Anti-Psychotic Drugs

[chrisconway]

Hi everyone,

I've just been diagnosed with rapid cycle bipolar disorder.

I was already on 45mg of mirtazapine per day.

My Psychiatrist has kept me on this. However, on top of this I have been put on the anti-pychotic drug seroquel (quetiapine fumarate).

I am surprised after research that I am not on a mood stabaliser.

Does this mean he thinks I could be psychotic? I don't know whether to trust him or not

Chris

 

[Dollit]

If you want to know why you've been put on certain medications then ask the doctor! No one here could possibly second guess the reasoning behind the decisions of a trained professional! Personally I always ask why my consultant is considering changes and he knows that unless he gives me very good answers I don't make changes!

 

[chrisconway]

Sorry didn't mean to offend anyone. I was more wondering whether anyone else had been put on an anti-sychotic drug for bi-polar in this forum.

Sorry again.

Chris

 

[Dollit]

You haven't offended anyone but you didn't ask about whether other bipolar people had been prescribed anti psychotics! Thousands of people with bipolar disorder have used anti psychotics, thousands have used mood stabilisers. Why they are prescribed one or the other is down to the nature of the illness and the psychiatrist who is prescribing. It's a very individual illness.

 

[chrisconway]

ok

I think the fact I said I had just been diagnosed gave a clue that I know nothing about the illness or the statistics of who takes what medication.

Glad you seem to know a lot about your illness... not everyone is in this great position. I am at this point a very frightened and confused individual who made the mistake of thinking that I would find sympathetic people who would maybe help me through it.

What I didn't expect was a pedantic response.

 

[jamesdean]

hi chrisconway please do not feel dishearted you have found a very sympathectic and supportive forum and we do care and try to help each other out has much has we can, keep posting the only thing we cannot do is diagnose, often people will discuss the types of medication and often wonder why we are prescribed differant meds etc, I take mirtazapine and an anti psycotic for psycosis in depression, I think often people with your condition do take a mood stabliser but often one drug will be used for many reasons n if you are newly diagnosed your psych is proberly seeing how you are doing on those meds, I think mood stabliser are quite strong meds n maybe they dont want to give to much to soon I'm only thinking dont quote me but I just dont want you to feel so alone and frigtened. jd

 

[mad as a hatter]

i,ve also got rapid cycling bipolor i do tk mood stabilizers and i,m on an anti phycotic at the mo tho i don,t need it all the time maybe ur pdoc feels u don,t need a mood stabilizer at the mo my mind races a lot so i,m on anti phycotic 2 slow my thoughts down at times but i,m not phycotic ijust got bad thoughts at times i need 2 slow my mind down but i,d go with what ur pdoc givin u at the mo they,ll just be wanting 2 be keepin an close eye on u i know rapid cycling is difficult cause ur mood swings so much in 1 day i,ve had it 7 yrs maybe longer u can ask me ne thing about rapid cycling i,ll try 2 answer it if i can don,t give up on us yet t,c maah

 

[Eric]

Hey Chris,
the best thing to do is talk with your doc. I personally have had my meds changed a few times, and with me it's taking a gamble. I personally found that Seroquel knocked me out, and I became a zombie on it. I now take 1mg of Risperdal a day, which I've cut down from 2mg. with the doc's help.
Finding the right Psychologist is always a struggle ( well where I'm from anyway!) so I wish you luck, and may your "drug woes" be sorted.

Cheers

 

[Apotheosis]

Hi Chris & to the site

We are all different & we all find different ways of coping & dealing with things. We all have different ideas & perspectives on what works & the effectiveness of different approaches.

Personally I have found anti psychotics to have been very debilitating for me. I would much rather have been given more comprehensive & psychological help when I have been ill; & not stuffed full of meds. Over the years & against doctors advice I have stopped meds on a number of occasions. Initially I was successful, however; I was placed on very high doses of an anti psychotic some 10 years ago; which I have been unable to successfully stop; despite 3 serious attempts. The result though is that I am on a single low dose of one med - 175mg of Amisulpride; instead of the 1200mg I was originally given (& told I would be on for life). Had I taken the advice & instruction of doctors, then I would be on sleepers, anti depressants & high doses of this drug.

Almost all orthodox psychiatrists prescribe drugs; that is what they do. I do not think they are infallible, nor do I think they know what they are doing in a lot of cases. I think drugs are too widely & over prescribed; & the people prescribing them are not aware of the full picture. But; most people conform to & accept the bio chemical paradigm; & are happy to be treated from the orthodox scientific perspective with medications as the primary treatment. Maybe for most people that is what is best for them. I have looked for & found other angles & ways of approaching & recovering from mental illness. I do think it is important, at the least; to acknowledge that there are other healing systems, which can work, often very effectively, & other viable approaches; other than the bio chemical one, however unpopular they may seem to some.

Here is a link to a site exploring the creative & "Positive" aspects to mental illness - focusing on Bi polar. This page contains a very informed & balanced article on medication, which you can print off or download. -

http://theicarusproject.net/alterna...duction-guide-to-coming-off-psychiatric-drugs

There is also a very busy forum on the above site.

Here is another site - a series of Blogs, exploring & gathering comprehensive information on the "alternative" aspects to mental illness -

http://www.blogger.com/profile/16283478682307609903

The above link is to the profile page - scroll to the bottom right & there are links to the three Blogs - Voices of Recovery, Spiritual Recovery, Spiritual Emergency

Here is a very good site; in which a genuine scientist & doctor has explored the damaging effects of drugs, he has written some very good books. -

http://www.breggin.com/

Of course this is all IMHO & the opinions of others. It is about finding your own path of what works for you & can best help. I do think that there is a place for meds; of course they can help in certain circumstances; I just don't agree that they should be the first & often the only main option. I accept, given my past, that the lesser of two evils is for me to take a small dose of one drug. I actively have refused other meds, & in the past refused attempts to up this dose, & have gone against doctors advice to reduce this med. I am happy to be on the lowest dose possible & it suits me. Horses for courses. I wish you well & all the best in finding recovery from the things you are experiencing.

 

[Twylight]

I've discussed Quetiapine with a CPN and I think it has mood stabilising properties

 

[emski]

Hi Chris,

Rapid cycling can be difficult to medicate as far as I understand. When I was first diagnosed bipolar I was cycling every few hours, and my psychiatrist put me on quetiapine and mirtazipine, which slowed the swings and their severity, but unfortunately as he upped the dose I had a bad reaction to the quetiapine and had to be taken off it.

Psychosis can be a symptom of any type of mood disorder, and just because an anti-psychotic is prescribed does not been you are branded psychotic. It just means that you are being medicated for your symptoms - rapid cycling of mood - rather than just being stuck on a mood stabiliser because that's the standard med for bipolar disorders.

See how you go on quetiapine, I know it is prescribed more and more for bipolar disorders, and if it does not work for you, go back and tell your psychiatrist. I take Depakote - originally an anti-epileptic medicine, but I am not epileptic, but it works for a lot of bipolar patients

Emski

 

[ali]

Hi chris,

Hope you are well. I also have just been diagnosed not with the same type of bipolar as yours and my docs/phyc still dont know but I am also on seroquel. All this seems to do is make me sleep and give me nightmares.... so all day long I am living a nightmare then when I rest it starts again...... I am also on a anti depressent but the name slips my mind...... If you need someone to talk to who also is at the beginning of their journey ???????

 

[spiritual_emergency]

This site is also a good resource for those with bipolar disorder or those wishing to inform themselves about medications: http://furiousseasons.com/

In addition to the site material there's also a list of linked blogs in the sidebar, a number of which are related specifically to bipolar disorder.

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