Very bad idea to stop meds (long)
Find a Conversation
Very bad idea to stop meds (long)
| Tue, 08-15-2006 - 10:03pm |
Hello, first of all, I guess I should introduce myself since this is my first real post on the board. I did post earlier with kind of a mini-crisis but didn't think about an intro. Sorry. :)
My name is Angie, I'm 29 years old and was diagnosed with Bipolar I in 2002. I've also been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (in 2004) and anxiety/panic disorder (something I've battled for many years). I'm a stay at home mom to 4 kids (2 girls, 2 1/2 and 4, and 2 boys, both 7 - one is my step-son who lives with us). I've been married for 2 1/2 years to my wonderful husband, Shawn. My 7 yo and 4 yo are from my first marriage. I actually used to use the pregnancy/parenting boards a lot in the past, but kind of got out of them, as I lose interest in things quickly :(
So here's my story, I just thought I would share. It's kind of long, I hope you don't mind.
About a month or month and a half ago, I stopped taking a few of my meds - Effexor (150 mg), Strattera (don't remember the dose, but it was low) and Lamictal (100 mg). I continued taking the Seroquel (100 mg) and Klonopin (1 mg/day, but I'm weaning myself per the doctor's ok), Seroquel was very important to me because I cannot sleep without it. I have horrible insomnia that I've dealt with since I was a kid. Anyway, what a bad idea. I've been having horrible mood swings, though luckily no full blow manic or severe depressed episodes (I've had a hypomanic episode and I've been in the early stages of depression for a while). I've been extremely irritible and I've been having a lot of problems with low motivation, concentration and fatigue. I started taking the Lamictal again tonight. I'm taking it along with the Seroquel and Klonopin (down to .5 every other day now). My family doctor (I'm going to see a new p-doc next month) prescribed Wellbutrin last week and yesterday I started having really bad anxiety symptoms that I believe were caused by the Wellbutrin. So I stopped it, per my doctor's orders. When I go to see the p-doc next month I'm going to talk to him about a different antidepressant. I DO NOT want to go back on Effexor - the withdrawals were HORRIBLE and the sexual side effects were starting to effect my marriage. That's why I was really hoping the Wellbutrin would work for me. I had the very same effects with Lexapro (the anxiety) about a week after I started taking it and landed back in the hospital. Luckily this time I knew what the problem was and stopped it. So I know now that I cannot take Wellbutrin, Lexapro or Cymbalta (triggered a full-blown manic episode when I started it, and at a low dose). And I know all the other meds out there are going to cause the same sexual side effects, which I'm not too happy about, but we'll have to find a way around it because my mental health is more important, right? Anyway, that's my story about stopping meds without talking to your doctor first. Bad, bad idea. Thank you for letting me share. Angie
My name is Angie, I'm 29 years old and was diagnosed with Bipolar I in 2002. I've also been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (in 2004) and anxiety/panic disorder (something I've battled for many years). I'm a stay at home mom to 4 kids (2 girls, 2 1/2 and 4, and 2 boys, both 7 - one is my step-son who lives with us). I've been married for 2 1/2 years to my wonderful husband, Shawn. My 7 yo and 4 yo are from my first marriage. I actually used to use the pregnancy/parenting boards a lot in the past, but kind of got out of them, as I lose interest in things quickly :(
So here's my story, I just thought I would share. It's kind of long, I hope you don't mind.
About a month or month and a half ago, I stopped taking a few of my meds - Effexor (150 mg), Strattera (don't remember the dose, but it was low) and Lamictal (100 mg). I continued taking the Seroquel (100 mg) and Klonopin (1 mg/day, but I'm weaning myself per the doctor's ok), Seroquel was very important to me because I cannot sleep without it. I have horrible insomnia that I've dealt with since I was a kid. Anyway, what a bad idea. I've been having horrible mood swings, though luckily no full blow manic or severe depressed episodes (I've had a hypomanic episode and I've been in the early stages of depression for a while). I've been extremely irritible and I've been having a lot of problems with low motivation, concentration and fatigue. I started taking the Lamictal again tonight. I'm taking it along with the Seroquel and Klonopin (down to .5 every other day now). My family doctor (I'm going to see a new p-doc next month) prescribed Wellbutrin last week and yesterday I started having really bad anxiety symptoms that I believe were caused by the Wellbutrin. So I stopped it, per my doctor's orders. When I go to see the p-doc next month I'm going to talk to him about a different antidepressant. I DO NOT want to go back on Effexor - the withdrawals were HORRIBLE and the sexual side effects were starting to effect my marriage. That's why I was really hoping the Wellbutrin would work for me. I had the very same effects with Lexapro (the anxiety) about a week after I started taking it and landed back in the hospital. Luckily this time I knew what the problem was and stopped it. So I know now that I cannot take Wellbutrin, Lexapro or Cymbalta (triggered a full-blown manic episode when I started it, and at a low dose). And I know all the other meds out there are going to cause the same sexual side effects, which I'm not too happy about, but we'll have to find a way around it because my mental health is more important, right? Anyway, that's my story about stopping meds without talking to your doctor first. Bad, bad idea. Thank you for letting me share. Angie

Welcome Angie!
I'm sorry you had to learn the hard way about stopping meds, but it's one that kind of comes with the territory for BP folks (BTDT!).
Hi Angie!
Love,
Wellbutrin is a no-no with anxiety disorders. It has a stimulant property in it that increases anxiety. Do not take ANY antidepressants without a mood stabilizer attached to it (Seroquel or Lamictal). Antidepressants alone will make Bipolar symptoms worse. Lamictal is a good medication for the depression type of Bipolar, but has been known to increase hypomanic symptoms (irritability, poor impulse control, insomnia...). Seroquel is a good medication for the irritability and insomnia, but can really give you daytime fatique and cause weight gain. Have you ever tried Carbatrol or Equetro??? does not cause weight gain or sexual problems and works well with mixed symptoms of Bipolar (depression w/hypomania). And remember, klonopin is a benzo. and may contribute to depression symptoms. Sometimes the anxiety is due to the bipolar symptoms not being controlled. Hope this helps.