I have recentlly been diagnosed as having bipolar ii (after spending a year in hospital with a major depressive episode) I'm really confused about the meds. I'm now on:
Lamotragine
Serequel
Lofepramine
zopiclone
I'm confused because this is obviously a combination of antimanic, antipsychotic and antidepressant. Is anybody else on such a combination? How long will i be on this combination? Please help!
hey, im on a combo of stabaliser, antipsychotic and antidepressant (epilim, abilify and effexor) and find it a very useful combo for helping my bipolar. so you'r not alone. if your concerne about it though do speak to your dr
im on epilim and lovan (mood stabiliser and antidepressant) and ive found that helpful (tho they are still trying to work out if i actually have bipolar two it seems to be working! feel free to pm me if u want a chat :)
"just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it turned into a beautiful butterfly..."
i'm on seroquel on it's own...my psych told me that it becomes a mood stabiliser at a certain dose. I'm not finding it's doing anything....but it's quite normal to be on a mix for bi polar.
they tend to use anticonvulsants as mood stabilisers too...like sunshine..epilim is a drug used to treat epilepsy...
i bet you're gonna feel a little drugged up for a while...seroquel is quite sedating and zopiclone is to help you sleep.
thanks for the replies. I've only been on the lamotragine a couple of days so don't feel much at the moment. I'm just so confused about what's happening. Am i going to have to be on these meds forever? i feel more disconnected from friends and family as when i tell them this new diagnosis they act like they think i'm making it up.
In what way do you feel disconnected?
No, you won't have to be on them forever. It's totally your choice but it may help you in the long term to be on at least a small amount of medication for your stability.
xx
I'm on carbatrol, abilify, and wellbutrin(mood stabilizer, antipsychotic, and antidepressant).
It might take a little while before they start to really work.
I hope they help you feel better. x
I'm on Lamictal, Zyprexa and Wellbutrin (mood stabilizer/anti mania, mood stabilizer and antidepressant)
I've been on them for a while now, so they seem to help me, but yeah, that is a normal combination of medications for Bipolar II
not sure if I should add my voice to this thread- because I am not doing so well at the moment. I have been on meds for over 10 years. Initially it was to get through my education for a period of time (yes I went to school for way longer that I would have anticipated). And I think during my extreme hypomanic episodes I was put on other meds. Basically been on two for a number of years because I found a state of stability.
Things have gradually been getting worse over the last year and I think it has been a combination of wanting to come off the meds for a drug holiday and wanting to go back to school.
I only got diagnosed with bipolar after the antidepressants I was prescribed for clinical depression........sent me conversing with inanimate objects- I appreciate the brain fog- I don't really remember order of medication or why- and quite annoyingly doctors in different countries have different takes on diagnoses and doses- and family tend to embrace whatever suits them and makes them feel better.
My basic advice is DO NOT READ online side effects and medical info about your drugs- it will freak you out. Just ask questions to your doctors and try to take the meds at the same time. Note what is going on with you in a journal and tell you doctor when you next go to see them......
My understanding is that the doctors usually use these combination cocktails to try to give you some stability especially after hospitalisation and they will play with dosage and meds over a period of time (months, years) to find what works for you. If you trust them that is a good start. It has only been a few days, so hang in there.
It is your choice to stay on meds- but bipolar is one of the more treatable diagnoses and when they find what works medication wise it really becomes up to you to work out the rest. It gives you a really good foundation to get your life in order.
~Happy tomatoes together we will be~
You say toe- may- toe, I say toe- mah- toe:
Let's call the whole thing- red
“It’s time to lead the third revolution, which is not to say we want to be at the top of the world, but to say we want to change the world. Because the way the world has been designed by men is not working. It’s not working for women, it’s not working for men,
it’s not working for polar bears.” Arianna Huffington 2014
I'm also bipolar II and I'm on only Geodon for it, titrating onto Abilify. I'm also on 2 anti-anxiety meds, and I was on desipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant, but it made my heart act up so much that I ended up in the emergency room. Fun. I've been on 21 different meds trying to find the right cocktail... so being on a bunch of different ones isn't odd.
How are you feeling disconnected?
Also, why does your family/friends think that you're making it up?
*hugs*
RYL family: Doikers is my brother
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another! - Anatole France.
Hey
I'm not bipolar but know about some of these meds and have been on combinations at various times. Obviously I can't talk for your doc, you'll have to ask him/her exactly what their reasoning was but I can tell you that in some cases certain drugs take a long time to work so you'll be put on them as well as other quicker acting ones which you can then come off when the one's that take a while to start working kick in. Lamotrigine is one of the one's that takes a long time to start working. You say you've just started the Lamotrigine? Are you increasing your doses VERY slowly? I fully endorse what someone else said about not reading side effects on the internet as it will just freak you out, but make sure you ask your doc about any side effects you are having and I'm sure you'll have been warned about this but if you get sores in your mouth, a very sore throat (and um even soreness and itchiness .... down there with it) and especially a rash you must tell your doc immediately.
With Lamotrigine you have to know this because there is a higher percentage chance of having a reaction to this drug than to many others. I had a reaction and my doc was unavailable and the docs at the hospital didn't know what it was, one even refused to read my lamotrigine pamphlet etc but luckily I knew what it was and stopped the drug so it couldn't get worse while they found another doctor which I insisted on who knew about the Syndrome you can get from it.
OK off my soap box now, this particular drug is just VERY close to my heart as it caused me such trouble!
And, having said that though, I'm about to start a very similar one because the general mood stabilising effects of those anti-convulsants can be very very useful with less other side effects than many other meds.
Thanks. I've not started the lamotragine yet because, erm well, i've been putting it off i suppose. I think i feel disconnected because i'm embarrased to talk to anyone about this stuff. i feel like everyone has an opinion and that although they're not trying to make me feel bad, their advice is very much along the lines of "Be strong, get yourself together" type things. i just think though in the last year i have found some peace -being in hospital gave me the opportunity to remove myself from work, family, social situations that were stressful. Now i'm out i can feel that all those situations are arising again and frankly i don't want to "pull myself together". Pretending to be fine is exhausting.
Pretending to be fine is absolutely exhausting I agree. Coming out of hospital and back in 'the world' is always hard - hang in there. I don't talk to people IRL about my stuff or meds or anything because they're not in my skin so they tend to put their own needs into their opinions rather than mine. And that puts a barrier between us.
anyway. I hope you can hang on to some of that peace you found.
And give yourself space not to be fine ....
Ce
