Lamictal is great for mania's but can be VERY dangerous...Abilify takes a lil' longer to see results, but has way fewer side effects and is just effective. Hope this helps! xx

lithium works well for me maybe u should try it there are some risks involved but the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks

After having being in out of the color crayon room, trying to get a handle on this, the cocktail they have created for me:
1. Lexapro
2. Xanax
3. Seroquel
The lexapro has been by far the most effective anti-depressant (for Me) and have been on paxil, zoloft, pamelor, prozac, wellbutrin,
The Xanax is questionable at this point but I have been on the same dosage for about 3 years and I am having night terrors in which I awake scared of something but not knowing what or running through the house thinking a tornado was coming, people were shooting at our home and go running through the house screaming, waking in a state of turmoil and pending axiety, I don't maybe a dosage adjustment.
Seroquel, it can still make me feel like I've drank just a little to much and in a fugue, when I complained of this to my doctor and he advised to take an hour before bed, but I do have to get a full 8 hrs sleep. I really think that seroquel adjusts how forcefully it hits you based on the mood, because thats what it is a mood-inhibiter and somehow keys in on that mood and shuts down the little things that would usually make you go bonkers, I've become more tolerate, not only with myself but with others as well. You never know what lies in the soul behind their eyes!

Hey Tracy! Good luck!!
You are VERY wise to do one med at a time!! I am quite insistant on this approach. How else are we supposed to know what med is helping or causing side effects?!
I do not cycle as much and have more lows, so don't know if I'm helping. But, I take Lamictal and Lithium. I was off anti-depressants, but looking at going back on soon - going to see a new Psych Nurse the end of the week.
Try and graph and pay attention to your moods if possible - great tool!!
Wishing you many blessings! I've seen you here for a bit and you come across as an intelligent and compassionate individual. :) Keep us posted on what the Pdoc suggests and what you decide to go with.
All my best!! xoxoxo

Lamictal works great for me. Your posting reminded me of myself-changing jobs frequently,saying mean things to my husband and I am very impulsive. I went from depressed to Bipolar 2. I am on Lamictal and prozac and feel very stable. I am able to now think through and make good decisions.

Like usf, I am on Lamictal and Prozac and feel very stable.

From everything I've read, Lamictal has the fewest side effects. Of course, every med has its pros and cons. Lamictal can (rarely) cause Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. But Abilify has the potential to (rarely) cause tardive dyskinesia or involuntary body movements.

The involuntary muscle movements actually happened to me when I was taking Zyprexa, which is in the same class as Abilify.

Me Lithiun and Seroquel has been working No anti depresent have worked on me in the past they have made me worse than beening off them.Also medition has been working alot with me too.

It all depends on the person. I was on Abilify for a fe months and it did nothing. I am currently taking Lamictal it waasn't really working either. I am still on it becaause my pdoc thinks it's the greatest thing since peanut butter, but what really helped me is when I was put on Lithium. Everyones body is different in the way it will react to different meds.

Lamictal worked the best for me for a while, built up a resistance to that now too. On 400mg. now without result, maybe it'll work for you. Good Luck

i'd go with lamictal before abilify. i had great success with lamictal, bad side effects with abilify, so naturally i'm recommending lamictal. it helped alot with stablizing my moods (i too am a rapid cycler) but that being said, i just couldn't be on lamictal alone. seroquel is a wonder drug for me, don't know what i'd do without it. but everyone is different and reacts differnt to meds. best of luck to you... i'm sure you'll find what works best for you... just don't get discouraged if what you try first doesn't work. you may have to try a few before finding one that works best.

It's different for each person but I have BP/OCD & seizures (have had all my life). What works for me: therapy, dancing, walks & seroquel (100 mg. at NIGHT only--will make you fall asleep in daytime); 50 MCG xanax night only; 250 mg Depakote a.m./noon/500 mg night. Lots of water!

I tried abilify and had very weird and uncomfortable side effects. Lamictal works well for me, but it is not the only med I am on. I still sometimes can't believe I will have to take pills for the rest of my life. Oh well...

Lamictal has a side effect that could happen that scared me to death. It said you can get a rash that might be lead to death. Thats the last way I would want to die, from a rash. Yuck! Abilify seemed like it worked well with me. I don't know your pdoc, but typicaly the samples are there for the first 2 months then comes the expensive script. unless you have good insurance. I know without insurnace 30 mg of abilify is close to 300 dollars a month. Good luck!
--Nick

Prozac and trazadone work best for me.

You know I can really see the difference in myself with lamictal and I am getting more in the acceptable range. I dont get so frustrated or upset and can do ore detailed tthings and stay on task (like a normal person) I dont knw about the other drug.