Bipolar Support Group

so i saw my pdoc yesterday. i started taking lamictal 2 weeks ago. like with all the meds they give us, i started at one dose (25mgs. for two weeks) and am now moving up to 50mgs. per day for two weeks. i have been waiting and hoping to see some results from the lamictal. when my doctor and i talked, he told me that whenever most psychiatric patients are started on a new drug, the amount you are given as the "beginning" dose is a dose that, in clinical trials, produced no better results than a placebo. in other words, when you first start most of these meds, you may as well be taking a sugar pill because you're not going to see any effects. this was good for me to understand, since i often get impatient when i start on a new medication and have to wait for what seems like such a loooooong time for it to do anything.

i guess we have to be patient, but boy does that suck.

peace.

z.

I knew that unfortunately. I never understood why one cannot just start at a clinically effective dose. Sometimes I feel as if they should just put me in the hospital when starting a new med. I get so scared when starting new meds because of this. I am so impatient and then comes the thought of "wonder what I'll be minute to minute"; there is no comfort in this thought. I suffer from mostly mixed states and I am an addict so when they had to adjust my meds last time I just checked myself into the hospital because I was going down really fast. I know this doesn't happen all the time, but boy is it inconvenient and scary!

So, THAT'S why the damn stuff doesn't work right away! Tricky bastards! With the exception of Lithium, which they start with a clinically effective dose right away.

I really haven't seen anything happening with the Lexapro yet. I know he's afraid it'll pop me into mania, but 5 mg ain't doing nuthin.

Z, hun, hope your appt went well

Because unfortunately alot of the meds we need to take have to gradually build up in our system before we can take the higher doses. Its actually good that they do it that way or our poor bodies would really go through some trauma, not to mention whats left of our minds! lmao

((((Zinnia)))) Good to see you sunshine

When I was in the depression phase of bipolar, my pdoc put my on low dose Risperdal as he put it "the glue to keep me together" in order to function with daily activities (that others take for granted!) It worked right away. Although it put me in an slight upswing, nothing I could not handle, I came back down to baseline fast. Now my doctor has increased it and decided to keep me on it for awhile since I did so well on it.

But remember, what meds work for one person may not work for others. I find the meds are selective on who they work for, as this illness has such a wide spectrum of symptoms.

By the way, I'm new here, and learning the lingo...Do you all call this an illness? No cuss words please...LOL

Sorry for spelling and gram. errors. I'll do better next time!

I call it a disorder. Illness indicates cure. And I call it other things, but you asked for no cussing

And why does this window "disability income and bipolar support" advertisment show up in my posting?

Oh, and Welcome!!!!!