Nervous About Medication

I posted a while ago about how I was waiting to see a psychiatrist. In the mean time, my therapist expressed that she really wanted me to go med free. She had successfully helped me through a hypomanic state, and she really believes that I can do it. I wasn't too sure, but I was committed to trying.

I finally met with the psychiatrist. After reviewing my history, and talking with me he decided that he wants me to be on medication indefinitely. He said that especially with my history of hospitalization, he thinks it is my best chance at successfully managing the disorder.

I am actually okay with that. I still plan on making the lifestyle changes that I have been working on with my therapist, and adding medication into the mix can only help. The problem is, I want the medication that has helped me in the past. He is recommending all new medication. I was on Citalopram 40mg, Loxitane 10mg, and Ativan 1mg. He wants to swap the Citalopram out for Lithium, and the Loxitane out for another antipsychotic. I can't remember the name, but after he mentioned it I looked it up and it had some scary side effects.

My main issues with Lithium are that I heard you have to watch what you eat because it can effect your levels, and the weight gain that I hear about. I'm already a big girl, I don't need to get bigger. Am I overreacting?

I'm nervous about the antipsychotic as well, but they all seem to have pretty unsettling risks. I probably wouldn't have started Loxitane if I hadn't been in inpatient treatment at the time.

I don't think lithium has any food interactions. I've never been told to avoid anything and I've had trouble with toxicity so I've taken it with great care. Perhaps in excess (and I do think maybe you shouldn't drink alcohol n it although I can't really remember) but I think food is safe. The only drugs that affect foods that I know of are MAOIs, which are last resort antidepressants.

I know it's hard to not do this but try to not read what is out there on the internet and get scared. There are all kinds of information about what showed up in 1 person during clinical trials and people writing about what they went through on a med that was bad for them. But those things are usually rare and won't happen to most people.

Weight gain is a rough one. With every med some people gain and some people don't. You can work with your pdoc to find meds that don't afffect your weight over time.

The idea of an anti-psychotic scared me greatly at first. But I got used to it and got less scary with every dose.Again, the side effects vary greatly person to person. I was on loxitane this summer and had musle rigidity and uncontrolled mouth movements so I had to go off it. Otherwise tit was a great drug and side effects weren't that common.

It will be ok. Just try to avoid the internet (except for here or somewhere like here) regarding the meds. You can ask questions here or on the meds board part of PC to learn more about what you'll be taking.

I really liked Loxitane. My husband and mother-in-law said it made me different, but I felt productive and like things were going to be okay for the first time in years. I guess they had gotten used to me being crazy and manic that when I mellowed out it was weird. My husband keeps going back and forth regarding supporting my decision to be on meds and to be honest it's starting to piss me off. I get that he and his mom thought I was too calm/almost sedated on Loxitane, but for the first time in years I was able to think clearly. I was able to focus on one thing at a time, and I was able to slow down. If they don't get how important that is to me, then oh well. I'm tired of being this way, and I just want to feel better. I don't think that's too much to ask.

The medicine I couldn't remember was Risperidone. Does anyone have experience with that?

I have had absolutely no bad side effects with Lithium. The very first few days of a dosage increase I am a little irritable. But that is it.

I did gain some weight (I am also on Latuda) but to be honest I was eating like a pig. I have made some adjustments in the way I eat and am losing some weight now....so....

I have a history of overreacting, so that's probably all it is. I'm very nervous about trying new meds in general whether it be for BPAD or a sore throat. I like to stick with what I know, so I'm sure I'm just blowing things out of proportion.

Hi! I can understand having issues with meds because of their side effects, that's why I'm trying these that are suppose to be weight neutral and low to no side effects.

I see he changed out an antidepressant (citalopram) for a mood stabilizer, lithium. You weren't taking a stabilizer hon? Hopefully adding a mood stabilizer will help you from being hospitalized any more. I hope it all works for you!

I liked loxitane too, it just did not like me. Which is just a problem my body and APs have. But it wasn't sedating, low on side effects (besides the serious ones that made me have to quit of course) and I think if I'd been able to tolerate it enough to get my dose up higher it would have been a great drug.

The exact same thing is true of risperidone. I felt really good on even a tiny dose of it but it caused my blood pressure to go really high. We even tried it 3 times because that was such a rare side effect it seemed coincidental but it happened each time. But I really liked the med until it didn't like me.

One thing about meds that can be hard for families is that until your body adjusts, which can take a bit, there are going to be more apparent side effects like sedation, being flat, etc. Those tend to go away with time. This is more likely when you are starting several meds at once so you really need to be ready to be patient with side effects for a little bit. I know that my mom gets a little worried whenever I start a new drug and there are any visible side effects. I started a tiny, tiny dose of lithium last night and even that is making her nervous b/c she has witnessed toxicity and it's not pretty. But it's also not that common and especially not at the dose I'm on. But since she was there while I was deathly ill and she was trying to decide if she needed to call for an ambulance it's understandable she worries. But I'll be fine.

Oh yeah, and I think it is likely your pdoc doesn't want to use loxitane b/c he probably isn't used to it at all. It is very rarely used. In fact if you search this website for loxapine (which is what I call it) nearly every post is by me when I was on it for 3-4 months. My dr said she hadn't used it in a couple of years when I went on it. Usually it's not a drug they start with but one that they use after years of other things not working.