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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by discopainter on March 21, 2006, at 21:37:44
Hi, I am newly diagnosed and very, very anxious. I thought maybe I could get some advice here. about how to move forward with medications...
My history: I have been treated for moderate unipolar depression for years with little impact. Then just recently a pdoc put me on 20mg of Prozac and I became somewhat euphoric (things looked really pretty and I was too amped/anxious to focus. Then they put me on a birth control pill and I got a million times worse and spun down into a suicidal "mixed state"; I kept seeing images of myself dead, etc. I guess according to this they are now saying I have been misdiagnosed for years and I'm really on the bipolar spectrum (cyclothemia or bp2)... and I'm confused 'cause it just seems like a crazy drug induced thing...
Anyway I went off all ad's and things began to normalize but then I started to get really physically depressed again (lots of pain in throat and chest). So I started taking 5mg prozac which worked for a bit (for the last 3 weeks) but now it's causing intense anxiety again. I am trying to knock out anxiety with clonazepam and propanolol but it's not working that well.
So, the doc suggested Lamictal, a mood stabilizer. My questions are
1. I am a songwriter in the middle of recording an album due in 2 months. Does Lamictal flatten you out much? I'm terrified of "blowing" this music opportunity but I'm not doing very well now as it is.2. Does Lamictal dampen creativity?
3. Does it help with anxiety?
4. Does it cause weight gain?
I would be grateful for anyone's experiences on these drugs, especially "creatives". Thanks for reading... I still can't believe I'm being diagnosed with an "illness" (I just thought I was passionate and creative)... DP
Posted by theo on March 21, 2006, at 21:55:41
In reply to Lamictal, Creativity, Anxiety, weight gain, posted by discopainter on March 21, 2006, at 21:37:44
My questions are
> 1. I am a songwriter in the middle of recording an album due in 2 months. Does Lamictal flatten you out much? I'm terrified of "blowing" this music opportunity but I'm not doing very well now as it is.
>
> 2. Does Lamictal dampen creativity?
>
> 3. Does it help with anxiety?
>
> 4. Does it cause weight gain?
>
> I would be grateful for anyone's experiences on these drugs, especially "creatives". Thanks for reading... I still can't believe I'm being diagnosed with an "illness" (I just thought I was passionate and creative)... DP
>I know what you mean. Sometimes I wonder, am I bipolar, is there anything wrong with being creative and passionate?
Anyway, It's going to take you a good 2 months to get to a theraputic dose due to the slow titration. When I tried Lamictal I was fine until I got above 100mg, then creativity was gone, kind of like writers block. Memory also went down the tubes a little. It did cause anxiety with each titration.
Posted by jerrympls on March 21, 2006, at 23:09:12
In reply to Lamictal, Creativity, Anxiety, weight gain, posted by discopainter on March 21, 2006, at 21:37:44
> Hi, I am newly diagnosed and very, very anxious. I thought maybe I could get some advice here. about how to move forward with medications...
>
> My history: I have been treated for moderate unipolar depression for years with little impact. Then just recently a pdoc put me on 20mg of Prozac and I became somewhat euphoric (things looked really pretty and I was too amped/anxious to focus. Then they put me on a birth control pill and I got a million times worse and spun down into a suicidal "mixed state"; I kept seeing images of myself dead, etc. I guess according to this they are now saying I have been misdiagnosed for years and I'm really on the bipolar spectrum (cyclothemia or bp2)... and I'm confused 'cause it just seems like a crazy drug induced thing...
>
> Anyway I went off all ad's and things began to normalize but then I started to get really physically depressed again (lots of pain in throat and chest). So I started taking 5mg prozac which worked for a bit (for the last 3 weeks) but now it's causing intense anxiety again. I am trying to knock out anxiety with clonazepam and propanolol but it's not working that well.
>
> So, the doc suggested Lamictal, a mood stabilizer. My questions are
> 1. I am a songwriter in the middle of recording an album due in 2 months. Does Lamictal flatten you out much? I'm terrified of "blowing" this music opportunity but I'm not doing very well now as it is.
>
> 2. Does Lamictal dampen creativity?I'm a celllist and composer and I'm always worried about these meds dmapening my creativity as well! I was on it a couple years ago and from what I remember it DID NOT hurt my creative juices.
>
> 3. Does it help with anxiety?Yes.
>
> 4. Does it cause weight gain?Depends - but I think mostly not.
>
> I would be grateful for anyone's experiences on these drugs, especially "creatives". Thanks for reading... I still can't believe I'm being diagnosed with an "illness" (I just thought I was passionate and creative)... DP
>
>
>Jerry :-)
Posted by med_empowered on March 21, 2006, at 23:28:25
In reply to Re: Lamictal, Creativity, Anxiety, weight gain » discopainter, posted by jerrympls on March 21, 2006, at 23:09:12
anticonvulsants seem to be a lot better than lithium at leaving your brain alone while dealing with your problems. For me, it was a matter of dosing--sometimes you have to chose between mood swings (with creativity) and stability (with flatness). I'd say keep the dose low and try dealing with the anxiety through more traditional means--psychotherapy and PRN small doses of benzos--to keep from getting stagnant. (just my experience...your needs and experiences are unique, of course).
Posted by Caedmon on March 21, 2006, at 23:53:38
In reply to Lamictal, Creativity, Anxiety, weight gain, posted by discopainter on March 21, 2006, at 21:37:44
I am only just starting my Lamictal dosing. I'm at a whopping 25mg, so I couldn't tell you how it impacts those areas. But it's a fairly innocuous drug for most people, so it could be worth a shot. I do know that it is not associated with weight gain most of the time, and that it *may* be helpful for PTSD according to a somewhat unreliable open-label study I read a while back. Good luck.
Posted by discopainter on March 22, 2006, at 12:26:12
In reply to Re: Lamictal, Creativity, Anxiety, weight gain, posted by Caedmon on March 21, 2006, at 23:53:38
Thanks so much to Theo, jerrympla, med empowered, and ceadmon for your feedback. I'm at a mental health "free clinic" so I don't have as much access to good information as I'd like.
Ceadmon--if you think of it, I'd love to know how it goes for you on Lamictal. The PTSD aspect is interesting because child abuse is part of my past--maybe this'll be the magic bullet...
Jerry, it's reassuring to know that you still felt creative as a musician/composer...
And to the others, it's good to know about watching the dose--I've always found that I'm incredibly sensitive to drugs anyway (like for instance 5mg/day of prozac is too much for me but a tiny dosage has a great effect...).
I will start a new thread about Prozac but I have seen that it destroys my ability to write. Just like one of you said about writer's block... where I used to have endless lyrics, there is nothing there. It's a little scary... discopainter
Posted by Phillipa on March 22, 2006, at 21:12:42
In reply to Lamictal, Creativity, Anxiety/THANK YOU, posted by discopainter on March 22, 2006, at 12:26:12
Iv'e heard lamictal is great for depression just go slow as there is a rash to watch out for. Good luch with the album. Wish I knew the name of it as I'd be looking for it. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by discopainter on March 23, 2006, at 10:56:46
In reply to Re: Lamictal, Creativity, Anxiety/THANK YOU » discopainter, posted by Phillipa on March 22, 2006, at 21:12:42
Thanks for the info and encouragement Phillipa! I am a total indie girl and my music is of course not everyone's cup of tea...Also, the tracks are just started...Having said that, I posted one rough track on myspace.com. I'm myspace.com/shireenkrelle. Thanks again for your kindness... The folks on these bipolar sites are among the most compassionate I've met..."discopainter"
Posted by lynnbr on April 2, 2006, at 10:59:07
In reply to Lamictal, Creativity, Anxiety, weight gain, posted by discopainter on March 21, 2006, at 21:37:44
Does Lamictal flatten you out much?
Two months of Lamictal 100mg with Wellbutrin 300 mg and if anything, I am less flat! I believe I am feeling the range of emotions, but within a normal frame of reference. Some meds clip the highs and lows and leave you bland. I don't feel that at all.
2. Does Lamictal dampen creativity?
I'm an engineer - not an artist, but we have to be creative too. So far I feel equally creative but more able to express that creativity. Before, everything including creativity was dampened because the depression/anxiety weighted me down like a heavy blanket over my head. Now I feel like I did 20 years ago (a good thing) before it all started going downhill.
3. Does it help with anxiety?
Absolutely. That's probably the first thing I noticed. 6 weeks and no xanax
4. Does it cause weight gain?
not yet. I'm still holding out for that one.
This is the end of the thread.
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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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