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Doing well on new meds after being off all meds for 5 yrs

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Posted 3/9/2012 4:20 PM (GMT 0)
I was diagnosed with bipolar 1 in May 2004. Was hosp. and put on lithium, epilim and haldol because of my manic state. In Jan 2005 I took myself off all meds due to the unbearable side effects. Weight gain, lethargy, fatigue, sensitive eyes and bad tremors. The next 6 years, I endured a life of manic hell. In Mar 2011 I went to my gp who referred me to a great psyc I was hospit for 2 weeks and put on epilim 1000 mg and seroquel 100 mg. The combination works wonderful 4 me.
Posted 3/9/2012 5:13 PM (GMT 0)
Hello, Charmy, and welcome to the Bipolar Forum,

I'm glad to hear your combinatin of meds is working for you. This is the first time I've seen Epilim referred to as having been used by bipolar patients. It apparently is valproate sodium with 58 mg of Valproic acid combined. That would be a small amount of Depakote, which I thought was a great medication. (Had a little hair loss, but then I was taking solely Valproic acid. It came back after stopping the medication.)

I have never taken seroquel, but from what others have said, it seems to be very effective, too, as a medication for bipolar illness.

I'm always glad to know that folks are getting along well with their meds.

It often takes a while, as it did you, to get to the right psychiatrist for you and the right medications to stabilize the chemical imbalance.

Good for you! And keep posting as you wish.

Take care.

It's Genetic

Post Edited (It's Genetic) : 3/10/2012 12:02:02 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 3/10/2012 6:18 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Genetic! Glad to hear from you. In my case Epilim is used as a mood stabilizer for mania. I take 500 mg in the morning and 500 mg in the evening. The 100 mg seroquel I Take 1 and a half hours before retiring in the evening. I take it at the same time every night. It has a calming effect and allows me to sleep well without any sleeping meds. Go well!
Posted 3/10/2012 7:03 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks again, Charmy, your thread may be very important to someone who is having difficulty adjusting to prescribed medications and is looking for something that may be more successful as a medication to take. Hopefully , someone who sees your post and is having difficulty will talk to his/her psychiatrist about the beneficial effects of your prescribed dosages and types of medication.

Very helpful information.

It's Genetic
Posted 3/10/2012 8:00 AM (GMT 0)
Hello again to Genetic! Yes, that would be so great if my thread could encourage other bipolar sufferers to just hang in there until they find what meds work for them. I know its hell while you going through the trial periods but in the long run its definitely worth it. A word of advice to all out there wanting to go off all meds because of bad side effects. DO NOT! Try alternatives until you succeed. Be strong! I know u can.
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