Posted by Ritch on April 4, 2003, at 9:18:23
In reply to Re: HEY Susan C. are you still on verapamil?, posted by susan C on April 3, 2003, at 23:35:22
> Hi all,
> I was counting up the months since I added Verapamil to my 1000mg of depakote and came up with seven months. It continues to work, providing me with more of a middleground in my rapid cycling bipolar experience. I have had enough forgotten am doses where I experienced the return of symptoms, that I am pretty confident it is the med, not coincidence. Because of these missed doses I am now switched to dosing everything at night. I still go up, but not so much down. I still have to be careful to manage the stress in my life and keep my life as simple and predictable as possible. Oh, and I think there is some water retention and weight gain due to it. Plus, I need to watch fiber and water to keep the system going. That is one of my next adventures, is to try and lose weight, again.
>
> My dr gave me the name of one of the drs who has done the most work on verapamil and bipolar, Dr.Paul J. Goodnick. I wrote an email to him inquiring as to resources to explain how and why it works. He emailed me the next day with three suggestions. I purchased Mania, Clinical and Research Perspectives. I just got it, so havent yet pulled out my dictionary to sit down and try and understand it all.
>
> It is wonderful to have some stability. With in a month of beginning, everyone who saw me commented on how much "better" I was...everyone from my family to my eye doctor, to my dentist, to the water aerobics instructor, and not all these people knew the "inside" story. The latest comment was from my doctor, saying, you need to review, I said why, he said, because you are a new patient to me...
>
> "you always find your keys in the last place you look"
> -S.I. Clark
>
> mouse tips her hat to all and sundry
Susan, that's certainly nice to hear! So....just taking Depakote and verapamil? No AD's? What's your dose of Verapamil every day? Any sfx other than constipation-any mental slowing or dizziness, etc.? Sorry for the questions. When you dig out any info about "how it works", let us know OK?thanks, Mitch
poster:Ritch
thread:208633
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030402/msgs/216144.html