Posted by MoparFan91 on November 1, 2005, at 23:03:51
In reply to Re: Risperdal ever make any one worse? » MoparFan91, posted by SLS on November 1, 2005, at 9:58:18
I currently take Lamictal at 400mg, Topamax at 250mg, and Lexapro at 5mg.
My ultra-rapid cycling seems to have stabilized as the amplitudes of the mood swings are much reduced. Also, mood states, if they even happen, don't nearly as long now.
No more Mixed States...;-) and no more bad depressions.
My social phobia is much better, and my obsessive ruminations is dimmed down as well.My OCD is still there a bit, though, so that's why we added some Lexapro last week. I'm only on 5mg right now, and we will see how that works. Since I'm on Lamictal as well, I may not need as much Lexapro because I heard those two drugs synergize together or something.
I think the best anticonvulsant I've been on was Lamictal. After I've fully titrated up on it, I pretty much have no side effects from it. It doesn't make me sleepy or anything.
Topamax would be a second best (at least now). At first, I didn't like it as much because my other doctor ramped up on the dose too fast (titrated up by 25mg every 4 days then increased right from 100mg to 200mg). I didn't tolerate it as well due to side fx and minor cognitive problems on first trial due to fast ramp-up, though I got a lot of benefit.
On the 2nd Topamax trial, though, I like the medication better and I would consider it the 2nd best anticonvulsant. It's helped so much. The doctor I have now titrated my dose up by 25mg every week to my current dose of 250mg. I have minimal side effects. I had few cognitive problems for first few days at certain doses but they went away and mental clarity returned. I do feel a little sleepy after each dose, though.
The only other anti-convulsant I took was Depakote for many years. It helped with temper tantrums and anger impulses during adolescence and teenager years (some possbly caused by pubertal changes). Biggest downfalls were lethargy and weight gain due to appetite increases, and messing with blood sugars.
Later on, Depakote didn't help at all when my actual bipolar ultra-rapid/ultradian cycling and Mixed States began to truly manifest itself later at age 18.
I then started Lexapro by itself without a working mood stabilizer at age 19, late in 2003, and it worked fine until I stopped it cold turkey in early 2004 and went untreated for 2 months. As a result, the severe depressions and Mixed States came back.
Based on my present symptoms, Topamax is the suitable true mood stabilizer for me. When I took it with Lexapro one time, it worked fine as my only mood stabilizer.
Geodon made me manic as hell, though. SSRI's don't cause mania for me despite having ultra-rapid cycling bipolar.
In spring of 2004, I had already been taking Lexapro for a few weeks at (when I was just starting on Topamax), and Geodon was added. Five days after it was added, I became hypomanic. 2 weeks later, I went berserk. When geodon was dropped, the mania abated with Lexapro unchanged. Topamax was increased thereafter.I haven't had those hellish Mixed States, though, everytime I took Topamax at a therapeutic level.
> Which anticonvulsants have you liked best?
>
> What are you currently taking, if you don't mind my asking?
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> - Scott
poster:MoparFan91
thread:573941
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20051031/msgs/574373.html