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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by kotsunega on December 19, 2005, at 21:14:06
While Zyprexa has been a wonderful mood stabilizer and eliminated my mania (with psychotic features), it has also made me dull-headed. To combat this, I also take Adderall. This combination takes me back to the good old days when I functioned optimally; had smarts; and gave a darn about things in general. Have I been over-medicated? I wonder. Anybody else experience this on Zyprexa? I take Prozac, Lamictal, Seroquel (PRN) and Wellbutrin too. I would like to 1) Get back my drive and my interest in things without resorting to Adderall to make things OK, and 2) Decrease the large plethora of head meds I take daily. Thanks!
Posted by med_empowered on December 20, 2005, at 6:07:55
In reply to Zyprexa makes me lethargic and stupid!!!!!, posted by kotsunega on December 19, 2005, at 21:14:06
In my experience, atypicals make you feel more dull and kinda stupid, perhaps also apathetic and "zombie"-like. I think it comes with the territory. Low-dose Abilify didn't dull me out too much, but it wasn't great, either.
Switching to Abilify might help. At the very least, you'll have less sedation, which is always a good thing :-) In addition, you won't have to worry so much about weight gain or metabolic problems.
Have you tried a benzo? Klonopin, daily or PRN, can be **very** helpful for bipolar people. Taken at the first signs of ((uncomfortable)) hypomania, it can act as a combo sedative/mood-stabilizer (with anxiolytic properties) and set things straight rather quickly. Adding Trileptal, Keppra, or Depakote (or a combo of those) could also help. Mania, even psychotic mania, **CAN** respond to just a mood stabilizer. In BP, the antipsychotics were traditionally used for short periods of times to quickly reduce agitation and get rid of psychosis. If you're not floridly psychotic, an anticonvulsant (or possibly lithium) could be sufficient to get rid of both the mood swings and the psychotic features that go along with them. Personally, I'd opt for Triletal or Keppra; these are pretty strong anti-manic agents that are cleaner than Depakote (depakote also tends to mess with metabolism of medications, which makes life difficult).
As for the Adderall...if you get rid of the antipsychotic, or reduce the dose, you should be able to reduce the Adderall dosage or use it less often (if you're doing it PRN). Then again..maybe not. Apparently, some people respond to amphetamines as a **mood-stabilizer**--oddly enough, some people in the midst of hardcore mania won't respond to Lithium, but dexedrine will calm them right now.
Good luck!
Posted by Phillipa on December 20, 2005, at 19:49:02
In reply to Re: Zyprexa makes me lethargic and stupid!!!!!, posted by med_empowered on December 20, 2005, at 6:07:55
Med, you're amazing you even diagnosed! Fondly, Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
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