Posted by med_empowered on August 12, 2005, at 16:45:26
In reply to Feeling anxious and manic..., posted by TrishP on August 12, 2005, at 13:57:52
hey. I understand your fears about side-effects, and I think its important that we all make decisions about what we are and are not willing to accept as potential consequences of any treatment. I had problems with anxious, manic-y feelings in the past (its a lot better now), so I think I kind of understand where you're coming from (although everyone's situation is different). In my experience, benzos (Klonopin, Librium, Ativan, Tranxene in particular) helped calm everything down enough so although I wasn't exactly smiling and jumping for joy, I still felt in control and reasonably comfortable. Klonopin in particular has a reputation for having some mood-stabilizing qualitites, so it might make sense to up your dose a little, or at least RX a little more for you to take as-needed. Trileptal has probably been the best mood-stabilizer for me, although it definitely has its downsides...on the positive side, there aren't any blood tests, its pretty much weight-neutral, and the adverse effects on emotions and cognition are much milder and easier to control through careful dosing than with, say, lithium or depakote. Have you considered a tricyclic? They're not popular for bipolar disorder, since they seem to cause more "switching" than the newer meds, but they help some people...Tofranil is probably one of the best anti-depressants I've ever taken. Surmontil, for instance, is a very little-used tricyclic that appears to have **very mild** antipsychotic-type effects...there's some research into using it for schizophrenia (the doses required are apparently massive) and it has a reputation for causing less "switching" than other Tricyclics...plus, its sedating, so it can be a godsend if you're suffering from insomnia. There's also Remeron to consider. As for mood-stabilizers..if you want to avoid the antipsychotics, Keppra, trileptal, and Lamictal can all be effective and don't require blood testing and seem to have a better side-effect profile than some other options. If you decide to try the antipsychotics, you might want to avoid Risperdal; for whatever reason, it seems to be pretty rough compared to the other atypicals. Good luck!
poster:med_empowered
thread:540714
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050811/msgs/540825.html