Bipolar check-in #48

*Beth* · Aug 11, 2020 at 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FluffyDinosaur

I spoke to him today, and I'm going to taper off the lithium. I'm hoping that will help, but I'm also a little afraid to do it. What if it makes me more unstable, and then covid gets worse and I lose access to my therapist again? I don't want to make that situation any worse than it already would be. But I suppose we'll see if it helps or not, and if not I might preemptively build the lithium back up at least until the covid hell is over. Right now I'm just tired of all the meds. If Lamictal doesn't work either then I'm considering ECT. I'm going on 9 months of alternating between depression and mixed, and I just have to make it stop because I'm worn out. I also need to stabilize my life but there's too much change and uncertainty that I have no control over, and that includes covid.

The medication tango gets terribly wearying. At times, intolerable. ECT is certainly an option. I strongly considered it at one point when I was feeling tangled up between mixed and depressed, with plenty of dysphoric mania thrown in, especially a vicious anxiety that never let up. I told my pdoc that I wanted to look into getting ECT, she okayed that, but asked if I'd try one more med (Pristiq). I did, and I got lucky. The Pristiq lifted the depression off my shoulders. Then we added in/took away some meds/adjusted doses and bit by bit, between the meds and therapy, I became more and more stable.

But, despite the scary reputation it has, every person I've known who has received ECT in contemporary times is glad they made that decision. And by "every person", I do mean every person I've communicated with about it. (There's a thread in Bipolar Treatments about ECT.)

Whatever you decide, there is one way or another that you will have relief from your symptoms. I promise you that. I've been deeply involved in the mental health community IRL for decades and online for a long time. I have yet to meet anyone who, if they stick with treatment, doesn't become stable sooner or later. I'm being honest about that.

Also, I want to mention that you're still climbing up there on Lamictal. You have a long way to go before you're at the max dose.

Another thought I have...Lamictal alone...anxiety...I can only speak for myself on the subject, but I definitely have to take a med specifically to lessen my anxiety (in my case, Trilafon).

btw- there might be 2 threads on Bipolar Treatment about ECT. There's a man named Guinness here on PC who could give you a lot of info on ECT. I think he's a mod or a community liason.

Not pushing you toward ECT, but it's a feeling of security to have that option.

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Bipolar check-in #48

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