[poptardqueen]

What should I choose?

I have been given these two options by my pdoc.

I dont know where to go or what to choose.

But Im experiencing both extreme mania and suicidal depression. Not to mention extreme alcoholism and Oding, spending, and cutting.

Im also on Lamictal 200mg, Abilify 30mg, and Valium 20mg for sleep.

Any help on controlling this bipolar?

Im to the end of my rope...literally. Death seems like a good out right now, not that im planning it anytime soon.

help!

[DaveyJones]

Depakote is a proven mood stabilizer, Topomax is not. Why not lithium? It works well with the drugs you are on, I believe. Lithium is still the "gold standard" in mood control, next is Depakote.

Hope this helps.
DJ

[xxemogurlxx]

that's weird cause i was on limictal but got sick from it. now i'm on trileptal but getting off of it and trying depakote because i don't want to risk memory loss from raising my dose. i had a hard descion but i'd rather risk the carb craving side effect of depakote instead. my pdoc said that lithium was too dangerous and hard to control. so i'd say to go wtih depakote. i'd like to know how it works out for u. good luck, i hate med changes.

[cutenotcrazy]

Im on depakote and have never tried anything else, it helped at first, but really tapered off. Now they have added Risperdal because helps the depakote. Ehh, its ok, but the depakote alone was not enough for the mood rollercaster. I had a lot of manic episodes this summer, but I dont get too terribly bad, I only had two bad ones in four months. So, good luck, it works different on everyone. Thats cool that your doc gave you options, mine just handed me pills and said "take this" The first pdoc I saw forgot I have hypothyroidsim and he gave me lithium, which can cause that, so Im assuming if you have it allready it will make it worse. What stabilizes my moods the most though - COFFEE, I love coffee, caffeine!!

[sniffles]

ok...pros and cons to depakote or topomax...

pros for depakote...does well for a mood stabilizer and you dont seem to drift all over your mood rollercoaster.
cons for depakote...makes you drowsy and gain weight in my experience.

pros for topomax...not sure i really found any pros here.
cons for topomax...didnt really seem to have the desired effect which was to lessen my appetite.

like another said, why not try lithium? just a suggestion.
sniffles

[DaveyJones]

Just for the record, lithium is definitely NOT dangerous...you just have to take blood levels every one to three months depending on how long you have been on it. The range of therapeutic levels is somewhat small, but I know too many people who take it to think that it is dangerous. It can cause low thyroid levels in some, but this is easily treated with a supplement like Synthroid or one of its generic equivalents.

Even after thirty some-odd years, it still the best mood stabilizer available. Depakote works well for mania, but has been shown to have no effect on the depressive end of the scale. Lamictal seems to have a good antidepressant effect in bipolar, but this is not borne out by scientific studies yet. It can have dangerous but rare side efffects, too.

The bottom line is that bipolar should be treated first by one or more of these drugs, and has been the accepted protocol for at least ten years (though Lamictal is a little newer than that). I don't why docs are getting away from that...anyone know?

DJ

[darkeyes]

Lithium is an excellent,med. and has the longest track record. Depakote,has gained popularity,only because it works faster,for mania,zombifying many (I didn't like it and was switched)people.
My pdoc and previous one,claimed that many pdocs have resorted to that for quick response,or in a sarcastic way,less work for the podc. sometimes.
Depakote also requires blood work,monthly than less often over time,cause it can effect the liver.
Actually, Lithium has been deemed to be much safer than Depakote,especially with long term use.
But it needs to be the patient's and the pdoc's decision as to what route to go.
Lamictal,though it's been mentioned it has dangerous side effects,I must defend this,for it is extremely rare,and should not make one afraid to try it if all else fails,it is especially beneficial to Bipolar-II patients,who have more depressed episodes vs manic. Lithium,is excellent for Bipolar-I patients (which my brother is) I've seen the difference.
I think so many people tend to dwell on the negatives of medications and forget to see the positives.
It is sort of sad,cause one may be denying themselves of a possible,positive outcome.
I've tried Topamax,even my pdoc agreed it wasn't for me,and personally he said it is not as great as it was first to be,but is used by some with good results. Drawback,one may need to have various meds in adjunct.
I liked Lithobid (time release version of Lithium)but it wasn't really addressing the depressive part of me,for I really only had one or 2 mild hypomanic state,which now realized may have been due to the use of diet pills (amphetimine) and a family deal. Even AD's alone and along with the Lithobid helped with the deep depression,so pdoc asked me if I'd be interested in trying Lamictal, and it's great for my issues.
Lithobid was excellent in addressing my agitative state,which actually has diminshed.
And there has been no change in any bloodwork,when I see my GP for my checkups,and I never had any negative results from the Lithobid.
The Hashimot's thyroiditis/hypothyroidism is more of a heredity thing with the women on my parent's both sides.
Also is common in women 30 and older, 1 out of every 10 women develop this.
Another thing to look into,is thyroid function,for that alone can be mistaken for depression/mania,and then all the time like what happened to me and so many others,doc's keep handing out all different AD's,GP's are not qualified to replace a pdoc, so all the different AD's naturally would never address my thyroid issue.
Sorry, I tend to ramble,but want to stress to everyone here, "do not fear trying meds and treatment,with compliancy they can help so much,even in miracle proportions for some."

[DaveyJones]

I have to agree with everything DE says above...I take both lithium and Lamictal for BPII, and it has been a godsend.

DJ

[debbie63]

i would go with Topamax first. With Depakote you are almost guaranteed to gain weight. Topamax is really good, i take it. I had the same symptoms as you. My other meds are lithium, wellbutrin, and effexor.

[razeljenny]

Man, what a bummer. I guess, I will just have to live crazy. I can't stand the sides of these drugs. I was on them for over 20 years and am dammed tired of rapid rapid weight gaining, heart irregularities, swelling in my arms and legs, hypothyroidism type results, and sugar problems. Just being darned crazier than a loon these days, that is all. I don't know. YOu guys I was really sick physically from my mental health drugs and went on a soy herbal diet. (This summer I cut out everything, the pills and the herbal diet) Now my mania is kicking in and I feel like running away from people and hiding. I don't know anymore you guys. Seriously, this really hurts. I should just warn everyone that I have the mainia and try real hard to not cause too many problems out there. I try to take "morinda and bacopa and celeryseed powder in my orange juice but it really tastes bad, but if I keep taking it "religiously" it does really help. I have to take it like a junkie "a lot of this herbal drinks" I also religiusly took the Omega 3 -6 oils which are one hundred dollars a gallon (for the hempseed oil) I had to take five or six tablespoons of that each day as well. In combonation, all this stuff really takes away mania. It is expensive, time consuming, It tastes yucky, stinks and costs about one thousand dollars a year. It worked yet, I quitt because I got tired. I guess I better start back on the herbal stuff religiously. I can not handle this B.P. and am so tired of it. Without doing SOMETHING Proactively, it rears it's ugly head always. I am so Darned sick of BP Mental Illness.

I have a Pdoc appt. for talking about getting on the Topamax. Community College begins on Monday. Uugggh. Is there not some way, some easier way? No!

[froggie2]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
razeljenny said:
. " I try to take "morinda and bacopa and celeryseed powder in my orange juice but it really tastes bad, but if I keep taking it "religiously" it does really help. "

I've not heard of these before . I take the omega 3's and B-100's plus viamins. Seems to help

[razeljenny]

You can try the celery seed powder, bacopa powder and the morinda power(noni fruit powder) It sells by the pound at www.herbalcom.com and prices are great. Anyway I really enjoy feeling better when I take it everyday. By the way you can put the stuff in capsules, but I am too lazy and would rather take more, by mixing it in the juice with the blender. It is worth the trouble, to feel really better and I agree that the omega 3 oil everyday will make a difference for the bi-polor problem. All of this works but has to be done each day to work really well, especially with the mania control or it won't do anything not taken often and regularly. I take it atleast 2 x a day at 2 tbsp each ingredient in the juice all the time.

Now I am going to start it up again. I didn't take any during summer and I was doing badly because of it.

Side effects from mental health drugs can hurt me so this can be my saving alternative, but I have to seriously take it all the time!

I'm still going to go to my Pdoc appt and get the Topamax. Do you guys think, I better give it a try? I know when I was regularly on Bi-polor meds, I was even. I so miss being an even person. I long to be even. being told, how unpredictable, I am really screws with my self-esteem. Do you ever feel Low, when you hear things you did yesterday, and it feels like but not quite like a "black-out" when the mania was just partying with your mind to the point of others laughing at you inwardly, commenting to you days later that they love you, "EVEN IF YOU ARE CRAZY" That hurts.

I am working on a degree in my late 40's getting pretty good grades and trying to become less disabled, but still have a long distance to move in that direction. I really feel hurt, {more than they know, i am hurt by remarks} and just wish I could be even, but can't.

The herbal stuff, takes away side effects from regular drugs like depakote, (but did not take enough of them away for me, because the cardiologist took me off of it - the Depakote- due to my heart irregularities and chest pain during the night due to heart swelling from depakote) But maybe if I start something like Topamax, it might be workable and the bacopa may enhance my memory. I heard that Topamax does make one slightly forgetful, but other than that it does nip mood swings of mania off pretty good. I only have mania and hardly have the down side, which makes me lucky.

I told my boyfriend about my seeing if I could try Topamax but he dosen't know too much about mental health drugs and just is praying for me to do whatever will help me to feel more well. He really must love me, when I have mania around him (often) We are new girlfriend and boyfriends and are going to things together and making decisions to not jump into physical love super-spontaniously, so that we could have a really valuabe enjoyable time by going at a pace that reveals things in a more human way and less raw way, because both of us had relationships that we wanted to value and decided to treat ours special this time around. He is supportive for me to try the Topamax and that is great because he will be there for me when I just start it and if I feel icky, he could comfort me as well.

[biplol]

I just started Depakote, I'm on 500 mg and at night it makes me really relaxed, I fall asleep easily and I'm waking up without the help of the alarm, which in my case is good. I'm not having cravings, all the opposite, I have to think about eating and I fell better in the morning but start feeling tired and moody at night before I take the other dose.
I hope that all the fedd you are getting would help you~!

[darkeyes]

That's good, it just may be helping your internal clock, I celebrate practically when I wake up before my alarm clock, which is seldom.
Like all meds. some work great for some while others, something else may be the answer.
My saying is, "never stop trying,you may miss out on something".
I'm happy to hear it's working out.
DE

[tracy33]

I take topamax and I really like it. I tried so many different meds and finally switched pdocs to one who went with my suggestion of Topamax. I've never felt better. It helped me to lose 25 pounds and leveled out my moods. I also take Lamictal. I was also taking Lithium but we cut that out 2 months ago because I was feeling over medicated.

[Yoda]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
DaveyJones said:
Just for the record, lithium is definitely NOT dangerous...you just have to take blood levels every one to three months depending on how long you have been on it. The range of therapeutic levels is somewhat small, but I know too many people who take it to think that it is dangerous. It can cause low thyroid levels in some, but this is easily treated with a supplement like Synthroid or one of its generic equivalents.
DJ

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

Should maybe read, lithium is not dangerous when given by a RESPONSIBLE doctor. Not my former doctor who did only one blood test in 6 months. Then when I could not sleep for 5 days/nights and she admitted me to a hospital & my lithium level was way high - 2.9 - normal is 0.5-1

[darkeyes]

Yoda,
This could of happened with any of the other meds too.
This could also happen if a patient doesn't understand or follow dosage prescribed, or a doctor's screw up.
Even a pharmacy screw up can complicate things.
Yes,a "RESPONSIBLE" doctor, makes a huge difference.
There are many good meds. for Bipolar disorder,especially Lithium, it's not always the med that cause side effects, it is negligence on those prescibing and sometimes even the patient.
Sorry, you have had this negative experience, and hope you have sought a new pdoc.
Take care now,
DE

BTW
In the past when several of us used the words like, "reputable" or "responsible" pertaining to pdocs,some members here actually took offense,and became defensive, reacting with remarks like this, "are you saying my doctor is not reputable?" or "yes,the person I know IS seeing a reputable doctor".
Anyone reading the posts here, should not take offense when we use the description, "responsible or reputable" pertaining to pdocs, just like any docs we all want to be sure to find a "responsible/reputable" doc.
Perhaps, DJ left out "responsible", but any med we all well know the prescribing doc needs to be responsible in prescribing proper dosage and titration time.
Lots of luck with this matter.

[darkeyes]

** bumping this up, may help new member's question(s)