Posted by medlib on May 7, 2002, at 5:18:46
In reply to ritalin trial to counteract depakote side effects, posted by Krazy Kat on May 6, 2002, at 14:07:17
Hi KK--
Please forgive me for not knowing your med history, but there's a gaggle of ACs/"mood stabilizers" out there. I believe that some of the newer ones (i.e.,Trileptal, Lamictal, Topamax) are supposed to be less sedating. Have you tried any of them? Btw, all mood stabilizers are reputed to do a better job of putting a lid on the "highs" than on lifting the "lows", at least for most people.
I'm not bipolar (double depression), but I found Ritalin very helpful for anergia, anhedonia, etc. I used to take 20 mg. 3x/day, which is not a huge amount for unipolars, but might be for bipolars. Recently, my pdoc added Wellbutrin to my mix, but I found that 400 mgs of Well SR plus Ritalin triggered EPS (both affect dopamine). Since Well worked better for me, I ended up ditching the Ritalin. It's weird how varied reactions to different stims can be. Adderall gave me terrible headaches and Dexedrine Spansules put me to sleep! I had such difficulty believing that dex could be soporific that I tried it for a whole week--took an involuntary nap within 30 minutes after each dose.
Good luck with your musical meds ride. I think I'll get off the carousel of change for awhile; going around in circles is beginning to make me dizzy. Wish I'd kept a journal or log; I'm having difficulty remembering every med I've tried, much less why I stopped each one.
Feeling "deja vu all over again"---medlib
poster:medlib
thread:105292
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020503/msgs/105406.html