[jtassar93]

I'm worried about all the meds I take. Are they working? Should I even be taking them?

I'm currently on:
1800mg lithium
20mg olanzapine
4mg xanax
and 200mg lamictal

[Keegan2015]

Personally, I feel uncomfortable taking more than 2 types of meds at any given. I think there have been times where I've been overmedicated to the point that I can't even tell what parts of the cocktail are working and which aren't.

You should probably be most concerned about the 4mg Xanax daily. That is a pretty heavy dose of benzos and the most likely to cause side effects and serious complications while quitting.

As far as if the meds are "working" or not, only you and your doctor can really be the judge of that.

[wildflowerchild25]

I agree, no one can say if they're working besides you and your doctor. But that is a lot of Xanax to be taking. If you're concerned you need to discuss with your doctor.

[pirilin]

The most important thing is not to stop taking anything
without telling your doctor.

[furiousfever]

It's super different person to person. I would rather deal with some bipolar symptoms(within a safe limit) than take a ton of meds. You need to trust both your doctor and your instincts. Work within your personal comfort zone

[Disorder7]

I almost didn't respond, due to my history with benzos, but here goes...

4 mg of Xanax, seriously? Is this long term ( more than 2 weeks )?
If so, you are officially in seizure territory should you ever stop or quickly reduce that dosage.
What you should probably expect? If this is taken daily, you will hit tolerance at some point, and 4 mg won't work. You can try updosing, but that won't work. Then you may start having interdose withdrawal, which is the beginning of the descent into Hell.

At some point, you'll have to withdraw, please do it with a doctor's help because you are in danger at that dose. In fact, if a doctor is writing a prescription for that much long term, he should be in jail.

After you are off Xanax, you might still have protracted withdrawal for years to come.
Xanax has been linked to all sorts of brain damage and memory loss, including Alzheimer's. We both have that to look forward to.

Again, please make sure you never abruptly stop taking Xanax. Keep your scripts up to date. There are tons of support groups out there, on the Internet and Facebook. I'm sorry this happened to you. It happened to me, and thousands of others, too.

[jtassar93]

Thanks everyone. I didn't know the xanax was such a big deal. I take 2 in the morning, one in the middle of the day, and one at night.

I read for panic disorder the doses can be higher than normal.
I'll have to ask my doctor about it.

I figured the lithium would cause the most concern. I thought 1800mg a day was a lot.

[unlived]

Originally Posted by jtassar93

I figured the lithium would cause the most concern. I thought 1800mg a day was a lot.

My understanding is that Lithium goes by your blood level not your dose but I could be wrong.

[raspberrytorte]

I was on 4mg of xanax a day for awhile. For me it started causing problems when I began having withdrawal between doses, so the person I was seeing at the time switched me to clonazepam and I no longer had problems with that.

But then I ended up on 4mg of clonazepam a day! And that was really fun going off of.

I think you're just going to have problems when you want to go off of it.

[pirilin]

Unlived is right. I'm a Lithium customer. The blood.
Some require more pills to attain the therapeutic level.
BTW, what's your level?.

[jtassar93]

Originally Posted by pirilin

Unlived is right. I'm a Lithium customer. The blood.
Some require more pills to attain the therapeutic level.
BTW, what's your level?.

I'm not sure what you mean by my level, lol. I take 4 450mg tabs a day.

[pirilin]

Originally Posted by jtassar93

I'm not sure what you mean by my level, lol. I take 4 450mg tabs a day.

The blood level should be from .4 to 1.0 mmol/L.
What does the doctor tells you when he sees your blood test.

[gina_re]

From what goes on in my head...give me the drugs. I don't care just make it stop. As you can see I'm up to five

[jtassar93]

Originally Posted by pirilin

The blood level should be from .4 to 1.0 mmol/L.
What does the doctor tells you when he sees your blood test.

Oh oh. I've only ever had one blood test. He hasn't said anything about it though.

[pirilin]

Originally Posted by jtassar93

Oh oh. I've only ever had one blood test. He hasn't said anything about it though.

You need to ask for your blood level. And don't take "fine" for an answer.
Get a number. There is a very fine line between terapeutic level and toxicity.
Did he/she tell you to drink a lot of water. Close to a gallon a day. Eat with salt.
Avoid coffee. No NSAIDs (aspirin and tylenol are fine).

Are you having any side effects after you started the Lithium?.

[Icare dixit]

Some doctors forget to mention that if you take any drugs ending in -am you are totally at its/their mercy.

[jtassar93]

Originally Posted by pirilin

You need to ask for your blood level. And don't take "fine" for an answer.
Get a number. There is a very fine line between terapeutic level and toxicity.
Did he/she tell you to drink a lot of water. Close to a gallon a day. Eat with salt.
Avoid coffee. No NSAIDs (aspirin and tylenol are fine).

Are you having any side effects after you started the Lithium?.

I'll try to ask next time. I rarely talk. I mostly write notes for my visits. He never said anything abut drinking water. I did research it awhile ago and figured it out for my self.

I don't think I'm having any side effects from the lithium.

[pirilin]

Originally Posted by jtassar93

I'll try to ask next time. I rarely talk. I mostly write notes for my visits. He never said anything abut drinking water. I did research it awhile ago and figured it out for my self.

I don't think I'm having any side effects from the lithium.

Doctors don't say much do they. They get on the pad and write away.
It's good you're not having SEs. Cheers.

[Icare dixit]

Originally Posted by jtassar93

I'll try to ask next time. I rarely talk. I mostly write notes for my visits. He never said anything abut drinking water. I did research it awhile ago and figured it out for my self.

I don't think I'm having any side effects from the lithium.

It's just that in 30 years your kidneys will have dissolved. Just kidding: can do more good than bad. Old med, proven effective, risks are known. But do read up on them!

And analysis of blood samples, not just for lithium levels, but also various other (e.g. enzymatic) markers is very important. Especially when taken together with an antipsychotic.