Posted by Cece on June 5, 2002, at 0:39:10
In reply to So what does a mood stabiliser feel like?, posted by automatedlady on June 3, 2002, at 18:53:56
Well, if a mood stabilizer is working right, it doesn't feel like much of anything except the absense of extreme moods. There can be side effects, but if they don't even out, the dosage can be dropped or another one tried (or a mix).
BP ups and downs are different than normal ups and downs. In fact, normal ups and downs feel great after tortuous extreme and unstable moods that come out of nowhere. I was never manic, but hypomanic with much more depression. I thought that the hypo was the real me, cuz I was productive and outgoing. But it was never euphoric, and thus not seductive, and eventually the extra energy would turn on me and I'd get more and more irritable and agitated as I sunk back toward depression.
Zoloft by itself felt good for awhile but put me over the edge into real mixed state crisis within less than a year. I had a hard time accepting the BPII diagnosis since I had never been manic, and I didn't understand it. But I was desperate and began treatment.
In the time that I have been in treatment, 10+ yrs, new meds have come out. I have tried many, many meds, often becoming discouraged, but always determined to feel better- so I just kept on plugging away. I've been an assertive patient, fully participating in choices and ideas, and luckily have not had doctors who are paternalistic or dismissive (I've chosen my 2 very carefully). When the first one seemed to become less effective for me after 8 yrs (doctor-patient burnout), I got a new one (not easy to leave someone you've been with so long).
I take a mix of meds. Some of them are 'historic'- left over from earlier times before the newer meds. Some old meds have just been swapped out for new ones, but others have been kept because it wasn't clear whether I still needed them or not. Now I'm slowly taking out older ones to hone my mix down to the essentials.
Lamictal is my main mood stabilizer and works well for me- it is activating with some AD properties. Neurontin, which is calming is a good adjunct. I still take a tiny bit of Depakote- my first MS, which has its own special tweak. And I take a small dose of Trimipramine, an atypical TCA which helps the quality of my sleep. There is an interesting thread on board right now re Trim if you want to check it out. I don't want to mention my other meds right now because it is too confusing and these are the most important ones.
To all who are suspicious or afraid of meds I say "good"- keep a healthy skepticism! But it's not healthy to cheat yourself out of the chance to feel better. Be brave! And choose a pdoc who is up to date, smart, and who you trust.
Best wishes,
Cece
poster:Cece
thread:108402
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020602/msgs/108721.html