[Bonnivelle]

What was your experience?

My psych put me on them yesterday and now my mother is very unsure about them. It says they are mainly for scizophrenia (which I do not suffer with).

Is this really the right medication for cyclothymia?

What was your experience using OT? (Please mention whether you are Bipolar type 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or if it was for something else)

[wildflowerchild25]

It is fairly standard practice to augment bipolar treatments with antipsychotics. However, I personally think they are overused. I have psychotic features to my bipolar 1, so at times I do need an AP to bring me back to reality. However I will not take it long term as the sedating effects are too much for me.

I'm not sure olanzapune would be necessary for cyclothymia. But I am not a doctor so I can't say. All I can say is do your research - olanzipine causes weight gain, for example. You may not want to contend with that if you don't feel like an AP is necessary. Personally I would try mood stabilizers first and then add an AP if necessary, if you have already done that.

[Nightside of Eden]

Olanzapine is FDA approved for treating Bipolar. It's also used off-label as an adjunct to anti-depressants in treatment-resistant depression. It works on serotonin as well as dopamine, so can have a lot of benefits for depression as well as preventing mania. Atypical anti-psychotics are also used as mood stabilizers--that's why I'm on Olanzapine/Zyprexa. It's actually the core of my treatment, and I personally prefer an AAP over a true mood stabilizer because the side-effect profile is less frightening to me. This is a personal choice, though.

I'm Bipolar II and Olanzapine is very helpful for me. I've been on it for months now and it has no side-effects to speak of, just helps lift my depression and stabilize my moods. I don't get sedated from it, though I'm somewhat unusual in this.

[Axiom]

Everyone needs different medications. "Mood stabilizers" like Lamictal don't work enough for me, but antipsychotics do. I take Lamictal and Seroquel + Mianserin and Buspirone. And the low doses they use for augmentation don't cut it for me either.

[BipolaRNurse]

Originally Posted by Axiom

"Mood stabilizers" like Lamictal don't work enough for me, but antipsychotics do.

Same here, and sometimes I even need two APs to bring a manic episode under control. My treatment is rather like a four-legged stool---I need all of them to maintain a balance.