Posted by bipolarspectrum on March 3, 2007, at 0:54:44
In reply to Dilantin, maybe?, posted by med_empowered on March 1, 2007, at 13:22:06
Hey med,
Dilantin is a great idea.. it does seem to be making a comeback... I'm going to talk to my pdoc about that..I've tried keppra, my problem is that most drugs send me manic/hypomanic, even the mood stabilizers... its really weird actually..
I havent tried light therapy or sleep depreivation... Are those things for moderate-severe illness or just mild forms?
I don't sufffer pychosis, just constant mixed mania.. very agitated and depressed.. Calcium channel blockers even make my cycling worse!
cheers
bps> Dilantin is pretty old school but...its an option, apparently; some docs are bringing it back after a small study showed pretty good results in some patients with long-term bipolar "issues" who hadn't done well with other meds.
>
> I guess there's also Keppra and multi-mood stabilizer mixes and even vitamins (knock Truehope all you want, the EMPOWERPlus vitamins have helped some people). Have you tried stimulants? Light therapy? Sleep deprivation?
>
> If you have any other options, I'd say steer clear of clozaril for now. Its certainly better than, say, long-term, high-dose Haldol, which is why some people w/ schizophrenia with it love it but...its still very much a neuroleptic: there's apathy, sedation, sometimes dysphoria, weight gain, seizures, drooling, weird drug interactions...its rough stuff, best used only in very select patients.
>
> Is psychosis a part of your disorder? Or are you dealing w/ a mood disorder w/o psychosis? Do you have any issues that might complicate things--like health conditions, a lot of stress, an Axis II issue (like borerline personality disorder) ?? Have you tried Calcium Channel Blockers?
>
> Good luck.
>
>
poster:bipolarspectrum
thread:736948
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070302/msgs/737881.html