Bipolar & Depression discussion

Hi, Annie! I have to be the worst possible Moderator in the history of all mankind! I've been off the radar for the past few months, but I'm back now!

Thanks a million for adding the books. I have read a few and I'll get some comments posted in the next day or so. Thanks so much for joining.

~April

Hello April,

It's great to see you started this group. I would love to join the conversation. I write books on bipolar disorder and depression. I'd like to see what others are talking about on the topic. I know that the holidays can be quite a challenge. I created a holiday plan way in advance this year and for the first time feel stress free. What are others doing?

Julie Fast

Hm, well....letsee....the Lamictal is 'bout to bust a blood vessel keeping me balanced this festive holiday season...but a plan IS being followed and my stress-level is relatively steady with the occasional daily flair-up. My Achilles Heel: Saying "No!"

Oh, I love my Lamictal. Did you try the generic? I had a terrible time with it and had to go back to the brand- but others have had no trouble. I wrote about this on my blog and was shocked at how some people just couldn't metabolize the drug! I agree about saying no on the holidays. I stopped giving and receiving presents about 10 years ago and it helped a lot!

I hope you have a great day. I need to get some books on here! Julie

Yeah, I can see how getting rid of gift giving/receiving could eliminate quite a bit of stress! That's where ALL my stress lies.

I haven't had any trouble tolerating the generic Lamictal at all. My sweet-spot cocktail consists of Lamictal, Wellbutrin and Vyvanse.

Lamictal works very well for me in the generic version. When I had a recent depressive drop, my doctor upped my dosage and I actuall felt "normal!"

That is fantastic- I did a lot of research on generics when I and so many of my readers had a bad reaction- I went to the FDA site, pharmacies, talked with doctors and even a drug rep for Lamictal! I found out that that generics have to have 100% the same in terms of active ingredients- but they can differ up to 20% in terms of extra ingredients known as binders and vehicles. The vehicle is what gets the medication into your blood stream. The vehicle did not work for me at all and by the time I realized what was going on, I had no Lamictal in my system and got quite sick. Two days back on Lamictal got me back on track. Of course, my insurance company charges me much more for generics- $70 vs. $5 dollars!

I am so glad the genercis work for you. I am sure the generics will work for more people once the bad batches are off the market!

I'm interested to know about your writing.

Julie

Julie, I hadn't thought about the generic version of Lamictal not working. It does make sense, though. I was on Lamictal for a year before my doctor gave me a generic prescription. I'll have to talk to him about it, though, because my symptoms have gotten worse over the last few weeks and I'm wondering if that's why... thank you!!

I've never thought of the difference between the generic and the brand name for Lamictal. I am taking several generics and haven't seen a problem with them so far (knock on wood!) I have heard, however, that the dosages for generics usually needs to be more than the comparative dosage of the brand name. Is this true? Of my current medication mixture, I take the following in the generic version: Trileptal, Trilafon, and Lamictal. Has anyone heard of problems with the generic versions of my other two medications? I would be interested to know...

Naomi wrote: "Julie, I hadn't thought about the generic version of Lamictal not working. It does make sense, though. I was on Lamictal for a year before my doctor gave me a generic prescription. I'll have to ..."

Hi Naomi and Heather- if your symptoms change after changing to generic, I would absolutely tell your doctor. I of course hear more of the negative stories as those who have no trouble with generics don't write me!

It's not true that people have to change their dose when they go to generic Lamictal (Lamotrigine)- most people I know simply switched over. The med didn't go into my body at all and I take the highest dose- 500mg - that I have heard. My mom is on 100mg and it works, my friend is also getting relief as 150- it's amazing how different the bodies are!

Heather- if your meds are working - then the generics are fine- Lamictal had problems becuase it's new- it came out in the winter of 2008- so it was a bit of a mess considering that the meds are manufactured all over the world. Trileptal and Trilafon are quite old- so the generics should be fine. All that matters is that they work! Generics for Prozac and Zoloft for example have been around so long they are used regularly with no problems.

I had to petition my insurance company for the Lamictal and now pay $70 in a co-pay instead of $10- but the meds are a life saver.

I am about to revise my book Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder so that my co- author John Preston can add a new section on meds- it's complicated at first, but pretty clear once you know the basics.

If anyone wants to know more about the meds used to treat BP - just let me know!

Julie

Hope this helps!

Julie

Thank you, Julie. Your post was very helpful and informative. I would love to know more about your upcoming book, especially about your new section on medications. Just wondering, what is the highest therapeutic dosage of Seroquel? A psychiatrist I was seeing increased mine to 600mg and I had HORRIBLE side effects. I use that as a plural because there were at least 4-5 side effects, hallucinations being one of them. Anyway, then I read in the Bipolar Network News publication that the maximum therapeutic dosage is 300mg. I told that to my Dr. and we decreased it to 300mg and I've been doing fine :) Just curious about that.

Hi Heather,

Doses are guidelines- they are simply an average of what works for the people who used the drugs in studies- after the drug has been on the market awhile- the dosages become more precise. Seroquel has a recommended dose between 150-600 mg. As you can see, that's a wide range! It completely depends on the person. I can't take Seroquel in any dose.

One main concern with Seroquel is weight gain- if you gain more than 10 pounds in a short amount of time- talk with your doctor- gaining more than 20 is not healthy. If you have not gained weight after you have taken the drug for awhile, that's good news!


My book Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder is out now- it will be a year before a new version comes out. The info will be the same, we will just add more about meds. My website has a lot of free info as well. It's easy to find on the web! Julie

I will have to look into Lyrica. I don't know many people who have used it. I am always hoping to find new resources for people with anxiety- it's just awful isn't it! Julie

Hi, I've been trying to put my own book - a recently published memoir - on the book-shelf, but it isn't getting returned in searches - I have no idea why not! It's been described as "one of the most entertaining accounts of mania you're likely to read", and is also a deep exploration of the nature of serious mental illness, and the place it occupies in somebody's (i.e. my) life. The Goodreads page for it is http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77..., and you can read excerpts at http://www.brokenwhole.com. Thanks! Keith Adams

Hi, I've been trying to put my own book - a recently published memoir - on the book-shelf, but it isn't getting returned in searches - I have no idea why not! It's been described as "one of the most entertaining accounts of mania you're likely to read", and is also a deep exploration of the nature of serious mental illness, and the place it occupies in somebody's (i.e. my) life. The Goodreads page for it is http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77..., and you can read excerpts at http://www.brokenwhole.com. Thanks! Keith Adams

Hi, I've been trying to put my own book - a recently published memoir - on the book-shelf, but it isn't getting returned in searches - I have no idea why not! It's been described as "one of the most entertaining accounts of mania you're likely to read", and is also a deep exploration of the nature of serious mental illness, and the place it occupies in somebody's (i.e. my) life. The Goodreads page for it is http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77..., and you can read excerpts at http://www.brokenwhole.com. Thanks! Keith Adams

Hi, was finally able to add my book to the bookshelf. Thanks! "Broken Whole.." - Keith Adams

Hi, everyone. I'm a new member, and also a long-time patient in and out of treatment for depression. I've added my memoir to the list: Les Pensees Dangereuses. It's published exclusively as a multi-format eBook. You can cownload it via Smashwords; it's "set your own price," so you can even get it for free if funds are tight. As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, it seems like a good time to share the work.

I am grateful for this group and look forward to sharing with all of you.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/1...

Gee, is anyone here anymore?

Hi all,

Its not medically or psychologically focussed but my book Dodging Suicide A Lifetime's Preoccupation is perhaps the most hilarious and moving you might read on the subject of Bipolar. Its enjoying universal 5 star reviews on a number of platforms. I hope some might take advantage of sampling a free chapter by logging on to my site www.kit-johnson.com

Kind regards
Kit