![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by woolav on January 10, 2009, at 12:08:50
Hello All. Its been so long since ive been on here. but I have a question. I went to rehab for drug addiction and it was a dual diagnoses place. I have bi polar and GAD. I cant take certain addictive meds for anxiety.. sucks. but anyway. i am taking 1200mg lithium, 60mg prozac and 2400msg gabapentin and 100mg seroquel for sleep. I have finally gotten out of my suicidal depression (thank God) but im still up and down.. i hate it. any suggestions???
thanks,
atlanta girl
Posted by Garnet71 on January 10, 2009, at 12:25:25
In reply to Bi polar medications Need Advice!!!!!!!!!, posted by woolav on January 10, 2009, at 12:08:50
Your problem may be that you are taking too many drugs! No wonder you have a mood issue...
Two people very close to me have been in rehab for heroin. One has been clean 3 years-she is doing great and had a baby and is going to school and getting married soon...She takes NO meds...the other--she has been clean for 1 year and is a mess-she is taking similar stuff as you.
I'm told by people who have been involved in NA for numerous years--that everyone coming off a heavy addiction is 'bipolar'. The question is-is it temporary or permanent? That's for you to decide.
Posted by SLS on January 10, 2009, at 12:42:36
In reply to Bi polar medications Need Advice!!!!!!!!!, posted by woolav on January 10, 2009, at 12:08:50
> Hello All. Its been so long since ive been on here. but I have a question. I went to rehab for drug addiction and it was a dual diagnoses place. I have bi polar and GAD. I cant take certain addictive meds for anxiety.. sucks. but anyway. i am taking 1200mg lithium, 60mg prozac and 2400msg gabapentin and 100mg seroquel for sleep. I have finally gotten out of my suicidal depression (thank God) but im still up and down.. i hate it. any suggestions???
Can you better describe how you experience your ups and downs?
You are not necessarily on too many medications. However, you might be on some medications that do not contribute to your ascent out of depression. Any attempt to place a limit on the number of medications used would be arbitrary. You need what you need - whether that be one drug or ten. The drug that is probably responsible for your improvement is Seroquel. You might need to bring the dosage up towards the maximum of 800mg.
Are their any psychological stressors or personality thought styles that might explain your mood lability? Is it possible that the residual instability needs to be treated through psychotherapy?
- Scott
Posted by Phillipa on January 10, 2009, at 12:42:44
In reply to Re: Bi polar medications Need Advice!!!!!!!!!, posted by Garnet71 on January 10, 2009, at 12:25:25
I never heard that how could it be? Seriously if not biological or med induced. I'd think the opposite would occurr. Your're referring to Woolav ( and hi to you) or your friend? Phillipa
Posted by JadeKelly on January 10, 2009, at 17:13:18
In reply to Bi polar medications Need Advice!!!!!!!!!, posted by woolav on January 10, 2009, at 12:08:50
> Hello All. Its been so long since ive been on here. but I have a question. I went to rehab for drug addiction and it was a dual diagnoses place. I have bi polar and GAD. I cant take certain addictive meds for anxiety.. sucks. but anyway. i am taking 1200mg lithium, 60mg prozac and 2400msg gabapentin and 100mg seroquel for sleep. I have finally gotten out of my suicidal depression (thank God) but im still up and down.. i hate it. any suggestions???
>
> thanks,
> atlanta girlHi Atlanta Girl,
Great you came out of the worst of it! I know thats some hard work you did to get where you are. I, too, am unclear as to whether you are referring to your depression or your bi-polar with regard to "ups & downs". I'm assuming its your depression and would just say that this is a time to not be shy about staying in close contact with whoever is managing your medications and let them know how you are feeling. If you are seeing a therapist, maybe an extra session is justified. Just don't let it slip. Good you are thinking about doing something simply by your post.
If by ups and downs you are referring to your bi-polar, that is an urgent (not that depression isnt) situation that, I believe requires attention as soon as possible. If you ever feel that coming on, you need to get immediate help, in my opinion. My son is bi-polar and when I see a mania starting I know the quicker I get it under control the safer for everyone.
As an aside, and please ask your Doctor, I'm not one. My son went through many medications for his Bi-polar. The one we settled on was Seroquel. I don't know what other's experiences have been. And my son wasn't being treated for depression, but I believe he was depressed. After a while, maybe 2-3 months? He started to just seem happier. He came to me one day and said he felt happy again. Great of course but I didn't know why. Just lately I found out there are A/D properties to Seraquel that I think werent discovered until after the drug had been in use.
He takes 300mg Seroquel for his Bi-polar. Any less and he starts having "episodes". I would talk to your Doc about Seroquel being used as more than a sleep aid. My son not only has his BPolar completely under control, he's out of depression as well. I attribute Seroquel to both successes. (Just one story)Good Luck,
~Jade
Posted by SLS on January 10, 2009, at 17:33:19
In reply to Bi polar medications Need Advice!!!!!!!!!, posted by woolav on January 10, 2009, at 12:08:50
Hi.
Did my message ever get through?I get a blank page when click on the link.
Frustrating.
I had suggested that raising the dosage of Seroquel might do the trick. The stuff can work wonders for bipolar depression and mood stability. You can go as high as 800mg. You might want to target 400mg to start with.
- Scott
Posted by GeneLady on January 10, 2009, at 19:30:42
In reply to Re: Bi polar medications Need Advice!!!!!!!!! » woolav, posted by SLS on January 10, 2009, at 17:33:19
Goodness, my husband was on Seroquel (100 mgs) a few years ago along with antidepressants before he was formally diagnosed as bipolar with MS. The Seroquel was the worst. He was utterly stoned and it reminded him of his chemical abuse days. Did not help mood one bit.
> Hi.
>
>
> Did my message ever get through?
>
> I get a blank page when click on the link.
>
> Frustrating.
>
> I had suggested that raising the dosage of Seroquel might do the trick. The stuff can work wonders for bipolar depression and mood stability. You can go as high as 800mg. You might want to target 400mg to start with.
>
>
> - Scott
Posted by bleauberry on January 11, 2009, at 15:07:52
In reply to Bi polar medications Need Advice!!!!!!!!!, posted by woolav on January 10, 2009, at 12:08:50
I am in agreement with SLS. Not specifically seroquel, but something in the antipsychotic arena at its normal therapeutic dose. Seroquel 400mg-800mg, zyprexa 5mg-10mg, abilify 2mg-20mg, one of those. Based on pure gut instinct viewing posts here for a long time, I think your best odds are with zyprexa since it does so well with prozac and the combination is FDA approved for what you are looking for, and second best with abilify. Sleep would still be good with zyprexa, could be iffy with abilify. But abilify has proven to be a fabulous mood stabilizer for a lot of people. Maybe abilify plus low dose seroquel for sleep, or maybe abilify and trazodone for sleep.
Just some ideas. For the ups and downs and further help in the depression department, I think one of the three mentioned antipsychotics in combination with your prozac will be the best way to go, and will probably allow you to significantly lower the lithium dosage.
Posted by SLS on January 11, 2009, at 15:27:56
In reply to Re: Bi polar medications Need Advice!!!!!!!!! » SLS, posted by GeneLady on January 10, 2009, at 19:30:42
> The Seroquel was the worst. He was utterly stoned and it reminded him of his chemical abuse days. Did not help mood one bit.
I am not going to recommend that you stick with the Seroquel, but it is good information to know that it becomes activating at higher dosages and is no longer soporific.
Bleuberry has some excellent ideas.
- Scott>
> > Hi.
> >
> >
> > Did my message ever get through?
> >
> > I get a blank page when click on the link.
> >
> > Frustrating.
> >
> > I had suggested that raising the dosage of Seroquel might do the trick. The stuff can work wonders for bipolar depression and mood stability. You can go as high as 800mg. You might want to target 400mg to start with.
> >
> >
> > - Scott
>
>
Posted by woolav on January 31, 2009, at 18:22:49
In reply to Re: Bi polar medications Need Advice!!!!!!!!!, posted by SLS on January 11, 2009, at 15:27:56
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.