I’d been meaning to write a post about this, but I just never got around to it. Since about the end of July, I’ve been on no medications whatsoever for bipolar (update, 11/19/06: under pdoc supervision). Just trazodone to help me sleep and Ativan PRN for anxiety. For the most part, I’ve been doing really well. So for anyone who’s been recently diagnosed with a mood disorder for which you have to take medication–take heart: it does not necessarily mean you’ll be on medication for the rest of your life.
Granted, it’s not uncommon for patients who have undergone ECT and are on maintenance ECT (which I’m not) to be taken off of their antidepressants and mood stabilizers. So maybe I’ve been doing all right without meds because of the ECT, but then again, it could just be that I’m getting better.
My anxiety was really bad for a while, so my pdoc took me off the trazodone (since it no longer put me to sleep, anyway) and prescribed Klonopin, which has really toned down my anxiety but only makes me kind of sleepy. I mean, it was pretty bad there for a while as some of you know.
I told him today about the annoying mood swings that I experienced last week and he offered to let me try going back on a mood stabilizer–it was entirely my choice. I said yes. Tegretol always worked best for me in the past, but now i’m going to be on Trileptal, which is similar. It’s another one of those seizure medications. Whatever. I’m just sick of the mood rollercoaster, and although I’d rather be on as few meds as possible, if it’ll help me feel euthymic most of the time, then great.
He also gave me samples of a new sleep aid called Rozerem. It’s supposed to help regulate your sleep cycle, which is what I really need, and I think is also the reason why I’ve been having these fucked-up mood swings. Sure, hockey has helped energize me, but the late-night practices have completely screwed my sleep schedule, and I function best when I’m on a regular get up at the same time, go to bed at the same time every single day routine.
Here’s to hoping this stuff will work. Oh, and I have an appointment to see the gastroenterologist next Tuesday.
Good luck with that…I wonder if anyone ever really figures out what works. I think it’s something that probably changes all the time.
It totally changes, definitely. Sometimes you’ll be on something for years, then all of a sudden it stops working, maybe because of internal chemical changes? Tolerance? Who knows?
Well, I’m glad you are going to see the gastroenterologist next Tues. Hopefully, you can get “that” taken care of. (y)
Barb-
Can you please share some of your experience with Tegretol. I am thinking about going on that one.
Thanks!!
April, I’m not exactly looking forward to it, but it would be nice to figure out what’s going on that they were unable to detect during the colonoscopy. Hopefully, it won’t be anything!
Hi, Queen! I took Tegretol for years and years and years and had no problems with it until it stopped working about three years ago. But all my meds seemed to stop working for me at the time, which is why I had to suffer through a three-year, treatment-resistant depression that ended up with me having ECT.
I had no problems with weight gain, death rashes (think Lamictal), or anything weird. The only thing is that if you’re on the Pill, it could decrease the contraceptive’s effectiveness, but I didn’t have problems with that, either. I was taking the Pill and Tegretol at the same time and I think they sort of just got “used” to each other, if that makes any sense. Still, if you don’t want to get pregnant, I’d take extra precautions, just in case. Apparently, it’s the same deal with this Trileptal that I just started taking because it’s related to Tegretol. I hope this helps.
Aww well I hope that soon you’ll have a life free from these medicines. Taking lots of meds for me makes me a bit squeamish.
Taking meds has become such a part of my life that I’m used to it. It’d be nice not to have to take anything for anything, including allergies!
After years of “experimenting” with med, without meds, I’ve conceded to the fact that life is more managable with meds. I’m someone who will always take them. Thank God. I take a cocktail mixture of seizure meds for bipolar disorder. Life has been pretty good for the most part. Xanxax XR manages my anxiety very nicely as needed. If I didn’t take meds I’d never sleep, ever. (&) – ok I just like the dog.
Lisa, I completely agree. Duh–I guess I should have made it clear in my post that I was completely off the meds with my doctor’s supervision. I didn’t decide one day to just stop taking them, which would be bad, bad, bad. Because life is usually more manageable being on meds is why I agreed to go back on a mood stabilizer. When he gave me the choice, I thought about waiting until after I had my period, but I’m just so sick of the ups and downs. Wait–there haven’t been any ups–just downs! I just wish this stuff would hurry up and kick in!