[neverending]

I had been ultra rapid cycling in my bipolar. My pdoc got approval to try memantine, normally prescribed as a memory drug but doesn't seem to work well in that category, but he prescribed it as a mood stabilizer for me. I have now been stable for 3 months. I have never before experienced stability in my life like this. He said memantine acts on the same brain areas? teceptors? that ketamine does. Has anyone else tried memantine? I take other psych meds too. This was the most recent addition and unbelievably its working for me.

[neverending]

Receptors?

[lilypup]

Hi! It's great and totally fine to post here, but you might also try the psychiatric medications forum. They know a lot over there.

[neverending]

I chose bipolar as it is being used as a bipolar mood stabilizer. I have to go out soon but after I come back I will take you up on your suggestion and also post this one the psychiatric meds forum. Thank you.

[Wild Coyote]

I'm happy you've posted here at the BP forum since you're using this approach for BP. I probably would have missed this if it wasn't posted here, as it's very time-consuming to try to keep up with several sub-forums.

So...Great!
I am very happy for you!

My pdoc had briefly mentioned this option.

Memantine is also used in treatment of chronic pain.

Your account is very interesting!
Thanks for sharing!

WC

[Icare dixit]

It reduces brain stimulation. It works a bit like alcohol and can lead to a state that's (pretty much in essence, I think, but at least superficially somewhat) like mania, but without the need for less sleep, food, etc. and goal-directedness. Much like alcohol can cause such an experience somewhat. Basically you take more leaps of faith in your perception and behaviour. So it's the opposite of being anxious, which is, arguably, mania (as far as perception is concerned). That's called a dissociative state (though only in the one sense I described). Where alcohol is not as efficient, as it were, it's less toxic and consequently more effective.

It functions basically like benzodiazepines, but differently: the effects are much like those of benzodiazepines, but it makes your brain less active while benzodiazepines makes your brain more passive.

It also means that you shouldn't drink (or at least not a lot of) alcohol.

It does also very much the same thing as ketamine.

And yes, they use it for dementia and I could see it work, but that's simply because an anxiolytic, causing less anxiety, lengthens episodes. Mixed states, and ultra rapid cycling insofar you want to distinguish it from mixed states, change due to (an) anxiety (reaction) based on a previous state. If you dissociate a bit from that need to react, the anxiety, you just go with the flow (more). And nobody can remember much of anything in a mixed state.

Dementia can be very much like what we experience, including what might be called mania, depression, other delusions and quite likely hallucinations. It's (then) basically very-late-onset schizophrenia. Or rather, the old name for schizophrenia (which is distinguished from BP purely based on prognosis; you never recover from dementia so it's therefore schizophrenia as opposed to BP) is dementia praecox, dementia in the young.

Most importantly, as with all anxiolytics, they lose efficacy and eventually "work" paradoxically, which means the anxiety and the instability it causes will become worse (because you were shielded and therefore you are likely to forget how to cope without it, but not if you take the chance to learn what you couldn't due to anxiety/instability).

But it's not all bad. I had my first drink at 1pm today and I really needed it. Just don't rely on it other than to prepare yourself for a time without it. And that's difficult. Everyone likes easy answers.

[neverending]

Thank you for all the information you just posted. I don't drink alcohol at all so that's not a concern. My mood swings aren't due to anxiety. In fact my mood changes on the manic/hypomanic side usually show up in my dreams at night while sleeping and I wake up with the symptoms. I have been on just about everything you can throw at me as far as bipolar mood stabilizers go and this is the only med that has actually worked. How long it continues to work remains to be seen. But even this much relief is a big deal to me.

[Icare dixit]

Have you tried an antipsychotic? It can/will also stabilise your mood. It works especially well to reduce (very) rapid cycling.

That it changes when you sleep doesn't mean that much. You can have dreams that cause anxiety or those that don't. When do you normally get depressed? It doesn't really matter, but as this med reduces anxiety, it may still be interested to see how that may work.

But I'm glad it's working for you and hope it's all you'll need.

[neverending]

I have been on everything. I have taken one form or another of antipsychotics for over 40 years. Right now I also take a low dose of quitiapene, ativan, paxil, NAC, and zolpidem. It was the addition of the memantine that finally stabilized me.

[Icare dixit]

Have you tried each possible combination of all these meds and each possible effective dosage?

The effect of one med is hard to tell, but when combining meds, it's pretty much impossible. Your reaction to any one med changes day by day and that for each med, and even if they don't chemically interact, their immediate effects interact in unpredictable ways, both the biochemistry and psychologically.

I'd suggest (and you may have done just that) using not more than 2 meds at any one time for at least a year, unless it clearly doesn't work and no anxiolytics (at all).

But if it works, even by a miracle, or you and your psychiatrist have been really careful and thorough (40 years is a long time, I admit, and it must've been awful), it works...

Hopefully you can change your user name soon.

[neverending]

Yes I have been through thorough trials of everything over enough periods of time. Also because I m now elderly my body is even.more sensitive to side effects and at lower doses. I have been through the conventional and nonconventual combinations. I have had plenty of hospitalizations. Since this is nonformulary for bipolar for the VA my pdoc had to submit a lot of documentation for the pharmacist, who has also worked with me, to get it approved. It's a government agency after all. I will wait longer, then I think you are right, I should change my screen name. Hadn't considered that. However 3 months is still a short time overall, so we will see if it keeps on working, or if I would happen to get myself into a bad situation and then have it not work so well, then after that situation got resolved to see if it would kick back in. Who knows?

[neverending]

I have tried times with only 2 meds, I have to have an AD and an AP. I have also had times of being on lots of meds. I have been off and on xanax or ativan. Don't have any difficulty getting off of them. Back on the ativan now for sleep. But I have gone years inbetween without using them too. Yes, it's been a ling long road.

Thank you ALL for this information about various meds. I, too, am elderly. I have to wonder if my pdoc is taking that into account.

What's NAC?

[neverending]

NAC is N Acetalcystiene. My spelling might be slightly off. You buy it at the natural food store. He also wants me taking omega 3s but I have to find one where I don't burb up fish oil.

[neverending]

Icare dixit I reread your post. When I lived in the north my diagnosis was major depression. And my depressions lasted decades with no true relief. But they were treating it atypically as nothing completely workked, including a year on lithium. Which made 0 difference. SSRIs are the inly ADs which relieved it somewhat, and they always included an AP. Liiking back, my therapists feel that my depression also included mixed episodes.

When I moved to the south I believe it's all the sunlight down here that brought out the mania and hypomania and rapid cycling. So the diagnosis changed to bipolar. I don't experience the huge lengthy depressions I did up north.

[Icare dixit]

Maybe now, even only an atypical antipsychotic may be enough. To varying degrees, they help you to sleep as well. Maybe not. It's like one big mathematical equation with hopefully not too many variables, many factors. Both time and place being important ones.

Less can be more.

Benzodiazepines create a strong dependence and should actually only, if at all, be used for acute anxiety (or mania, where anxiety induces or prolongs mania). Factor in time for withdrawal with lots of anxiety, insomnia and restlessness.

Some supplements might be essential and some can be used to compensate for a natural deficiency which is hard to rectify otherwise. Acetylcysteine, or rather the cysteine, prevents cell damage when (your brain is) overactive or there is a problem disrupting normal/efficient metabolism, causing there to be too much or to little of (potentially toxic) substances. If a natural/genetic deficiency and overactivity cause too much cell damage, which can cause mania/psychosis, NAC helps.

But most/many "supplements" you probably don't really need and are likely not used at all if you don't have a deficiency.

[neverending]

As I mentioned before I have absolutely no problems coming off benzodiazepines. I get no withdrawal symptoms.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

If you keep fish oil capsules in the freezer it somehow prevents fish burps. I don't know how and I suppose it could harm the oil somehow but it did work for me. (I just had a lot of trouble remembering one of my meds was in the freezer).

[Ripose]

Originally Posted by neverending

NAC is N Acetalcystiene. My spelling might be slightly off. You buy it at the natural food store. He also wants me taking omega 3s but I have to find one where I don't burb up fish oil.

Try Krill Oil, never any fish burps!

[neverending]

Unfortunately I would never remember to take a pill in my frreezer. However that sounds like a very interesting solution. I think I will try the krill oil. Thanks.