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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Florencia on February 4, 2003, at 12:07:17
I recently was diagnosed with bipolar illness. I have my own HR consulting business, am a published writer and am a single parent to a 16 year old son. People tell me I look 25. I am 35 years old, very health & diet conscious (workout daily) and in shape. I am a closet smoker. For years I think I self-medicated my illness with marijuana, which I stopped doing about 6 months ago. I was first given Neurontin and Paxil for my bipolar and although it stabilized my sleep and helped with OCD at first, it also made me feel out of it. I got headaches, chronic constipation and experienced weight gain rapidly (8 lbs in a month) despite going to the gym daily and limiting calorie consumption to 1500 day. I've been in individual therapy for 4 weeks and its helping--I tried group therapy for 5 or 6 sessions and hated it. After a month, the meds stopped working completely and I had a manic episode again. My doctor took me off the Neurontin (600 mg day) and Paxil (20 mg day) and put me on Prozac--I am taking 10mg day and increase to 20 tomorrow. Also take Zanax to sleep or calm down if I feel too excited. Problem is, I still feel manic. Doctor is urging me to try lithium but I am so resistent and scared. I've read too many books and heard nightmare stories--also, my brother Joey who is manic depressive and schizophrenic is on it and he cannot work and is on disability. He is like a vegetable sometimes. What should I do???? I don't want to lose myself. Is there any med that works to treat this without horrific side effects of constipation, weight gain, naseau, vomiting, etc? Because given the side effects of what I was on, I'd take a mild manic high any day. Oh, and my brother who takes lithium also has to take a zillion other pills to counteract the side-effects of the lithium. And he wears Depends when he goes out in public because he has to pee like every 2 seconds. He is only 47 years old. I don't want that to happen to me.
Anybody out there with any advice????
Posted by one_little_victory on February 5, 2003, at 4:42:34
In reply to Prazac to treat Bipolar Disorder, posted by Florencia on February 4, 2003, at 12:07:17
From the things I have read lately you can get by with a lower dose of lithium than the older way of using it which is at, just about toxic doses.
I found more weight gain from ssri meds like Prozac than from Lithium. There is also talk of Topomax being used to lose weight or level off in weight while on medications. In a perfect world it would be nice to not have all of the weight and sex side effects and that junk but I think with maybe Topomax and maybe some other meds it can help slow down if not stop the weight. I am in my 30's and similar to your situation but I am a tall and well built guy so I can get away with a few extra pounds. I know it is hard for women and my girlfriend and other women friends have some had really bad problems with weight on psychiatric medications. I hope that can help, and hang in there.Marc
Posted by missinglynxx on February 5, 2003, at 8:14:47
In reply to Prazac to treat Bipolar Disorder, posted by Florencia on February 4, 2003, at 12:07:17
Florencia. I have a warning. I workout with weights alot, and am OK at it. I found Lithium to cause me great clumsiness. I literally walking and tripped. I found this affecting my workouts (its very Sedating) . I just didnt feel natural at all.... I would advise AGAINST It since you workout so hard!! and need your agility,,, If you try it,, you will see what I mean..
theres Lamictal and Zyprexa.
Posted by lostsailor on February 5, 2003, at 17:59:17
In reply to Prazac to treat Bipolar Disorder, posted by Florencia on February 4, 2003, at 12:07:17
Using an srsri, like prozac, when bp is not unusual. If you don’t want to take lithium tell your doc why. There a now many different treatment options without the side effect profile that lithium has. Lithium, and increasingly depakote, are usually seen as the "gold standards" for mood management. Neurontin was promising but is it is rapidly being realized that it really does not control mood properly for most with Bp disorder.
Take a look at, lamictal, trilliptal, depakote or toprimax instead of lithium, which I too would not take unless we had exhausted all other options. T
Also, remember that you relative have a different and more difficult diagnosis than you do. Maybe a little more sympathy could be used to describe him with some respect both to to him and others on the boards that may share similar diagnoses and or conditions.
Posted by lostsailor on February 5, 2003, at 18:17:17
In reply to Re: Prazac to treat Bipolar Disorder, posted by lostsailor on February 5, 2003, at 17:59:17
This is the end of the thread.
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