mood stabalizers
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mood stabalizers
| Sat, 01-07-2006 - 2:32pm |
Happy New Year everyone! Hope you are all doing well. I tried to post a while ago, but I think I was having trouble with the new set up.
I was wondering if anyone takes mood stabalizers? I went to a new therapist last week, and he is switching me from Lexapro to Zoloft. He said he might want to also try a small mood stabalizer! After doing research, I learned that they are mostly for bipolar disorder. I have serious GAD, but I know I am not bipolar. Does anyone know if these are used for treatment of anxiety?
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Love, Jolie

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Thanks! I will let you know what he says. What is Klonopin? I've noticed a lot of women on it.
Hopefully you are ok. What type of "episode?" Just bad anxiety? I'm here if you want to talk or vent. Not trying to pry.
Great seeing you too. Thanks for answering.
Love, JD
Klonopin is a benzodiazepine. It is an anti-anxiety drug.... it is like xanax or ativan. The difference with xanax and klonopin is that xanax is fast acting and doesn't last
Hi Heather,
I am sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. I am hoping your boys are feeling better, and i can't imagine what it must be like for you. You must be worried every time they blow their little noses! Does humidity help? I don't know where you live, but here in Chicago, it is sooo dry. What have the doctors said treatment should be? Is it different from your husband's treatment?
Anyways, I hope you find solice in the board and hang in there. I know it must be extremely tough for you. Write if you feel like venting.
Lots of hugs, JD
I am dx'd as generalized anxiety disorder and depression. Since the anxiety meds and some of the anti-depressants weren't working well for me the dr. prescribed lithium. Which I believe is a mood stabilizer used mostly for bi-polar. It has helped with my symptoms. According to my pdoc it should help with both the anxiety and the depression.
Hope this helps some.
Alison
Steph
"In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards."
-Mark Twain
I'm Bipolar, Type II, have GAD, social anxiety, insomnia, and SAD. I do take mood stablizers. I take Lamictal and Seroquel for mood stabilizing. The Seroquel has the additional bonus of being an anti-anxiety med. I also take Wellbutrin as an anti-depressant.
What my pdoc has said in the past is that in order to rule Bipolar, Type II in or out, a trial of meds is often the final way of knowing. If the mood stablizers work, then it is. If they don't, it isn't. The problem with this, of course, is that it takes a while to work through some of the meds before you can say with any certainty that you are not Bipolar.
As an aside, one sure sign for my pdoc that I was Bipolar was my experience with post-partum problems. I had post-partum depression to some degree with four of my children and a post-partum psychosis with one of my children. Apparently, some studies are finding that if a mom has post-partum depression, she has a 50% chance of being Bipolar. If she has a post-partum psychosis, the chances of being Bipolar are right at 100%.
Steph
"In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards."
-Mark Twain
Hi Alison,
Yes lithium is a mood stabilizer. I am BP1 and currently on lithium (lithobid) and it workds fairly well for me. I just upped my dose and it's upset my GI tract a little but it'll go away. I take 1500mg / day.
What are you on ?
Hugs & Positive Thoughts Always,
The dx of BP1 has been hard for me to handle. I take 1500mg lithobid and 200mg lamictal which seems to keep me pretty even but xanax is still a part of my life. My p/tdoc wants to get me off of the xanax so there is a goal to work for.
Hugs & Positive Thoughts Always,
I was dxed about 6 years ago at the age of 37. It was difficult in some ways to accept, but it was a relief for the most part. At long last, I knew what was wrong with me wasn't ME but my body's chemistry. KWIM?
Really, if you aren't comfortable coming off of the xanax, let your doc know that if you haven't already. Xanax, I believe, can be used for anxiety, too. I could be wrong about that, but that's what sticks in my head.
There are two schools of thought of BP, II and anti-depressants. One says, they need the anti-depressant. The other, newer school of thought is that if the mood stablizers are working, the anti-depressants shouldn't be needed. For me, I end up in the middle taking the anti-depressants because I have so many break through mood swings without it. As I said, I still have them even though I am on Wellbutrin. I really need another med tweek, obviously. Anyway, my opinion is that if your mood stablizers are working, let them work on their own. If you are going to have anxiety due to going off, maybe it's not a good idea. There are way to many sides to this one. LOL I hope my ideas come across okay.
Steph
"In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards."
-Mark Twain
Thank you. I'll keep it in mind. I have an appointment on Tuesday, and I'll discuss it with him.
Have a great weekend.
JD
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