New here and to bipolor lv 2

I have not even seen this combination before. I can only tell you that SSRIs are not usually prescribed for bipolar sufferers because they tend to make things worse, not better. I am NOT a doctor and I DO NOT know his reasoning in your case. He is trained to know these things, I am not.

When starting a new medication you are feeling uncertain about, I think it is wise to do so on the weekend and not to be alone for a couple of days. If you have friend who can come stay with you, please have them do so. That way, if something happens you have help right there. I have often had an adult friend come and stay with us when I have taken things I am not sure about. I have to do prednisone from time to time and I have had a full blown psychosis from it, so I don't put my life in the hands of the kids, but I have a friend come to stay. Better safe than sorry.

To try to answer more of your question, combinations of drugs is a common thing in treating bipolar illness. Depakote and Lithium are probably the two most common drugs used, though not together. There is also some differing in opinion on how best to treat this illness. I think that the going trend is towards tighter control of symptoms with no "bounce" of mood. I told someone here once that I think adequate treatment can be likened to jumping on a tampoline. Untreated bipolar is high jumping and doing tricks, you don't want that. However, one cannot walk across the surface of a trampoline and not have some movement generated on the surface. One cannot walk through life without movement on the surface either! This is to say, some up and down of moods is part of life, big bounces are a pain in the butt. I think that some movement is in the "normal" range of functioning and it doesn't mean you have a bipolar swing going on, it just life. This is why it is my PERSONAL opinion that tight control is unrealistic. At some point, bipolar people have the same responsibility for their actions as others who don't share this problem, and the same ability to control their reactions to things too. Progress, not perfection.

Don't let this diagnosis throw you too far. Remember, bipolar is NOT mental illness, it is a medical illness that inhibits mental stability. There is a mind-body connection to every illness known to humankind, not just with bipolar. Remember, bipolar is much more like diabetes or hypertension. It is an Axis I diagnosis, so something medically (medicinally) treated, not an Axis II diagnosis where true mental illness is placed. It is possible to have both bipolar and mental illness, but bipolar is not mental even if it is all in your head (with your brain and its unique chemistry).

Welcome, by the way. Keep us posted.

I have also the same diagnosis as you. I started taking depakote for my first medicine but had bad side effects. I am now taking something like depakote called Lamictal and an antidepressant. Because we are hypomanic, I believe antidepressants work very well for us. They def. put me hypomanic, which, in my life, is a great feeling and not bad whatsoever.

Also, Bipolar disorder is not a "crazy" disorder. BP is a chemical imbalance in the brain, and it has a lot to do with genetics, so you cannot control what happens. Just know that it is a gift getting diganosed and not a curse. Be glad that you found out the problem and now you can fix it =)

Hope those meds work out well for you!

-Allie