Posted by SLS on January 25, 2001, at 18:38:59
In reply to Again thank you everyone, posted by judy1 on January 25, 2001, at 16:43:26
> You are all being so nice to me, I can tell you have been here. I guess I was manic- I am on depakote and risperdal with the lamictal and klonopin. I saw my pdoc, Scott- actually I sent you e-mail and it came back, because your name and his are very similar I started confusing the 2 of you, I know pretty strange. I didn't just slow down- I crashed and felt extremely suicidal. My psychiatrist and I have a pact, as long as I am open with him, I stay out of my most feared place, hospitals. Last night I slept on my 10 y.o. son's floor, I had gone over 60 hours without sleep. I read somewhere that the only people that lack insight as much as those suffering schizophrenia, are those suffering bipolar disorder. How come I'm not surprised? Take care all- judy
Dear Judy,It won't be long until your depression gets better. The time immediately after the crash from mania is the worst.
I was going to try to explain something in my previous letter regarding mania, but I figured you had heard enough from me already. One of the most important aspect of letting a mania go unchecked is that it sets up for a switch into a severe depression. The earlier you catch it, the better off you are. Not only that, but such a sling-shot effect can leave you with a depression that is more resistant to treatment. With every one of these cycles that are allowed to occur, each mania and each depression gets worse and more difficult to treat. This is the most important reason for remaining on Depakote. I suggested Zyprexa because you were so afraid of Depakote making you more depressed, and the dosage of Lamictal would have to be adjusted immediately. Depakote is a great drug, and it seems to be doing its job well. Your depression is less the result of the Depakote and more the result of the phase shift of the illness itself.
Since your current episode is being treated so immediately and aggressively, you will feel better soon. I would be curious to know your doctor's opinion about adding Zyprexa to Risperdal should Depakote prove unsatisfactory. It might even enhance and stabilize and antidepressant effect. However, I think you should judge Depakote fairly by not having any preconceived notions as to how it will affect you.
The most common course of a bipolar cycle that includes periods of normothymia:
normal - > mania - > depression - > normal
Depression always follows mania for those people whom experience depression as a phase of their illness.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:52092
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010122/msgs/52561.html