abilify and lamictal for bipolar

ve just found out I am pregnant and I have been taking Abilify (Aripirazole) and Lamictal (Lamotrigine) for the last year, against bipolar disorder, my doctor recommended to reduce it slowly and then stop it. He said that I have taken it so far wouldn't harm the baby. I am still very worried and wondered if anybody has any experience with this. Thank you!

Once I reached the therapeutic dose of Lamictal, I stopped Abilify and immediately experienced rapid fluctuations between depression and mania and my therapist told me to go back on Abilify at a reduced 2.5 mg. In addition, since beginning Lamictal + Abilify I have consistently gained 40 pounds.... 10 of which were gained within the 2 weeks I restarted Abilify at 2.5 mg. As someone who has a history of body dysmorphia and eating disorders, I NEED a different treatment.

As anti-psychotics can create diabetes and tardive dyskinesia if a person has straight bipolar (as opposed to bipolar with psychotic features where an anti-psychotic is absolutely needed) there is the potential to change to a mood stabilizer, none of which have the risk of creating tardive dyskinesia and out of all of them Lamictal has the least potential for weight gain and is generally safe and effective. Perhaps you could ask your psychiatrist about Lamictal.

i know it is also a seizure med, and my bipolar issue is WAY more important. How much of the lamictal will be helping for my actual bipolar? I'm trying to understand, the doctor said it will treat both, but i need to be sure that the motivation was not for epilepsy, because that takes a backseat to bipolar, as i have only had a couple seizures, and am not diagnosed epileptic, and my MRI showed nothing of the sort.

Did anyone took Lamictal for anxiety and depression? Did it work,and how soon did it started working? Did anyone started feeling normal and had their old life back? Did anyone felt the itching, and how long it lasted? I am very worried, i need this med to be working for me soon because i going through very tough time in my relationship. If anyone know anything about it, pleaselet me know. It willbe veryhelpful.

Hello Everyone, I'm very new community. My new dr. just recently told me that me that I'm bipolar. I had been on lamictal for about two years for depression and anxiety, but weaned myself off of it, as I was convinced that it was making me gain weight. When I weaned myself off, I fell into a deep depression and had to find myself a new dr. I started Topamax and Wellbutrin, but the Wellbutrin is making my thoughts and heart race. So I have to go off.

We are on Lamictal, Lithium and Abilify and are thinking of going Lamictal alone also. How is Lamictal monotherapy going for your, and were you able to wean off Abilify from 10 to 0?

Taken several SSRIs in the past for anxiety. Adderall XR for ADD, Wellbutrin too. I have been seeing a therapist for about 4 months and he had me go for a psychiatry evaluation a few days ago. The two concrred that I am "complex" and could be a combination of BiPolar 2, Adult ADD and even...Borderline Personality Disorder (god I hate that name). Anyhow, one of the main symptoms we all agreed upon was the mood swings.

Most often used mood stabilizers are lithium, Depakoate and Lamictal. I personally found Lamictal the most tolerable and it worked well on rapid cycling but each person reacts differently. There are websites linked up about the different available options for mood stabilizers. The counselor did make a good decision to suggest you have your medication reevaluated especially if you've had suicidal ideations.

It is an anticonvulsant used for epilepsy, migraine prevention, and off-label used for bipolar and weight loss. I have read good reviews for people using it for bi-polar. I am surprised no one mentioned it to you already. Good luck, although I am sure you have already been put on something. I have found that the key to taking medications is research A LOT before you put it in your mouth. http://www.iguard.

I saw two new doctors and was told that since I have a mood disorder I should not be on anti-depressants and should be taking Lamictal. I was later diagnosed with Bipolar I and BPD. Lamictal has worked great for me. It did take a while for it to "kick in". I've been at 200 mg for 5 years now. I feel "normal". I barely have any side effects and don't feel medicated like I did with the anti-depressants. I think you should listen to your new doctor.

I've been taking Lamictal for about 3 months, but can't stand the side effects anymore! I feel like I traded anxiety for ADD. I can't focus, have short-term memory loss, speak slowly, and have an exceding amount of mucus in my throat. I was taking 300mg. Now I'm at 225mg. It has helped to take down the dose, but it's still very annoying! I take it with 300mg of Effexor XR which I have been taking for several years.

I found that it did not work for my Bipolar even though i was on 800mg and yes, you will need regular blood tests to check your liver and kidney function. If you are concerned about it talk to your Psychiatrist about other options. I did! It is your body and you do have control over what goes into it.

Wellbutrin being an anti-depressent can sometimes worsen mania in bipolar. Lithium is highly effective but for some people can cause cognitive blunting and sedation. With antipsychotics, the newest ones Abilify, Fanapt and Saphris have less of a potential of weight gain but as they can change heart rhythms you would have to ask your psychiatrist if they could be used safely if you have heart valve problems.

For more information about bipolar disorder (which consists of bipolar depression and bipolar mania), google "Phelps + psych education." Some mood stabilizer med work from the bottom up; they are best for treating bipolar depression. Other mood stabilizer meds work from the top down; they are best for treating bipolar mania. Depending on whether your mood episode is mania or depression, your doctor should choose an appropriate mood stabilizer.

There are many other mood stabilizers such as lithium, Depakoate and Lamictal and Lamictal generally has less of these side effects (for general information on mood disorders google "Depression Central"). However, if your psychiatrist believes you require an antipsychotic, Abilify is generally the most tolerated out of what is available now though if you read through my posts you will see in the coming years there may be more options that are easier to tolerate.

I have always suffered from major depression and a mood disorder even though they don't come out and say it's bipolar, they treat is as such and it's helped. I've been on Abilify for a year now and I was doing so well but now I'm tired all the time, have no motivation, and feel overall blah! I see my pdoc next week and I wonder if I need a new mood stabelizer or a higher dose of Abilify.

Hi everyone, I saw my psychiatrist yesterday, my 3rd session with him, and he has now told me I have Bipolar I. It wasn't a shock, I was expecting it, and I am actually not too bummed about it because at least now I know what is wrong with me. He told me I meet all the signs & criteria for this & because I have had several severe manic episodes which have severely affected my life at times.

Try 6 small meals a day with a protien and carb in small portions. I take ayprexa and I have lost 46 pounds and I am not diabetic I love my zyprexa and I am not going to give it up. I did gain weight at first on it but I have since lost the weight. It is possible to keep the weight off on zyprexa.

I struggled with repetative harmful thoughts although I do not use marijuana. I am on lamictal also, and my doctor added Abilify when I started having this problem. It helped me out a lot. I hope he feels better soon! I know how hard it is to deal with such negative thoughts.

s not the cause of the mania (of course it could easily be that its just not working well enough and the whole issue is their judgment). Abilify can be helpful for many people but for me it was very activating and I had to change back to another antipsychotic. See if it works.

I started lamectal about 2 months ago and take abilify and trazadone as well. I have lost my hair significantly in the past 2 months. I take Lamectal twise a day 150 mg. Abilify 15 mg & 50 mg of trazadone. I also take 1mg of klonipin as needed. Could any of these be causing it - a combination? Any suggestions? Depression will never go away if I am bald. Please help. I would like to discontinue the one that is causing this.

hi i take seroquel xr and normal seroquel for bipolar disorder. the seroquel xr is a slow release tablet so it works over the night and the day. so i take the seroquel xr 450mg at about 7.30pm then at about 9.30pm i take the normal seroquel 250mg. it helps with sleep too.

I still say, no oh no, and I get a prescription for Focalin. And it seems to help a bit with my memory and all. I look on the internet and explore Bipolar - thinking I have missed something. the first thing I read is people waking up really pissed off and I think , Whoa! Then I read on and read about mixed episodes and I am just shocked.

after over 20 yrs. of being treated for depression, ADHD, drug and alcohol addiction i'm now being treated for rapid cycling bipolar. (2 yrs.) i've been off and on depakote,the diagnosis seems good,, i'm currently taking 2 grams a day. i do better on medication but still struggle with focus, completeing tasks, starting new projects, anxiousness, worry. the doc and i are considering adding Abilify to the Depakote. anyone out there tried it.

I've found that there are a lot of people on the crazymeds forums with BP II. A great website about BP II and other variants is the psycheducation.org site. It's written by a psychiatrist who has seen a lot of people with different flavors of bipolar and done a lot of research, and he's really good at explaining things.

I had the same experience with SSRIs in the beginning. I started taking Lamictal and ramped it up to 200mg along with Effexor and Abilify. That's my list for now with no complaints. I still feel myself cycle up and down but the highs and lows are much less. I'm definitely more balanced and much much less depressed. Finding what works for you is the hard part. Just don't get frustrated and give up looking for relief.

Abilify and lamictal for bipolar

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