[GreenEyez]

Just recently diagnosed Bipolar with a slew of anxiety disorders (name one and I've pretty much got it) and had a few questions.
1) This whole process started with some facial numbness the doc's attributed to anxiety and they gave me Lexapro - which made me twitch - then Paxil, which made my entire body go into muscle spasms and twitcing and jerking within the first five days. I then got to the point of hallucinations. My current psychiatrist says this is a reaction that can happen to a bipolar who was put on an antidepressant. Has anyone else had/heard of this kind of reaction to an SSRI? The doc's who gave me those pills were not psychiatrists and just basically handed them to me like halloween candy.
2) I am now on low doses of Zyprexa and Lithium. Are these medications good for the treatment of this disorder?
3) Has anyone had physical problems due to this disorder? I still get the twitching and muscle spasms and under extreme stress lose feeling in my left arm and leg. It's totally weird.
That's it for now I guess. My dad was bipolar and I was pretty sure I was not since I seldom come "down" but I guess mine is far different from his. I just keep going up until something breaks Now that I am on all these drugs I kind of miss the up. Anyone else?
Thanks!

[JonB]

I always missed the ups too. I hated Zyprexa. Gained 75 pounds in 6 months on it before I finally switched docs and got it changed. The prescribing doc said the weight gain was acceptable - I disagreed. Watch out for that weight gain.

[tommylee]

i am not a big fan of lithium, is there any substitutes to lithium you can take ?

[DaveyJones]

There have been many discussions here about lithium...like any other drug, some folks do well with it and some do not. Regardless of opinions, repeated studies have shown lithium to be the most effective drug for mood stabilization, particularly mania. It is, hands down, the first-line treatment for bipolar. Zyprexa is an anti-psychotic used to keep the lid on severe mania. From your description of your symptoms, these drugs sound like a reasonable place to begin your treatment.

Remember that the treatment of bipolar is a process, not an event. Things can change over time, and probably will. Learn as much about the drugs you take as you can, and if you start to have unacceptable side effects, call you pdoc immediately. Learning about your condition is extremely important. Rose has a great list of books posted in the stickies at the top of the forum, it's a great place to start.

Also, I highly recommend that you find a support group...this can be a HUGE help. It's great to be able to talk about this stuff with people who have been there, who understand. You'll also be able to connect with other resources in your community. Try these websites: www.nami.org or www.DBSAlliance.org . They sponsor hundreds of groups nationwide, there is almost certainly one near you.

I hope things go well for you. This is a difficult condition to treat, but with knowledge and support, things can get better.

[GreenEyez]

I have gained 15 lbs on the Zyprexa but since I was 'anorexic' the 15 lbs helped raise me up into a more normal weight range. It totally gave me the munchies for a while. Is it the eating or something else that creates the weight gain do you think? It seems to work for me and I am afraid to not take it at this point. I've been on it for about a month and a half.

[GreenEyez]

My doc prescribed the lithium because it worked for my father who was bipolar. I am actually less afraid of taking lithium because it has been on the market so long and so much long term research has been done. After the bad reaction to the Paxil and Lexapro I am a little drug shy.
I was inpatient then in an intensive outpatient program until I was just recently released. Their after-care group time is impossible for me to get to.
There is a group that meets near me, but I'm just a bit too shy to walk in alone. I would love to take someone with me but am not sure about how they feel about friends tagging along (Social phobia is one of my anxiety issues
Thanks for all the info. The whole "bipolar" label is a lot for me to stomach and it's not going down easy. I take the meds like I am supposed to but deep down I think I'm still in complete denial.

[Taipans]

One of my main issues is social anxiety as well. I start tomorrow my "Theraputic dosage" of Lithium. I hope this can knock down the anxiety I have almost 24/7 aswell as keep my mood from swinging so bad!

Have you noticed any help at all with Lithium with the social anxiety you suffer from? And did your doc start you out on a month long dosage to allow your body to regulate before jumping to the more potent dosage?

In any rate, good luck with it, I'm going through the exact same thing atm. Been treated by dozens of meds over the past decade and now I have been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. And Lithium there I come. lol

Mark

[GreenEyez]

It's hard to tell which drug is doing what but my social anxiety has slightly decreased. Lithium was the lastest addition, I am on Zyprexa, Xanax and Lunesta (to sleep); Lithium was added a few weeks ago at a tiny dose (300mg) and we've been gradually increasing it. I am extremely sensitive to medications so everything I go on we have to try a small amount first to check for side effects before we raise it.
I probably haven't been on Lithium long enough to answer your question. I think it has seemed to help my anxiety issues in combination with the other drugs. Though my doc did say that after the Lithium gets me stabilized we can probably begin decreasing the other meds - so I guess she's thinking it will take care of the anxiety too.

[darkeyes]

It may be the Xanax that is decreasing your anxiety, Lithium is really not an anti-anxiety med, but can help tremendously in the long run, and yes, your pdoc is right about once you achieve your therapeutic dose of Lithium,he or she will most likely be able to wean you off the other meds, just keeping an anti-anxiety med to use only as needed.
When I was established at therapeutic dose for my mood stabilizer, I no longer needed any AD's and have Ativan that I use only when I am feeling a lot of anxiety brought on by life situations such as being a caregiver as well as this pre-menopausal hormone shifting.
The main med. for Bipolar should start with a mood stabilizer, then if needed, other meds can follow.
So often Bipolar goes undiagnosed,being mistaken for depression, which the patient gets only partial treament or wrong treatment.
You'll be surprised how the main med can help other symptoms, as well as anxiety.
Hang in there, good things will happen, sometimes it takes awhile, but is worth being patient with new treatment plan(s).
Glad you have come to our forum(s) at PC.
Take care,
DE

[Taipans]

My doc has me on 300mg in the morning and 300mg in the evening. And come tomorrow night will be doubling the nightly dosage, and then I will start the blood testing / increase / blood test routine. They will be checking on my thyroid levels as well so if that’s out of wack, or the Lithium screws with it that should be addressed also.

I have been one so many medications that lithium is the only class/ family of drugs I have not tried for my social anxiety and mood swings. So this is pretty much my last shot. (And yes I have been though many years of counseling too) So I guess my doc anyway believes lithium might help with Anxiety and my mood swings? Who knows, I will sure let everyone know if it does.

=)

I have a reaction like you are describing to antidepressant medications to. Antidepressents make me very very (I cannot emphasice very enough) manic. Right now I am in the depressive side of BP. My Pdoc put me on effexor XR. She said that this had the least chance of making me manic. I so far have not felt manic.

[GreenEyez]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who reacts badly to anti-depressants! it was such a weird reaction that landed me in the hospital because of hallucinations - it took a while for them to figure out what was actually wrong and what was a drug reaction.

I, too, was put on ad's, because I was going to my GP & he dxed me as having major depression. He didn't make the connection that my mother had bipolar & it is highly genetic. I didn't go to the doc when I was hypomanic so he saw only one side of my illness. I became hypomanic on the ad's, but just thought, "Wow, I feel GREAT. These drugs are really working." Then I would fall into another depression in 6-8 weeks & the dosage was increased or if it was too high already, I was switched to another ad. This went on for over 30 years! I was on every ad practically & anti-anxiety drug. When I was finally dxed with bipolar I at age 48, I was so relieved. Maybe I could now get some help, which I did, but I had to go to a psychiatrist. GP's are not really qualified to treat or dx bipolar, IMO.

I was first put on Depakote (helped with agitation, did nothing for depression), then Lithium (impaired kidney function from that so I had to get off it, but it did help tremendously with mood), then through a year of trial & error to see what worked with the least amount so side effects.

Keep asking your doc questions. Report any side effects & be prepared to experiment quite a bit before the right combo of drugs is found. Good luck & welcome to PC.--Suzy