Anyone know the best meds for bipolar?

Question

I have been on Lamactil and clonzapen for about three months and doesn't seem to work. Now they have put me on respital also and that doesn't help either. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

I have been per scribed every antidepressant I can think of, and of course they changed keep changing it. I finally got a doctor to listen to me, and she put me on the medicine Depakote and Wellbutrin SR. Please talk to your doctor and let them advise you. If your doctor doesn't help, go to another one. I wanted to quit so many times but you must keep on trying. Good Luck and God Bless You. Let me add that I have been like this since I was a little girl and of course no one know or recognized what the deal was. It is very hard to explain when you don't know what's going on in your head as a child. When a doctor did say the words "bipolar" I had an explanation for all the weird feelings I had and all I was going through. Peace.

Answer 2

You just have to find a good psychiatrist who's willing to try different meds or combination of meds. Some meds work well for some people and not for others. A knowledgeable doctor will have a good idea to which types of meds are most beneficial for your specific type of bipolar disorder. Classic bipolar disorder (pure manic episodes alternating with pure depressive episodes) is often responsive to traditional drugs like lithium. Anticonvulsants may be more helpful in people with rapid cycling or who experience "mixed" episodes. There are alot of new drugs out there but it's a process of trial and error.

Answer 3

My cocktail is as follows;

Depakote (divalproex sodium)
An anticonvulsant, the primary medication used to control manic episodes and relieve bipolar depression. Before Depakote, I tried Trileptal (oxcarbazepine) and Lamictal (lomotrigine). I am very happy with Depakote, however, you need to have your blood monitored regularly, as the dosage needs to be adjusted based on your blood levels. I was also prescribed Depakote because of a previous addiction to cocaine, where Depakote is known to reduce cocaine cravings. Also, since Depakote matabolizes highly in the liver, I had to say bye bye to drinking.

Neurontin (gabapentin)
This is a mild anticonvulsant, where it's used to treat heavy anxiety in people that are bipolar. It's common that people who are not bipolar that have heavy anxiety, get a therapeutic prescription of benzodiazepines (Xanax, Ativan, Clonzepen), however, regular use of benzodiazepines are known to trigger mania and bipolar depression (the worst), so I use Neurontin as an alternative and stay away from the benzodiazepines. Neuronton is also clinically proven to reduce cocaine use.

Provigil (modafinil)
This is a stimulant, typically used to treat ADD as an alternative to Ritalin. Some of the typical side effects of Depakote are fatigue and lethargy and the Provigil helps to offset those effects.

Trazodone
This is technically an antidepressant, but is typically used to treat insomnia as an alternative to Ambien, which is addicting and has nasty withdrawal syndrome attached. Trazodone is not addictive and has very minor yet manageable side effects. Taking trazodone with Depakote can really kick your *** and make you constantly tired, which is why I take the provigil.

Seroquel (quetapine)
This is an antipsychotic, typically used to treat schizophrenia. However, I use it as an alternative to Benzodiazepines in cases of major anxiety or rage.

It's taken me a while to come to this "cocktail", where I did a tremendous amount of research on information sites and discussion boards. I also worked very closely with my Dr, who helped phase the different drugs in at a proper dosage, so I would suffer as few side effects as possible.

You are welcome to email me any questions and I hope this helps out.

Good luck

Answer 4

There are SO many. It's just trial and error. Here's a list:

http://bipolar.about.com/cs/menu_meds/l/bl_medsAZ.htm

Answer 5

Lithobid. It works and stabilizes your mood swings.

Answer 6

I found some good info here.

Answer 7

only your doctor knows,,give it time