[bunnifoo]

So currently I'm taking 1 mg Klonopin Morning and night. 1200 mg Lithium morning, 100 mg of Lamtical morning, with .5 mg klonopin I can take 2x day PRN.

I feel spacy and just out of it. I kept thinking today was Friday and missed an appointment that I really needed to go to. I keep telling myself leave the house at 2:45 for an appointment.

And I feel tired. I'm used to the tiredness but it's getting better but the spacines isn't. Someone asked if I was stoned.

I keep hoping it gets better. I'm also having GI side effects of Lithium but it's not lithium toxicity just annoyiing. I'm taking Immodium but that's not supposed to be a long term solution.

Anyone have advice, tips, etc.

[~Christina]

I took this combo years ago except I was on Xanax not Klonopin....

Klonopin is a depressant so it can and will cause you too feel spacey or tired. The Lithium can cause mental fuzziness. Have you been on 1200mg for a while or was this recently increased? When was your last blood work? were you in therapeutic range?

Can you cut back your klonipin? Or just not take the prn doses as often?

"Usually" your body will adjust given enough time. But only you can decide how long your willing to give it.

I finally wasn't willing to tolerate the lithium and cognitive issues it caused and I stopped it.

[wildflowerchild25]

Lithium made me feel like a stoned robot. I was on a five second delay...it took me extra time to respond and do things. It was terrible and I will never take lithium again because of it.

[bunnifoo]

I just got out of the hospital and my lithium was increased on Thursday (past Thursday) and I had blood results on Monday.

I was taking klonopin in the morning to deal with the anxiety and then in the hopsital they switched to evening for sleep and then added during the day. I see my psych nurse practioner on 6/11 and maybe things will change.

I took lithium before but i can't remember anything except the horrible GI side effects.

[Moogieotter]

There's oodles of options here. Both tegretol and depakote are good in place of lithium. Just have to keep trying. How long did you give Saphris before giving up?

moogs

[bunnifoo]

I'm kind of running slim on options. Straight up anti depressants are out becuase they put me in a mixed state or hypo manic then there's the stuff that was ineffective or gave me side effects.

I took Saphris for a few days but the restless leg syndrome thing was so bad and I can't take beta blockers because of asthma.

I really need to update my signature.

Zyprexa made me eat all the time and hungry even when I was full. I took Seroquel for almost 8 years and was ready to try something else. I can't remember what effect I had with Tegratol but it was something.

Latuda wasn't approved by my insurance when I tried it -- took 3 weeks or so to get Saphris approved and It hink I took it for less than a week. Risperdal gave me anxiety attacks. Geodon was ruled for reasons I can't remember (I think related to how much weight people gain...maybe)

When I was in the IOP program the nurse there just printed out a 2 page sheet and we went down them. At the time I was taking just Lithium and klonopin and looking at the list we came up with 3 possiblilities. 1) add Lamicatal (which is what we did), 2) see if insurance will cover Latuda now and 3) try MAOI patch because I had good results with that at one time...before I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

[THE16THDOCTOR]

The Klonipin daily and lithium could be doing it. Someone suggested the Klonipin as a pnr which is how I take it but obviously idk how often your anxiety hits. Maybe try a different combo from lithium like lamactil (mood stabilizer for bipolar). Personally Latuda was an absolute nightmare for me just made everything twice as bad.

[bunnifoo]

I already take Lamicatl with Lithium. I should change my signature but it's:

1200 mg of Lithium
100 mg of Lamictal (until June 15 then 150)
5 mg of Ambien
1 mg of Klonopin am and pm (for anxiety and sleep)
and optional .5 mg 2x day prn.

I'm feeling a little better each day. I think I've figured out somethings to stay away from for the GI problems and I wasn't as spacey and I didn't get much sleep last night (my own fault).

I was taking 1 mg of klonopin at night to help me sleep, then my anxiety got bad so it was switched to during the day. The dr who prescribed it said he'd rahter see patients on a consistent dose and add prn if necessary because a lot of times people will wait until their anxiety levels are really high and then take the klonopin rather than being more proactive.

I know I have a hard time judging my anxiety levels and have had anxiety attacks in front of doctors and tried to say I was "only a little anxious".

[Crazy Hitch]

I'm not on that combo of meds bunnifoo but I wanted to quickly say hang in there and I hope that things get better for you

[Chickenkicker]

I've settled on Lithium 600mg and Lamictal 150mg. In the past I was also on Resperidone and Ambien...but Ambien was the devil...Resperidone turned out not to be necessary, so I stopped them and my fog lifted.

I'm certainly no MD, but IMHO trying to attain 'therapeutic levels' of a psychotropic medication is misguided. Checking for Lithium toxicity is essential especially at higher doses, but tests for 'therapeutic levels' of a drug just tells us how much of it is in our bloodstream...not how it makes us 'feel'. How can scientists determine with one generalized figure what is therapeutic for the millions of different phsyiologies? Usual Lithium doses are around 1200mg. With my dose I'm sure I'm not at 'therapeutic levels'...but its working for my physiology.