Posted by briana on September 13, 2001, at 8:12:28
In reply to Re: They all think i am, but am I?bipolarthatis, posted by JohnL on September 9, 2001, at 6:52:59
I have to disagree that all of the doctors who "really know what they are doing" are using Lamictal or Zyprexa vs. Lithium. I live in an area with some of the best docs in the country, and the consensus is still that lithium is the tried and true mood stabilizer of choice of BPD. I'm BP I AND I have epilepsy, and I take lithium and topomax and neurontin. I have three consulting p-docs and it was deemed that the evidence of lamictal as a mood stabilizer was still too tenuous to consider it as effective as lithium. I've been on Zyprexa, and the consensus there seems to be that it is quite effective at higher doses, but again, the evidence is more tenuous because the drugs are new. Many people have few or no side effects from lithium and it saves their lives. I am a very high functioning BP patient. I'm also an artist -- a writer, though -- in her 20s, and lithium put an end to 10 years of tumultous, suicidal depression. It hasn't dulled creativity, it has caused minimal weight gain (turns out the neurontin I was on caused most of the weight gain I experienced, as did the Zyprexa). I know that some people have a horrible experience with lithium and Depakote, but they both remain the "gold standard" as of now for treating bipolar 1 patients. I think that any doctor worth his or her salt would not discourage a patient from at least trying these mood stabilizers with extremely high success rates.
> Hi Emma,
> I think it's worth noting, just out for curiosity sake, that a high percentage of artists and musicians happen to display bipolar features. That doesn't mean all artists are bipolar, but the odds are pretty good. Sometimes their best work comes during a hypomanic phase, or in a deep depressive phase, with the least impressive work coming while they are feeling ok.
>
> You asked if Lithium and Prozac is appropriate for you? Actually, I like the Prozac idea, but either Zyprexa or Lamictal would likely be far better choices as mood stabilizers than Lithium. Though it takes many years for doctors to come around to new innovations, those doctors who really know what they are doing are now using Zyprexa or Lamictal instead of Lithium.
> John
>
> > Hi i'm emma. I'm an artist, and 19yrs old. I'm living in San Rafael, Cali. in a group living place(house). I've been through trials suchas leaving home for college, then the inevitable short term depression that comes hand in hand with leaving home/family/security, psychedelic drugs, cronic use of marijuana(senior year of highschool), psychopathic breakdown and hospitalization, then depression afterwards and suicidal thoughts while living with mother, weight gain(wrong meds), yadda yadda yadda. now all my docs and therapists believe I'm Bipolar, all of a sudden. I want to know the truth, but as we all know, the truth is in the eye of the beholder. I've read Don Miguel Ruiz's book: The Four Agreements, and understood it. Are lithium and prozac the right drugs for me? any input would be greatly appreciated. Be well(I think iam, might be the only one), emma
poster:briana
thread:78327
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010907/msgs/78710.html