Went to see my doc yesterday… I’ve been swinging from euphoric and super talkative to flat and withdrawn.
Some days I feel like I can comfort and heal all of mankind. (bring me your sorrow… and I can hug you and heal you. I have your answers. I love you all.)
Other days… I can barely relate or react to anyone or anything. (Humans are so baffling… why should I try to care?) …It’s sort of cosmically manic to distant and flat.
My doc said the words… rapid cycling.
I just thought my meds were loosing their effectiveness. Or it was the winter blues… or I was catching cold again. No and all counts.
So now… we are looking into mood stabilizers. My doc actually ASKED me what I might prefer. WHAT? That would never happen in the past. My parent’s were involved with the decision about that last huge med tinkering.
I was so down and flattened… I didn’t care what was done to me. I did what I was told… anything had to be better then how empty I was.
Now… I have the decision to make. Now I’m being asked… (Depakote or Lithium) I have no idea… another part of self management…
good luck on researching your medication.I think knowing what medication to take for yourself might be better than a psychiatrist prescribing a medication to you.Do give your medication some time to work if you go onto a new medication and regime…good luck
I just looked both drugs up in my drug guide because I don’t know much about them. Mood stabilizers have quite a few side effects. I know my dermatologist said that lithium causes acne. Could you also instead of a mood stabilizer add on another AP with mood stabilizing qualities? I only say this because my pdoc just offered this to me (I told him I’d think about it).
I suggest Depakote. Lithium makes people thirsty (it is administered as a salt, literally) and also has other side effects. Depakote is not as blunt of a medication as lithium is.
Best of luck, and I am rooting for you. You are your own worst critic, you should realize that as a fact.
Rapid cycling of moods can be extremely disruptive, and you have a full plate of disruptive factors in your life. I do suggest taking a mood stabilizer if your doctor suggested it- I am far from being a doctor, and I trust doctors with my life.
My sister has bipolar, I live with her, and she recently starting taking Latuda. She is still a bit notably energetic and whimsical, yet she has quit having angry outbursts, which is making my life easier.
You have already overcome so much; this is nothing for someone like you. I’m not belittling your dilemma, I am stating that this dilemma is like hunting ducks for you after wrestling with a grizzly bear. It may take trial and error and diligence, but come on James, you defeated a morbid prognosis and made it to thirty years old. That is truly remarkable.
It’s like you are worried about a creative writing class after getting a PhD in Literature. You overcame a morbid prognosis following your diagnosis of schizophrenia, now you have to overcome a mood disorder.
I just want to help you realize your own self-efficacy, your own ability to overcome psychiatric problems. You are one of the most resilient people I have ever had the pleasure of communicating with.
Can I get an amen on that one… these past few months have had some very impulsive and silly moments. I am amazed my girlfriend so patient. More then grateful that she knows something of this illness going in and is willing to learn all she can.
So much of the past felt like it was out of my hands… I feel I was just the lab rat and it was all done too me. My family and doc made the decision and I was just sort of along for the ride in my own day.
I’m learning that as long as I’m in a sound mind and body… I have power in the situation. It’s still a new feeling for me.
I’m glad your sister is finding something that is working for her… maybe you and she can start to get a better friendship going.
Lately my pdoc also likes to drop the ball in my court. I don’t know why they do that but I think it maybe because we have some insight that comes with time and they want to make us part of the decision. About a year ago she asked me if she should increase my mood stabilizer. I told her that I’m not sure. She then said that I am okay with it as it is else I would have said…yes! yes! … So good luck with your decision making. I’m sure that you together with your pdoc will come up with best solution.
My wife is on Lithium but it does make her very thirsty as Mouse said and it has caused her to gain 70 to 100 lbs. since she started taking it, mostly attributable to side-effects. Good luck with your decision and I hope the first one you choose works well for you.
My son was on Lithium for about 2 years. 300-900 depending on his Clozapine dose. During his last hospitalization they kept him on it fearing a mood component. He decided to go off on his own. Maybe that is what landed him in the shelter this time… He’s back home Over the past 4 years I have heard/seen it help some people in a big way. Recently I posted an article about it helping with dementia. I don’t know anything about Depakote.
My son drinks a lot of fluids regardless of medications so I can’t say that I noticed a difference.
The only med/dose so far that I have seen make him gain weight was 450 mg of Clozapine.
I think a lot of meds can effect thirst perhaps more so if you are not hydrated to begin with. But that’s just my opinion. I recently started taking Venlafaxine and I noticed it has increased my thirst but I don’t drink enough and I know that.
Thank you for that… So far… knock wood… due to my job… it helps me keep the weight manageable.
I’m always thirsty just because of my job… It’s physical labor. (I love it… but it’s physical) So between that and how much I swim… I am always thirsty.
I drink a lot of water as it is… (no sugar drinks)
Thank you… a lot… and deeply.
Over the past 4 years I have heard/seen it help some people in a big way. Recently I posted an article about it helping with dementia. I don’t know anything about Depakote.