[crazycatlady_83]

Hi, I'm new here. I am trying to find some answers, and hopefully you all will have some.
I am currently taking 40mg Geodon in the am when I wake up, and 80mg Geodon and 300mg Lamictal in the evening. I also have 1mg Ativan as needed, mainly for sleep but there are those times when I need it to calm back down. I also take birth control for PMDD.
My problem is that lately I have been feeling slightly manic. It isn't all the time, and it isn't all day long. I take my 40mg when I wake up, and I know it's most effective when taken with food, but if I eat then I get tired. And I have 2 kids and go to school an hour away from home three days a week. I can't afford to sleep all morning. This past week, I've felt like I didn't take my morning dose about 11am...I start to clench my jaw and I just feel off, if that makes sense to anyone. I also have had little to no patience with my boys, 8 and 4. Yesterday, my oldest had a baseball game and my youngest was so overly affectionate (he's a momma's boy) and kissing my arms and hands. It's embarrassing at times and I was trying to watch the game, so I got frustrated with him. I politely pushed him away over and over and told him to stop, realizing I was in a public place with people watching. What I really wanted to do was push him hard enough that he fell down to the ground. That's how I've been feeling most afternoon/evenings, just angry and irritable....that's my mania. I can't be creative and productive, I have to be angry.
I'm wondering if I need to increase my morning dose to maybe 60mg, because it seems like I'm not getting enough in my system if it feels like I'm not taking it at all. But I fear that the increased dose would still make me tired, and too much Geodon makes me a little flat, personality-wise.
I'm also trying to figure out what exactly the Geodon and Lamictal are commonly used for. I did some research, and I read that Geodon is an antipsychotic, and I think Lamictal is being used as an anti-depressant. Do you think it could be too much Lamictal? I've thought about asking my doc if I should decrease on that and see how I do. I honestly have not been depressed in well over a year. Sometimes I think it would be better for me to be depressed than manic because I don't hurt feelings when I'm just laying in the bed, sleeping or crying. I've done some not nice things to my boys in the past.
I have a supportive husband who is also trying to find something that will work. I have mentioned the feeling of starting to get manic to my doc when I saw him last week, but he doesn't really want to change medication while I'm going to school because anything is going to make me tired and we don't know what will happen as I transition. That's why I was hoping I could either increase Geodon, decrease or eliminate Lamictal in the meantime until my semester is over.
I know this is long, but I'm hoping some will have the patience to read it through and have some advice for me. I'd rather hear from others like me, than going on the med website or something that won't tell me the real truth about the meds.

[Travelinglady]

I know some meds, especially antidepressants, can cause mania.

What did your doctor say? We do care, although no one knew what to say earlier.

[BipolaRNurse]

It sounds to me like you are over-scheduled, and that's hard on earth people---let alone us! You're raising a couple of active boys, commuting and going to school, and doing the sports mom thing---when is there time for YOU?

It also sounds to me like you may want to do a little research on your meds. Lamictal is a mood stabilizer, not an antidepressant, and you're on a good-sized dose but I don't think that's what's causing your problems. You're also on a healthy dose of Geodon, which is indeed an anti-psychotic, but it is one of the 'weaker' ones and you may need a little more, or a different kind of AP in place of (or in addition to) Geodon. (That's how I wound up on Zyprexa.)

I think possibly you are more over-stressed than manic, although the bad thoughts and irritability can be part of mania as you know. Please talk to your pdoc before you do ANY med adjustements, and in the meantime try to let some of the extra activities go.....you are doing too much and enjoying too little.

[crazycatlady_83]

I'm on summer break for a little bit before starting my one summer class....local American government, I'm anticipating this being an easy class since it is lower division. And it's online for 4 weeks. I didn't feel like I was under too much stress during the semester, but I know I will be in the fall with microbiology and organic chemistry.

I just saw my pdoc last week. The month before, I decreased to 100mg Lamictal and kept the Geodon the same. He added Ativan every 8 hours as needed to see if that will keep me calm enough throughout the day. He hinted at adding another med that is similar to Geodon, but I need to research the cost because I have to pay out of pocket. I found Zyprexa that I think I might want to try. The one thing I'm not looking forward to is the weight gain. I really liked when I first got on Geodon because I lost all my Seroquel weight. Then I gained with Abilify and then stayed stable on Lamictal. I've put on weight since I stopped working to go to school and I'm having a hard time getting it off. If I do make any adjustments to meds, I would like it to be during the summer so I have the time to adjust and sleep as much as I need to. I like to be stable on meds when I'm in school.

I actually am doing less than I have in the past. I was working full time, going to school part time, and volunteering for the school and an animal rescue group.