Changing Meds ?

haru,

i'm not a dr, a pdoc, a chemist, not a pharmacist.  it is to one of these individuals that you should present you query.

i have been on lithium since 2001, when i was diagnosed with bp (actully the bp diagnosis didn't come until 2002).  the pdoc also put me on anti-psychotic drugs which turned me into a zombie.  my wife, his pa, and i finally convinced him to drop the anti-psychotic drugs after several months.  i am now on lithium and welbutrin (i spend most of my time in a depressive state).

i, too, suffered from vivid dreams that were, to say the least, disconcerting.  my pdoc told me that this was a common side-effect of lithium and, in fact, most, if not all, drugs used to treat bp.  fun, huh?

i also took effexor for several months.  same - i might almost say - halucinogenic side effect.

you must remember that every person reacts uniquely to evey drug.  my wife was pescribed ultram for her arthritis and it is working unbelieveably well.  that same drug made me nausiated and i vomited non-stop for seveal days. 

another thing to consider is that the "cocktail" that you and your pdoc find to keep you functional with bp is a movable feast.  it must be "tweaked" now and then to accomodate changes in your health, you hormoones, etc.  and you must also remember that quite often the drugs just "poop out" and you and your pdoc have to come up with a suitable replacement.

add to all of this the fact that the drugs often take several months to take effect.  it can be a long process.  hey, but what elso will keep you entetained like this for the rest of your life? 

warren

sometimes the only thing you can control is how you feel about something.  let's say that you fall out of an airplane at 20,000 feet without a paachute.  you can curse the airplane and the pilot and fate and god and everything else that put you in this situation.  or you could turn around and say, "what a beautiful sunset!  and look at those marvelous trees!"  and you can do that for the rest of your life.

you can make bp a dis-ease and a terrible burdon or you can make it an adventure.  after all you never know when you may change states.  isn't that an adventure?

i know that i'm mking light of a very serious and dangerous situation.  but look at it another way,'life's too important to be taken seriously.  now baseball. ....'

warren

I was diagnosed more or less in 1995 with Bipolar I. I've been stable with Zyprexa for about 9 years or so. I know a lot of people don't like that drug, but for me it has worked wonderfully. I live alone, maintain a good job and relationships, and don't really have to pay attention to my mental health other than taking Depakote and Zyprexa every night.

Now the Dr. wants to switch Zyprexa for Abilify because he thinks I carry to much weight and he is afraid of diabetes. I think I am sexy and look pretty good, but I trust his professional opinion.

Has anyone here been a long term user of Zyprexa made the switch to a different drug like Abilify? We tried switching to Geodon a year or so ago and I literally felt like someone stole my soul.

I am 31 years old. 5'9" tall. 210 Pounds. I work as a civil engineer, which requires a lot of public speaking, which before Zyprexa was impossible.

Thoughts?

Kevin

I am on a coktail of meds.They haved worked for me for quite a while.I have been out of the hospital for over a year, which is very good for me. I am now having some problems. I don't want to call the nurse because I am afraid of what she is going to say. Just got to keep going for my wife and my boy

Hello there ddagassi - welcome to our Healing Well family , I'm looking forward to your posts

I'm glad your meds are working for you , and thanks for the input ,

Smiler