possibility of adding them a few times before it pretty well came to begging to at least try it, as I couldn't take much more. She relented, possibly because I'd put emphasis on "try", and pointed out that, given past history, anything problematic would show pretty quickly. Then we'd know. Oh, and that my SO would keep an eye on too.

It did help. The other thing I had to watch for was increase in irritability or outright rage, as I can definitely "go" there. This I debated for awhile (if it was happening or not), but the mood chart didn't really show it. Not that it doesn't happen, but the levels/frequency are not out of line with "me" (and still certainly less than before medicated at all!) and the benefit would be worth it anyway. It's not as if that'd never happen w/o it.

When you did get yanked off the ADs, was there more than one? Was there more than one at a time? Was Wellbutrin one of them? Since your currect Pdoc only took you off it with your permission and for the purpose of seeing if being off it was problematic (ie. depression), and that question seems to have been answered, wouldn't he/she be amenable to putting you back on it??

[Travelinglady]

Oh, my, the pdoc I was going to had me on a whole pharmacy of meds, including three antidepressants at the same time. Yes, Wellbutrin was just one of them.

When I was told I could go back on one by the next pdoc, I told her I wanted Wellbutrin, because I didn't find it hard to get off of.

Yes, I sure hope my pdoc will let me go back on it. I haven't had a big bout (well, as big as Bipolar II's, like me, get) of mania in a number of years. I was just taking one morning pill of 150 mg. However, I like to joke and laugh--and I think some of these "paranoid" pdocs think that means I'm manic. Darn it, that's just me being me! I also talk fast sometimes because I grew up with a twin sis and that's the way we talk. Other folks say they can't understand what we're saying sometimes!

[Victoria'smom]

DH is on Celexia 10 mg and lamictal 100mg and he's always mildly depressed. There were a lot of anti depressant/ mood stabilizer combos that didn't work out for me. celexia 20 mg and lamictal 100 mg worked well until I started to grind my teeth. Prozac 20 mg. did not work out well at all for me. For me the hint seems to be a VERY low anti-depressant. I would tell your pdoc that you want to be back on the wellbutrin as you feel your going to hit a low.

[cocoabeans]

I'm on Wellbutrin XL. It did make me extremely anxious and maybe a bit manic definitely euphoric at first but, I stuck with it and adjusted well except I still don't sleep as much as I'd like without Seroquel and my appetite is terrible except when I get my much loved Seroquel munchies. Apparently Wellbutrin is less likely than an SSRI or SNRI to cause mania.

SSRIs caused terrible things for me. It was Zoloft made me psychotic, not that I hadn't ever experienced psychotic symptoms before, but I wasn't when I started Zoloft and when I stopped taking it, I was fine. I didn't bother with SNRIs and going forward I will refuse either.

I really liked Remeron. I took that with Prozac for awhile. Remeron had me so hungry! I love meds that give me an appetite! I'm very thin so no worries about a bit of weight gain and I love eating!

My only major complaint with Wellbutrin is the appetite loss. It has worked to keep me from becoming seriously depressed.

[krisakira]

I am on celexa, an SSRI. It is really the only med that has done wonders for my panic disorder. I had a pdoc at the hospital tell me he wanted to lower my dose because of the hypomania, but i refused, saying i do NOT want to get panic attacks again!! So instead we raised my antipsychotic (fanapt) in hopes that it will help, and well it has.

[cocoabeans]

Originally Posted by krisakira

I am on celexa, an SSRI. It is really the only med that has done wonders for my panic disorder. I had a pdoc at the hospital tell me he wanted to lower my dose because of the hypomania, but i refused, saying i do NOT want to get panic attacks again!! So instead we raised my antipsychotic (fanapt) in hopes that it will help, and well it has.

Oh yea! Celexa made it so I had no anxiety about anything. That sounds good but, some anxiety is healthy. I remember telling my doctor at the time that this drug must be a miracle for anxiety disorders but, anxiety wasn't really my problem and I needed to go off Celexa whether he approved or not.

[Travelinglady]

I have the opposite problem. I don't need to gain even another ounce, so I like Wellbutrin in that it doesn't cause weight gain. And I haven't had any bad side effects. Remeron was terrible for me. I went from a size 12 to a size 18 in just one summer!

[Fresia]

I had weight gain with the others too and some other interesting, unwanted side effects. I had fewer side effects with the Welbutrin XL and though if I go up on higher dosages at times it can lead to hypomania and never let it get further; we just know to cut back then and it is fine. I am a rapid cycler though that leans to depression at all times so having at least a low level (150 mg) of it is mandatory. It can be so hard to find that balance. I wish you well in finding what works best for you.

[thedayturnedaround]

I currently take Prozac with my Tegretol and Risperdal. I used to take Wellbutrin. Unfortunately it hasn't been of noticeable help with my depression. Wellbutrin wasn't either.

[SunAngel]

I cannot take any anti-depressants without going manic.

[Confusedinomicon]

I took prozac for 1 year with depakote and never experienced any mania.

I only take lithium now, though.

[BuggsBunny]

Effexor and trileptal are my ad and mood stabilizer right now, with some abilify thrown in for good measure. I was on Lamictal most of last year, and through the winter, but I started breaking out in Psoriasis, and stopped the lamictal. It wasn't the dreaded SJS rash, but it was close and bad enough to scare me off the stuff.

I've always needed at least one ad, usually two, to keep me functional in the winter months. But with a good mood stabilizer, I don't have the mania problem others seem to get.

[lostmyway21]

I stay on a lower dose Lexapro at all times. He refuses to take me off all the way. Mood stabilizers keep me from going hypo manic mostly.

[BlackPup]

I've been on antidepressants almost all of my diagnosis cos I get so depressed mainly SNRIs but recently I've been trying tricyclics. I havent gone manic in ages. I'm also on abilify.

[Red_Cyclops]

Originally Posted by PAYNE1

One of my former pdocs yanked me off of my antidepressants, saying I was getting manic. Then my last pdoc put me back on a low dose of Wellbutrin. Now my current one decided (with my approval) to take me off of the Wellbutrin to see if I'd start getting depressed. Well, guess what? I am heading down.....

I know pdocs are so scared we bipolars might become manic, but I really feel like I need to be back on the Wellbutrin! Any of you folks taking an antidepressant and not heading into mania? Help! I don't want to have to go back into the hospital. The last two times I went it was because of depression.

Hi. I know how that feels. AD's make me manic - I've been on many and they have all had that effect. However, I tried going on Lamictal without an AD and was very depressed. I discovered that, personally, I need to be on an AD to control the lows (currently Prozac), but also need a mood stabilizer (Lamictal) and an antipsychotic (Geodon) to control mania. This combo has been working for me for some time now, thankfully. My case is proof that you can be on an AD and still control mania.

[SingDanceRunLife]

I take a fairly high dose of Lexapro (20mg) along with Seroquel and it seems to be keeping me stable.

[Picassoschild]

I'm on 20mg of Celexa along with my lithium. Otherwise, I would not get out of bed I would be so depressed.

[BipolaRNurse]

Well, whatever you do, DON'T COME OFF CELEXA!!! If you can help it, that is. I'm going through a hellish withdrawal from just 10 mg/day that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy's pet iguana. I've been alternately irritable, weepy, petulant, uncoordinated, brain-zapped, goofy, hypomanic, distractible, and full of rage.......my family is about ready to throw me out of the house! (heh-heh, I pay the mortgage, so they can't really do that even if they did want to)

But as much as I want to go back on the AD, I think I'd rather march straight into Hell before going through this again. I've got a call out to my pdoc, who just got back from vacation and was totally swamped today so I didn't get to talk to him. It's OK, I'm not THAT effed-up.........although I probably should'nt have denied it when the receptionist (who doubles as triage person) asked me if I was in crisis. (No, I called just to check in and ask him if he enjoyed his vacation.)

I gotta learn the rules here---to me, it's not a crisis unless you're standing on the third floor of a building, ready to jump out the window, or you're up in the clock tower loading an assault weapon. But if I guess if I want to talk to the doctor on the same day I call, I'd better learn to overreact and say Yes when asked if I'm "in crisis". Sheesh!

[BuggsBunny]

Originally Posted by BipolaRNurse

I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy's pet iguana.

Never heard that one before! Love it!

Originally Posted by BipolaRNurse

to me, it's not a crisis unless you're standing on the third floor of a building, ready to jump out the window, or you're up in the clock tower loading an assault weapon. Sheesh!

Not so sure you want to say in crisis when you want to talk - you'll get a rep for the nurse who cried wolf and all that. Could you try something like "not yet, but I will be if I don't talk to the doc by the end of the day?"