Looking for new med options

A few weeks ago my pdoc put me on Abilify after taking me off Zyprexa and things not going well. Well, I'm not happy with it. I've had some restlessness and memory loss. I also feel a lot more depressed than without it. I also just feel like it's not working. I see my pdoc again Thursday and will talk to her about everything...What have your experiences been with antipsychotics? I was happy with Zyprexa, except it made me gain a lot of weight....

Another thing is I'm depressed as all get out and maybe think I need some more antidepressant action going on, but I'm already on 20mg of Lexapro. My brother who knows some about meds told me that his girlfriend is on Wellbutrin and something else and I guess that's something not totally uncommon. Do you guys know anything about that?

I hope this post was coherent. I'm not entirely with it...

At one point, I was on wellbutrin and effexor. That seemed to be a good combo, till it stopped working (which is common for me).
I am on Viibryd now, which is a new antidepressant, I'm sort of mixed on whether I think it's working or not

Hmm...well, I'll definitely talk to my pdoc about my options when I see her.

Today my T said today that she wonders if I would benefit from something to help my concentration, and I think I might, especially since I'm planning on going back to school in 3 1/2 weeks and I definitely have trouble with concentrating.

I just started taking ritalin. I don't have adhd, but it seems to help me concentrate and stay awake during the day.
Are they going to give you a stimulant?

Hi SDRL, what are you taking meds for? Is it for Depression? Bipolar? Schizophrenia?

If it is Depression, then I agree Wellbutrin might be one to turn to. It is unique among antidepressants. However, it is not the best choice if you also have Anxiety, as it can make a person more anxious. Might be too activating on its own if you have bipolar. It is weight neutral, though, and some people even lose weight on it.

I take Wellbutrin and Vyvanse for ADHD, and they both help. If you have schizophrenia, though, the stimulant meds for ADHD can act at counter purposes for schizophrenia.

Hard to make good recommendations without knowing what you are taking psych meds for.

I'm taking meds for bipolar II. My med list is Lexapro, Depakote, gabapentin (neurontin) and Abilify.

So you've actually got several antidepressants on your meds list, which suggests they're not doing the trick particularly well.

If your pdoc agrees to it, trying Wellbutrin (or Effexor) could be worthwhile because they are different classes of ADs. SSRI's are bad for me but Wellbutrin has been a godsend. It is also used to treat ADHD so if you have concentration issues, it might be a two-for-one med for you. Even though Wellbutrin sometimes makes anxiety worse, some of that can be dosage-related.

I take Adderall along with Wellbutrin because my symptoms are severe enough to require it. I also had a computer-based ADD/ADHD test that verified the (multiple) clinical interviews had been accurate on dx'ing ADHD. Depending where you are in NY, that might be an option worth considering. If you end up on stimulants for ADHD, you will know right away whether they work. I've also heard more than one doctor say that the best way to tell if someone has ADHD is to give them the meds and see what happens - if they get wired, it wasn't needed; if they settle down, it was needed. People who have ADHD don't get a buzz or high off the meds (unless perhaps the dosage is wrong, but that's why they start you at a minimum dose.)

Well Lexapro is the only true AD on my med list. It's great for my anxiety and OCD but apparently not so great for my depression.

I'm heading off to my appointment in about 10 minutes so we'll see what happens.

Sorry, my mistake - I've seen Abilify and Neurontin both labeled as ADs, but I don't know if that's off-label or not.

Hope the appointment went well!

I take Effexor and Ritalin for severe depression and ADD. With out the Ritalin I have the attention span of a nat!
I used to take 140mg of Ritalin a day... But the FDA came in and ruined that for me. Now that dose, added with the Effexor, really helped me! It was as if someone turned the light on... I felt awesome!
But now I can only be prescribed 60mg Ritalin and I am strugling to find the light switch again. But it is a great combo if you have ADD and depression, not sure about bipolar though.

AniManaic, you are so right about the whole "buzz" thing. When I was hearing, a few years ago, that people were using Ritalin or Adderall to get buzzed and be able to party all night I just didn't understand. *LOL* I can take a dose of Ritalin and take a nap an hour later! It's people like that who have abused the drug that makes it hard for someone like me, who needs it, to be prescribed the proper dose... Really chaps my hinnie!

If anyone is interested here is a great link for ADD/ADHD dosing for adults...
http://adultadd.info/
Now if I could just get my doctor on board with the doctors on that site I would be doing great!!! *sigh*

Good luck... Hope all turns out well with your appointment!