[notALICE]

My Pdoc added it to the Gabapentin I've been taking for about 2 months. Gabapentin is reputed as ineffective on it's own for Bipolar I. The Trileptal is supposed to counteract the depression, after I came down from mania.

Thoughts? Experience?

[jewel2560]

I am no longer on it but I was on it for 3 years and it helped me a lot. It helped bring me down from a few manic episodes and did keep me relatively stable. My only issue was when I had to go up on it I got some side effects. But give it a chance, it is a pretty amazing medication.

[BlueInanna]

My daughter took it a few years ago at 16. So it sounded like a mellow safe one, mainly an epilepsy med as you prob know. Mellowed her out but too much, she was falling asleep in class. Then she pretty much began her med refusal... so sorry that's all the info I got. Good luck with it

[notALICE]

Yeah, it was the drug my son was hiding when he was prescribed it, but he never gave it a chance. For me so far, so good. Not sleepy, but I drink lotsa coffee. Always have.

[~Christina]

My daughter has Bipolar I and she took it. She is a musician/ songwriter. It just left her flat, She has no ability to write and perform so she stopped it.

[ultramar]

Originally Posted by notALICE

My Pdoc added it to the Gabapentin I've been taking for about 2 months. Gabapentin is reputed as ineffective on it's own for Bipolar I. The Trileptal is supposed to counteract the depression, after I came down from mania.

Thoughts? Experience?

This is interesting, I think both of these medications are unusual in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Have you tried the more 'typical' mood stabilizers (lithium, lamictal, etc.) and they didn't work? I looked up Trileptal and could only find that it's used for seizures. Of course anti-seizure medication is typically used for bipolar, but this particular one (like gapapentin) are not 'first line' treatments for bipolar from what I have read.

I'm curious what your psychiatrist has said about prescribing these? Are these new/new research has come out about their uses for bipolar? Or have others you've tried just not worked?

[ultramar]

I just looked around and saw that you've tried other things, so now I get it.

I really hope this works for you and without too many side effects!

[notALICE]

Lamictal was the first one tried. Rash

[notALICE]

I do have to say that I am functioning much better than I was, even when just on the Gabapentin. That allowed me to sleep. The insomnia was horrid.

I still struggle in other areas. My significant other had me in tears yesterday, making fun of me for having to backspace and correct my typing often. Great job, he said. You used to type over 70 WPM, what is wrong with you? That's just horribly mean. I am doing better. I don't lose everything now, improvement in short term memory.