What mood stabilizer are you on?

i am bp2, have no depression but only hypomania, and have been on 450mg. of lithium for more than 30 years. i think it's beginning to take its toll on my kidneys and am researching an alternative mood stabilizer which i hope doesn't cause weight gain. would you tell me what you take, what dose or mg. and your experience.

Abilify 10mg, but technically it's listed as an a-typical anti-psychotic. Now, either it's working and my symptoms are just actually much worse than anyone thought and Abiligy is taking the edge off, or it's not doing a dang thing.

Seroquel works for me in a way lithium never did. The big side effect is it increases hunger, but it's had the opposite effect on me and I lots of weight

Lamictal is my mood stabilizer and helps a lot with depression, but doesn't do anything for the mania so I'm taking a small dose of an AP for that. Both are weight-neutral and don't affect my blood sugar (I'm a diabetic as well so I have to watch that). So far, so good.

I also am on Lamictal. Have been titrating up for about a month and a half. It SEEMS like it's working decently (finally. It took over a month to even tell any difference). But it's still really hard to tell if it's doing anything at all.

I go back and forth as to whether or not I think it helps.

Right now I'm on 150mg but I go back tomorrow where I've been told it will be increased to 200mg. It's weight neutral so far from what I can tell.

I take Lamictal 150 mg twice a day. I have have to increase the dose due to the additional stress of college, but I was stable when I was working at a job I like. I also had to add and anti-depressant and a stimulant for the same reason. I am taking 500 mg of Epival/Depakote for migraines specifically, though it is also a mood stabilizer. As for it being wieght neutral, I don't known, my metabolism has slowed, but I am in my late 20s and it's common for most people's metabolism to slow.

I am on Lamictal and Seroquel. PDoc had me taking extra small dosageIof it during the day, but I only take the Seroquel at night now because it numbed me out too much.

I was on carbamazepine er but stopped taking them.

Lithium for me. I think my back up choice is Lamictal. But i am still new to meds (3 ish months)

I take Lamictal 200mg. I have been on up to 400mgs but had to go down because of needing ECT. At 200mg it doesn't interfere in the seizure production. Lamictal is also weight neutral.

My husband's on 200 mg and myself and my son are on 100 mg of lamictal, it's weight neutral, it works well for us but I'll be trying to get it increased a little.

Sodium Valproate for me. 1000mg split into 2 doses

Just 50mg of seroquel seems to be doing the trick for me now. Its a low dose, but I seem to be sensitive to some meds and not others. Go figure.

I haven't gained a bunch of weight, but it has seemed to increase hunger. But since I have a really odd flexible schedule I can't take it at the same time everyday like I do my other meds, because I'm comatose in a half hour after taking it.

Good luck!

I'm on Quitiapine 300mg, though currently under review because of a relapse after starting a new job (now resigned) (Y)

RB

Since a lot of you seem to be taking lamictal I've got a quick question:

Is it better to take lamictal in the morning or at night? When I visit the psychiatrist if mood stabilizers come up... that seems to be the one that I would like to try. My GP suggested seroquel but I would rather leave that one alone for now... the weight gain and major sleepiness are not all that acceptable to me! (I prefer to take pills in the morning as it's when things are consistent for me)

Isn't Seroquel an AP? I've yet to hear anything good about any of those.

My pdoc wants me take mine at night, I think it's because it makes some people drowsy until you get used to it. But it was really hard for me to remember it at night so I started taking it in the morning, figuring that it was better to take it period than keep forgetting it at night. It didn't make me drowsy at all though.

I think a lot of pdocs suggest that first. But it also takes a really long time for it to work AND mine was titrated up over the course of about 6 weeks. Making the process even longer and more frustrating. AND I'm not even at my final dose yet!

I'd read that too, that it's an AP. Which I don't see why I would need that as a first try because I've never experienced psychosis! I stood my ground with the GP though when she suggested it. I figure, if I'm going to have to be trying out meds I may as well research and pick out which one I want to try first. Lamictal sounds like it'd be a good fit if I don't get a rash!

That's extremely strange that they'd land on Seroquel as a first med for bipolar. A lot of GPs don't even mess with treating bipolar period... and this is probably why. lol

They titrate it up to prevent the rash, or so is my understanding. But part of me thinks it's because they like to torture us.

Yeah... I was a bit surprised when she suggested it. I'm pretty sure I told her before that my aunt and grandma have diabetes! (really now, it's the ONLY family medical history I know!)... and the fact that when I first went to her, I said VERY clearly that I did NOT want to take something with a high chance of weight gain as that would just have a horrendous impact on my mood.

So to suggest seroquel?! Thank goodness I'm well-read on my own or I'd have taken the suggestion! She suggested it for sleep I think.. but really now, once I get off the sertraline my sleep habits will get more tolerable. Hopefully. At least for a little while.

My family takes our meds at night because it's easier to remember and I'm more amenable to drinking and eating at that time. I was worried about the 14-hour half life but my pdoc says as long as I take it daily it shouldn't matter. It's also easier for my son to tell friends it's sleeping meds.

I am on Tegretol and Abilify. Recently I had to have the dosage of the Abilify increased to bring me back to mood stability. Which is funny, because Abilify is an atypical antipsychotic.

I'm on 300 Lamictal. I might go back down to 200 as I feel stable now. I'm also on geodon but I don't know if that is classified as a mood stabilizer or not.

I take half in the morning and half at night. My pdoc said to keep the schedule of Lamictal for the blood concentrations. As for the other meds, my pdoc has let me experiment with timing to find what works best in my case.

Geodon is an atypical antipsychotic which stabilizes mood by tamping down mania (at least, it works that way for me). As for the Lamictal, DON'T change your dose without your pdoc's knowledge or approval......if you're stable, it's because the meds are working. IOW, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

I agree with not reducing your meds on your own. I suppose an adverse reaction might mean you need to consult a doctor immediately, but unless it's life threatening, personally, I would call health-link type services or the first doctor you can get a hold of.