[MuddyBoots]

Apparently Depakote isn't working, and my team and I decided I can not take any antipsychotics anymore. Lithium has nearly killed me several times too.

Tonight my pdoc wants me to take trazodone and do bloodwork tomorrow to see if I can go up on the Depakote safely (I know I can't based on my last labs, and I don't think my valproic acid levels, AST, or ALT have gotten any lower).

I have never really heard of people treating BP1-mania with anything but APs, lithium, depakote, or tegretol, but I know there are less heavy hitting anticonvulsants that might help like gabapentin or trileptal.

[Blue_Bird]

I do take antipsychotics (30mg abilify and 200mg of Thorazine ) but I also take 1500mg of trileptal. The trileptal has helped me a ton. More so than Depakote or lithium ever did for leveling out my mood.

[Nammu]

I too am on a AP just one latuda for years. I’m having trouble now and he added gabapentin and very recently another AP seroquel.

I’m thinking back to everyone I’ve met inpatient and in outpatient places and to my knowledge everyone who was bipolar was on some kind of ap plus the other meds you mentioned. Sorry if this doesn’t help.

[raspberrytorte]

Lamictal? Trileptal? Gabapentin? I don't know. Whenever I got really manic and ended up in the hospital they always put my *** on haldol and that (mostly) calmed me down.

[HALLIEBETH87]

Mood
Stabilizers never helped me as much as my haldol/risperdl
Combo

[Tart Cherry Jam]

Trileptal, I highly doubt, with your history, but it never hurts to try. The evidence of its use in mania is weak from studies, but since reactions are individual, you personally just might respond to it. I tried it in 2018 and could not tolerate it because it caused a very bad, long playing migraine.

Trazodone helps some people with sleep but might make others go up, as it is an AD. The sleep dose is smaller than the old dose for AD from back when it was used as an AD, but the point remains, it is an AD.

I love Gabapentin and it has so many varied beneficial uses, including the improvement in sleep architecture, but I have not heard of it being used for mania. You can try. There are other anticonvulsants you can try that are milder. Some people report good results with Topamax. It can make one lose one's appetite, though, which would be very dangerous in your case, but again, you won't know unless you try.

There is nascent interest in manipulating your light exposure: Blue Light Blocking Treatment for the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder: Directions for Research and Practice - PMC

[Victoria'smom]

Did they figure out a new medicine for you?

[MuddyBoots]

Originally Posted by Victoria'smom

Did they figure out a new medicine for you?

Kinda. I have PRN trazodone for sleep, and I've been doing better since taking that when I need it. They just did valproic acid levels (they didn't even do liver function tests!!!) and my levels aren't at a toxic level, so I assume at my next appointment (2 weeks) she'll go up on that so they are.