For Bipolar people only. What has been the best combo of meds for YOU?

Question

I understand it won't be the same for me, I am just looking for some ideas here to present to my doctor. If you also have anxiety, what has worked for you?

Answer 1

Right now, I take Wellbutrin XL, Seroquel, a small amount of lorazopam at bedtime and just started Lamictal. This combination seems to be working well..although the Lamictal is still just being started. I need a lot of antidepressant help...both Seroquel and Lamictal, although not antidepressants, have been found to have significant anti-d effects. Seroquel and lorazopam help with anxiety.

Wellbutrin, Seroquel, lorazopam, and an SSRI was working fairly well for awhile, but I ended up going off of each SSRI because I couldn't deal with the sexual side effects.

Lithium and Depakote (each tried in combo with Wellbutrin and Seroquel) both very much helped level my mood, but I ended up going off of each because of severe acne and hair loss, respectively.

Answer 2

I have been on the same mix of meds for going on two years now, and after switching from one to another for the past 6 years, this combination seems to work great for me. I take 750 mgs of Serequel, 200 mgs Lamictal, 400 mgs Topamax, 1000 mgs Depekote ER, and 100 mgs of Trasydone (spelling?) each day. Very rarly do they have to be adjusted unless something really stressful is going on in my life at the time, and then they are usually only adjusted for a month or two. I haven't really found anything wrong with the current batch of meds I take, and I wish you the best of luck in finding the ones that work best for you.

Answer 3

I take 900 mg. Lithium with
1000 mg. Epival (diavalproate)
between supper and bedtime.

I can still spike a mood but I don't end up in the hospital. When that happens, I find Respiridol to be most effective in getting my feet on the ground. I keep some in the cupboard, its my parachute :)

Be prepared to stick it out and allow whatever meds you get to take hold. Sometimes it takes 2 weeks for the blood levels of the meds to rise to a therapeutic level. Then you need time to assess its effectiveness.

You may have to juggle various combinations of different drugs up to seven times before you find the one combination that is right for you. Hopefully, that won't happen.

Feel free to email me, I've been at this for 30 years.

Answer 4

Have you tried all the combos and are ready to give up because the side effects are too much? Sleepiness to the point where you have to drink so much coffee your eyes begin to float. My best friend did. He went from Lithium to respiradol to depakote to seroquel and geodon to zyprexa and yet nothing seemed to do the trick then they tried him on a drug called Abilify, not only does it not make you tired all darn day it actually gives you the ability to concentrate more. He is doing so much better now. Beware of Zyprexa because it can give you diabetes and make you fat otherwise it works well. Everyone's different, this is one man's story over a two year period with hospitalization and incarceration in between due to mania.

Answer 5

This is the cocktail of meds that works very well for me and has for more than several years now...............

Lithium ER
Lamictal
Effexor XR
Buproprion SR ( = Wellbutrin)

Everyone is different. It's very important to get blood levels done when taking Lithium.

Answer 6

I take Abilify 5 mg. in morning & Fluoxetine 20mg at bedtime. Its working so far for me.

Answer 7

Most bipolar people I know smoke pot and I've seen great improvement.

Answer 8

wellbutrin was the best with celexa... they mixed good for me...

Answer 9

alcohol