[cherry1435]

I have been treated for 22 years for MDD and recently visited my psych doc because I had so many things flying through my mind, no concentration, etc. Suddenly it was like I saw a lightbulb go off in his head and he said no wonder you have had such a poor outcome with all the meds we have tried, asked a bunch more questions and was convinced I have a "mood disorder" as he called it during that visit. He started me on Lithium 300 2Xday mid May and continued taking 2 mg Xanax like I have for years to sleep. Immediately felt better for 2 weeks but then sank into one of worst depressions in years. Made apt when my family said I had started interrupting, not listening, rambling from one thing to another, etc. yet I am at one of my all time lows and NEVER feel hyper, excited, etc.?? He increased the lithium to 300 X 3 and added Lamictal (lamotrogene) 50 mg daily. Started this last Friday and am still the same...do nothing all day except lay around waiting on my next dose hoping that will be the one that gets me up and moving around. Does this sound like normal way to treat? Do I wait 2 more weeks (next apt) or pay another 50 to go earlier b/c I feel so low? What does the "more normal" that I am looking for feel like and is it any better than what I feel now? Thanks for any help with insight into bipolar and or the meds I am on. Not looking for a diagnosis or anything....just some real live people's experiences. I know all meds affect everyone differently but just wanting to know how you felt before versus after if you are now doing well with this diagnosis.

[Miss Laura]

Hi there,

Firstly welcome to the board. Secondly I am not on the meds you are on so I can only talk about your feelings etc.

I would maybe make another appointment if you can afford it. If not can you call him up and ask questions?

Your right we are all different on meds and we all have different triggers etc. Just reading your post you sound depressed. Are you on any anti depressants? Is there anything that can aid you out of that deep hole?

Its great you have a good support network :-)

Originally Posted by cherry1435

I have been treated for 22 years for MDD and recently visited my psych doc because I had so many things flying through my mind, no concentration, etc. Suddenly it was like I saw a lightbulb go off in his head and he said no wonder you have had such a poor outcome with all the meds we have tried, asked a bunch more questions and was convinced I have a "mood disorder" as he called it during that visit. He started me on Lithium 300 2Xday mid May and continued taking 2 mg Xanax like I have for years to sleep. Immediately felt better for 2 weeks but then sank into one of worst depressions in years. Made apt when my family said I had started interrupting, not listening, rambling from one thing to another, etc. yet I am at one of my all time lows and NEVER feel hyper, excited, etc.?? He increased the lithium to 300 X 3 and added Lamictal (lamotrogene) 50 mg daily. Started this last Friday and am still the same...do nothing all day except lay around waiting on my next dose hoping that will be the one that gets me up and moving around. Does this sound like normal way to treat? Do I wait 2 more weeks (next apt) or pay another 50 to go earlier b/c I feel so low? What does the "more normal" that I am looking for feel like and is it any better than what I feel now? Thanks for any help with insight into bipolar and or the meds I am on. Not looking for a diagnosis or anything....just some real live people's experiences. I know all meds affect everyone differently but just wanting to know how you felt before versus after if you are now doing well with this diagnosis.

[ultramar]

I don't know if you need to give the meds more time (did the pdoc say how long it would take them to kick in?) or if they're just not working for you.

There's a diagnoses called "Mood Disorder NOS" maybe that's what he was referring to, of course it's very non-specific. MDD itself is a mood disorder, as is bipolar, and others. He's prescribing some heavy-duty meds, I would ask him why he is prescribing them, I think you have a right to know.

I guess when you say many things haven't helped before that you have tried AD's before? Did he take you off of an AD at the same time he prescribed these new ones?

I don't know when your next pdoc appointment is, but maybe you can call and make an appt for sooner, it sounds like you're in bad shape. I'm really sorry these meds aren't helping (or not so far) -I wish you the best of luck.

[BipolaRNurse]

It does take a while for Lamictal to kick in. I started it in the middle of a bad depression and even got WORSE before I began to feel better. You really should talk with your pdoc sooner; he needs to know how you're doing, and he needs to give you a diagnosis even if it is Mood Disorder NOS. It's a wastebasket diagnosis but better than nothing....sometimes it takes a while to get the correct one.

For example, mine has evolved over the 16 months since I was diagnosed BP-NOS; at one point it was considered a 2 but if there'd been a BP 1.5, that would've covered it. Now that I've had a couple of defining episodes, it's changed again and I think that's where it'll stay. But honestly, you want your pdoc to take his time and evaluate you thoroughly before he makes the dx; he needs to see you at different times and monitor your behaviors during your mood shifts in order to be sure.

Bottom line is, you need to be pro-active and see your doctor ASAP, question the meds he's giving you, and ask him what he makes of things. But also, be patient---sometimes it takes weeks before the meds start working, and if you are BP it may take quite some time before the right drug "cocktail" is found.

A final word of caution: if you feel as though you might harm yourself in any way, you MUST go directly to the ER and be evaluated. Our suicide risk is astronomical and we don't want you to become a statistic, OK?

And BTW, welcome to PC!!

[Desafinado]

I don't intend to breed a mistrust of doctors, but I think in dealing with them it can be healthy to hold a certain sense of skepticism.

I've been diagnosed Bipolar since 2007 and in that time I've dealt with five different psychiatrists. A few of them had a tendency to throw as much drugs as they could at the problem, because, more, not less drugs, is likely to solve the main issue, just as a side effect they tend to cause a lot of other side effects, like what you've mentioned (lethargy, depression). Back in about 2009 I had a psychiatrist diagnose me 125 mg Seroquel 3x a day. For one fill of the prescription it cost about 200 dollars without health insurance. I took just one of those pills and it knocked me right out; after that I refused to take them regularly and it turned out that I ended up quite fine on the medication I was already taking.

The moral of the story? Doctors, psychiatrists, are not God-like, all-knowing medical wizards who always make the right decisions, and in fact, given the complexity of dosage/gene interaction, the prescribing of medication isn't far off of a pseudo-science. And so, as I began the post, it's healthy to have a sense of skepticism when dealing with your doctors decisions. It is also extremely important to keep a very close watch on your mood and behaviour through the days and weeks. If you're feeling manic, depressed, lethargic, or some other life-inhibiting side-effect, it's likely that you need to talk to your doctor and suggest a change.

This is not all to say that you should mistrust your doctor, but you should realize that, once you're well educated on your disorder, you need to be pro-active in the psychiatric/patient relationship and not blindly accept everything your doctor tells you.

[moremi]

I was on lithium before. Its one of the first meds they tried me on at the bipolar unit. When I was sent home I was on several meds including lithium. I guess I didn't drink enough water bc I completely blacked oout for 10 days. I have no recollection of even leaving the hospital. I ended up in the hospital because the lithium got to a level that was very dangerous. You HAVE to drink the water they tell you to. I had to get off the lithium but many people do very well on it. My step mom was on lithium to twenty something years and stable all the while. So its a great medication if you can take it. I would say with the way youre feeling that you probably need a AD along with the other two. I believe that's a very common thing. The antipsychotics and some mood stabilizers I believe lower your dopamine levels to keep you from getting to high and going manic but you need something for your seratonin levels to sort of balance you out. Thats what my docs told me. Plus if they took you off a benzo cold turkey after 5 yrs that itself messes with your brain chemistry. Its best to stay away from the benzos though atleast it was in my case. Hope you soon feel better...

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