Posted by SLS on April 8, 2012, at 22:42:05
In reply to Re: Depressogenic effects of medications. » SLS, posted by phidippus on April 8, 2012, at 18:14:54
> Hey Scott, in your experience, have you achieved more mood stability on two mood-stabilizers? My doc wants to add trileptal because the dose of Viibryd I'm on is causing some mood instability. Does this work?
>
> Eric
It is hard for me be certain enough to answer your question with any sense of confidence. Lamictal acts more as an antidepressant than a mood stabilizer for me. It is lithium that has reduced the variability in mood that I had experienced diurnally and throughout the week. It is helpful to look at combining "mood-stabilizers" as one would look at combining antidepressants. Ideally, each drug in a polypharmaceutical regime should fill a different role clinically that is a reflection of complementary pharmacology. Trileptal is a good drug to reduce aggression and impulsivity. I found it somewhat energizing and very clean with respect to physical and cognitive side effects. I did not find it depressogenic at all. Nor did it produce amotivation or passivity. Since it did not produce a perceptible improvement in my depression, I set it aside.I guess the bottom line for me is that it is not productive to use the term "mood-stabilizer" to pigeon-hole drugs as if they were all alike and redundant if combined.
I wish I could be more helpful. I will be very interested to see how you react to the addition of Trileptal. I hope it works.
- ScottSome see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:1015011
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