The plan was to wake up at 6am and go skiing. I woke up at 11am. If I had gone anyways I'd be driving 3 hours round trip to ski 2 hours. In the past few years I've had to skip doses if I wanted to do anything fun or if my work hours left me with less than 14 hours from time of taking the med and time I have to leave.
I'm sick of clozapine. They just bumped it up because I was gloriously hypomanic. I can't work, I can't hike, and I can't ski. I function better without this ****.

[Gabyunbound]

I'm with you on this, and I so so wish it were different. In my case, it's Seroquel, with which I need a minimum of 10 hours of sleep, preferably more. It affects my work and it affects me socially.

I wonder if your pdoc would be willing to cut the dose so that it works for your BP but also allows you to function without needing so much sleep. I really hope so.

[still_crazy]

hi. i declined clozapine back in the day, and I'm glad I did. sorry about your situation. some people take provigil or, less commonly, ritalin with clozapine (and other tranquilizers, too), to help w/ sedation and such.

if you want to try a different tranquilizer, or drop the tranquilizer(s) altogether, maybe a skilled family doctor could help do a -slow- and -gradual- taper? clozapine, in particular, has a definite "discontinuation syndrome," on top of what one gets from stopping any major tranquilizer. not good...tapering has to be done skillfully, carefully, slowly.

i take abilify, but even w/ that, i feel like im missing out on things. at times, im there...but not there, if that makes sense. vitamins help me, personally. orthomolecular...i tolerate the tranquilizer better, less dypshoria, etc.

sorry things are rough for you right now.

[Beana77]

I'm trying to taper off of the Seroquel because of fatigue. It's really disabling. I also have RA so I can't always distinguish the autoimmune fatigue from med fatigue, but I do notice a difference if I take a lower dose of Seroquel. It does help keep me stable but the price is way too high.

[CaminoDeOro]

I'd be dead in the water without my ADHD stimulants. They also have a bit of an antidepressant effect for me. Of course they also make me less stable but it's a juggling act especially when trying to find a better cocktail.

Eventually if being too drowsy and sluggish impacts our lives enough, it may outweigh the other improvements of the med and require a change of some kind, even if adding a stimulant. Sigh.

The thing is I'm on clozapine because NOTHING else works. They just increased it because I was having paranoia. I'm "stable" now but it doesn't seem worth it, and it'll be a while before we try to decrease the dose.

[bioChE]

For me, ADHD stimulants are a must. Regardless of ADHD symptoms, the med fatigue is too much for me. I take the max dose of Vyvanse to counteract it all.

As a side note, I also take a Guarana supplement as part of my Monster Energy replacement in pill form. The Guarana definitely adds an energy component. If I miss a day of taking it, I definitely feel a lack of energy and lethargy that usually isn’t there. I’d highly recommend it.

[99fairies]

bioChe...where do u get Guarrana.Is it a prescribed or just found at the drug store?

[Beana77]

Guarana is great but I'm sure my pdoc would not approve. I sometimes take a supplement with Guarana, Ginseng, and Rhodiola on the really bad days. It can trigger mania, but some days I need something just to function.

[Guiness187055]

Ever since I switched to abilify I am now longer a zombie. Abilify with wellbutrin and a couple cups of coffee and I am ready to roll. Back when I was on zyprexa or seroquel that's a whole different story.

[99fairies]

I was on clozipine but I gained so much weight my pdoc took me off it. That was 2 months ago and I've lost 25 pounds since going off. I am much sharper now as well.

[bioChE]

I️ get Guarana from Amazon. It’s not prescription.

[GoldenSnitch]

You definitely aren’t alone in this one and it sucks. I was just complaining about this to pdoc and my mom today.

[bioChE]

For what it’s worth, the Guarana I️ take is formulated with 200mg caffeine in it as well. So I’ve learned to skip my morning coffee. That being said, the energy boost from the Guarana definitely lasts longer than just the caffeine.

I’ve said it on this forum before, but it’s worth repeating. I️ used to drink Monster Energy drinks, because they did more for me than just a caffeine boost. They put me in a bit better frame of mind, and that lasted for 1/2 day or longer, far beyond what some caffeine would do. But at $3/ea, they’re kinda expensive.

My solution was to rip off their formulation, and just take it in pill form. So I️ take Guarana, a Super B complex, Taurine, and caffeine. I️ think they put in L-Cartinine as well, but I️ don’t take that.

My formulation is in my pill box every morning, along with my other meds. In total it costs me about $0.30 and I️ no longer buy Monster drinks. I️ also bypass the load of sugar they contain. It really works for me, and I️ think it can work for others just the same. I’d love to see someone else on here try it and report back with results. It would be nice to see an N > 1 for this experiment.

I’ve also been working with other amino acids to minimize my symptoms, but that’s a post for another thread. Good luck on your quest to not be tired.

One last thing. If you’re afraid of caffeine jitters, the Taurine smooths that right out and you don’t have to worry about it. Good luck.

[Sunflower123]

That’s good to know bioChE. I’m going to give the things you’ve listed a try. My pdoc has me on NAC to protect my liver and I get a boost from that.

[bioChE]

Originally Posted by Jennifer 1967

That’s good to know bioChE. I’m going to give the things you’ve listed a try. My pdoc has me on NAC to protect my liver and I get a boost from that.

Glad to hear you’re up for the experiment. FYI, I️ get my supplements on Amazon. It’s pretty handy as they list the per pill price on everything. For the most part I️ go for the least expensive. If you’re interested in specific brands, just PM me and I️ can look at the bottles for you.

[winter loneliness]

Originally Posted by bioChE

Glad to hear you’re up for the experiment. FYI, I️ get my supplements on Amazon. It’s pretty handy as they list the per pill price on everything. For the most part I️ go for the least expensive. If you’re interested in specific brands, just PM me and I️ can look at the bottles for you.

How can you take that without becoming manic?

[bioChE]

Originally Posted by winter loneliness

How can you take that without becoming manic?

Have you ever had a Monster Energy drink, and if so did it make you manic? It doesn’t do that to me, nor does this combo. I’ve been stable as a rock for around two years now, and started taking this combo around January of this year. No mania here.

The only uppers here are the Guarana and caffeine. Guarana is some sort of herb, and provides a lift. The caffeine is about the equivalent of a strong venti Starbucks. The Taurine acts to balance out the uppers as it acts almost like a mild benzo. And the super B complex is just a time-release vitamin B, which helps with energy levels all day long.

Per your question, what part of this do you think could be mania-inducing?

[winter loneliness]

Missed the part about the amount of added caffeine. Didn't see the starbucks part. I don't know about guarana. I know that bipolar's are supposed to avoid ginseng and a few other things.