[cashart10]

My pdoc has true intentions of weaning me off of meds. However, my bipolar is severe and it is apparently getting worse. I currently take 50 mg of pristiq down (from 150 mg), 900 mg of seroquel, 6 mg of clonapin(or up to 8 mg), 25 mg (down of navane (typical antipsychotic) and 750 mg of depacote at night. I come down after the 4 mg of clonapin in the morning but my mind mind speeeds up and I start acting like a lunitic later in the day. Is the klonapin just masking the symptoms or is the depacote already working? It reminds of the Pink Floyd song. How and what is too are too much meds?

The lunatic is in the grass.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Depakote does work fast. Levels stabilize at about 4 days but it can kick in faster than that. I hope you start to feel better.

[cashart10]

Something else, I NEVER eat processed sugar unless it is a special obassion. an I can't put it down!

[Wild Coyote]

It sounds like the klonopin (clonazepam) slows down the mania symptoms and the symptoms start to come back when the klonopin wears thin.

The night dose of Depakote is likely also helping and should, at least eventually, help 24/7. Is the Depakote new to you?

It's likely both the Klonopin and the Depakote are helping.

I hope you stabilize and feel better as soon as possible.


WC

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Could you ask about taking a small AM or lunchtime dose of depakote? It might help you make it through the day.

[IntentOnHealing]

"Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs
Got to keep the loonies on the path"

Love me some Pink Floyd.

But onto your questions...

I don't know where to start from, really, because I don't know what symptoms the addition of depakote was intended to relieve. Were you depressed and feel that it might be making your manicky? Were you manicky and feel that what you've got isn't enough? I don't know, so my answers are pretty general. Plus I'm not a real doctor. I just play one on TV

There is a difference between what is too much when you are in an actively manic state and when you are in the maintenance phase. Only your doctor can determine that. You are on quite the cocktail but that doesn't mean it's "too much." Only your doctor can tell you what is too much. As a point of reference though...When I was in the hospital, the doctor who treated me said it was common to have more that one mood stabilizer in place for severe bipolar. You have several.

As for klonopin, yes. It is a benzo. Benzos can mask manic symptoms. At the same time, klonopin is used to TREAT bipolar. I don't know much about it though. I wish I could be more helpful.

Do you have family or friends monitoring you? If not, you probably should. At least until you can direct these questions to your pdoc or your symptoms abate

[RainyDay107]

Klonopin definitely helps control my mania.

Why is pdoc taking you off meds?

I hope you feel better soon.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Oh, and the Depakote may behind the sugar cravings. Usually as long as the dose is lower there is little to no weight gain but that can definitely be a problem on depakote.

[cashart10]

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow

Depakote does work fast. Levels stabilize at about 4 days but it can kick in faster than that. I hope you start to feel better.

That is what um hoping for. Thanks for the tip!

[cashart10]

Originally Posted by Wild Coyote

It sounds like the klonopin (clonazepam) slows down the mania symptoms and the symptoms start to come back when the klonopin wears thin.

The night dose of Depakote is likely also helping and should, at least eventually, help 24/7. Is the Depakote new to you?

It's likely both the Klonopin and the Depakote are helping.

I hope you stabilize and feel better as soon as possible.


WC

Yes I am very new to the depacote (we started on Thurs). I am high as a kite but my husband is saying I'm acting very strangely and I'm off the wall agitated and anxious. I am resisting the urge to punch people in the face just for talking to me.

[IntentOnHealing]

Originally Posted by cashart10

Yes I am very new to the depacote (we started on Thurs). I am high as a kite but my husband is saying I'm acting very strangely and I'm off the wall agitated and anxious. I am resisting the urge to punch people in the face just for talking to me.

Yes. Depakote is supposed to work to quell acute mania within as quickly as one week. Does your husband say you are worse? If it's making you worse I think you should call your doc--if you haven't already.

That rage your described is a manic symptom too.

Take care--

[Wild Coyote]

Originally Posted by cashart10

Yes I am very new to the depacote (we started on Thurs). I am high as a kite but my husband is saying I'm acting very strangely and I'm off the wall agitated and anxious. I am resisting the urge to punch people in the face just for talking to me.

Is your pdoc on-call? Can you reach him/her by phone on the weekends?
If so, I'd get in touch and say just this, asking for additional med adjustments.

The Depakote should catch up with you, but until then, things sound a bit unstable.

Do you have PRNs?

I am sorry you are going through so much.
I hope it gets easier, soon.

Take good care.


WC

[cashart10]

Originally Posted by IntentOnHealing

"Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs
Got to keep the loonies on the path"

Love me some Pink Floyd.

But onto your questions...

I don't know where to start from, really, because I don't know what symptoms the addition of depakote was intended to relieve. Were you depressed and feel that it might be making your manicky? Were you manicky and feel that what you've got isn't enough? I don't know, so my answers are pretty general. Plus I'm not a real doctor. I just play one on TV

There is a difference between what is too much when you are in an actively manic state and when you are in the maintenance phase. Only your doctor can determine that. You are on quite the cocktail but that doesn't mean it's "too much." Only your doctor can tell you what is too much. As a point of reference though...When I was in the hospital, the doctor who treated me said it was common to have more that one mood stabilizer in place for severe bipolar. You have several.

As for klonopin, yes. It is a benzo. Benzos can mask manic symptoms. At the same time, klonopin is used to TREAT bipolar. I don't know much about it though. I wish I could be more helpful.

Do you have family or friends monitoring you? If not, you probably should. At least until you can direct these questions to your pdoc or your symptoms abate

Thank you for your awesome and thoughtful response. This is one of the few moments I am sane enough to sit and write. I've tried to come here as much as possible to ground myself but most of the time I am pacing, jumpining up and down and scaring my kids. I am exceedingly glad for this site glad. I have been manic, very very manic. My pdoc said I needed to go to the hospital but I fought her and she said as long as my family doesn't notice delusions I can avoid it. I have lots of friends and family monitoring me. They are the ones who called me out...it's frustrating at times. I know they certainly care for me. I believe the benzos do ware off. I was dead tired and now my mind is a whirlwind. Time will tell If my mind explodes!

[cashart10]

Originally Posted by glamslam

Klonopin definitely helps control my mania.

Why is pdoc taking you off meds?

I hope you feel better soon.

Simply because I take so many at such high doses

[cashart10]

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow

Could you ask about taking a small AM or lunchtime dose of depakote? It might help you make it through the day.

I can talk to her about it. I already tolerate 900 MG of of seroquel at night!

As for the weight gain...oh God no!!! I've finally taken off 43 of the weight I gained on Lithium!!!

[cashart10]

Originally Posted by IntentOnHealing

Yes. Depakote is supposed to work to quell acute mania within as quickly as one week. Does your husband say you are worse? If it's making you worse I think you should call your doc--if you haven't already.

That rage your described is a manic symptom too.

Take care--

Yes I saw her yesterday and next wed. She is treating acute mania.

[cashart10]

Originally Posted by IntentOnHealing

Yes. Depakote is supposed to work to quell acute mania within as quickly as one week. Does your husband say you are worse? If it's making you worse I think you should call your doc--if you haven't already.

That rage your described is a manic symptom too.

Take care--

Originally Posted by Wild Coyote

Is your pdoc on-call? Can you reach him/her by phone on the weekends?
If so, I'd get in touch and say just this, asking for additional med adjustments.

The Depakote should catch up with you, but until then, things sound a bit unstable.

Do you have PRNs?

I am sorry you are going through so much.
I hope it gets easier, soon.

Take good care.


WC

Yes, the on call doc increased my seroquel to 900 and the clonapin to 800 mg. My pdoc kept it the the same and also increased the navane.

[bioChE]

Yes the Klonopin can mask symptoms. I was on 0.5mg 3x/day, and a new doc took me off slowly. He tried Depakote monotherapy, but that didn't work out. I did get off the Klonopin OK, and my symptoms seem to be OK without it these days. I have a small script that I can take PRN, but there are times I go weeks without it. I also take gabapentin, which does a number on anxiety. I'm on it for a different condition, but it still works to keep the anxiety in check.

Good luck with your med adjustments. You are on a lot of medications, but there are times when we need to fight multiple symptoms at the same time. Good luck with getting off some of them.

[Wander]

Sorry you are struggling so. When IP and manic I take up to 10mg of clonazepam a day to calm down and even then I can still be agitated. It is a helpful med though, outside the addiction. My AP's and mood stabilisers are increased too. I've been IP 5 weeks now and finally Haldol is stabilsin me. 10mg a day.

I really hope you stabise soon. Mania can be terrifying but it will pass. Hang in there!

'See you on the dark side of the moon...'

[jacky8807]

klonopin only masks symptoms , calms you down and may make you sleep but it's definitely not a treatment med for bipolar

[IntentOnHealing]

Originally Posted by jacky8807

klonopin only masks symptoms , calms you down and may make you sleep but it's definitely not a treatment med for bipolar

I didn't think so, but I keep reading it is. Or maybe that's seizures? Man I hate this memory loss!

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Something that helps me when things are really bad is 2 benzos. I take up to 4 mg of klonopin and up to 5 mg of valium. I'm extremely sensitive to the valium so it calms me and helps me sleep. Trial and error shows this works better than increasing my klonopin too much.

But anyway, would your pdoc consider briefly adding a 2nd benzo?

[ComfortablyNumb5]

Note: I didn't read above posts. But I'm on kpin and once it wears off I'm worse. It's called "rebound anxiety". And that makes you take more. It's a ****** cycle.

[jacky8807]

I don't know .....sometimes too many meds just do the opposite and make ppl more episodic.
And those benzo doses...wooooo
I work at a drug detox and if you are on those doses everyday for a while they can be a ***** to come off of and are as dangerous as coming off alcohol. Seizures and all that.
and like RX Queen said the rebound anxiety is a real thing.

not trying to offend anyone with my post. Ignore me but just be careful!

[still_crazy]

hi. if you read older literature, some doctors would use high(er) doses of klonopin in bipolar. I think at that point the atypicals weren't around, so the idea was to spare the bipolar people the antipsychotics, since some literature indicates a higher rate of TD in bipolar people w/ the older drugs, compared to people with schizophrenia.

but...kpins can be rough. there's rebound anxiety. for me, there was serious drug-induced depression that took months and months of kpin free living to resolve. some people stay on it indefinitely, no problems. there are a lot of us who do have problems with long term bzd treatment, though.

i hope depakote works for you. i found it effective, but...rough. plus, i was put on too much while i was in a hospital, and then the outpatient doctor had to change the dosage quickly, because my levels got too high. not fun...

weight gain and hair loss can be an issue with depakote. supplements can help with the hair problem. i dont know what to do about weight gain, honestly.

bzd drugs can cause disinhibition and make one moody-er, which is lame, but true. some people also get rage reactions and anger, which is...frightening. of course, some people swear by their kpins, so dont take this as me trying to scare you.