Topic : Bipolar Disorder

I posted you this morning, then got distracted by getting the kids on the bus, and got disconnected and lost everything I wrote. I'll try again.....I know what you mean by needing alone time. Sometimes you just need quiet to discharge excess nervous energy. i just can't take noise and physical contact sometimes.

You may be getting a warning that your meds aren't as effective and may need a tweak, although, i have noticed a rise in certain symptoms during PMS week. Irritability, intolerance, weepiness etc. are all at a higher level for me then.

Some people are givers and some are takers. 'Takers'  flock to  'givers'  like moths to a flame don't they?  I take comfort in my belief that the most important person ever cares for me 24/7. That person to me, is Jesus Christ. If He can love the very flawed me, I don't feel so alone in this world. Well the kids are working my nerves.

Good luck

Leslie

I'm glad you're doing well on Lamictal.  It's the best Bipolar medication I have tried.  I've been on many other medications.  Risperdal made me gain 50 pounds, and Depakote made me gain even more weight.  Since going onto Lamictal, I have been able to go off of everything else except Temazepam for sleep.  I have lost 50 pounds in the last year, and have only 20 to go.  I also started on Provigil for Narcolepsy.  Between getting off of Depakote and onto the right meds, I have much more energy.  After being emotionally "numb" from my former cocktail of drugs, it is great to feel again.  I have started painting again...I do animal portraits.  I hadn't touched a paint brush in 10 years, due to depression and/or emotional numbness.

It is a really good thing I got on the right meds when I did.  I have been through a rough year.  I was diagnosed in March with Breast Cancer and had a mastectomy in April.  Because of a heart condition, I could not take the Tamoxefin that is normally prescribed for the type of cancer I had, so the alternative was hysterectomy with ovary removal.  Actually, I don't miss the extreme highs and lows caused by PMS hormones...don't miss the heavy bleeding either.  I was unstable before, on the old drug cocktail, still having extreme highs and lows...not a good way to be when cancer strikes!  I thank God every day that I was emotionally stable at the time of the diagnosis.

Cancer has really changed my outlook on life.  God has shown me that He wants me to live.  I have 3 kids and would hate to leave them with a legacy of suicide.  I've been in the psych ward numerous times, and the last time, I took myself because I was suicidal, but too depressed to act on the thoughts.  I was afraid that when I came up a little, the psychotic suicidal thoughts would win out.

Some people are taken off of Lamictal if they get ANY type of rash, Stevens Johnsons, or not.  Although all rashes should be checked out while on this drug, not all rashes warrant stopping the drug.  My last trip to the psych ward was due to a reduction in the dose of Lamictal because of a rash that turned out to be a Viral Rash and not related to Lamictal.  When I went back up in the dose (200 mg 2X/day), my moods again stabilized.

I have been married for 25 years, and my husband (God Bless him) has lived through all of my manic and depressive episodes.  He usually recognizes when I am manic before I realize it.  I guess mania is too much fun.  I must be a little manic now...I'm going on and on.

Good luck with the Lamictal...Keep your communication with your doctor clear and accurate.

I am today new to the Dr. Phil web site.  I have posted replies to a few of the messages I saw today.  I have been to a lot of bad doctors who don't take mental status into account.  If there is "no physical finding" then there is nothing wrong.  If you have a doctor like this, please find a new one.  I finally have a great doctor and a psych provider who is very knowledgeable about women with Bipolar Disorder.

I was on Risperdal for 9 months and gained 50 pounds.  The (male) doctor I was seeing at that time said that because the medicine was helping, weight was not an issue.  Because of the extreme weight gain...obesity...my cholesterol levels went haywire, my knees were painful, and I was depressed about my appearance.  The Risperdal sent my prolactin hormone levels very high and caused leakage of breast milk (and I had long stopped nursing my children).  The gynecologist thought I might have a pituitary tumor because of the high prolactin levels.  It turned out to be the risperdal.

I am now on Lamictal, and after gaining more weight on Depakote, after the Risperdal,  I am finally on track.  I went off of Wellbutrin, Geodon, and Depakote, and changed to Lamictal only.  I am on meds for other medical conditions as well.  I also take Temazepam for sleep.  For anybody not liking the medication you are on, ask your doctor about Lamictal.  I have lost 50 pounds since getting off of the other meds and onto Lamictal (a little over a year ago).  My moods are much more stable now, although I still have less dramatic ups and downs (maybe that's what it's like to be normal.)  I have my creativity back, which was lost for 10 years of bad medications which made me feel emotionally numb.  I am now back to painting animal portraits and much more.

I was diagnosed also with Narcolepsy, just recently.  I am on Provigil for that.  It also is working to further insulate against depression.  I have so much more energy now.  I'm not sleeping all day anymore.

I still can't handle being around people for very long at a time.  I prefer to isolate myself.  I am married and have 3 boys, and we have such a messy house, that we never invite people to come over.  That is just fine with me, because being around people outside of my family makes me manic and then I can't sleep. 

When I am manic, I talk too much, and then later feel a little like a vampire, sucking up people's time.  I don't keep the Bipolar disorder a secret, and some people seem a little disturbed by the news.  I try to educate those I can that I am not harmful to others, and won't have any really crazy outbursts.  I have learned to recognize my own symptoms, and that is really the biggest thing that helps me cope (and the medications).  I can tell myself that the Bipolar disorder is causing me to feel manic or depressed and that I can live through it.

I'd be interested to know if anybody else is having success with Lamictal.  I am sensitive to medications and usually have major side effects.  With Lamictal, I haven't had any really noticiceable side effects.  My vision was blurred for a couple of weeks, but that cleared up after that.  

I'm keeping an eye on my 3 boys for Bipolar Disorder.  My 12-year-old appears to have extreme mood swings (based on his behavior), but he denies any mood swings.  I'm not sure he recognizes his own moods.  He has violent outbursts when his little brother bothers him.  He is terribly ADHD, and is barely passing school, in spite of being very intelligent. He cries when he gets frustrated about the smallest of issues.  The psychiatrist is reluctant to diagnose him with Bipolar disorder because he doesn't seem to have the hypersexuality.  However, we are watching him close, and the psychiatrist said that nobody with Bipolar Disorder didn't have ADHD or ADD symptoms first (diagnosed or not).  We have recently found out that our son has Restless Leg Syndrome, a sleep disorder, which can cause these symptoms.  Initially, the medication for that seemed to help, but, now we seem to be back to the old patterns.  He also has Esophoria, a vision problem that causes ADHD-like symptoms.  We wil see if vision therapy improves the symptoms and his school performance.  I don't know what to do with him some days.

I have been diagnosed with Bipolar I.  I seem to have my good days and bad days. I have gained a lot of weight over the last 13 years.  I take a lot of medicine and I have been told that some of the weight gain has come from that.

I wished that I had been born normal!!!

I am a mom of three girls and I have Bipolar.  I am still in the works of getting the right combination of medicines to keep me better balanced.  This week has been a test for any medicine.  Monday (14th) afternoon I received news that I lost my 16 year old nephew.  He was more than a nephew; he was always at my house.  He confided in me and there were times that I was the only one he felt he could rely on.  Our bond was more of a mother~son than aunt~nephew.  I haven't been handling it well and can't ever imagine moving on.  I haven't been able to eat or sleep and  I don't think I've been able to muster a smile and I feel myself sliding downwards faster and faster.  I know he wouldn't want me to be like this but I can't seem to climb out of this hole that I am in.  He was the sweetest kid with the absolutely sweetest smile and I love him so much.   Every thing and every place brings back a memory of him.   He lost his life in a car wreck along with two of his friends; another one is in the hospital withstand one surgery after another and the driver that was driving way too fast on a dangerous highway is home doing fine (actually laughing and being flip about the wreck).  The girls are lost too and they have so much anger towards the driver and towards God for taking their cousin away.  He was their "big brother" and they miss him like crazy.  I can't find the words to help them because I am so angry too.   I don't know why I am writing here but I had to let it out somewhere because I feel like I'm about to explode or implode.  ~ Kelley

I am so sorry for your loss. I have 3 girls too and 1 nephew. He is like the son I never had. I saw him be born and I love him like he was mine. His mother left him and his dad when he was 7 and I am the only stable mom figure he's got. I know nothing anyone can say will bring you much comfort right now. If you would like, tell us all about him. what he liked, who he was, funny memories. Re-live the good things, he was important, he was loved.

God be with you and comfort you,

Leslie

I have Bipolar disorder and have been on combinations of meds that caused a huge increase in my weight, which was very depressing in itself.  Risperdal caused a gain of 50 pounds, and Depakote added to that.  There are some new medications that do not cause weight gain, or the fatigue that just adds to the problem.

I started on Lamictal last May (2005) and have since lost 50 pounds (1/3 of my total body weight), just by not being so hungry and not having an insatiatable craving for sweets.  I February of this year, Abilify was added.  I also take Temazepam at bedtime, and Provigil for Narcolepsy.  The Provigil has antidepressant effect, even though it is not precribed for this reason.  I was able to go off of the awful cocktail of meds I had before, and I feel much more stable and energetic.  I have my artistic creativity back (which had been gone from me for 10 years, since I was diagnosed and put on those drugs.) 

I have tried Lithium, Geodon, Amitriptyline (horrible), Nardil (worse), Paxil, Wellbutrin, Zoloft, Risperdal, Depakote, and the list goes on.  None of these drugs were acceptable, as many have caused bad side effects, including the horrible weight gain.  The doctors said that I would have to accept the weight gain.  I say that is BS. Do some research on the newer meds, and ask your doctor about Lamictal an Abilify.  They are working great for me, and I no longer have "obesity" listed as a diagnosis on my medical chart.  Also, my cholesterol scores have improved so much that I no longer have to see the Cholesterol specialist.

Good Luck.  I'll be praying for you.