For me it was getting me out of that psychosis of course. I was on 9 mgs of risperdal and it took about 2 weeks for me to come back to reality.

Also manic rages. Oh I hated those. I would get verbally abusive.

I remember this hot tub shop was right by my bus stop. And I had to walk by it to go get my son from daycare. The owner had a sign up for a presidential candidate I couldn't stand. It was an election year. Every day I'd get madder and madder seeing that sign and him. I finally went in one day when I was manic and really told him off. There were a whole bunch of customers in there. It got completely quiet. I just ran out in tears. The next day I went in and apologized.

I hated having to go through that. Telling ppl off then crying bc I felt like such **** and going back with my tail between my legs and apologizing. These are the things meds have helped me the most with and some skills I've learned....

So what have meds helped you the most with?

[BipolaRNurse]

Without a doubt, meds have tamed my rage. I haven't had a screaming fit since I've been medicated. I used to be awful, throwing things, peeling out of the driveway and driving 100 MPH, yelling at people on my front lawn. I don't do that anymore.

[cincidak]

They've helped with the rage, also strangely enough with my ocd, and agoraphobia. I take Saphris and Geodon, Lamictal, and low dose of Paxil. I have taken Risperdal,Abilify, Seroquel, and Latuda, but for me those either didn't work, or the side effects were to bad. Go with what works.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

[MBM17]

Interesting question! I had depression and anxiety for 4 years before I found a med that really helped. When I was hospitalized, I was put on Abilify. For the first time, I have to present and anxiety for 4 years before I found a med that helped. When I was hospitalized, I was put on abilify. For the first time, my thoughts could actually affect my feelings. Before that point, no skills, no CBT, no anything would actually make me feel better. My depression and anxiety were too severe for anything to help. I think that this is still the biggest benefit from meds for me. The meds bring my chemical state up enough that my other skills, therapy, CBT, DBT, all that other stuff, can actually help.

And I just have to vent, I still feel hurt and sad sometimes about that time of my life. So many people were always telling me, as I'm sure all of you have experienced, all the things that they said would fix my depression and anxiety. They told me all this stuff and I felt guilty! I criticized myself for not trying hard enough. All those people meant well, but it really hurt. I wish I had realized before 7 years of misdiagnosis that this really is a chemical problem and nothing I did was going to make any difference, no matter how hard I tried, until meds addressed the chemical problem. So anyway, that has been the biggest benefit for me from it.

[gina_re]

TRILEPTAL!!!
It calmed me down dramatically! All that other junk was added years later because, well...you know I have bipolar disorder, sh** happens..

[Blue_Bird]

They've done several things: level out my mood, stop paranoid delusions, lessen my anxiety/ and stop panic attacks and regulate my sleep.

I'm on Invega Sustenna, Paxil, Depakote, Seroquel, and Hydroxyzine prn

[emgreen]

My experience with meds is very similar to rose1985's. I just wish meds could stop my periodic depressions as well as they control my manic antics .

[Nammu]

Smoothed out the jagged highs and raised the deep chasms. For sure helped the irritatableness, rage and total apathy

[Rjaye]

Meds helped completely alleviate the raging irritability and fits and shallow the great troughs of depression. I am functional. I'm BP 2, so my doc changed up my meds and I'm on Lamictal, Sertraline, and Ritalin. The Ritalin was the biggest surprise. Instead of revving me up like I thought it would, it evened out my ragged temperament.

I like being functional and in control.

[RisuNeko]

Meds have helped make my episodes (up and down) shorter and less severe. I haven't had a depression last more than about 3 months in several years, and I used to get depressions up to 3 YEARS long.

My ADHD/binge eating disorder definitely helps my focus and helps me to not binge, but I only wish the effects would last more than 5 hours. 5 hours of relief a day is better than zero, but the day is a lot longer than just 5 hours.

My anxiety med (clonopin) helps me do things I really don't want to do, and fear, like driving, going to work, cooking (I'm afraid of stoves), and some other things. It doesn't take the anxiety away anymore (I used to be on 5.0 mg a day, now I'm down to 1.5 at most) but it makes it tolerable.

Meds overall have helped me to be a semi-functional adult. I can say with vague pride that I'm making As in grad school and am holding down a job and have a few friends etc. I still have a tendency to think I'm a total failure and waste of flesh even when I'm not depressed, but I think that's more of a perfectionist/body image type issue.

[Victoria'smom]

Abilify took away "Anna". Which took away my ED.

[Wander]

Lithium calmed my rages so I am less reactive even when very unwell. Saphris helps me sleep and usually stabilises my moods but lately I have been in a mixed state so something is not working.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Clozaril is the best med I've been on. I'm still working on dosing and side effects but aside from being asleep through half the day I'm functioning better than I have in a long time and my mood stays mostly stable. I'm hypo now but even that isn't so bad, just irritabiity that so far I'm able to control mostly.

It's too bad that Clozaril has to be a last resort because it is really effective. The blood draws are a pain but now that I know where to go I can get it done quickly and painlessly. I gained weight at first but have gone back to my pre-Clozaril weight. Constipation is a major issue but my dr is working with me and we have a solution even though it's kind of extreme.

It's not like I'm going to be going back to work or anything but I don't feel like things are constantly getting worse like I did the last 2 years or maybe longer. The better I get the longer we realize things were bad.

[cowboy87]

Citalopram has been a miracle drug for me. My mania is intense but short. My depression is like a back ache long and dull. Since I been on citalopram, my depression is nearly non existent. Hate the side effects though.

[JustJace2u]

It's hard for me to say at this point. As of yesterday I got an 'official' diagnosis of Bipolar II Disorder. I have been seeing this psychiatrist since about the middle of February and after a few sessions w/ him he wanted me to be tested, so I went along with it and sat through almost 2 hours of psychological testing. When I first started seeing him he said it sounded more like ADHD issues w/ depression mixed in (if that makes any sense). Anyway, I guess after getting to know me a bit more he felt the need for additional testing. Initially he had me on Adderall (due to my inability to concentrate and focus for any length of time), along with Lexapro and Xanax. He then switched me to Adderal., Wellbutrin and Xanax. Now he has me on Forfivo, Xanax and a trial of a new drug called Vraylar. I'm tired of feeling so down and irritable. One day I would just like to feel like nothing is wrong and everything is gonna be a-ok.

[Tucson]

One combo was Fluoxetine, Olanzapine, Welbutrin, and Klonopin that worked well for me. Now I am on Effexor, Risperdone, Buspirone, and Lamotrigine. This is working for me too except for a bit of restlessness. I have been on no other combination that has worked. Risperdone and Olanzapine are the two APs that work the best for me. Abilify was a nightmare.

Bob

[Gabyunbound]

My first medication was Lamictal and believe it or not it helped me stop alcohol (I was an alcoholic); I had been in a prolonged depression and it brought me out of that as well. So I suppose I had been self-medicating.

The AP's I'm on got me out of a psychotic episode and I would up the Seroquel whenever I felt another one come on (well, sometimes...).

I just recently came off of a relatively low dose of Seroquel on my own (I used to take a much higher dose) and I'm actually starting to come out of the depression I was in though I don't attribute this to stopping Seroquel, for sure, the timing doesn't work, but I have more energy and am not so hungry all the time. I also know what saliva is again...

So basically, Lamictal has helped with depression (and alcohol dependence) and the AP's (Seroquel and Abilify) with hypomania and mania. As I've said before I miss my hypomania's like crazy

Antipsychotics have helped with my ideas of reference. They have been a terrible thing I've suffered with since about age 16. I have yet to find a med to control mania, and antidepressants can help me with depression with risk of mania. So I think AP's are what I benefit from the most at this time.

acting on suicidal urges.

i remember i'd always act on the urges, and i'd end up in hospital- and it would be a drama, then i'd be out again... then act on another urge, and go round in a circle

i still have suicidal urges, but i try not to act on them as much

[Unrigged64072835]

They've helped me with the mania and anxiety so far. I'm seeing how my current regime is going for the depression. Surprisingly Abilify is working well. It didn't work the last time I used it but I was also on an AD and not a mood stabilizer.