Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 108543

Shown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.

JohnX2, How are you?

Posted by Jackd on June 3, 2002, at 13:34:25

Hey John, I haven't been around the board in a while so I thought I'd come see how you're doing. Well, it seems like you're still a busy bee, but otherwise how's the medication and overall progress?

Re: JohnX2,how is lithobid going??? (nm)

Posted by Chloe on June 3, 2002, at 22:08:00

In reply to JohnX2, How are you?, posted by Jackd on June 3, 2002, at 13:34:25

Re: JohnX2, How are you?

Posted by JohnX2 on June 3, 2002, at 23:31:54

In reply to JohnX2, How are you?, posted by Jackd on June 3, 2002, at 13:34:25

> Hey John, I haven't been around the board in a while so I thought I'd come see how you're doing. Well, it seems like you're still a busy bee, but otherwise how's the medication and overall progress?

Hi Jack,

Good to hear from you. Are you on summer break?

Well, I'm still tinkering with the meds. I was taking
Topamax with Lamictal and the combo was keeping me
hypomanic. I swapped out the Topamax for Serzone (to help
with headaches), at this left me a bit depressed and cycling.

So now I am on a Lithium trial. Its been about 3 weeks at
600 mg lithobid (don't know blood level), but I haven't noticed
much difference. Probably need to bump the dose. I took some
Topamax again this weekend and it made me a bit hypomanic (so
probably the Li is not quick there). That explains the flurry
of posts. A real roller coaster.

I hope this Lithium works and I can return to work soon.

How are things going for you?

Best Regards,
John

PS Hi Chloe!

Re: JohnX2, How are you?

Posted by Jackd on June 4, 2002, at 15:09:09

In reply to Re: JohnX2, How are you?, posted by JohnX2 on June 3, 2002, at 23:31:54

An old acquiantance of mine told me she found great success after 8 years with that combo (Lamictal + Topomax). Yeah, I'm on summer break, so I have some time to really mess around with the meds. Right now I'm on 30mg of Remeron with 1500mg of Lithium and have been somewhat stable and functional for a few months. So to me, that's a success, or at least a step in the right direction. It was funny though, I went all the way up to 1200mg on the Lithium and I was still cycling like crazy, but when I hit the 1500 mark it suddenly stopped (and incidentally my trough blood level had finally reached .59, just about therapeutic. I had just about given up too.

The lithium is good stuff, I do have to say, but it makes me tremble a bit when I get nervous or excited.

I'm starting Lamictal and in a few months I'll be at a therapeutic level, in hopes of eventually substituting it for Lithium.

Now you said you felt hypomanic on the L and T combo? Doesn't sound too bad to me. Did you have a lot of anxiety? How are they on their own? Is there a synergy of some kind you think? I've been doing A LOT of reading on neurotransmitters and pharmacology but when you get to the mood stabilizer mechanisms it's like a whole new dimension. If I remember you have neuropathic pain, right (don't know if that's what it's called)? I was reading about some involvement with NMDA receptors, among other things.

Well anyway, good luck with your meds. (Correct me if I'm wrong, you're on Lamictal and Serzone, and you're adding in Lithium right?)

Re: JohnX2, How are you? » Jackd

Posted by JohnX2 on June 4, 2002, at 22:08:49

In reply to Re: JohnX2, How are you?, posted by Jackd on June 4, 2002, at 15:09:09

> An old acquiantance of mine told me she found great success after 8 years with that combo (Lamictal + Topomax). Yeah, I'm on summer break, so I have some time to really mess around with the meds. Right now I'm on 30mg of Remeron with 1500mg of Lithium and have been somewhat stable and functional for a few months. So to me, that's a success, or at least a step in the right direction. It was funny though, I went all the way up to 1200mg on the Lithium and I was still cycling like crazy, but when I hit the 1500 mark it suddenly stopped (and incidentally my trough blood level had finally reached .59, just about therapeutic. I had just about given up too.
>
> The lithium is good stuff, I do have to say, but it makes me tremble a bit when I get nervous or excited.
>
> I'm starting Lamictal and in a few months I'll be at a therapeutic level, in hopes of eventually substituting it for Lithium.
>
> Now you said you felt hypomanic on the L and T combo? Doesn't sound too bad to me. Did you have a lot of anxiety? How are they on their own? Is there a synergy of some kind you think? I've been doing A LOT of reading on neurotransmitters and pharmacology but when you get to the mood stabilizer mechanisms it's like a whole new dimension. If I remember you have neuropathic pain, right (don't know if that's what it's called)? I was reading about some involvement with NMDA receptors, among other things.
>

I become very euporic on L+T and this elevated into agitation, restlessness, anger.
The Lamictal alone is a mild AD, it leaves me a bit anergic depressed. I haven't tried
Topamax by itself.

I think there is a synergy in how they modulate glutatamate.
Lamictal acting at the NMDA receptor and Topamax at the AMPA receptor.

> Well anyway, good luck with your meds. (Correct me if I'm wrong, you're on Lamictal and Serzone, and you're adding in Lithium right?)

Thanks. I hope this lithium works. I'm really dragging my feet on making the
medicine moves, I need to move quicker.

Good luck with the Lamictal augmentation.

Best Wishes,
John

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