Mood stabilisers

[Devil Girl]

What are peoples experience of mood stabilisers like lithium and using them alonside anti depressants?

I know everyonesmexperience is different but did it help? Did it slow the mood swings down? Did it help stop you gettin manic/hypomanic? Did you feel 'normal' or not? Was the weight gain bad etc....I'm looking at overall things and specific! I am really worried about the idea of mood stabilisers ... Will try and discuss this with my psychiatrist but I just want general experiences. I am not bad enough on the high side to be 'forced' meds but thy are an option and I am very worried about it!

Thanks devil.

Ps am mostly affected by the depressive side but have had to hypomanic/manic episodes (potentially) this year and could fit into rapid cycling and have had previous mixed episodes (potentially)

[Soviette]

I've been on Lithium Carbonate (Priadel) for a month now, and I can't really say if I'm sure if it's helping or not. But it is like as if I feel.. content (not wanting to cry, self-harm, get depressed, etc), but not deeply happy either. Meds can never 'solve' problems only help. However, I'm sure if that's the way my life is going (fairly good) or whether it's down to the meds because my Shrink did say they take a while to start working. -Shrugs-

I haven't gained weight, but I've definitely become a lot more thirstyyyyyyyyyyy. I'm told to drink a lot of water, though. I'm not on any anti-deppies.

[Siouxsie]

I took lamotrigine (alongside my old antidepressant && current antipsychotic) for a while and tbh it did jack. It didn't help my mood swings at all but I didn't get any side effects either.
Sorry, that's probably not much help but I wanted to wish you good luck.
x

[Devil Girl]

No all opinions are welcome. I know that it can sometimes not be that helpful for the depressive side hence why anti-depressants are used. But I just want to know if it helps things like functioning because I'm struggling. I really am. And i know so much about how to improve mood but dropping from high to lowish is hard and to struggle going back to so little energy is hard. From so many ideas to focus on death...it's hard and I guess I wondered would something help that or make me feel numb or strange etc. Or would it allow me
To have better control so j could improve my life.... I take overdoses again and it's bad...I'm not proud of who I am. And I wish I could 'get a grip' but nothing truly works...i wish i was high again...

[redhead22]

Yes I have taken or tried several of the mood stabilizers along with antidepressants. They helped me however abilify did nothing for me. Lamotrigine however did help me but there were some side effects I just couldn't live with, not weight gain or anything like that. i also took depakote which did help but killed my stomach. i have never really found anti depressants to be really helpful unless I was on a mood stabilizer. I hope this helps some and again I don't want to scare you by saying I had side effects i couldn't live with because that is myopinion and it does effect everyone differently. But from my experience it has helped I just need to not stop them like I do and then I end up crashing...you would think I would have learned by now...best wishes.

[manic_felinemistress]

I take Zonisamide (mood stabilizer) along side Lamotrigine (anti-depressant), and I go on and off anti-psychotics as needed... As with any drug drowziness always accompanies, other than that I'm rather pleased with what I'm taking right now. There wasn't much weight gain either, maybe ten pounds?

[lostandalone3]

I take Zonisamide (mood stabilizer) along side Lamotrigine (anti-depressant), and I go on and off anti-psychotics as needed... As with any drug drowziness always accompanies, other than that I'm rather pleased with what I'm taking right now. There wasn't much weight gain either, maybe ten pounds?

Sorry but Lamotrigine is actually a mood stabiliser as well. It is just mainly used in the treatment of the depressive episode of bipolar disorder.

[Fry]

They numbed my emotions when I used to take mood stabilisers.
Carbemazapine, Depakote, Lithium etc.