May 3th
2008
2:27 AM
Hi. I went on Lamictal April 2007 after being diagnosed w/ BiPolar. The key issue that brought me to the psychiatrist to begin with was acute depression following a divorce, move cross country, losing my job and my only son going off to college. All the big stress factors - short of death in family. Nonetheless, I was nervous that one year after all these crises that I was, if anything, feeling worse. I had been able to handle all the changes during them, but now that they were over all I wanted to do was sleep all day.... Anyway, I had been on Paxil for years re anxiety, and my psychiatrist decided to keep my on the Paxil till I tolerated the Lamictal, then get me off the Paxil..... Well, the 20 mg of Paxil and the 100 mg of Lamictal worked great, I thought; the Lamictal really raised the bottom.... BUT, apparently Paxil fuels mania, so after a few months, I was taken off the Paxil completely and my Lamictal went up to 200 mg. Almost IMMEDIATELY upon going to 200 mg Lamictal my ankles / feet / legs got enormously swollen. Plus, I noticed that my hair started to fall out // thin out.... Plus -- and I don't know if this is the Lamictal or the absence of the Paxil, but I sob uncontrollably almost 24/7. The sobbing and anxiety and sense of dread and sadnessness has persisted even when the Lamictal was dropped to 100 mg and the shrink added first Clonazepam .5 mg, then when that wasn't calming me, changed me to 1mg Xanax -- each as needed. The Xanax isn't helping me either, and now I also feel paranoid. So, in short: Lamictal at 200 mg makes my feet / ankles / legs swell or suffer edema; Lamcital as low as 100 mg makes my hair thin out; and either the Lamictal or the loss of the Paxil or these anti-anxieity meds (Clonazepam or Xanax) are making me paranoid, profoundly sad and depressed, panicked, anxious, stressed out and, most urgently, make me sob uncontrollably 24/7... My shrink says that we should use anti-depressants with bipolar, and that Paxil fuels the mania, but I tell you, I'd rather be manic and screaming at everyone than so depressed that I'm fearful and sobbing constantly.... Any answers out there: Any anti-depressants for your bipolar?
-- By mcgreek | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
April 15th
2009
1:22 AM
I can relate to almost everything on here, but never thought it would be b/c of the Mirena. I never put two and two together. I got it placed just after the birth of my second child in April of 2008, since then I have had no energy, no sex drive, I'm on anit-depressants (but i was depressed before so not sure on that one), I'm always smelly down south even RIGHT after a shower, and that really bothers my husband. I have really bad mood swings, I yell at everyone. I'm not the easiest person to live with right now. I have an apt next month with my OB and I'm going to get it taken out. My husband is not thrilled about that since I'm not very good at remembering to take the pill, and I'm still breastfeeding so I have to take the mini pill which you need to be even more careful about when you take it. Also sometimes I swear I think I can feeling it when I bend just right.
-- By plsargent05 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me