Any ideas on mood stabilizers?

I take lithium and lamictal. I’m fine with the lamictal but I have bad side effects on lithium that I can’t take anymore. I’m tired of the horrible nausea and vomiting. I see the pdoc mid June. He split the dose to morning and night in hopes that then I wouldn’t get sick but now I’m just sick all day.
Anyway what are you taking?

You should move to depakote. I took lithium for years and I switched due to extreme fatigue on lithium, but who knows. Now I’m on depakote. Not as flattening as lithium but still good

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I’ll talk to my pdoc about it.

I take topamax, it’s not too bad. No side effects but it’s not really very strong so it depends on how bad your mood swings are. I put up with some mood swings so I don’t have to have that medicated feeling you get from other mood stabilizers. I have enough of it from my ap. I feel like I need to be awake at some point during the day ya know.

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I’ll see what my pdoc says. I need a change

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lithium always had a real “chemically” feeling to me. I just felt like toxic when I was taking it. Of course I ended up going toxic on it so… there you have it.

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I prefer Depakote… It has a sedative effect on me, it calms down my agressivity a bit too. The lithium raised my fears, which is strange, but it did this, yeap…

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Can you increase your Lamictal dose and stay on only one mood stabilizer? I am on 100 mg Lamictal but I have been as high as 300. I think Lamictal works really well.

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I’ll see what pdoc says. Its just that lithium and lamotrigine work opposite from each other. One for depression and one for mania

Oh I didn’t know that, sorry. I am sza depressive type so I don’t deal with mania. Maybe the Depakote suggestion is better. I hope you’re able to get it sorted out so you feel better!

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Oh that’s totally okay. I’m glad the lamotrigine works well for you. I’ve been on it for many years and it’s been great

You might want to consider Depakote.
I’ve been on it for years.

It’s a great med.

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I’m on depakote. It helps with motivation, I dont realize I take it anymore, it agrees with me that much

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I’m on 1000 depakote, i notice no difference from it but it doesn’t have bad side effects so I keep taking it.

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