12 replies to this topic

[ugh]

anyone gotten any relief from any medication for ruminating thoughts? i am bipolar with anxiety and ptsd and i cant stand the constant negative merry-go-round of thoughts. not that i want to be too dumb for school, but i am just curious what's helped people.

i am on geodon which helps my depression and maybe some of my paranoia... ive tried EVERYTHING, but wondering what i should maybe retry... and the weight gainers are a no-no. i'd rather be insane than gain more weight.

[hammer of dusk]

You say you've tried "everything"...have you tried gabapentin or buspirone? If your ruminating thoughts are from the anxiety, getting that under control might clear them away. Neurontin (gabapentin) is what works for me. I could barely follow a thought through with all the negative clutter spinning around in my head before I started taking it.

You list Lyrica in your current meds...how has that been affecting you? What dosage are you at?

Have you tried longer acting benzos like Klonopin or Valium? What was your experience with those?

What about any SSRIs like paxil or zoloft, or any of the TCAs?

[horselover]

SSRI's and SNRI's might be a more than a little risky for one with bipolar.

[horselover]

SSRI's and SNRI's might be a more than a little risky for one with bipolar.

I am bipolar and have been combatting OCD for a long time. I have been on SSRIs and SNRIs and I admit its tricky, but most breakthrough bipolar symptoms can easily be treated by adding an antipsychotic (which also treats the OCD) along with the mood stabilizer and the AD.

I think it is great that you have had that experience, but I wouldn't agree that "easily treated" applies to everyone. As we say on the boards, YMMV.

[ugh]

yeah, people tend to disagree about the AD's, but you are right horselover- i can not take antidepressants.
as far as antipsychotics go- i am on geodon, which in the past has helped with my depression. it helps to be at a higher dosage but then i get akesthesia and dystonia.
yes, of course i've tried buspar and neurontin.
lyrica dose is at 300mg/day, and i am tired all the time so i'm going to taper off that. it has helped in the fact that it makes me talkative, which is nice and all, but its not helping my pain and i'm too tired to do anything. i cannot add something like provigil bc i am on too much meds.
yes ive tried klonopin and valium and they actually cause me anxiety, unlike my xanax.

i am quite the lunatic right now and i believe i have discovered the culprit. i started birth control almost 2 weeks ago. Seasonique. i can bet money that i feel better once i cut that out.

[horselover]

Ugh, I hope you find some relief.

[egodystonic_james]

Hey. I never even thought about having obsessive thoughts until my doc suggested a trial of Luvox (fluvoxamine), and then my mind was actually silent and I realized I DO have obsessive thoughts that I just didn't notice because they were so pervasive. The luvox kicks ass! It's worth a trial IMO. Very good for anxiety....it has been the only thing that even touched my social anxiety, and I've been on all the SSRI's, Klonopin/Valium/Xanax, gabapentin, among many more. The generic immediate-release, which works just as well or better than the Luvox CR brand version, is also very cheap. I would give it a try before clomipramine as the side-effects aren't probably going to be as harsh. A skilled doctor can even add clomipramine to luvox if it isn't enough. If you do try an AD and you've had trouble in the past with breakthrough mania/hypomania, you will probably have to up the dose of your mood stabilizer or add another. YMMV. Good luck!

James

[PaisleyHalo]

Try 15 mins of meditation twice a day.

Edited by Blue Heron, 30 September 2011 - 03:26 PM.
removed the smiley, because they turn angry on here nowadays for some reason

[faith_tx]

Hey. I never even thought about having obsessive thoughts until my doc suggested a trial of Luvox (fluvoxamine), and then my mind was actually silent and I realized I DO have obsessive thoughts that I just didn't notice because they were so pervasive. The luvox kicks ass! It's worth a trial IMO. Very good for anxiety....it has been the only thing that even touched my social anxiety, and I've been on all the SSRI's, Klonopin/Valium/Xanax, gabapentin, among many more. The generic immediate-release, which works just as well or better than the Luvox CR brand version, is also very cheap. I would give it a try before clomipramine as the side-effects aren't probably going to be as harsh. A skilled doctor can even add clomipramine to luvox if it isn't enough. If you do try an AD and you've had trouble in the past with breakthrough mania/hypomania, you will probably have to up the dose of your mood stabilizer or add another. YMMV. Good luck!

James

I'm so glad you posted this!! I have basically GAD SA and some OCD (mainly obsessive thoughts) and I tried Celexa which worked for two years, but then it pooped out. I switched to Lexapro about 6 weeks ago and it made me really agitated and I couldn't sleep well. It actually made my thoughts more obsessive than they'd been in a long time.

Doctor just put me on Luvox and this is day 3. Of course I'm obsessed about if it is going to work or if I'll have to try something else. My mind gets away with me and then I have panic attacks. I'm trying to decide right now if I should try switching it to night because I'm pretty tired. And if I do decide to switch from morning to night how do I do that? Do I take it tonight or wait until tomorrow night and just skip my morning dose?

[faith_tx]

i am quite the lunatic right now and i believe i have discovered the culprit. i started birth control almost 2 weeks ago. Seasonique. i can bet money that i feel better once i cut that out.

I'm not bipolar but birth control pill really messed me up last time I tried it!!

[hammer of dusk]

i am quite the lunatic right now and i believe i have discovered the culprit. i started birth control almost 2 weeks ago. Seasonique. i can bet money that i feel better once i cut that out.

I'm not bipolar but birth control pill really messed me up last time I tried it!!

Birth control can make a big difference, good or bad, it seems. It's a matter of finding the right one, and maybe some of us just don't tolerate any of them well. The first one I went on made me more depressed. I went on the mini-pill for quite a while and was doing well, but when I went off it I started going super crazy the week before my period, to the extent that my pdoc said to go back on it.

I think the mini-pill is a good option if several combined pills have not been well-tolerated, but it's a bit more of a pain because you have to be really exact with when you take it.

Being female can be such a hassle.

[Blue Heron]

i am on geodon

Have you tried Prazosin or Memantine?

I'm surprised you'd recommend a drug used for Alzheimer's Disease (Memantine). Are you using it off-label for another condition? If not, do you have a citation describing its off-label use?

Crazy Meds Talk is different from other medical discussion boards, CCC, in that you need to back up what you post, with details about your personal experiences, or links to citations from trustworthy sources that back up your assertions/suggestions. Anyone who doesn't go along with this is going to find him- or herself repeatedly asked to provide the other board members with that information. So, it'd behoove you to start being more forthcoming here about how you've come by your medical knowledge.That's how you build a good reputation on CMT. If you can't be bothered to back up what you post on a consistent basis, this site isn't going to be a good fit for you, and you'll be asked to move on. We don't clown around on here!

Thanks,
BH
(one of the site moderators)

[Blue Heron]

I have no problem with that, I just didn't want to bog down my posts.

Okay, good. We don't view backing up the advice in your posts as going on too long here. Brevity may be the soul of wit, but there's such a thing as being too brief.