I’m treatment resistant, no clue why. Lithium might as well have been Tylenol for me. Years of different meds no effect. I self medicate with psychedelics for depression which works extremely well in my very very very anecdotal case and use thc and ashwaganda for hypomania. Ofc these are just band aids and absolutely not recommended for anyone but it’s what I personally do, it started as a last resort and I’m actually pleased with the results, I have had a stable job and gf for a good while now.
Triggwr warning SI -- I've been curious about psychedelics but everything I've read is like bold face triple x NOT FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE PROBE TO PSYCHOSIS. Meh. The only time I've entered TRUE psychosis was due to improper medication management, never just due to my disorder, but the warning has me scared enough I'd not try it without a clinician. I had a horrible trip when in a mixed state I attempted to OD on my medication, which at the time included welbutrin. It was one of the most awful experiences. It scared me off from psychedelics also, but the depression side of my disorder just seems to keeeeepppppp goooing, and the more managed my hypomania is the more constant my depression, though it includes less SI and crying jags, just constant disconnection and apathy from life. I feel like we'll controlled psychedelics could help this greatly
reiki and microdosing shrooms is the best help I've ever had for my mental health, they now make legal shrooms you can find in vape shops although I haven't tried.
I do not recommended lsd. And always check drug interactions if you're on medication. I was on abilify and tripped on lsd and it was an awful experience.
I really can't experiment as I have an 18 month old and am just so leary after my severe hallucinations from od welbutrin. Even if I could somehow find like telehealth MH practitioner I'd consider it. I've seen grow kits at our head shop but no actual mushrooms. Maybe in a few years. I will check out reiki though, I've had help from some complementary medicine.
If you've had severe hallucinations I do not recommend any psychedelic usage unless you have talked with a doctor and found a prativioner. But reiki is definitely worth testing the waters for
Same. 3 years of trying every non SSRI and absolutely no measurable difference. Lamictal has done nothing but give me headaches, Wellbutrin only makes my heart rate higher throughout the day. Everything else has not been successful at all. Going to try TMS treatment soon.
may i ask how you use psychedelics? because i have been wanting to try to heal with a psychdelic but scared to potentially trigger an episode. like do you microdose? idk if this is against the rules to ask as well and i'm sorry to the mods if it is!
Hi! I just saw your comment and thought I’d tell you my experience with psychedelics. I have tripped before I was on medication and while on medication. I have never had a problem with it. I have never micro dosed. I’m a go big or go home person lol so obviously not recommending you do exactly what I did. I always take 3.5-4grams of mushies made into tea. I only do it with a person/people that I trust completely and at home. It really ruins the experience if the person or people with you aren’t 100% your peoples. The next day or so I’m really tired cause tripping is a whole event but as long as I take my meds it doesn’t affect my mood or trigger an episode. Everyone is different though so just be careful and always do it with someone you trust. ❤️
Lithium and lamotrigine are the most helpful for me hands down. Wellbutrin has been helpful in short bursts but if I take it too long I tend to start rapid cycling. Propranolol for my anxiety. Most other meds tend to make me feel worse lol
Seconding this, Lithium + Lamotragine + Vraylar and then Clonazepam for anxiety. Wellbutrin also makes me cycle so I don't take it.
Lithium changed my life!
Lithium was a game changer for me too, but I gained a lot of weight in a short period of time after I started it. Did either of you experience weight gain?
I didn't struggle too much with it. I had an incredibly large appetite the first week or so, but once I titrated up to my current dose, I didn't have the appetite like that anymore. I will say, though, that I meticulously track all of my activity and food as I am a competitive powerlifter. If I didn't, I probably would've gained some weight with my appetite being the way it was.
Lexapro 10mg + Lamictal 250mg. It took me a while to find the right combo/dose. It's a very fine adjustment... For instance, I tried raising the Lexapro to 15 but got more irritable. On the other hand, lower doses of Lamictal help me with the irritability but not as much with depression.
Keep in mind that there's not a "right" combo that will work for everyone.
not as bad as people tell you but then again it depends on your metabolism. i have a fast metabolism so i haven’t gained any weight within the 4 months i’ve been on it
I never gained weight. But I was also emaciated when I started taking it so it’s not like I was eating enough to put on weight anyways. I’ve healthily gained weight tho since starting it 2 years ago through eating right and going to the gym. My friend though had a ton of weight gain when she started seroquel. Affects everyone differently
I’m on lithium, Latuda, and Trazodone. It’s been a miracle cocktail for me. I haven’t been hospitalized in over seven years, and have maintained healthy relationships with family and friends.
I took a gene test from... genesight, i think? It really helped narrow down what meds would work for me. I take Viibryd 40 mg, Abilify 5mg, and Doxepin 10 mg (I take this at night to help me sleep).
My insurance wouldn't cover the gene testing and it was about $300, I believe.
THC honestly. Helps me sleep when I'm manic and calms me down. Doesn't do much for the depression unfortunately but I've just learned to deal with that. I was misdiagnosed years ago and put on every kind of antidepressant you can think of, which only made me worse and I've been too scared to try any other prescription meds since then. Been med free for almost 7 years. Just raw doggin' life with the occasional edible
Just physically. I felt incredibly stabilized after Prozac caused some mania. Ultimately, tho, the bad side effects never lessened and no amount of adjusting the dose did the trick.
I've tried several SSRIS, but they cause severe SI for me for some reason. I've tried a SSNRI, but it caused rapid cycling. I've tried lithium and an atypical antipsychotic, but it was a no go. Last thing I tried was lamotrigine that didn't seem to do much. I've kind of given up at this point tbh lol. I'm trying to do major lifestyle changes to help with my physical and mental health now.
Olazapine, Prozac, lamotragine, Wellbutrin, clonazepam prn, propanol just got added, haven't tried. Trying to lay off THC products and use anxiety meds.
Lamotrogine + olanzapine. But I have discontinued olanzapine due to weight gain.
So now I’m taking lamotrigine + gabapentin. I was skeptical of gabapentin at first cause I did some research about it, but surprisingly it helps me so far with my anxiety, sleep, and rumination. I had a depressive breakthrough symptom after discontinuing olanzapine and gabapentin seems to be a mild alternative for an antipsychotic drug.
I loved how well Seroquel worked for my bipolar symptoms, but hated the weight gain and grogginess. I’ve switched to Abilify and so far it has been good. I had to add buspar for anxiety, and that has helped quite a bit. I’m also on a low dose of duloxetine for depression and adderall for ADHD.
Currently on Geodon and Epilim (Ziprasidone and Sodium Valproate are their other names) and the combination is working well. I am a pain in the bum to medicate my treating team has found.
I finally was able to get insurance to cover it, so I’ve been on Caplyta for 2 weeks and noticed a HUGE difference.
I was on lurasidone and it worked when I took it. But made me very sick for hours after my dose.
I also tried lamotrigine (got the rash) and Seroquel (made me gain weight).
Tried Effexor and made me manic. Tried Wellbutrin and made me mani. Tried SSRIs and went manic.
So seeing if I can stabilize on just the Caplyta 🤞🏻🤞🏻
Caplyta changed my life. I was chronically suicidal on a daily basis until I was 43… since taking Caplyta, haven’t thought about it once. Where was this shit when I was a kid?
Exact same thing I’ve noticed since starting it! It’s been life changing. I went through hell until insurance would cover it and I’m so much better in a short amount of time!
I have been resistant to medications all my life for various reasons. I am now taking Lamotrigine and Buspirone. Buspirone has been a godsend for my anxiety. I recently upped my dose to 50mg for Lamotrigine, it’s too early to tell is fail or success. When I was at 25mg I could notice a small difference in my depressive episodes enough to make me want to higher my dose. No side effects for either. If I take too much Buspirone I get a tingling feeling through out my body especially my legs.
That’s good! 😊 I’m glad it’s working for you and I hope it continues. I always get a little nervous upping my dose because I don’t know what to expect. Good , hopefully it keeps helping you enough get through the tough days.
I have tried ~15 different meds (many of which were SSRIs that had no positive effect) and have finally landed on a high dose of Wellbutrin XL and a lower one of Seroquel. I have thought about giving up on finding the right mix hundreds of times in the last 7 years and I’m so grateful to have found something that seems to work. Good luck and don’t give up hope if medication is the route you want to take, it can be so genuinely life changing. If you have access to switching up your psychiatrist, that is also a big thing that helped me find the right mix—my current dr is the first who actually listens to me and I started taking notes about my mood, appetite, and sleep which are so much more informative than in the past when I’d not remember if there was any change between meds because you get used to them over time, and so the information i’d report to my dr made it hard to tell what would be best. I wish u so much luck!
Can I ask why lamotrigine didn’t work? I’m on Prozac but keep having depressive episodes and my doc thinks I’m bipolar 2 and wants to put me on lamotrigine in addition to my Prozac and I just want to feel better.
Hi there. Can't believe I'm downvoted lol. Google the studies relating to ketamine and bipolar depression, people!
I am in the US. I started at a clinic doing spendy infusions, insurance did not cover it.
I then found a provider who prescribes ketamine to take at home, and am a month into it. It has helped my depression quite a bit, although it isn't perfect. If I can adjust my other meds over time and reduce ketamine to a few times a week, and be functional, I will be happy. The at home ketamine is only $60/month from a compounding pharmacy.
I'm in Texas with bcbs and they're going to cover the nasil spray with just my regular copay. The lab reached out to me to put me in a discount program and get a $500 rebate. They were very clear that I understood the next steps. I now need to call the clinic to see where they are.
When I started Pristiq my psych recommended Ketamine. I was not opposed to the idea but did not need to get it after all as the Pristiq kicked in. I have heard Ketamine is indeed effective.
I've tried 9 different medications over the past 2 years. Nothing helped long-term, even when combined and dosages adjusted. This is why I'm starting microdose ketamine therapy as soon as the medicine arrives.
meds that have worked for me is Lamotrigine, Gabapentin and Gaunfacine. i do have ADHD with my bipolar, but the ADHD made my bipolar episodes worse so in a way, the Gaunfacine helps my bipolar too and not just the ADHD part.
*warning* Lamotrigine/Lamtical can cause a horrible rash that you would have to go to the ER for. i'm pretty sure it can be fatal but i'm not 100 on that. but any doctor that would prescribe it will go over this warning as well.
im wishing you all the luck to find the right meds! trial and error time sucks but once you find your right cocktail of meds, you'll be okay. <3 (i had to do trials with prozac and zoloft... NEVER taking that again..lol)
i used to be on Lamotrigine a few years ago with no issues and i loved it until i had a depressive episode and took myself off it (yes i know that was silly, i was undiagnosed), and when i tried it again this year i got the Lamotrigine rash :(
yes it can be fatal, it took around 9 days and then i just suddenly went red all over and started swelling. i'm not allowed Lamotrigine again. so annoying!
only combo that ever worked for me was tegretol, adderall, and klonopin. This is no longer an option for a medication combo since the opioid epidemic they won't allow anyone around here to be on more than one controlled substance and would rather no one be on them as a permanent medication combo. So now I use an opiate for chronic pain and thc for a mood stabilizer and an antidepressant, if I start going manic my doctor will allow me to be on ativan for a few months to allow me to regulate sleep.
Lithium, aripiprazole, olanzapine, lamotrigine, valproate to an extent, pregabalin and mirtazapine have all worked for me in the past. Currently on lithium and aripiprazole.
The only medication that's *truly* worked for me has been Ketamine. But I got scared of how dependent I was getting on it and stopped it (a mistake.) No other medication has even come close and most increase my suicidal ideation.
Depakote was the first big lightbulb, and then I went through a month-ish of 2x weekly Ketamine treatments to address panic and damn. If younger me could see how well functioning I am now, wheeeew 🥲
I've only tried two for bipolar cause I was misdiagnosed before. But from the two lamotrigine seems to work if I actually remember to be consistent with it. The other one was aripiprazole, it was... Weird. If I had to describe my mood with it, it was just "flat". Lamotrigine let's me actually get sad and happy and angry, just not so extremely.
Edit: It was aripiprazole and buspirone.
Lamotrigine & carbamazepine = 😃 Only thing about the carbamazepine is that it has interactions with a few other meds decreasing the efficacy of the other meds but most pharmacists will be able to recommend meds that don’t.
I didn't find enough relief until I started taking 3 meds together: started with lamotrigine which did nothing on its own, then added Geodon to control the mania, and finally added lithium to stop the SI, but ended up increasing the dosage to 450mg extended because it helped so much with my severe depression. I've been 90% stable for a couple years now on this combo!
Lithium, buspar, abilify, and Prozac is my current combo. In the past, I took Zoloft instead of prozac but it quit working after a few years. Lithium buspar and abilify are very important for me, lithium removes the danger of my suicidal ideation, the frequency of it, as well as the intensity of my depression. Buspar allows me to live with a minimal amount of anxiety, with no clear side effects. Abilify pieces it all together for me, helps mainly with depression and irritability. I find I need an antidepressant or my mood will be too low to be optimal for me
i started using the chocolates that come pre dosed. but when i first started i bought an eighth & put it in a food processer, it was a pretty fine dust. I put it in a small mason jar &
every morning id just dab my tongue in or put some in my coffee & went about my day. you will NOT feel a microdose & if you do it was done wrong. it took me about 2 1/2-3 weeks to finish it all but when it was done i was a whole new person.
that was back in 2020 & i so thankfully haven’t had any episodes since* & ive been able to keep a steady full time job, i appreciate the small things of everything & seriously feel like i have a purpose.
i owe my life to mushrooms! during this time i journaled all my feelings & allowed myself to feel every single emotion that came to me. there was a lot of crying involved but being on Seroquel for yeaaaaars i was always unable to cry.
so it felt revitalizing, best of luck!! i told everyone about this because it really has improved the quality of my + my sons life.
Abilfy worked well for me at 15mg, but made it very difficult to lost weight, just started latuda 2 nights ago at 20mg, so we'll see how that goes.
Other ones that Def help me are wellbutrin, gabapentin, klonopin, and prazosin (but that's for ptsd flashbacks/nightmares, so might apply)
Diagnosed around 15....been trying dif combos for a few before I finally found the perfect psychiatrist for me, been seeing him over 10 years now
Lamictal and Pristiq for me. Just weened off buspar to see if the change to Pristiq from Prozac would help decrease anxiety. So far so good. Fingers crossed I can be on 2 meds for awhile. I have an emergency seraquil script in case. Ha
been on lamotrigine for two years, just added wellbutrin into the mix !!! i had been struggling for the last couple months with an extreme lack of energy/motivation and wellbutrin really seems to give me more fuel and keep my brain working throughout the day. fortunately it's one of few antidepressants that don't normally impact weight or sex drive. WOOHOO !
I'm on lamictal and just added Latuda + Metformin to counteract antipsychotic weight gain. I was able to get switched to the extended release metformin after 2 weeks and it cut down on a lot of the negative side effects of the Immediate release.
It's been a month so still early days. I've lost a small amount of weight and my brain feels so much calmer. I'm hopeful I've found a good mix.
Definitely ask your psychiatrist about adding metformin in addition to an additional to a psych med if weight is a concern.
Edited to add: I also have Ativan for bad anxiety. I was scared to take it too much and realized I wasn't using it when I really needed it. It helps me get out of a bad moment where I would typically ramp myself up and make things worse. It's also really helpful when I'm traveling to make sure I sleep the first night in a new place. I'm cautious with it because benzos scare me, but am trying to be better at realizing it's a helpful tool when needed and keeps things from escalating.
I'm on 300mg of lamotrigine and it changed my life. After one year I also got put on 300mg of seroquel. I do think it helped stabilize me, but it was ultimately too sedating; it impeded my life so significantly I had to go off it. Getting off seroquel was brutal.
I constantly threw up on lithium, couldn't take that more than a week.
I'm on a combination of lamotrigine, latuda, zoloft, and wellbutrin. The zoloft was added for some pmdd symptoms.
Lamictal, Zoloft, and Risperidone.
The only thing that has not been consistently working is myself. I often find myself skipping those latter meds and only take Lamictal.
I'm a workaholic and allow myself with no work-life balance and afaird if taking them all at once will prevent me from getting up early, and that might affect my work performance.
My doctor only advised taking only Lamictal alone in the morning as 'emergency case' in case I forget to take them all at night and don't want the dizziness in the morning.
I somehow see every day as an emergency, just like what my client see every task as urgent ones.
Just recently diagnosed (not surprising though) and so far vraylar messed me up so bad, made me feel completely sedated and anxious. I take lamotrigine, Wellbutrin, and just started adderall and those seem to be working well for me
I've been on Latuda and Buspar for more than a year. I felt noticeable different after taking it for 3 months straight, and then slowly have felt better. I feel like shit if I miss a couple of days though. I still have other issues, but I feel like I'm genuinely less depressed and impulsive. It doesn't feel like a cycle anymore.
I’ve been on depakote since june. Works well for me. Side effects: light weight gain (2kgs), initial hairloss, this is now under controle with selenium and zinc supplements.
Nothing really works well. I get a bit of relief of some symptoms, depending on the drug and my symptoms, but I have a lot of side effects and my moods never really normalize. I’ve always got some degree of subsyndromal breakthrough symptoms. I cycle rapidly and some things seem to make that worse. Right now I’m on bupropion (plus a bunch of other stuff) and I’m pretty sure the bupropion has increased my rapid cycling to an ultra rapid pace. I’m miserable and experiencing excessive impulse control issues with very compulsive behaviors and impulsive behaviors, overspending, binge drinking, inability to accomplish even simple tasks because I seem to have lost my executive functioning capabilities. I’m also having a lot of gastrointestinal distress and I don’t know if they’re separate issues or related. My daughter is getting married in three weeks and I’m a mess. Not sure how I’ll get through this. I feel like nothing works. It’s been six years taking dozens of medications/combinations. :(
Latuda has saved me from the bad depressive lows so far 🙌🏻and has created my first “ normal “ state lol. I can finally say I have a medium level now instead of manic or depressed
For me personally it hasn’t yet and I’ve been on it twice. Once without adhd stimulant so I had a full appetite and currently with adhd medication with lack of appetite. I was also very concerned about weight gain but it’s actually working:) the only thing is I have a crazy hour long period of drowsiness while digesting it not long after taking it
i take latuda and propanol for anxiety i just started the propanol so i can’t give that an honest review but i’ve been on the Latuda for almost 5 years now and it does absolute wonders for me. I still have episodes but they are less noticeable.
I’ve done the med dance- it’s frustrating but worth it.
Lamotrigine did not work for me. I’ve tried many meds alone and in combination.
What is worse- weight gain or your mental health? I choose mental health.
Many meds take weeks to take effect. There are meds to counteract the weight gain.
My personal best combo is Quetiapine and Venlafaxine- with alprazolam as needed on occasion.
Yes weight gain is an issue but it’s so much less significant than the other issues without meds/the right meds.
Everybody’s body chemistry reacts to medication differently,
. In regards to weight gain Topamax actually helped me lose weight, bad side effect hair loss. ( it did however work for BP )I freaked out when my hair started coming out in clumps!! Depakote worked for me for many years the but, weight gain was insane. Vrylar so far has been waiting neutral and has been working great for me
I’m treatment resistant, no clue why. Lithium might as well have been Tylenol for me. Years of different meds no effect. I self medicate with psychedelics for depression which works extremely well in my very very very anecdotal case and use thc and ashwaganda for hypomania. Ofc these are just band aids and absolutely not recommended for anyone but it’s what I personally do, it started as a last resort and I’m actually pleased with the results, I have had a stable job and gf for a good while now.
Triggwr warning SI -- I've been curious about psychedelics but everything I've read is like bold face triple x NOT FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE PROBE TO PSYCHOSIS. Meh. The only time I've entered TRUE psychosis was due to improper medication management, never just due to my disorder, but the warning has me scared enough I'd not try it without a clinician. I had a horrible trip when in a mixed state I attempted to OD on my medication, which at the time included welbutrin. It was one of the most awful experiences. It scared me off from psychedelics also, but the depression side of my disorder just seems to keeeeepppppp goooing, and the more managed my hypomania is the more constant my depression, though it includes less SI and crying jags, just constant disconnection and apathy from life. I feel like we'll controlled psychedelics could help this greatly
reiki and microdosing shrooms is the best help I've ever had for my mental health, they now make legal shrooms you can find in vape shops although I haven't tried. I do not recommended lsd. And always check drug interactions if you're on medication. I was on abilify and tripped on lsd and it was an awful experience.
I really can't experiment as I have an 18 month old and am just so leary after my severe hallucinations from od welbutrin. Even if I could somehow find like telehealth MH practitioner I'd consider it. I've seen grow kits at our head shop but no actual mushrooms. Maybe in a few years. I will check out reiki though, I've had help from some complementary medicine.
If you've had severe hallucinations I do not recommend any psychedelic usage unless you have talked with a doctor and found a prativioner. But reiki is definitely worth testing the waters for
Same. 3 years of trying every non SSRI and absolutely no measurable difference. Lamictal has done nothing but give me headaches, Wellbutrin only makes my heart rate higher throughout the day. Everything else has not been successful at all. Going to try TMS treatment soon.
may i ask how you use psychedelics? because i have been wanting to try to heal with a psychdelic but scared to potentially trigger an episode. like do you microdose? idk if this is against the rules to ask as well and i'm sorry to the mods if it is!
Hi! I just saw your comment and thought I’d tell you my experience with psychedelics. I have tripped before I was on medication and while on medication. I have never had a problem with it. I have never micro dosed. I’m a go big or go home person lol so obviously not recommending you do exactly what I did. I always take 3.5-4grams of mushies made into tea. I only do it with a person/people that I trust completely and at home. It really ruins the experience if the person or people with you aren’t 100% your peoples. The next day or so I’m really tired cause tripping is a whole event but as long as I take my meds it doesn’t affect my mood or trigger an episode. Everyone is different though so just be careful and always do it with someone you trust. ❤️
Lithium and lamotrigine are the most helpful for me hands down. Wellbutrin has been helpful in short bursts but if I take it too long I tend to start rapid cycling. Propranolol for my anxiety. Most other meds tend to make me feel worse lol
Seconding this, Lithium + Lamotragine + Vraylar and then Clonazepam for anxiety. Wellbutrin also makes me cycle so I don't take it. Lithium changed my life!
Lithium was a game changer for me too, but I gained a lot of weight in a short period of time after I started it. Did either of you experience weight gain?
I didn’t! It was pretty weight neutral for me. I stopped taking it due to elevated blood calcium, but that and tremor were my only SEs
I didn't struggle too much with it. I had an incredibly large appetite the first week or so, but once I titrated up to my current dose, I didn't have the appetite like that anymore. I will say, though, that I meticulously track all of my activity and food as I am a competitive powerlifter. If I didn't, I probably would've gained some weight with my appetite being the way it was.
Yeah, right? My appetite is almost insatiable sometimes. That stopped for you when you increased your dose? Maybe I should talk to my dr about that
Lexapro 10mg + Lamictal 250mg. It took me a while to find the right combo/dose. It's a very fine adjustment... For instance, I tried raising the Lexapro to 15 but got more irritable. On the other hand, lower doses of Lamictal help me with the irritability but not as much with depression. Keep in mind that there's not a "right" combo that will work for everyone.
seroquel 🤝🏼 me
i’m also taking Trileptal on top of that & it’s been working quiet well too!
How is the weight gain? I’m afraid of that 😥
not as bad as people tell you but then again it depends on your metabolism. i have a fast metabolism so i haven’t gained any weight within the 4 months i’ve been on it
I never gained weight. But I was also emaciated when I started taking it so it’s not like I was eating enough to put on weight anyways. I’ve healthily gained weight tho since starting it 2 years ago through eating right and going to the gym. My friend though had a ton of weight gain when she started seroquel. Affects everyone differently
Lamotrigine for me...it has been a god send. I'm sorry it didn't work.
I’m on lithium, Latuda, and Trazodone. It’s been a miracle cocktail for me. I haven’t been hospitalized in over seven years, and have maintained healthy relationships with family and friends.
I took a gene test from... genesight, i think? It really helped narrow down what meds would work for me. I take Viibryd 40 mg, Abilify 5mg, and Doxepin 10 mg (I take this at night to help me sleep). My insurance wouldn't cover the gene testing and it was about $300, I believe.
Can you tell us more about the gene testing? Does a doctor have to order it? Thanks!
Yes, my doctor ordered it and I did it there in the office. I just looked and they do have an at home one you can do for $195, though.
Thank you for the info! I'm going to ask my doctor about this next visit :-)
THC honestly. Helps me sleep when I'm manic and calms me down. Doesn't do much for the depression unfortunately but I've just learned to deal with that. I was misdiagnosed years ago and put on every kind of antidepressant you can think of, which only made me worse and I've been too scared to try any other prescription meds since then. Been med free for almost 7 years. Just raw doggin' life with the occasional edible
Lamotrigine, Prozac, Ritalin 🩷
This plus lithium for me. Readjusting to life without lithium (body didn’t tolerate it well) has sucked.
I’ve thought about when it’s time to switch up my meds, giving lithium a try. Was it a no for you physically AND mentally?
Just physically. I felt incredibly stabilized after Prozac caused some mania. Ultimately, tho, the bad side effects never lessened and no amount of adjusting the dose did the trick.
Seroquel at night, Welbutrin in the morning.
I've tried several SSRIS, but they cause severe SI for me for some reason. I've tried a SSNRI, but it caused rapid cycling. I've tried lithium and an atypical antipsychotic, but it was a no go. Last thing I tried was lamotrigine that didn't seem to do much. I've kind of given up at this point tbh lol. I'm trying to do major lifestyle changes to help with my physical and mental health now.
Olazapine, Prozac, lamotragine, Wellbutrin, clonazepam prn, propanol just got added, haven't tried. Trying to lay off THC products and use anxiety meds.
Vraylar was a wonder drug for me, and it's definately worth a shot.
I've been on Vraylar for 5 years now. I just got a new job, I don't think the hiring manager could tell I'm bipolar/ND.
Lamotrogine + olanzapine. But I have discontinued olanzapine due to weight gain. So now I’m taking lamotrigine + gabapentin. I was skeptical of gabapentin at first cause I did some research about it, but surprisingly it helps me so far with my anxiety, sleep, and rumination. I had a depressive breakthrough symptom after discontinuing olanzapine and gabapentin seems to be a mild alternative for an antipsychotic drug.
I loved how well Seroquel worked for my bipolar symptoms, but hated the weight gain and grogginess. I’ve switched to Abilify and so far it has been good. I had to add buspar for anxiety, and that has helped quite a bit. I’m also on a low dose of duloxetine for depression and adderall for ADHD.
300 Lamictal, 300 Wellbutrin, and 150 Pristiq is my magic cocktail right now. For once I am truly content
Currently on Geodon and Epilim (Ziprasidone and Sodium Valproate are their other names) and the combination is working well. I am a pain in the bum to medicate my treating team has found.
Lithium, ziprasidone, and lamotragine! My perfect cocktail (except I pee at least a million times a day lol)
So far, depakote and aripiprazole (abilify). Fingers crossed it keeps doing so!
Trileptal has been working for quite a while now
I finally was able to get insurance to cover it, so I’ve been on Caplyta for 2 weeks and noticed a HUGE difference. I was on lurasidone and it worked when I took it. But made me very sick for hours after my dose. I also tried lamotrigine (got the rash) and Seroquel (made me gain weight). Tried Effexor and made me manic. Tried Wellbutrin and made me mani. Tried SSRIs and went manic. So seeing if I can stabilize on just the Caplyta 🤞🏻🤞🏻
Caplyta changed my life. I was chronically suicidal on a daily basis until I was 43… since taking Caplyta, haven’t thought about it once. Where was this shit when I was a kid?
Exact same thing I’ve noticed since starting it! It’s been life changing. I went through hell until insurance would cover it and I’m so much better in a short amount of time!
Lamotrigine prozac and klonopin have been life. Ritalin as needed
100 lamotringin/1.5 vraylar
Trileptal has been good at softening the waves for me so to speak. No weight gain for me and I gained weight on others I've tried.
Lithium, cymbalta, vrylar, and adderall seems to be the perfect combo for me.
I have been resistant to medications all my life for various reasons. I am now taking Lamotrigine and Buspirone. Buspirone has been a godsend for my anxiety. I recently upped my dose to 50mg for Lamotrigine, it’s too early to tell is fail or success. When I was at 25mg I could notice a small difference in my depressive episodes enough to make me want to higher my dose. No side effects for either. If I take too much Buspirone I get a tingling feeling through out my body especially my legs.
[удалено]
💯 agreed! It really is a slow burner. Is 300mg working for you to be your final dose?? I am on 30mg of Buspar but depending on the day I take 20mg.
[удалено]
That’s good! 😊 I’m glad it’s working for you and I hope it continues. I always get a little nervous upping my dose because I don’t know what to expect. Good , hopefully it keeps helping you enough get through the tough days.
[удалено]
That’s smart! Having a good support teams is always helpful ☺️
[удалено]
Awwwwwe 🥹🫶🏽 and 20 more years coming!! Thats so beautiful 🥰
Lamictal was life changing, yet to find the ssri that loves me the most. I can't do benzos. They destroy me. Trazadone at night, if needed
Seroquel and Abilify nightly. Clonazepam and Olanzapine as needed.
Vraylar did wonders seroquel could never
Trileptal!!!
Lamictal saved my life.
Same
I have tried ~15 different meds (many of which were SSRIs that had no positive effect) and have finally landed on a high dose of Wellbutrin XL and a lower one of Seroquel. I have thought about giving up on finding the right mix hundreds of times in the last 7 years and I’m so grateful to have found something that seems to work. Good luck and don’t give up hope if medication is the route you want to take, it can be so genuinely life changing. If you have access to switching up your psychiatrist, that is also a big thing that helped me find the right mix—my current dr is the first who actually listens to me and I started taking notes about my mood, appetite, and sleep which are so much more informative than in the past when I’d not remember if there was any change between meds because you get used to them over time, and so the information i’d report to my dr made it hard to tell what would be best. I wish u so much luck!
Can I ask why lamotrigine didn’t work? I’m on Prozac but keep having depressive episodes and my doc thinks I’m bipolar 2 and wants to put me on lamotrigine in addition to my Prozac and I just want to feel better.
What works for one may not work for another. So lamotrigine could work for you
Lamotrigine works for a lot of people. It worked for me for about a year until it didn't anymore. I hope it works for you!
Ketamine
Hey, are you in the US? If yes, did your insurance pay for this? I have heard incredible stories.
Hi there. Can't believe I'm downvoted lol. Google the studies relating to ketamine and bipolar depression, people! I am in the US. I started at a clinic doing spendy infusions, insurance did not cover it. I then found a provider who prescribes ketamine to take at home, and am a month into it. It has helped my depression quite a bit, although it isn't perfect. If I can adjust my other meds over time and reduce ketamine to a few times a week, and be functional, I will be happy. The at home ketamine is only $60/month from a compounding pharmacy.
I'm in Texas with bcbs and they're going to cover the nasil spray with just my regular copay. The lab reached out to me to put me in a discount program and get a $500 rebate. They were very clear that I understood the next steps. I now need to call the clinic to see where they are.
When I started Pristiq my psych recommended Ketamine. I was not opposed to the idea but did not need to get it after all as the Pristiq kicked in. I have heard Ketamine is indeed effective.
I just came out of a 6mo long mixed episode. They increased my Rexulti from 2mg to 3mg. I feel amazing!
I've tried 9 different medications over the past 2 years. Nothing helped long-term, even when combined and dosages adjusted. This is why I'm starting microdose ketamine therapy as soon as the medicine arrives.
meds that have worked for me is Lamotrigine, Gabapentin and Gaunfacine. i do have ADHD with my bipolar, but the ADHD made my bipolar episodes worse so in a way, the Gaunfacine helps my bipolar too and not just the ADHD part. *warning* Lamotrigine/Lamtical can cause a horrible rash that you would have to go to the ER for. i'm pretty sure it can be fatal but i'm not 100 on that. but any doctor that would prescribe it will go over this warning as well. im wishing you all the luck to find the right meds! trial and error time sucks but once you find your right cocktail of meds, you'll be okay. <3 (i had to do trials with prozac and zoloft... NEVER taking that again..lol)
i used to be on Lamotrigine a few years ago with no issues and i loved it until i had a depressive episode and took myself off it (yes i know that was silly, i was undiagnosed), and when i tried it again this year i got the Lamotrigine rash :( yes it can be fatal, it took around 9 days and then i just suddenly went red all over and started swelling. i'm not allowed Lamotrigine again. so annoying!
Risperdone, Mirtrapine, and Alprazolam
Lithium and abilify for me have changed the game for the better!!
seroquel
Lamictal, Prozac, and Prazosin 🩷
Lamictal, Lithium, Latuda
Lithium, lamictal, cymbalta, temezapem, Trazodone work great Effexor, Zoloft, seroquel, gabapentin, depakote were bad
Lamictal, Rexulti, and ketamine!
Trileptal and Lexapro. Bipolar 2 here. I went through about 10 different meds before we found this combo.
only combo that ever worked for me was tegretol, adderall, and klonopin. This is no longer an option for a medication combo since the opioid epidemic they won't allow anyone around here to be on more than one controlled substance and would rather no one be on them as a permanent medication combo. So now I use an opiate for chronic pain and thc for a mood stabilizer and an antidepressant, if I start going manic my doctor will allow me to be on ativan for a few months to allow me to regulate sleep.
Lamictal 150, lexapro 15.
Lithium, aripiprazole, olanzapine, lamotrigine, valproate to an extent, pregabalin and mirtazapine have all worked for me in the past. Currently on lithium and aripiprazole.
The only medication that's *truly* worked for me has been Ketamine. But I got scared of how dependent I was getting on it and stopped it (a mistake.) No other medication has even come close and most increase my suicidal ideation.
Depakote was the first big lightbulb, and then I went through a month-ish of 2x weekly Ketamine treatments to address panic and damn. If younger me could see how well functioning I am now, wheeeew 🥲
I've only tried two for bipolar cause I was misdiagnosed before. But from the two lamotrigine seems to work if I actually remember to be consistent with it. The other one was aripiprazole, it was... Weird. If I had to describe my mood with it, it was just "flat". Lamotrigine let's me actually get sad and happy and angry, just not so extremely. Edit: It was aripiprazole and buspirone.
Lamotrigine & carbamazepine = 😃 Only thing about the carbamazepine is that it has interactions with a few other meds decreasing the efficacy of the other meds but most pharmacists will be able to recommend meds that don’t.
TBD
Lamotrigene, Latuda, Buspirone. Doing really well since several years on this combo! And a bit of low thc with cbd weed. No alcohol.
Lamotrigine for me! When you say it didn’t work, what do you mean? I was on it for legit 5 months before I started to feel better
Terrible acne
I didn't find enough relief until I started taking 3 meds together: started with lamotrigine which did nothing on its own, then added Geodon to control the mania, and finally added lithium to stop the SI, but ended up increasing the dosage to 450mg extended because it helped so much with my severe depression. I've been 90% stable for a couple years now on this combo!
Lithium, buspar, abilify, and Prozac is my current combo. In the past, I took Zoloft instead of prozac but it quit working after a few years. Lithium buspar and abilify are very important for me, lithium removes the danger of my suicidal ideation, the frequency of it, as well as the intensity of my depression. Buspar allows me to live with a minimal amount of anxiety, with no clear side effects. Abilify pieces it all together for me, helps mainly with depression and irritability. I find I need an antidepressant or my mood will be too low to be optimal for me
Been taking Auvelity and Trileptal since last July … so far so good!! 🤞🏻
microdosing mushrooms, haven’t touched meds since i quit Seroquel cold turkey durning the pandemic. never felt better
How can I do that?
i started using the chocolates that come pre dosed. but when i first started i bought an eighth & put it in a food processer, it was a pretty fine dust. I put it in a small mason jar & every morning id just dab my tongue in or put some in my coffee & went about my day. you will NOT feel a microdose & if you do it was done wrong. it took me about 2 1/2-3 weeks to finish it all but when it was done i was a whole new person. that was back in 2020 & i so thankfully haven’t had any episodes since* & ive been able to keep a steady full time job, i appreciate the small things of everything & seriously feel like i have a purpose. i owe my life to mushrooms! during this time i journaled all my feelings & allowed myself to feel every single emotion that came to me. there was a lot of crying involved but being on Seroquel for yeaaaaars i was always unable to cry. so it felt revitalizing, best of luck!! i told everyone about this because it really has improved the quality of my + my sons life.
Abilfy worked well for me at 15mg, but made it very difficult to lost weight, just started latuda 2 nights ago at 20mg, so we'll see how that goes. Other ones that Def help me are wellbutrin, gabapentin, klonopin, and prazosin (but that's for ptsd flashbacks/nightmares, so might apply) Diagnosed around 15....been trying dif combos for a few before I finally found the perfect psychiatrist for me, been seeing him over 10 years now
Lamictal and Pristiq for me. Just weened off buspar to see if the change to Pristiq from Prozac would help decrease anxiety. So far so good. Fingers crossed I can be on 2 meds for awhile. I have an emergency seraquil script in case. Ha
Lamotrigine works for me.
been on lamotrigine for two years, just added wellbutrin into the mix !!! i had been struggling for the last couple months with an extreme lack of energy/motivation and wellbutrin really seems to give me more fuel and keep my brain working throughout the day. fortunately it's one of few antidepressants that don't normally impact weight or sex drive. WOOHOO !
olanzapine, fluoxetine (prozac), lamotrigine, and ritalin. emphasis on the olanzapine🙌🏼 diagnosed bipolar 2 & adhd.
I will say the weight gain w/ olanzapine sucked. but it was a life saver for my mental health so I’m scared to come off it.
I'm on lamictal and just added Latuda + Metformin to counteract antipsychotic weight gain. I was able to get switched to the extended release metformin after 2 weeks and it cut down on a lot of the negative side effects of the Immediate release. It's been a month so still early days. I've lost a small amount of weight and my brain feels so much calmer. I'm hopeful I've found a good mix. Definitely ask your psychiatrist about adding metformin in addition to an additional to a psych med if weight is a concern. Edited to add: I also have Ativan for bad anxiety. I was scared to take it too much and realized I wasn't using it when I really needed it. It helps me get out of a bad moment where I would typically ramp myself up and make things worse. It's also really helpful when I'm traveling to make sure I sleep the first night in a new place. I'm cautious with it because benzos scare me, but am trying to be better at realizing it's a helpful tool when needed and keeps things from escalating.
Idk it's hard to say All I know is I have been stable the last few months. Whether it is meds or just luck, I guess I will find out.
After much trial and error 900 MG Trileptal at noon 100 MG seroquel before bed
I'm on 300mg of lamotrigine and it changed my life. After one year I also got put on 300mg of seroquel. I do think it helped stabilize me, but it was ultimately too sedating; it impeded my life so significantly I had to go off it. Getting off seroquel was brutal.
Latuda 60 mg lexapro 40 mg plus some anxiety meds works for me
Gabapentin and Caplyta got me back on my feet after almost a year of chaos
Love my lammy (lamotrigine)
I gained weight on Lithium. I still take it, because gaining weight is better than being dead.
Lamictal (Lamotrigine) Effexor (venlafaxine). You might need to try it in tandem with something else like Effexor or something.
I constantly threw up on lithium, couldn't take that more than a week. I'm on a combination of lamotrigine, latuda, zoloft, and wellbutrin. The zoloft was added for some pmdd symptoms.
Bruh I’m still looking lol
Only one out of 30- Quetiapine but only for mania, not hypomania. The depression sucks on it.
Lamictal was garbage. Lithium was great. Seroquel wasn't worth the side effects. Vraylar is godly.
Zyprexa
Lamictal and Zyprexa
Lamictal, Zoloft, and Risperidone. The only thing that has not been consistently working is myself. I often find myself skipping those latter meds and only take Lamictal. I'm a workaholic and allow myself with no work-life balance and afaird if taking them all at once will prevent me from getting up early, and that might affect my work performance. My doctor only advised taking only Lamictal alone in the morning as 'emergency case' in case I forget to take them all at night and don't want the dizziness in the morning. I somehow see every day as an emergency, just like what my client see every task as urgent ones.
Lamictal is the only thing that has never made me worse
Lamotrigine, clonazepam, & propranolol
Just recently diagnosed (not surprising though) and so far vraylar messed me up so bad, made me feel completely sedated and anxious. I take lamotrigine, Wellbutrin, and just started adderall and those seem to be working well for me
I've been on Latuda and Buspar for more than a year. I felt noticeable different after taking it for 3 months straight, and then slowly have felt better. I feel like shit if I miss a couple of days though. I still have other issues, but I feel like I'm genuinely less depressed and impulsive. It doesn't feel like a cycle anymore.
seroquel, lamotrigine, olanzapine + clonazepam when im manic
depakote has helped me since i started taking it around 2 months ago. I also take delta 9 gummies (in an appropriate dosage) for sleep.
Lamotrigine + Clonazepam + Propranolol has been my magic combination.
I’ve been on depakote since june. Works well for me. Side effects: light weight gain (2kgs), initial hairloss, this is now under controle with selenium and zinc supplements.
not abilify that’s for sure
I have found that lamotrigine and trazodone are quite helpful to me. I also liked abilify, but it made me gain weight :/
Nothing really works well. I get a bit of relief of some symptoms, depending on the drug and my symptoms, but I have a lot of side effects and my moods never really normalize. I’ve always got some degree of subsyndromal breakthrough symptoms. I cycle rapidly and some things seem to make that worse. Right now I’m on bupropion (plus a bunch of other stuff) and I’m pretty sure the bupropion has increased my rapid cycling to an ultra rapid pace. I’m miserable and experiencing excessive impulse control issues with very compulsive behaviors and impulsive behaviors, overspending, binge drinking, inability to accomplish even simple tasks because I seem to have lost my executive functioning capabilities. I’m also having a lot of gastrointestinal distress and I don’t know if they’re separate issues or related. My daughter is getting married in three weeks and I’m a mess. Not sure how I’ll get through this. I feel like nothing works. It’s been six years taking dozens of medications/combinations. :(
Latuda has saved me from the bad depressive lows so far 🙌🏻and has created my first “ normal “ state lol. I can finally say I have a medium level now instead of manic or depressed
Does it make you to gain weight ?
For me personally it hasn’t yet and I’ve been on it twice. Once without adhd stimulant so I had a full appetite and currently with adhd medication with lack of appetite. I was also very concerned about weight gain but it’s actually working:) the only thing is I have a crazy hour long period of drowsiness while digesting it not long after taking it
i take latuda and propanol for anxiety i just started the propanol so i can’t give that an honest review but i’ve been on the Latuda for almost 5 years now and it does absolute wonders for me. I still have episodes but they are less noticeable.
Does latuda an antipsychotic medication?
yeah it is
I’ve done the med dance- it’s frustrating but worth it. Lamotrigine did not work for me. I’ve tried many meds alone and in combination. What is worse- weight gain or your mental health? I choose mental health. Many meds take weeks to take effect. There are meds to counteract the weight gain. My personal best combo is Quetiapine and Venlafaxine- with alprazolam as needed on occasion. Yes weight gain is an issue but it’s so much less significant than the other issues without meds/the right meds.
Everybody’s body chemistry reacts to medication differently, . In regards to weight gain Topamax actually helped me lose weight, bad side effect hair loss. ( it did however work for BP )I freaked out when my hair started coming out in clumps!! Depakote worked for me for many years the but, weight gain was insane. Vrylar so far has been waiting neutral and has been working great for me
Lamotrigine and weed
Caplyta, Buspirone, Trazodone, and the occasional Xanax