[Seth412]

Greetings all. I recently bumped up my lithium to 1500mg per day after a manic episode.

Still feeling a bit manic, although not nearly as much so as before. I attribute my recent episode to two things: Stopping my lithium to go on a drinking binge, and the good dose of Lexapro (20mg) that I am currently on.

Going off the lexapro isn't an option, as my OCD is ferocious and horrifying, and Lexapro has proven to be immensely effective. I may consider dropping down to 10mg if all other options are exhausted.

My point is, if my mania does not stop after the lithium fully kicks in, I am going on another antipsychotic. I had bad experiences with Abilify and Zyprexa in the past, and I am looking to read your experiences with any others. Primarily I am concerned about weight gain and sedation.

[newtus]

That's a lot of Lithium.

well. first of all - weight gain and sedation from antipsychotics tend to be the main side effects almost everyone has. if you dont get either from one or just one of those you are doing well on the side effects part. Zyprexa is one known to cause massive weight gain. also seroquel but you may or may not get that. everyone is different. thats what makes most APs so debilitating is the weight gain and sedation. a second thing id worry about is dystonic reactions where your muscles lock up but news APs supposedly do that less than older ones. but side effects obviously vary from person to person.

i gained 80+ pounds on seroquel. i lost it all when i got off. but most all of them cause me weight gain. the older ones less so. although no matter what they put me to sleep for long periods of time.

[Trippin2.0]

Risperdal was sedating and caused lactation. I grew a cupsize and lived on lucozade so that I could stay awake at work. Many have reported weight gain on it, but my body is allergic to lipids, so can't testify to that.

Was good for flattening rage though (even though I "secretly" like mine at times)....

[EternalWinter]

Anti phycotics like seroquel worked well for my anxiety, and would calm my racing mind. I no longer experience panic attacks or severe anxiety like I used to, so I am no longer on any. Its not worth it in my mind to calm a little anxiety. I gained 10 pounds in 20 days just from 100 mgs of seroquel a day. I was and am a skinny guy so it didnt bother me, but from what I understand most people dont want that.

It worked good for sleep, but sometimes I would get a strange sedated feeling like im thinking out of my body. Sometimes id get restless leg syndrome

But when I couldnt function because my mind was always racing, it worked well. It seemed to do nothing for my depression.

For me I would take it again if I was having mania, or bad enough anxiety, I would then get off it as soon as I was stable enough. From my experince seroquel had the least amount of side effects, not saying they were small.

[BipolaRNurse]

I'm one of the relative few who appreciates Geodon, even if it is more expensive than some of the other APs. It's weight-neutral (in fact I've lost weight on it) and doesn't screw up my blood sugars like Zyprexa did. I'm only taking a baby dose, which was recently increased during a mixed-manic episode and tamped everything down within a week. It's not effective for everyone, but I'm certainly finding it useful.

I took myself off of Abilify as i gained 15 pounds. also have taken Seroquel and Zyprexa both gained weight on. I'm sure that is what happens when anti psychotics are taken. same with most antidepressants. taking 750mgs of Depakote(Doc will increase it I'm sure) as Lithium was too scary with side affects.. drugs.com is a good site to go to to check out side effects of any or all drugs.
warm thoughts

[anneo59]

Originally Posted by newtus

That's a lot of Lithium.

well. first of all - weight gain and sedation from antipsychotics tend to be the main side effects almost everyone has. if you dont get either from one or just one of those you are doing well on the side effects part. Zyprexa is one known to cause massive weight gain. also seroquel but you may or may not get that. everyone is different. thats what makes most APs so debilitating is the weight gain and sedation. a second thing id worry about is dystonic reactions where your muscles lock up but news APs supposedly do that less than older ones. but side effects obviously vary from person to person.

i gained 80+ pounds on seroquel. i lost it all when i got off. but most all of them cause me weight gain. the older ones less so. although no matter what they put me to sleep for long periods of time.

same experience, seroquel was better. Very sedating, and I did gain a lot of weight. Helped with anxiety and sleep and perhaps some mood stabilization. Had to take benztropine w (cogentin) as w other antipsychs cuz of Extrapyramidal side effects. Good luck!

[anneo59]

Originally Posted by Trippin2.0

Risperdal was sedating and caused lactation. I grew a cupsize and lived on lucozade so that I could stay awake at work. Many have reported weight gain on it, but my body is allergic to lipids, so can't testify to that.

Was good for flattening rage though (even though I "secretly" like mine at times)....

same for me with risperdal

[anneo59]

Originally Posted by EternalWinter

Anti phycotics like seroquel worked well for my anxiety, and would calm my racing mind. I no longer experience panic attacks or severe anxiety like I used to, so I am no longer on any. Its not worth it in my mind to calm a little anxiety. I gained 10 pounds in 20 days just from 100 mgs of seroquel a day. I was and am a skinny guy so it didnt bother me, but from what I understand most people dont want that.

It worked good for sleep, but sometimes I would get a strange sedated feeling like im thinking out of my body. Sometimes id get restless leg syndrome

But when I couldnt function because my mind was always racing, it worked well. It seemed to do nothing for my depression.

For me I would take it again if I was having mania, or bad enough anxiety, I would then get off it as soon as I was stable enough. From my experince seroquel had the least amount of side effects, not saying they were small.

agreed overall, w side effects thingie, got the RLS too and depression still an issue on this.

[Seth412]

Thanks all. Yea, I heard a lot about lactation with risperidol. Male and female. That doesn't sound like much fun.

I'm seeing my pdoc today and we'll go over all the options. Perhaps I'll double down on the mood stabilizers by adding some Depakote.

Out of all the APs I've researched, Geodon sounds like the one I may want to try. From the sounds of these posts, most if not all APs cause weight gain and sedation as primary side effects. Geodon less so than others, from what I've read here and elsewhere.

Ugh. Stopping your meds to drink is a bad idea. Don't ever do it.

[Confusedinomicon]

After you stabilize you should go back down on the lithium because it can become toxic.

I haven't had problems with moderate amount of alcohol consumption as long as I drink a lot of water. I don't have many issues with skipping a day occasionally but boyfriend says I can be moody after. (Guessing it depends on how much I drank)

[~Christina]

I think all of them Suck, mostly due to side effects.

I think it all boils down to what side effects your willing to deal with to get the benefits from medication X .

Good luck on whatever you decide to do

[cool09]

What do you need an anti-psychotic for? They are not used for mania. They are used for agitation, psychosis, hallucinations. Are you agitated? And Lexapro, celexa and other ADs can cause mania or agitation in some BP people so be careful.

All of the anti-psychotics are horrible. They have a weird way of screwing up your mind and functioning. I've been on a ton of the old APs (haldol, loxitane, mellaril, trilafon, navane, stelazine) and all of the new atypical APs.

the lithium because it can become toxic.

The therapeutic and toxic levels for lithium are very close together so it's hard to find the right dose to get relief. I hit that dose once (1800 mg) in 2004 and my muscles wouldn't work so I had to back down and it has done nothing for me ever since.

[Hopeful Camel]

I took Zyprexa since a hospitalization in 1998. My dose kept being increased up to 20mg day. I gained 70lbs...fast, and when I got off the zyprexa in late 2011, I dropped the 70lbs right back off. It helped with anxiety but made me often comatose. It also kept my from being Ms. OCD. However, I am happy that I am off it. Life was easier then, but not as challenging and fun.

[Seth412]

Update: Saw my doctor again today. He doesn't think we need to rush into APs. He wants to see how I do on this higher dose of lithium. If we need more, we'll add some Depakote.

Thanks for the replies though. Pretty much confirmed what I already knew-APs suck.

As far as SSRIs, my pdoc and I decided awhile back that the benefits of lexapro outweigh the risks. Basically I monitor myself very closely.

And my lithium dose, I was only at about .6 at 1200mg/day. My sweet spot is between .8 and 1.0, so I'm not too worried about the high dose.