How have your BP meds affected you, both physically and emotionally?

For example: Did they affect your body shape and size?

Another example: Did they make you more irritable or less irritable?

Things like that.

[Gabyunbound]

Much more time at baseline.

Helps with irritability (including the run-of-the-mill non-BP kind)

Gaining weight & increasing cholesterol

Messing with my memory and cognition

Hard to get up in the morning.

Way too tired, which further messes with my memory/cognition, which then causes more anxiety, which further affects my memory/cognition -vicious cycle.

Is it worth it? I don't know. I wish I could magically be sure that it's been the meds that have kept me at baseline (except for a recent 1-month long bout of depression) or if I would have been relatively symptom free for so long without them, but that's an issue for another day.

[cincidak]

Keeps me stable, but I have gained weight which mildly depresses me at times. Pdoc just switched me to weight neutral meds so hopefully I'll lose some weight.

Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk

[Rjaye]

I finally found a cocktail that worked. Much more stable-I feel like I am having appropriate emotional responses to life. I am struggling with energy, but it's getting better the more I exercise.

I've lost weight. My doc was worried I was developing an eating disorder because I was weighing myself four or five times a day and panicking because I had gained so much weight on another med. My meds changed two and a half months ago, and I've lost 18 pounds. I'm on Sertraline, Lamictal, Risperdal, and Ritalin, with Gabapentin for fibro.

I feel like I am 85 to 90 percent improved. After 35 years of struggle, I am amazed at the difference in changing all of my meds. I feel lucky even though it took so long.

Knock on wood.

[st0psign]

Akathisia, makes my feet bounce, that's why my benzropine is for. slight weight gain. I used to be really lean, like 6-8% body fat lean. now I'm starting to develop a little fat around the mid section. I also get vertigo pretty often when standing that's getting bad.I hate having to take the meds..

[Outoftouch]

I feel a lot better then I did before . But I'm struggling getting the perfect cocktail for me. I'm gaining too much weight. Memory sucks .

I've been on so many....id have to be asked about a specific med to elaborate.

[pirilin]

Best med for me is a 64oz Porterhouse steak with 12 15-20 size shrimp.
A couple of sweet potatos and string beans on the side.
Besides that, lithium is ok. Makes me feel whole. Not "cured."

[Tucson]

What pirilin said. That combination of meds work well for me. A lobster tail boosts the antidepressanf effect of the others. Oh yes, my real meds help me too except for a bouncing leg and at times some residual depression.

[Theseus]

Originally Posted by Gabyunbound

Much more time at baseline.

Helps with irritability (including the run-of-the-mill non-BP kind)

Gaining weight & increasing cholesterol

Messing with my memory and cognition

Hard to get up in the morning.

Way too tired, which further messes with my memory/cognition, which then causes more anxiety, which further affects my memory/cognition -vicious cycle.

Is it worth it? I don't know. I wish I could magically be sure that it's been the meds that have kept me at baseline (except for a recent 1-month long bout of depression) or if I would have been relatively symptom free for so long without them, but that's an issue for another day.

Wow, that sounds almost exactly like me. Do yo mind if I ask what you take?

Me:
Bupropion XL 450 mg
Lamotrigine 200 mg
Diazepam 5 mg

I swear the Lamotrigine has made me gain weight. The literature, which of course we know always lies, says weight gain is not a side effect. My family doctor says "oh yes it is". He participated in a study at the teaching medical center where the participants all gained weight.

Actually, as crazy as this sounds (no pun intended), I don't mind the weight gain. I belong to a couple of on-line groups for guys who like gaining weight. I'm actually trying to gain more.

Sometimes I freeze during mid-sentence trying to find and form words. I fumble for words and feel incredibly stupid at times.

So though I'm on a more even keel, I think the meds are doing other funky things to me. There's a price to pay: better the devil you know than the devil you don't know.

[OctobersBlackRose]

I'm on 100mg of Lamictal and 20mg of Abilify, they have so far kept me less agitated, though being depressed right now, I'm more agitated, I think we gotta up the Lamictal. The Abilify has taken away some of the voices and visual hallucinations, not all but at least they're not every day, all day anymore, and I think it has calmed some of my anxiety, but I can't really tell. Still haven't taken away delusions or paranoid thoughts all the way though.

Negative affects, a little weight gain, constantly hunger on Abilify
Hair falling out, and idk what else...

[raspberrytorte]

No noticeable physical side effects.

They're messing with my cognition a little bit.

I feel that without them my problems would be a lot worse.

[Unrigged64072835]

I've gained a lot of weight on all the meds I've been on. My short term memory is shot. I've also have cognitive issues.

Emotionally I go between flat and depressed. I'm hoping tweaking the Abilify will settle that. I don't want to change the Depakote but it isn't doing much for the depression that I'm usually in.

They have saved my life.

I gained 40 lbs on Lithium but lost the weight after getting off of it.

My memory may be effected. I'm unsure how much as I've never had a good memory outside of academics.

I've had numerous initial side effects. Too many too list.

I no longer will take meds that are too sedating, cause weight gain or give me a flat affect.

My dreams are "high definition" ... like high definition tv.

[Wander]

Lithium and Olanzapine (Zyprexa) made me gain weight(22 kg, 48 pounds). Tried ditching the Lithim, bad experiment so have switched Olanzapine for Latuda as it is, hopefully, more weight neutral. Only been a few weeks and no sign of weight loss yet. My appetite has at least decreased.

Apart from thirst from the Lithium I have no side effects from the rest of my meds. Finally found a combination that I can cope with.