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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by tarabara on December 13, 2005, at 21:18:36
hi. i've been recently diagnosed with bipolar II. i'm still learning about it and i've been prescribed topamax and will get up to 200mg/day at the end of the titration period. i am a phd student and have started to realize that i rely on my hypomanic states to get my work done and that is usually when i have the best fusion of ideas (maybe because they are flying around in my head!!!) is topamax going to take that away from me? i enjoy that aspect.
Posted by Phillipa on December 13, 2005, at 22:57:30
In reply to topamax and loss of creativity?, posted by tarabara on December 13, 2005, at 21:18:36
Why are you seeing a pdoc if the hypomania is helping you study? Other symptoms and meds not mentioned? Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by Lucia Francisca on December 13, 2005, at 23:26:06
In reply to topamax and loss of creativity?, posted by tarabara on December 13, 2005, at 21:18:36
Hi tarabara! Gosh, I think I have much in common with you! I'm a Ph.D. student also--writing the dissertation right now--and I have bipolar II also.
I've wondered about the creativity stifling issue with meds too. I took Lexapro for 5 years, but only switched to Seroquel, a mood stabilizer, about a month and a half ago. Seroquel has been working well, actually. I haven't had the insomnia, super irritable phases my pdoc says is hypomania. My fingers are crossed.What is Topamax? I haven't heard of it--is it an antidepressant or mood stabilizer? I know when I started on Lexapro, I didn't get those "highs" really anymore, where the ideas just raced through my head, I felt like I was the best in the world, felt highly sexual, etc... I missed those highs in a way, but not being depressed and anxious and insomniac was better. I don't know how Seroquel will affect my moods over the long run yet though.
So, I don't have a clear answer to your question, of course. You might want to check out Kay Jamison's book on creativity and mental illness, Touched with Fire. It's on artists who had mental illnesses, like Virginia Woolf, John Keats, etc. She's a psychiatrist herself who suffers from bipolar disorder and says Lithium has helped her a lot.
Anyways, good luck with everything. It seems there are a few of us Ph.D. students on the board. Let's keep keepin' on. We'll make it! (I should take my own advice and optimistic attitude!:))
All the best, Lucia
> hi. i've been recently diagnosed with bipolar II. i'm still learning about it and i've been prescribed topamax and will get up to 200mg/day at the end of the titration period. i am a phd student and have started to realize that i rely on my hypomanic states to get my work done and that is usually when i have the best fusion of ideas (maybe because they are flying around in my head!!!) is topamax going to take that away from me? i enjoy that aspect.
Posted by tarabara on December 13, 2005, at 23:28:02
In reply to Re: topamax and loss of creativity? » tarabara, posted by Phillipa on December 13, 2005, at 22:57:30
hi. i've been dealing with depression for about 17 years and i've been working on ptsd in therapy for about 3 months. i've been on every combination of ssri's and i'm still depressed, anxious, unstable. i would not be going down this path if i had not been down every other path. i'm on 300 wellbutrin and 150 effexor, xanax as needed, as well as a bunch of other crap for other conditions such as migraines. i've seen a number of pdocs and therapists. i finally found a therapist that i like now and have been working with him. it's been a hoot (sarcasm.)
Posted by tarabara on December 13, 2005, at 23:35:59
In reply to Re: topamax and loss of creativity? » tarabara, posted by Lucia Francisca on December 13, 2005, at 23:26:06
oh goodness, we do have so much in common. are you in the social sciences? i sometimes feel like i get 2 weeks worth of work done in 2 days just synthesizing stuff.
topamax is also a mood stabilizer/anti-convulsant. have you checked out all of the off label uses for this stuff? i don't know what i have started to take. one thing that i am concerned about is the "stupid" effects during titration. i need my wits about me. i took this semester off because of some ptsd treatment that surprised me with it's impact on my life. i start teaching again next semester and i REALLY need my wits about me. how long have you been on your mood stabilizer?
Posted by Lucia Francisca on December 13, 2005, at 23:59:44
In reply to Re: topamax and loss of creativity? » Lucia Francisca, posted by tarabara on December 13, 2005, at 23:35:59
Hi tarabara. I'm actually in the humanities, literature, specifically in an English department studying American literature.
Yeah, I've been thinking a lot about how bipolar II and mood swings play and have played a role in my life. I've been on Seroquel for about a month and a half now. I really feel like getting my hypomania under control could have a positive effect on my life. My hypomania seems to be characterized by highs where I do feel good, but I also have times when I'm totally irritable, argue with my husband over nothing, and can't sleep for like 3 days and feel awful night and day. I think research says now that hypomania is not just feeling great, it can have this dysphoric aspect to it too.
I don't know if you've seen this site about Topamax. Dr. Ivan Goldberg seems like a pretty good, reliable resource: <http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.topiramate.html>;.
Gosh, I totally know what you mean about teaching and needing to be "on"! I took a quarter off during grad school cuz I had a lot of depression and anxiety and felt I just needed some time to recuperate. Then, I took 2 quarters off from teaching to study for my qualifying exams, cuz I didn't feel I could teach and prepare for that stressful event at the same time. I passed my exams, thankfully. I just finished teaching 2 classes this semester--whoohoo! But I have anxiety about starting to teach another class next semester. Teaching can make me nervous, can it make you? I think it's the performance anxiety; getting up in front of college students is not easy. What field are you in?
I hope your meds work out for you, and the teaching goes well next semester. All the best to you and good luck. Keep in touch. Lucia
> oh goodness, we do have so much in common. are you in the social sciences? i sometimes feel like i get 2 weeks worth of work done in 2 days just synthesizing stuff.
>
> topamax is also a mood stabilizer/anti-convulsant. have you checked out all of the off label uses for this stuff? i don't know what i have started to take. one thing that i am concerned about is the "stupid" effects during titration. i need my wits about me. i took this semester off because of some ptsd treatment that surprised me with it's impact on my life. i start teaching again next semester and i REALLY need my wits about me. how long have you been on your mood stabilizer?
Posted by ghostshadow on December 14, 2005, at 9:49:12
In reply to Re: topamax and loss of creativity? » tarabara, posted by Lucia Francisca on December 13, 2005, at 23:59:44
Topamax is also used as a mood stabilazer? Never knew that! Been on it for migraines/nerve pain ever since i started having problems with neurontin, and was on paxil 10 years. A little over two weeks ago doc started me on 225 mg. effexor XR and so far nothing has improved...
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