Optimism symptoms and conditions

I have been taking 25mg per day of Lamictal for five days now. I am also on (and have been for five years) 200mg Zoloft per day. I was recently diagnosed bipolar (no surprise) and after seeing a psychiatrist, this was the med I chose, Lithium and Depakote being the other two choices, I felt that Lamictal would be the most appropriate in my case, because it is supposed to help with anger/rage issues, according to the leaflet provided by my Dr., as well as the 'rapid cycling' of my moods. So far I dislike this med, despite the fact I started it with optimism. Side effects are as follows:
Sleepiness - started the first day, I took the first dose the night before.
Lack of energy/motivation - I was doing ok as far as motivation was concerned until I started Lamictal, I was on a positive mood swing at the time, now, it's taking all my effort to stay focused and finish this.
Feelings of disassociation - I don't want to go anywhere, or see anyone, take any calls, etc..this is a problem I have had prior to Lamictal, but it suddenly got worse upon starting it.
Sudden anger/rage - I have felt overly aggravated at times, fast to discipline my son without taking a minute to think it over, it's pretty spontaneous. Day two scared me a bit, I have been making a serious conscious effort to not lose my temper or react suddenly. Today I actually had a spontaneous thought of suicide during a moment of anger, which also alarms me.
Loss of appetite - I'm a skinny guy, can't afford to lose any weight or go without eating, this stuff has pretty much killed my appetite, I'm forcing myself to eat at least once a day...and it isn't easy, I tell you.
Hypersensitivity to noise - Seems like the volume on everything has been amplified, it's making me nuts..
Unpleasant taste in my mouth - since day two. Hard to describe, sort of metallic.
Decreased urge to smoke - I have been smoking for 23 years, a pack per day regularly. I noticed at day two the urge to smoke was dramatically decreased, I smoked about eight cigs total today. Being asleep helped with that too, I'm sure...gotta be conscious to smoke, right? This would be the only positive effect I have noticed thus far.
At this point, I'm really not sure if I will continue with this med due to the above effects. I am a bit disappointed because I had hoped this would do the job and I could avoid the Lithium (icepick up the nose is the only thing left if Lithium doesn't work) and the Depakote, because the effects of those are far more serious by comparison according to what I have read and heard from others who have taken it.
I don't know what to do next, honestly. I have taken nearly every type/kind of antidepressant, Zoloft seems to do the most good, but I'm still having mood swings/cycling while using it, so a mood stabilizer was the plan to fix that...seems like I'm pretty much hosed.

Hey, am I glad I ran across this. I too had BAD experience with Lamictal; anything over 75mg gave me depressive / fatalistic dreams if I took it at night. Doctor suggested taking it in the morning, that helped, eventually up to 150mg. All this for *suspected* bipolar II. All that really happened is that the med flattened me out too much- I didn't care much about anything, no passion or motivation. Optimism? What's that? Then the OTHER fun part - coming OFF the drug. Whoooo boy. Wasn't so bad coming down from 150mg to about 75mg. THEN I got hit with a LOT of anger, anxiety, insomnia, tremors.... I wound up going into a Partial Hospitalization Program for 5 weeks. I am now 100% OFF Lamictal. Thank God.

Thanks to all of you for posting your experience with NuvaRing. I've decided to take it out after a week and a half of use. There is the possibility of my body becoming used to these hormones over time, but I can't take these side effects for one more day. I've never been a huge proponent of hormonal contraceptives after having been on the pill previously in my life, but now I am certain that it's not in my best interest -- especially this method! I must say that the physical side effects are much milder than those of the pill; no severe cramping like I've had in the past, only mild nausea. However, my mental state has been completely unbearable! I am a very active, cheerful, love every moment type of person. Of course I become moody and even bitchy from time to time, are we not women? =) This is different. I have been severly depressed to the point of demobilization and even suicidal thoughts. I knew that the ring may be a factor but I planned on just pushing through until these hormones worked with me. Now I see they are working against me, endangering my work, my relationships, and even my life. Totally not worth waiting to see if it may subside. I've lost my all my optimism, motivation, and rationality since inserting this foreign thing and I'm willing to blame it all on NuvaRing for the chance that my state of mind will return to normal. TAKE IT OUT and find another way.

After reading the recent news reports and reading other parents opinions on Singulair I thought I should be fair to the company, and to other parents seeking advice on this drug, to write about our POSITIVE experience with Singulair. Our 7 year old son was diagnosed with seasonal Asthma when he was 3. We have him on the Ventilator and Advair. During spring time allergy season he would begin wheezing and coughing on a regular basis. We would then give him his puffers. While it would relieve him of the wheezing he would be quite hyper and out of control. Therefore, our goal was to wean him off the puffers. We added Claritin to his diet each day. When he was 5 he struggled through his spring soccer season. As the months went by he looked tired, very sickly, and worn out. His coach recommended that we investigate Singulair. It really turned his child's life around! We talked to our doctor about it. She wasn't familiar with children using Singulair but she prescribed the 5mg chewable but recommended that he use both puffers before his soccer games. We followed her advice. He took his Singulair before bed and the puffers before the game. Sadly, we noticed that he was completely "out of it" during his games. He had no focus (not shocking for a 6 year old boy), no real interest in the game, and no energy. We just assumed it was because he was tired after a full day of school. One day we forgot his puffers but decided to let him play anyway. He had a great game. During a daytime tournament he was back to having his head in the clouds, so for the second game we decided to "forget" his puffers again. He played a great game. But best of all..no breathing problems. We decided to omit the puffers for the rest of the season and just use Singulair. It worked wonderful for him. None of the side effects that the other parents have described. We use it when spring begins and for the the first part of the fall season. He doesn't use it during the winter months. We are experiencing a real dry March so I started the Singulair on Tuesday. Then all of the negative comments came out. I certainly will not dismiss the concerns of the product. We are watching him closely to make sure there are no negative side effects. So far, so good. And no need for the puffers!

I'm 27, 125 pounds... I started taking Yaz one month ago. I had to beg my doctor to give it to me. My periods were so heavy and I was carrying 10 pounds of water weight at all times. My fingers and face was swollen with water. My periods would last sometimes the entire month and were super heavy. I tried several different pills and nothing stopped it. Immediately when starting Yaz I stopped bleeding. I peed for like 4 days straight and lost all the water weight. I also get migraines with my period, and Yaz hasn't seemed to help them at all. The first 3 weeks I had horrid migraine.

The most noticeable change though is that I am extremely emotional. I got angry for the first time in maybe 2 years? I never feel anger. I'm a Buddhist very calm loving and patient... Since taking Yaz I feel like a crazy person. I have almost destroyed my wonderful amazing relationship by being overly emotional. Ive been anxious (never had anxiety before) and depressed and super emotional and inpatient about everything.

I still haven't decided what to do. It's only been one month and physically I feel better as far as not bleeding for months at a time and not holding water. I also feel like I have a normal amount of energy and the headaches that initially were there have subsided. I am horrified if I keep taking this pill though that i will lose my emotional calm and optimism. It's definitely not worth it especially what its been doing to my relationship and my spiritual practice.

Is there anyone that can offer any light to my situation? I love the way I feel physically, but emotionally I cannot do this much longer. Will it stop? Any thoughts would be great, thank you.

I have been on 50mg zoloft for just three days, to treat depression, lethargy, shyness, and indecision. I had lost interest in exercise, sex, and my job. I take it at breakfast. I do feel some nausea in the morning, and i feel a little peculiar--but it's normal for me to feel peculiar, so no big deal. I think zoloft is going to work and be ok. I'll wait a couple weeks and see.
In the past i had a terrible, nauseating experience with Lexapro, but I've asked around and most of my friends take zoloft with no problems. All I want is a little boost of optimism so i can get out of this rut and on with my life. I've been depressed on and off for 10 years and I'm wasting my life.