I finally got to see my psychiatrist today after she was absent for several months due to an injury. As some of you know, I've fallen into a deep depression lately and have been so lost that I don't know what I'm doing most of the time. Awhile back, Chip suggested I inquire about Wellbutrin for my depression, since I'm bipolar and SSRIs don't gel well with the mania and agitation that bipolar people deal with. Anyway, I asked my psychiatrist about Wellbutrin and she said it would be even worse than an SSRI for my type of bipolar disorder. So I then made the suggestion of Lithium, which she was impressed I knew about. She said that sounded like a much better plan and was surprised that I knew about the history of Lithium, how it was used in 7UP to boost people's moods and is still used in some sodas around the world today for that general purpose. I read a lot of Wikipedia and I did my homework on psychiatric drugs so I had a vague conception of what it was I was talking about. She prescribed me 300mg of Lithium carbonate and I'm currently waiting for it to be filled. Has anyone here had any success with Lithium for bipolar depression? If so, I'm curious to hear about it. I was actually on Lithium for two days last year, but I was on a totally different other mood stabilizer at the time and it sent my body out of whack so I stopped taking it. But now I've been switched to a better mood stabilizer and it's done a lot more good than the old one and I'm much happier with Risperdal than I was with Geodon-- Geodon which nothing seemed to mix well with. Anyway, does anyone have anything to add about Lithium?
Bipolar is notoriously difficult to manage with medication -- it often takes multiple attempts to find the right medication and dosage -- , but lithium is one of the more common (though older) treatments that is commonly used. It is often effective; the challenge is that some people feel it dulls them down. And actually... her point about wellbutrin is well taken. The increased availability of norepinepherine is something that would be contraindicated with bipolar. I must have been thinking more about the depression side of treatment when I mentioned it. Have you and she ruled out other SSRIs? There are some --not familiar with which ones specifically-- that do seem to be effective for people with bipolar, and if, afyer trying it, you aren't happy with lithium, that might be something else to explore.
She's pretty much ruled out all SSRIs. They're a big no-no. As far as dulling me down goes, that's exactly what I need right now. I'm too wired with anxiety all the time, or caught up in my own depression. I need something to take the edge off and this seems to be the pill for me. I start taking it tomorrow morning, though one of my friends said it could take up to three months for me to really notice a difference. So hopefully by January I'll see some improvement. I just hope that it works for me because I'm running out of options. I inquired about Vraylar and Rexulti as well, but she said they wouldn't gel well with my Risperdal. I also take Klonopin three times a day to keep me from losing my mind.
I have bipolar 2 and it took a very long time to find the right medication. I am currently on Latuda and I am doing much better. I have had more mania this year than the whole 5 years I have been diagnosed but I am handling it well. I also am in other medications as well but that's one that I have found to feel more regulatedbin the past few years.
I tried Latuda awhile back, I think it gave me nightmares. That or Lamictal did. One of them gave me a bad rash but I can't remember which. I'm Bipolar 1.
It can be hard finding the right medications. I take prazosin for PTSD nightmares. It helps as I have only had a few nightmares a year. I take lamotrigine and Latuda together. It takes 15 medication's to keep me alive. I hope you find the right meds soon. Do you have a good care team?
I have a decent care team, yeah. They're doing the best they can considering they're funded by the government. I'm pretty poor so I don't have access to very good therapy, just a social worker who sits and listens to me and occasionally offers some guidance. As far as psychiatry goes, I don't fully trust my psychiatrist since she weaned me off of Effexor, but I've been off the stuff for a year now and I feel like crap because I have no serotonin. My next appointment with my psychiatrist is a week from now and she's probably going to increase the lithium carbonate, which is what I want to to happen anyway considering I'm feeling a little ballsier with the lithium in my system. But I need more if I'm going to make more progress.
I really don't know what to say other than I hope you get better soon. I also went to a clinic like that and it didn't work out. You know your body best and it sounds like you are doing a good job advocating for yourself.
Funny, my peer support always says the same thing, that I do a good job advocating for myself. Anyway, as far as the clinic goes, it's not much, but it's free, which is what I can afford as long as the Republicans don't take my health insurance away. If it were up to them, I'd be on the street, eating out of the dumpster behind Red Lobster the way Ronald Reagan intended for all poor people. But yeah, I hope I get better soon, too. The Lithium Carbonate seems to be working, but I'm definitely going to need an increase in its dosage to get myself brave enough to do things like taking the bus to the yoga classes my mental health clinic provides. My clinic is actually fairly advanced for a poor person's clinic-- you wouldn't know it by looking at it, but they did some sort of DNA test on me a few years ago that tells them what psychiatric meds might work well for me and which ones will definitely not work for me. Like, they took some sort of cotton swab and swabbed the inside of my mouth and not long after they had all sorts of results. I never got that anywhere else. I just wish they had a therapist who was trained in EMDR. Maybe eventually they will. My current social worker says they used to have someone who was trained in EMDR but that they left. I just wish my Mom wouldn't constantly undermine my psychiatrist and gaslight me by saying I'm not really bipolar. I'm easily swayed, but I have to stay firm on this.
It's sad that our healthcare system is that way. I used to go to MHMR here but they kept fucking with my medicine that made it dangerous in a life and death situation. I have heard of that test but I never knew anyone that uses it. I don't know if you have this in your city but here in Texas we have something called para transit. I had to get help from a my vocational rehab counselor to get my application. I applied due to my PTSD and anxiety. Using the city bus made me panic having to change buses and remember routes. Maybe that would help if you could get something like that.
I don't know what "MHMR" is. As far as transportation goes, I usually just have my brother drive me to my appointments. There is some sort of private bus that shuttles people to and from the clinic, but I don't know who it's for exactly, it seems to be older, mentally handicapped people who use it.
Its a state program in Texas called MHMR which stands for mental health mental retardation. The para transit can also take people to other appointments, grocery stores, and social events. That's what we have here and it's been a big help. The para transit here is for anyone with a disability. There's many different kind of people on there. Do you also have a support system?
I have a peer support specialist who acts as a support system by coming to my house once a week and is on call if I need to talk to someone, it's someone who's also in mental health recovery providing support for those in mental health recovery-- I know that seems a little redundant but it's worked out pretty well so far. I also can call my therapist (social worker, really) any time during the week, but I usually just see her once every two weeks because she's very busy and seriously overworked.
Just kind of a small update, I saw my doctor on Wednesday and she increased the lithium to twice a day, but I haven't started taking that amount yet as my pharmacy won't fill my prescription until at least the 29th. I started on 300mg once a day, now I'll be on 300mg twice a day. She also ordered a blood test of some sort to be taken once I've been taking the new dosage for a little while, though I have to call and get it rescheduled due to the whole pharmacy not filling my order right away, won't that be fun? Anyway, I have yet to experience the new dosage, so I can't say how it makes me feel, yet, but I'm looking forward to it.
Yes, very difficult to treat. My aunt suffers from very severe bipolar disorder. When she has a manic episode, she often convinces herself to go off her medication, which exacerbates the situation considerably. She even manifests paranoia and hallucinates when she's in this state. We've had to rush to the nearby airport because she was waiting on a flight to Mexico so she could "join the Mexican C.I.A." We're actually dealing with a severe episode right now and are become really discouraged by the mental health system in the U.S. In any case, I've heard both success and horror stories about people taking Lithium. My aunt was on it for a while but it didn't work for her at all. The medication that always worked best for her was Geodon, but every doctor she ever has never seems to want to keep her on it. Her current doctor said something along the lines of Geodon being hard on the body when taken for long periods of time, but I've never read anything about that in my research. But depending on how Lithium goes for you, it might be worth discussing Geodon with your doctor. It's been the only medication that's able to stabilize my aunt.
I was on Geodon for many years. It's a complicated medication that doesn't mix well with any other medication. They actually prescribed me Lithium once while I was on Geodon and it made my heart beat out of my chest to the point where I just stopped taking the Lithium. That was about a year and a half ago. Since then I've gotten off of the Geodon and was put on Risperdal, which jives significantly better with other medications, like Lithium, which I suggested to my doctor after I was told Wellbutrin wouldn't work.
Sorry for digging up an older thread and the double-post, but I just wanted to give a bit of an update as to how I'm doing on the Lithium. I'm up to 900mg a day, now. 300 in the morning, 600 before bed. It's made me a lot braver. I can't imagine a day without Lithium, now. I feel a little less dejected and I'm able to stay up past 8PM, now! In fact, I can stay up as late as I want, now. Before, when I was just on the Risperdal, I was always getting into bed at exactly 8PM and going to sleep by about 9. Now I'm able to stay up way past that because I don't feel as uneven as I did before. I can even watch late night programming now, like my wrestling shows or late night talk shows. I'm going to ask for an increase in the Lithium when I see my psychiatrist on the 5th of February. I still deal with seriously deranged and disordered thoughts and I feel like increasing the Lithium even more might somehow bombard the voices in my head and force them to be silent. But I'm very happy with this medication. I've been going through a trying time for several months now and it shows no sign of ending soon. But with the help of the Lithium and my other medications, I am getting through it and doing the best I can. Once again, sorry, I know this thread is about two months old, but it didn't say "do not reply" like some of the even older threads did.
