Bipolar Disorder Support Group

Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.

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antidepressants

SarahZee
SarahZee
i am on lamictal so my psychiatrist says that it would be okay to go on an antidepressant now sense my mania is basically gone.
i was on celexa and that made me really nauseous so i got off of it.
i heard that a lot of them can actually make you suicidal though. is that a common side effect?
i was on femcon which is birth control which was supposed to help my anxiety and it made me really really suicidal and it was horrible.


i'm worried about antidepressants.
Unwell
Unwell
im on an anti-depressant now, was on 2. i think as long as you're taking a mood stabilizer you'll be ok.

atleast that's been the case for me. i was on prozac, and cymbalta at the same time. and im on tegretol.
Community Leaderacuriousfish
acuriousfish
Anti-depressants without a mood stabilizer can be a real problem.

Personally I've tried 10, some had a little effect, some had none and some made me want to bite the paintwork off the house (actually most did).

If you are on a mood stabilizer it is safer but still needs careful monitoring.

My suggestion is that you have a discussion that allows you to create a plan with your psychiatrist, along the lines of..if I hit major probs in the first few days I stop immediately, if a problem appears after 2 weeks I taper off in this using this method..ie you have a full plan and you know what to do if things don't work out.
SarahZee
SarahZee
okay.
i'm just kind of scared to get on anything new because i don't have much luck with new meds.
Unwell
Unwell
interesting acuriousfish, it always helped me, but everybody is different eh?
deleted_user
deleted_user
lamictal by itself is often considered an effective AD (in addition to it's being a good mood stabilizer). Do you feel like you need an AD in addition to the lamictal?
SarahZee
SarahZee
yeah i'm still really depressed. but i'm on a different birth control that makes the lamictal less effective.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I am also on Lamictal (300mg), w/300 mg of Wellbutrin and have had no trouble so far, been on it for 2 years.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I'm bp 1 but fortunately I'm on a mood stabilizer and antipsychotics a well as an antidepressant. The antidepressant is working quite well for me right now. I recently had to increase the dose and so far no signs of hypomania. *knock wood*. It's especially good for me because the AD I'm on also treats generalized anxiety disorder that I have as well. I still need benzos now and then but I don't have the chronic long lasting (sometimes for days at a time) anxious spell any longer. Everyone is different. But acurious is right. Having and adjunct mood stabilizer is key.
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