Night Elf Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 I'm facing another med change, a serious one that will take me off my current meds and then the new med added gradually. I'm scared of the setback I may have while the current meds are tapered off and the new med started gradually. Currently I'm on Lamotrigine and Risperidone. I'm having to change because of the side effects of the Risperidone (I can mention them in PM, but not on this public board). In the past, I've been on Seroquel and Abilify. I cannot even remember why they didn't work. My psych doctor said the next two that are possibilities are Depakote or Lithium. When she described the side effects, they both sound horrible. I'm supposed to talk to her tomorrow about my opinion. How do I decide what to do? Is there anything I should know about these meds from your point of view? I know meds react differently for people. Goodness knows I'm shocked at how affected some people are by some of the meds I've been on that don't seem to affect me at all. But I'm worried nonetheless. I absolutely hate the idea of changing. I've known that one medication regime might not work forever and that med changes are inevitable. I'm just not happy that I'm having to change so soon. Except for the physical side effects of the Risperidone, I've been doing really well with my mood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Beth, the person I know is taking the last two meds you mentioned, but a male and much older than you. If you don't get some help from the boardies; I can ask him or his wife. I know switching meds is scary. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandragood1 Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Have you ever checked this website? I was looking for info on lamictal a few years back and found this site to be informative. Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 (edited) Sorry you haven't found the right combination yet. I work in pharmacy and we have people modify psych meds quite often to find the right combination/reduce side effects. Risperdal is a broad-sweeping med and it hits a lot of different types of receptors. That can make it a wonder drug for some...and full of nasty side effects for others. It sounds like your doctor is taking the next logical step and switching you to a different class of meds. These meds are actually anti-seizure meds but are commonly used for other diagnosis as well. We have many, many patients on these meds for a variety of reasons. They can truly be the key to a stable life for the right person. Yes, the potential side effect list can be scary, but so can life without the right meds! You have no idea what side effects you will have until you try, so you really have to be willing to put yourself out there to get the benefit. DD5 takes Abilify, Risperdal, Zoloft, Strattera and Trazodone. She is diagnosed Aspergers/GAD/ADD/SPD, but we speculate that she is bipolar as well as her behaviors are predictably cyclic. She takes a smaller dose of both Abilify and Risperdal because she had issues on them by them self. For her, Risperdal helps take away the big swings in personality, but leaves the little ones. Abilify helps take away the little swings in personality, but leaves the big ones. She would come up with grandiose plans on Abilfy (without the Rispedal) and then get angry with me if I couldn't make them happen. Since the Risperdal helps take away the big swings, it blocks the plans from forming and if they do come through a bit, it helps her to control her disappointment. There are two side effects that still haunt us. One is weight gain (she is 48" tall and 75lbs) as she is about 10lbs overweight when on these meds. Her Pdoc is going to put her on metformin (pill that affects insulin levels) to see if it will affect this today, I believe. The other is that the Risperdal makes her really tired about 2 hour after taking it so she has to have a 2 hour nap, at 9:30 in the morning. This is going to cause troubles next year at school so we have to figure that one out still. If the Abilfy/Risperdal combination didn't work for dd5, our next step was the same as you are taking. I would have not hesitated putting her on either med, if it was what we needed to do. It is VERY scary changing meds. I want to cry every time her pdoc suggests a change, but I also know it has to be done. I empathize with you making this decision....it is a hard one. Together, with the Strattera (ADD) and Zoloft (Anxiety) they help her personality stay the most stable I have ever seen. Feel free to Pm me if you have any specific questions or want to chat. Edited May 7, 2012 by Tap, tap, tap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Since the Risperdal helps take away the big swings, it blocks the plans from forming and if they do come through a bit, it helps her to control her disappointment. There are two side effects that still haunt us. One is weight gain (she is 48" tall and 75lbs) as she is about 10lbs overweight when on these meds. Her Pdoc is going to put her on metformin (pill that affects insulin levels) to see if it will affect this today, I believe. Oh, you've just described me! And yes, I'm on Metformin because of the Risperdal. I'm monitored and have blood work done every 3 months. My blood sugar level (is that what it's called?) has been as high as 119 and as low as 105. I wonder if the Metformin will be stopped if I'm taken off the Risperdal. I didn't think about that. I was also on a Statin med for cholesterol but since losing weight, I've personally decided to stop it and take fish oil. My pdoc was worried about weight gain with my meds, but I've done very well and am losing weight on Weight Watchers, although it's getting harder to lose this last 10 lbs. My goto med for severe anxiety and agitation is Ativan. It works well for me, but I wonder if that will have to change. Someone else PMed me and said she was on a combination of Lamictal and Lithium. I remember my pdoc telling me that whatever she had in mind didn't work well with the Lamictal so I woud have to come off of that. This is all so crazy. I'm having to choose the bad as well as the good. Meds help with one thing but cause something else to happen. Can I live with the side effects because my mood is stabilized? The pdoc seems to think we can do better because I'm so bothered by the side effects of the Risperdal. It's the loss of stability that scares me the most. Yes, med changes are scary. I can't wait to talk to her tomorrow. You guys are giving me some good information to talk over with her. Also, DH reminded me that we have a vacation to visit family in 3 weeks. He doesn't want me to change my meds until we get back because that long trip is usually stressful. The man has a point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Beth, the person I know is taking the last two meds you mentioned, but a male and much older than you. If you don't get some help from the boardies; I can ask him or his wife. I know switching meds is scary. :grouphug: Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. I find it always helpful to hear other people's stories. It helps me keep things in perspective. It's so easy for me to feel alone in having to deal with this. I think some people who don't live with this just have no idea how it can mess with simple daily functioning, and that medication does not cure it, but only dampers it enough to try to make it tolerable to live with. At least that is what I've experienced so far. Have you ever checked this website? I was looking for info on lamictal a few years back and found this site to be informative. Sandra Nope, I had not heard of that one. I'm going to spend some time looking around it. It's a little confusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Crazymeds is an interesting website....but remember people often complain about problems not solutions. The website doesn't report everyone who has has great success with the same meds! People go looking for information when they need help, not usually when things are good. The 'bad reviews' are grossly, disproportionately represented on websites like this. On the other hand, they can point to some interesting ideas and can help identify odd side effects that are not widely reported in the product literature. Crazymeds can be helpful, just remember to keep the information in perspective. I would never use the information there to guide whether or not I should take a med, but I would use it to watch for side effects that I wasn't expecting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova147 Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 :grouphug: I have no additional input. But I know how scary med changes are! I hope it goes well for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 My dh is on lithium for his bipolar disorder. The side effects lasted over a month, and they were bad- shaking, vomiting, all sorts of unpleasantness- but the side effects eventually went away, and it was worth it for him. The lithium has made him a new person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Beth, I don't have time to answer you because I am on my way to my psych appt. I will post later when I get home. I just wanted to say right now I would not recommend dropping Lamictal. It has been the best med for me overall. I would gladdly change Risperdol for Seroquel. I have had my ups and down with Seroquel and sometimes you just have to find your sweet spot. The first time I took it it was a wonder drug, then it quit working so I stopped. Tried again later and it still didn't work but then I tried it a third time and it is still with me years later. Once of my staples. Have you tried Trileptal. Practically no side effects and it keeps me pretty balanced. I am pretty much at the end of my rope with very few options left. I have tried just about everything. Thank goodness everything is working for me right now. I will PM you later today. Spend you time today checking out crazymeds.com . They have tons of info. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Crazymeds is an interesting website....but remember people often complain about problems not solutions. The website doesn't report everyone who has has great success with the same meds! People go looking for information when they need help, not usually when things are good. The 'bad reviews' are grossly, disproportionately represented on websites like this. On the other hand, they can point to some interesting ideas and can help identify odd side effects that are not widely reported in the product literature. Crazymeds can be helpful, just remember to keep the information in perspective. I would never use the information there to guide whether or not I should take a med, but I would use it to watch for side effects that I wasn't expecting. I just read the info on the drugs and the pros/cons and what the doctor might not tell you. I'm especially interested in the side effects because that is the scariest part of changing meds for me. I also looked at the US National Library of Medicine. I compared them to the medications I'm on now which, of course, list all of the side effects as well. Obviously there will be some I get and some I don't, but the list is scarier for some meds which will affect which ones I'm willing to try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Did you take the Seroquel or Abilify with the Lamictal at a good therapeutic level? If not, it might be worth revisiting them with the Lamictal. Otherwise, the Lamictal with Lithium was the DYNAMIC DUO here for my daughter. She did the best ever mood wise on those 2 but they stopped making the long acting lithium and due to her mitochondrial disorders (very rare) she couldn't metabolize the regular lithium as well. I agree with not dropping the lamictal if at all possible. You can't use it with the Depakote though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTwinsMom1 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 My children take Lithium. For us it has made a huge difference. I personally take Lacitmal. It has worked well for me. The current thoughts on treatment are a mood stabilizer first, (depakote, lithium or lacitmal) and the other aytpicals and antipsychotics second, such as the seroquel, abilify, risperdol, etc. Lithium has been around the longest. My kids have had few side effects with the med, and don't mind the bloodwork we sometimes have to get to check levels. I would say give the lithium or depakote a try and see what happens, if it works, it does so quickly and you will know, or it won't work and you will know. But for us it's been a blessing. We have found that using meds for anxiety or anti depressents tend to make most people manic so we stay away from those types of meds completely. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me, bipolar is a big part of our life and we have experience with most every drug they have for it right now. We too had to come off risperdal and abilify due to weight gain side effects. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTwinsMom1 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Forgot to add, that for some they do recommend using two mood stabilizers if the meds like seroquel and abilify don't work. So the lactimal/lithium combo would not be an uncommon one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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