Bipolar disorder update
It’s been a long time since I posted about my bipolar disorder, and really that’s a good thing: I’ve been doing well.
After having to go off Lamictal (I’m still kinda sad about it — it’s like saying goodbye to a dear friend), a tried fish oil for a couple of weeks. I could feel my moods going beyond “normal” range. The doc put me on Depakote, since I had responded to that before my “experiment” last year when I went off meds.
*Oopsie!*
Anyway, Depakote is doing the job. And I’m still taking fish oil, but not at the high levels in the Harvard study. I’m taking about a tablespoon of Carlson’s (the good stuff) every day with food.
On Depakote, I notice that I’m groggier in the mornings than I had been either of Lamictal or off meds completely. Also, I haven’t been inclined towards much physical activity — whereas taking time out for yoga was easy before, now it seems like I’m resisting it somewhat. That bums me out. So, I guess that’s an area of my life that could use a little more effort.
All in all, though, things are looking up from where I was just 3 months ago, when I was ready to end it.
I hope you’re doing well. Drop me a comment, please.
Hello, fish oil
There are some promising studies that suggest that fish oil may be an effective mood stabilizer.
Ever since my lymph nodes swelled up and burned in pain when I went up from 25mg to 50mg of Lamictal, I’ve been taking 4g of fish oil per day.
I have to say, Lamictal is as close to a miracle drug for bipolar disorder that I’ve ever experienced. Sure beats the Depakote/Lexapro combination I’ve been on in the past or the Zoloft/Zyprexa experiment before that. I’ve been doing some grieving over the fact that I can no longer take Lamictal.
So back to fish oil…
In the study I read, they took 9g of fish oil per day. That’s a lot — 9 of those huge horse pills. I’ve been reluctant to take that many.
Fish oil has its drawbacks — besides the benign fish breath, you also need to worry about mercury and other pollutants. You also need to worry about free radicals. And lastly, you might need to worry about too much vitamin D.
I’m taking fish oil I’ve had in my cabinet for awhile. When I get through it here in the next few days, I’ll order the good stuff — a couple of brands have been recommended as being far more superior and pure, so I’ll try them out and report back.
The good news is, it’s been a week now since I came off the Lamictal, and I haven’t had any major mood episodes. I do feel slightly more edgy, but not depressed or manic.
So I’m looking forward to going up to 9g of fish oil, but not on the grocery-store variety I have now. I don’t quite trust it.
My shrink is not a fish oil man, and he’s talking about putting me on lithium or Tegretol. We’re still waiting for the Lamictal to clear out completely, so that gives me some time to complete the human testing on myself with the fish oil project.
Wish me luck.
Lamictal blues
No sooner had I spoken than some lymph nodes on the back of my neck swelled up.
This is one of the things to look out for in your first few weeks of Lamictal.
And I am really bummed. I have been liking how Lamictal has allowed me to function on a level that I think “normal” people function on.
I’m getting work done. I’m getting out of the house. I can relate with people. I do not feel the despair that has kept me paralyzed. Emotions have not enslaved me. I feel like me.
So… I hope I don’t have to go off lamictal. I can’t go back to the shape I was in before I started it. That really frightens me.
“If you’re not bipolar I’ll eat my hat”
Wow. I can’t tell you what a difference I feel now that I’ve been on Lamictal a couple of weeks.
I had thought I was depressed, as in major depression or unipolar depression.
But the SSRIs I have taken, like Zoloft and Lexapro, kept quitting on me, despite increasing dosages.
And at times, they shoot me up into a frenzy. That certainly is not my natural gloomy disposition.
Finally, my psychiatrist said, “Well if you’re not bipolar I’ll eat my hat.”
He put me on Lamictal. It seems to be working really well. I had one day of hypomania early on, but it stablized quickly.
Every time I feel an itch, though, I peel back my clothes in a panic to make sure I don’t have one of the malignant skin rashes that an allergic reaction to Lamictal can sometimes cause.
Nope. Things are going well. I hope you’re having a good day, too.