Get Informed: Bipolar Disorder

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

Manic episodes can be an exceptionally difficult condition to control initially and it is further complicated when it involves a child. Every case of mania varies widely from patient to patient. The inital medications are a starting point and will need to be closely monitored and controlled in the coming weeks. Your family should seek counselor support for yourselves as well as your child to help cope with this very difficult and emotional situation.

Posted: 2009-11-03 21:27:42

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

There are no reported cases of hallucinations, vivid nightmares or visual disturbances such as you describe with Risperdal. Please make sure these symptoms and issues are discussed with your granddaughter's physician. They could be related to her disease as well.

Posted: 2009-07-19 01:45:33

Answer/Reply:

I am a 54 year old mother of 3 grown children, and have recenty returned to college to study biology. Have been fighting depression most of my life, am definitely ADHD and also recently admitting that I am likely Bipolar II... ((and 17 years sober : ))

Since I have been online - during the past ten or so years, I have posted my personal comments, maybe only a half dozen or so times - BUT IN GOOD CONSCIENCE, I HAVE TO SHARE MY PERSONAL EXERIENCE SPECIFICALLY AS IT OCCURED WHILE TAKING RISPERDAL FOR ABOUT ONE WEEK, NEARLY 7 YEARS AGO! (CAPS INTENDED!)
Of course, it's a long story, but some background is warranted, as I also want to show credibility to my using this format.

My usual doctor was out of town; a dr. who did not know me but interviewed me for ten minutes regarding my severe family-stress-related panic attacks handed me a script and I was on my way out the door. I was prescribed Rispersdal, a med this new dr. was so sure that I so desperatey needed to help cure whatever it was that he thought was ailing me...

After taking Risperdal (low dose) for less than one week; when I could not sleep one night, I felt so wierd and then decided to look into the mirror. Lights were low - it was 2 or 3 AM. When I looked at myself, I began to see myself actually begin to morph somehow into a skeleton... It was scary and freaky and That whole story is not one that I need to share here; suffice to say, Risperdal had a profoundly negative effect upon me and seeing myself like in the mirror pushed me over the edge and I decided it was a warning and must mean that I had no business being alive anymore and so I began elaborating upon a very serious plan to make sure of just that.

Yes, I have been depressed, and yes, I have taken myself for inpatient care previously, but I have never had any hallucinations other than on this medication!

Thankfully, about 36 hours into this elucidation, I had just a small enough semblance of sanity left and was able to stop myself from further actionn, and I told one friend and then called my local hospital and checked myself in.

My usual psychiatrist returned and was very upset along with me that I was prescribed Risperdal, as she knew that it was contrary to my personal psyche (I do not know whatever happned to that other dr.). To my limited knowledge, I have since learned that Risperdal is an anti-psychotic, sometimes utilized for treatment other than intended. In my situation it back-fired.

Please, share my story with your family, and with her doctor, if you would, please!
Perhaps trying to convince a young child that her hallucinations do not HAVE to be SCARY will help her. And, Of course, I am not a doctor, but I do know what is real, and coming back around to my senses just barey enough to begin to understand that maybe I was experiencing a bad reaction to a controversial medication - saved my life.

Hopefully, Risperdal would not be available for usage if this type of reaction was commonplace.
But I swear to you it happened to me. Please write again and update, I am concerned and truly hope that this message will be posted, and that you will be able to write again as well.

With only my truest intentions for All Our Good Health,
~DJane ~i~

55 year old Female

Posted: 2009-08-05 01:05:54

Answer/Reply:

I did take this med for Bi Polar for awhile then stopped due to bad dreams. I was placed on lamictal and it seemed to help for awhile but then did not help.

57 year old Female

Posted: 2009-08-29 05:30:19

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I used to take risperidone when I was in my 30's and I used to have very bad hallucinations. I would see things that were not supposed to be there just like your granddaughter. I also would see objects move that are not supposed to move.

42 year old Female

Posted: 2009-08-30 09:23:19

Answer/Reply:

Please let your doctor know about this. Risperdal is an anti-psychotic and like with most anti-psychotics is known to cause dementia in very young patients. It sounds like that may be what's going on here.

Personally I have taken it at night before and noticed that it made my sleeping very uneventful in terms of dreams. I never had a nightmare while I was on it, and that was one of the major things I liked about taking it.

25 year old Female

Posted: 2009-09-21 23:23:33

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

It helps to be honest with your physician. Make specific notes and questions to take into your appointment so that you can be as direct as possible without being accusatory or angry. You will have the best results in a give-and-take discussion of your symptoms and feelings along with your history. Having the points you wish to discuss written down will help you to stay on task while maximizing the time your physician is able to spend with you.

Posted: 2009-07-09 00:47:41

Answer/Reply:

We absolutely must be our own advocate. From what you described, I would fire that doctor. We have that right. Having a bipolar disorder means that we have to be hyper vigilent about taking care of ourselves. If you have a big university near you, I've found that I get my best care from an educational facility. The doctors are usually young enough to not be jaded and still hopeful about finding the answers. One word of caution, as I can see that you have experienced, when we are manic our decisions and perceptions are pretty skewed. Just a word to the wise... But don't stay with an inadequate doctor. There are some really good ones out there - who know a whole lot about having bipolar - and actually seem to honor me in my battle against it. Go figure, eh?

52 year old Female

Posted: 2009-07-17 15:44:00

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Please don't stay with a doctor that you don't have faith and trust in. Don't stay with any health care professional who brushes you off and doesn't have time to answer questions, etc. I was diagnosed and began treatment for bipolar disorder 33 years ago and have had no further episodes since. I take my medication faithfully twice a day. I was fortunate that the medication worked for me...it may take you some time to find the medication that helps you, but please, don't lose faith! Help is out there!

71 year old Female

Posted: 2009-07-23 16:08:27

Answer/Reply:

Change doctors IMMEDIATELY!!! You need someone who takes the time to listen and takes ALL of your conserns into consideration. Yes, the psychiatrist monitors your meds, but first visits are generally for an hour to take a good history and get to know you. You also need to have a therapist who can spend time with you, at least an hour every visit. I started twice a week, after time once a week, now I see her every other week, or as I need to. PLEASE find an MD who will take time to know you.

Posted: 2009-11-16 17:20:16

Answer/Reply:

If you are working closely with a Psychiatrist who is not able to find medication which is completely effective for you, you may benefit by talking to a Psychologist. Combining medication with talk therapy is the recommended course of treatment. There are techniques that can help you learn to deal with your anxiety, help you learn to talk through your anxiety.
There are therapy groups that help people overcome their anxiety.
In addition there is a self help group called Recovery Inc., which could be of great help to you.
Have faith that you can find effective treatment.

61 year old Male

Posted: 2009-07-30 19:41:04

Answer/Reply:

Try going to www.recovery-inc.org. Their website is informative and very helpful You may even find a meeting in your area by going to this website-they have a list of meetings nationwide. Good Luck!

55 year old Female

Posted: 2009-09-11 17:27:10

Answer/Reply:

I think that is very common. Your may need a higher dosage. I am now on 200 mg. and I can really tell a difference in my deprresion with it. of course you may think that is a lot, but I worked up to that over time. the smaller dosages were just not helping. Talk to your Dr. about going up a little bit more. Hope this helps.

41 female

42 year old Female

Posted: 2009-06-04 16:03:06

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While i don't know fully about your situtation , mine was similar in that my dr. had to find the right medication that works for me after a second hospitalization for what they thought was depression but was actually bi-polar! So just give the dr. some time to find the right combination of medicine. once you do , you'll be so sick of seeing drs. cuz you'll be doing that good where you'll think there is no necessity to see them. 19-year old female

20 year old Female

Posted: 2009-06-10 09:55:19

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I was on it for about six months and had no problem with depression at first but the last two months I was on it I stayed in a deep depression. I am not sure if it was the Lamictal or not, when they took me off, they also took me off Wellbutrin and Celexa as well. I suffer from Major Depressive Disorder Recurant, Bi-Polar, and Borderline Personality Disorder. I don't know if that helps but that is how it was with me. Hope you can get some help.

47 year old Female

Posted: 2009-06-05 12:16:52

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What do you actually take now? I am on 450 wellbutrin 225 effexor XR and 300 lamictal. I have been told I have major depression, bi polar, borderline, post traumatic stress sydrome too.

28 year old Female

Posted: 2009-06-09 18:23:11

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Hello, I took Lacmictal 100mg 2 times a day for 2 years. I am sorry to it did not help my bipolar and at first i thought is was doing something but i was wrong.

44 year old Female

Posted: 2009-06-05 16:52:33

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I feel like a lab rat after taking different things since 88. When I first started taking Lamictal I thought it was a God Send. I began to think more clearly and could actually take care of my own bills and household decisions. Now it doesn't seem to work as well. With it I take Wellbutrin to stop smoking. My moods are all over the place. When I first found out that I had bi-polar and post tramatic syndrome the counselor apologized to me because I had lived so many years going to hell because I had been told I had everything else wrong with me before they finally found out what was wrong with me. Anyway, I am on disability now and my life still sucks.

52 year old female

53 year old Female

Posted: 2009-06-09 23:49:50

Answer/Reply:

i did actually have a drop in my mood for a period right after starting Lamictal. it ended up, i needed to bump up the dose. reason being, when your body first gets the med, it's DEFINITELY working on the chemical balance and your body's feeling much better than it was. but then it levels out. it hasn't stopped working. it's just your body has acclimated to the dose. and your going back down (depression-wise) would most likely mean you need a higher dose to stabilize you. All that said, definitely talk to your p-doc about it before doing anything (including stopping the med).

38 year old Female

Posted: 2009-06-07 16:57:19

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I have been taking Lamictal for about a year and it made me able to pay my own bills and such as that. You know, it cleared my thinking. But for the past 6 months I've really had a terrible time. Of course, I know we should allow for circumstances that you really should get depressed about. I have lost an x-boyfriend to commit sucicide, one of my favorite neighbors to die of cancer and 3 weeks ago I lost a close friend to a accidental overdose. Anyway when I went to my shrink this week I was crying and begging her for help. She put me on Symbyax. I've been on it for 3 days now and the first day I was weak and groggy. But the next day when I took it I was fine. She also took me off Wellbutrin. Hopefully, the Lamictal and Symbyax will be the combination I've been praying for.

53 year old Female

Posted: 2009-07-11 23:28:00

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I have been on Lamictal for 4 or 5 years. I have learned that in order to maintain a workable balance, I must vary my dosages overtime. Your are just beginning, and your body is adjusting to the new meds. Give it time. On the good days, learn how to mentally battle the bad ones. Your body will go through the cycles of ups and downs. This never will go away, but Lamictal has taken the edge off enough to get me moving each day and the enough mental strength to make it through the day, even if I only get a 1 or 2 things done that day, it is success because before lamictal I couldn't even get out of bed most days, couldn't hold a job and was useless to my family. The mood swings will not go away, but Lamictal will help to make them manageable.

37 year old Male

Posted: 2009-06-08 14:58:40

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I also think that's common. I've been on Lamictal almost three years now. I've never been better. Keep on keeping on. Don't get scared. Some days may be worse than others but they will get better for longer time. Or at least they did for me.

51 year old female

52 year old Female

Posted: 2009-06-09 12:39:02

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Hey girl you hang in there. I experienced the same reaction on my way up on lamictal. It worked for me after the goal of 150mg was reached. I then started on celexa 20mg and was able to stop my resperdal. I had taken lithium for years but started to have liver issues. I feel better today than I have in a long time. Don't give up on lamictal though til you make sure it's not going to help.. God Bless

49 year old Male

Posted: 2009-06-09 13:54:16

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I take 25mg now I was taking 50mg When I was on 50 I had to take one in the morning and one at night I mean 25 in the morning and 25 before bed. That help a lot for me.

51 year old Female

Posted: 2009-06-13 22:34:53

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

Lamictal does take time to build up in the patient's system and it may take some time before you start feeling the full benefits of the medication. If the symptoms continue or get worse, please make an appointment to discuss them with your doctor.

Posted: 2009-06-25 00:55:50

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I have been on Lamictal since 2007. I know that they ramp you up slowly because of the possibly fatal rash that is associated with Lamictal. I was taking 400mg until recently, I asked the doctor to lower my dosage because I believe it is the med that I am on that makes me feel sedated. I have been taking 300mg now for about a month and noticed a huge change in my energy level. I feel much better now and my mood swings are still stable. Hope this helped some.

42 year old Female

Posted: 2009-06-25 16:33:36

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You seem to be titrating on a low dose target. It takes weeks to get to therapeutic levels. I'm a 300mg/day and like it because it has minimal side effects. I also cocktail it Cymbalta, which jazzes me up too much. I like the lamictal, but to honest, like some of the other respondents I wonder if it is still working. I guess I have to take it faith given the long arduous ramp down and up time adjustig the drug. But, I think you should explain to your shrink that you feel the dose is too low. You should not get any argument back give the miniscule dose s/he has you on. Best wishes. I've learned one thing: No drug is a panacea to solving our suffering. We are lucky if we can even get close to a drug mix that balances out.

48 year old Male

Posted: 2009-07-21 20:03:49