New struggling Bipolar

Hang in there as you increase the Lamictal. Have you gotton a presciption for Klonopin? This will really help you. I take it at times when needed. Lamictal has done wonders for me.

I hope your p-doc plans to cut back on some of your other meds ,hoping you will get a therapeutic response from Lamictal. Too many meds can be counter-productive and cause unwanted side-effects and interactions.

New cutting edge treatment is adding a low dose of Lithium to lamictal. The theory behind this is keeping the Lithium under blood level norms to keep the unwanted side-effects at bay. The synergy from these 2 meds has been great for me so far. Antidepressant properties and mood stabilization. It's been a week now. I have my fingers crossed. I have been able to lower my effexor dose in half. I was having sexual side effects at a higher dose and still having some mild cycling going on. This seems to happen around my period, and when the season's change. In fact, I had some problems before we changed the clocks.

I have been highly functional for many many years now. I have a milder form of bipolar II. Depression dominated, some mixed states with increase energy accompanied by anxiety, and of course those dreaded sleep disturbances.

This illness has made me appreciate the little things in life and has made me a more compassionate nurse. I wish the best for you, and remember there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Polarbear

Lamictal 200mg
Lithium 300mg
Effexor 150mg

Polarbear, Thank you so much for your words of encouragement. I am so hoping that the Lamictal works for me. Yes, I did get changed over from the Xanax to the Klonopin at 1mg twice a day. I can't tell if it's working any better than the Xanax or not. I'm pretty uptight and anxious right now.

Thant's interesting about the Lithium being added to the Lamictal. I used to take lithium by itself....made my feet and ankles swell into large sausages!! Had to come off of it. Couldn't tell if it helped me or not because of the swelling. I sure am glad that it's working for you!

Thanks for your well wishes. I just wish that I could see the light and know that it's not an oncoming train!!!

This has to be frustrating waiting...this rollar coaster ride can be challenging.
Will your pdoc change the tegretol...is that your mood stabilizer until the lamictal increases to the normal 200mg? Just curious.
I wish you well.
bizi

I don't know about changing the Tegretol. I will see her again on the 15th and will take in my lab work that shows what my Tegretol level is. It still has room to be increased. The ups and downs are just killing me!!!

Just for your information, if your pdoc wants you to continue on with the tegretol there is a longer lasting form of it called trileptal...I was on it and did not have to have blood levels drawn.

hang in there
bizi

I was on trileptal before tegretol and had a MAJOR allergic reaction/rash with it!! It worked though!!

sorry to hear about your rash...hopefully you will get things back to normal as soon as possible

My pdoc has changed up my meds. She has changed the Tegretol to Tegretol XR, saying that it will have a smoother, longer lasting effect. She has added 80mg to the already 160mg of Geodon that I'm taking. Everywhere that I look, it shows the max to be 80mg twice a day. Now I'm taking 80mg three times a day. This really concerns me. And of course, she's still uping the Lamictal. She has also discontinued my Lexapro saying the anti-depressents will sometimes cause bp's to become unstable. So we will see how this new regimen works!!!

Hope all is going well for all of you!!!

I too know that the geodon should only be dosed 80mg twice a day.decreasing the lexapro sounds reasonable as the lamicatal has antidepressant qualities.I wonder if a small dose of klonipin might help you instead of the increased geodon?
hang in there and I hope you are feeling better soon!
bizi

Please if you have any questions concerning your meds give your pdoc a call. If you think that you are taking too much of a medication then ask her why and express your concern. She is trained specifically for prescribing this type of medication and I am sure she will not mind explaining why she prescribed the doses she did. Good luck.

I wanted to clarify that I would never want you to change your medications without talking to your pdoc...I am not a doctor and I am sorry if I came across wrongly.
I wish you well.
bizi

Bizi: Don't worry! I never thought you were coming across that way. I knew what you meant. Thanks for your concern. I did start the Klonopin and it does seem to be working. I have an appointment in 4 weeks with my pdoc and am making a list of my questions. Why Geodon 80mg three times a day is at the top of my list!! I did see that an increased dose has helped some with schizophrenia.

Polarbear: Thank you so much for your advice. I don't change anything anymore without asking my pdoc first. I tried to take myself off of Tegretol along with ALL my other meds and feel flat on my face. Should have been taken to the hospital. But I just stayed in bed and had my sister go to the pharmacy and get them for me. I just waited it out until they got back into my system.

I really appreciate all of your replys. It makes me feel that someone cares and is listening to me. Thank all of you so much!!!