theChangeling
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(Background: I've been under treatment for unipolar depression for about 4 years now. Took Paxil for 3 years, went off, got depressed. Went to doctor, got on Lexapro--great for the depression, and no sexual side effects for a change. Recently went to see a Pdoc about managing my depression, and she thought, judging from my history, that my symptoms were more like Bipolar II than simple unipolar depression. This wasn't the first time I'd heard this, so the denial finally broke, and for the last month or so I've been contemplating mood stabilizers to deal with not only the hypomanic symptoms but to help handle the crushing depressions that get worse with each round of depression.) I went to see my Pdoc today and we talked about mood stabilizers. I'm getting to a point where I'm thinking it would be a good idea to get mood stabilization on board (I've been really irritable and edgy, easily triggered, and generally feeling energetic but anxious, and I've definitely had some other hypomanic symptoms since my Lexapro was increased last month). I told her that of the research I've done, it seems like Lamictal would be a good choice to start with. Minimal side effects, strong antidepressant properties, etc. I told her about my irrational fear of and instinctive negative reaction toward litihium (I have an intuitive "eeew" reaction to lithium, as I did with Prozac, and that same "eew" reaction kept me away from hardcore drugs when I was a teenager, thank God--so I tend to listen to my gut-level reactions about drugs and medicines). She listened to me and appreciated and accepted what I said. She also encouraged me to research "second generation atypical antipsychotics" (Risperdal, Abilify, Geodon) to see what I thought of those. She said these meds are generally not considered a "first line" approach to stabilizing moods, but they have been used successfully in a lot of patients she's worked with. My first round of research regarding these meds is not very heartening. There are apparently a lot of side effects, including the possibility of developing diabetes and hyperlipidemia (too-high cholesterol) and cardiac complications, particularly in those who already have risk factors. I don't have a family history of heart disease, but I do smoke cigarettes and I acknowledge that this is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. (Yes, I know it would be great if I quit smoking, but right now, I'm too busy putting one foot in front of the other and keeping my mental health somewhere near functional to worry about that.) My research on Lamictal yields a wide variety of patient responses from "OMG this shit is poison!!!!111oneoneeleventyone" to "This stuff saved my life!" Having known people who've had good experiences with Lamictal and, since I have health insurance, being able to afford the stuff, right now I'm still (at first glance) thinking Lamictal might be the best choice. So, my question to you is -- have any of you been on Risperdal, Abilify or Geodon for any length of time? Has it helped depressive symptoms? Have you had side effects, and if so, were they manageable? I'm just trying to gather all the info I can, because a) that's the way I deal with things that are emotionally overwhelming; and b) I want to be a responsible participant in my treatment plan. Thanks in advance for anything you have to offer on this subject. Post edited by: theChangeling, at: 10/23/2007 19:55 |
