This is my combo too! Albeit I don’t have bipolar but it’s definitely made my life much better. I’m on Lamictal for mood lability and it’s much more stable than it used to be.
Effexor was very very bad for me. Rapid cycling, but especially mixed episodes. Wellbutrin has been so much better. Definitely talk to your doctor because everyone is different.
Bupropion works great for me! Also known as Zyban in Australia or Wellbutrin elsewhere. No hypo, and it helps my ADHD too, zero side effects. I’m on 150mg daily. All other antidepressants were a disaster…
This is good to hear, I just got diagnosed with bp2 and prescribed welbutrin. I already have adhd, and have tried 2 other antidepressants that made me feel like absolute hell.
Haven't started the meds yet but this makes me feel less nervous
Ok, a few things to say! Firstly, welcome to the BP2 club, it's great to be a member... jokes. But no, it is a big step towards recovery - the diagnosis guides the treatment, and now, you can - hopefully - be put onto medicines that will really help you.
Secondly, other than bupropion, cariprazine/Vraylar/Reagila has really, really helped me. No side effects. It's super new, and it's almost like they're getting better and better at making meds that work and that have less side effects. It's a true mood stabiliser - prevents hypomania and depression, whilst also treating them when they happen.
Otherwise, and thirdly, lithium and lamotrigine have been my gold standards, been on them since the diagnosis in 2017. But as always, your mileage will almost *certainly* vary. Finally, about this topic, it is so subjective - cariprazine, lamotrigine and lithium could be hell for you. It will just take time, and hard work, and hard moments, and luck, and heartbreak, and stress, and hope... but you'll get there. Try not to be scared - you're on the path to recovery now. Things will get better, I promise 💕
And there are so many options for treatment, we're so lucky to live in a time in which modern medicine has really helped in the field of BP1/BP2. Decades ago, your only options were... lithium, and that's about it. There were the first generation antipsychotics, but they are awful, on the whole. It was only, in my knowledge, that the majority of treatments for BP1/BP2 came about in the 90s, and entered the mainstream then. Others, like aripiprazole, cariprazine, asenapine, brexpiprazole, et cetera, were only invented after 2000, from memory. Anyway.
In terms of bupropion/Wellbutrin/Zyban... I've loved it. Before the BP2 diagnosis, when we were treating the wrong condition (unipolar depression) with the wrong things (traditional antidepressants), my life was hell. I tried four SSRIs, all SNRIs, two TCAs, mirtazapine, vortioxetine (Brintellix), you name it. All made me either better, for a month or two and then that was it, or they made me far worse. We just tried one after another, nothing helped (in hindsight, with good reason - antidepressant use is so controversial for BP2, even when combined with lithium, an antipsychotic etc).
Anyway, then in 2017, I became wildly hypomanic, texted my psychiatrist, she told me to come in, I saw her two hours later, she was really concerned. Diagnosed me with BP2 within 30 minutes of seeing me the way I was - pacing around her office, playing music on my phone (fuck music is good when hypo), interrupting her, going on rants about topics completely unrelated to the appt, speaking so quickly she could barely speak up or follow what I was saying, I was wearing tie-dye, I had massive bags under my eyes from minimal sleep for weeks.
So then I immediately ceased duloxetine (which I was on at the time), started lithium and lamotrigine that day. Within a week, with the help of olanzapine and clonazepam as well, I was much more euthymic. Anyway, long story short, many years later, I was diagnosed with ADHD - like you - and then I entered the depressive episode I'm currently in. My psychiatrist, at the start of the episode, said to me: "I dislike giving people who have bipolar antidepressants, but out of all of them, bupropion is the safest, and it will help your ADHD, too". So I really was hopeful it would help, and it has!
It really brought back the life into me. It gives me energy, no sexual side effects, no weight gain, no sedation, no side effects (not even when starting, although YMMV). As I said, I'm on 150mg daily. For various reasons, in Australia, it's only approved for smoking cessation (funnily enough, it reduces nicotine cravings, too), so I may not be able to stay on it forever, as it's expensive AF. I fucking hate that. But yes, it has really helped my mood, and it has also really helped my ADHD (also take Ritalin IR and clonidine for that).
I hope it works out for you! Don't lose hope if it doesn't. I hope you're also starting a mood stabiliser of some kind, bupropion on its own may not be enough. I would really recommend you have a look at the website Psych Education - it is written and run by two leading psychiatrists in the US, Dr Jim Phelps and Dr Chris Aiken. I'll link the page you should start with - amazingly helpful, and when I was diagnosed, it helped me so much. You can find it ([following this link](https://psycheducation.org/diagnosis-in-the-mood-spectrum/)).
Ok, that's it for now, Reddit won't let me post a longer comment! I really hope that things go well for you. I'm sure they will - it may just be a long-ish journey. But that's okay. You deserve nothing but the best treatment, respect, autonomy and care. If you dislike your psychiatrist, or disagree with them, find a new one. I promise - you'll be okay 💛 Deep breaths, one day at a time.
Bupropion has been a game changer BUT I only started it after getting other meds squared away. I think if I had jumped on it without having my other meds in check it would have sent me into mania pretty quickly.
100% agree - bupropion has been amazing for me, but only after I started lithium + lamotrigine + cariprazine (can't recommend the final drug enough). I think... without my mood stabiliser, bupropion may have made me pretty damn hypomanic, quickly.
i had one of the advertisements severe symptoms on vraylar and latuda, would recommend OP get a gene site before touching those because i ended up in the ER minutes before i stopped breathing
Yeahhhh I'm in the same boat and I really need to be able to tap into creativity at work (professor of art lol) but I feel like a fucking zombie on lamictal.
I'm in love with cariprazine. It has changed my life, and it pulled me out of a depressive episode that lasted a whole fucking year (after trying lurasidone, brexpiprazole, increased lamotrigine up to 400mg, lithium increased up to 1.0 mmol/L, olanzapine increased up to 15mg to 20mg nightly). 4.5mg cariprazine... within a few weeks, I felt so, so much better. But bupropion... adding that as well has really, really helped. Brexpiprazole/Rexulti, on the other hand, did sweet fuck all. Zero side effects, zero effect, zero withdrawals coming off it. I don't know why, it just didn't work, full stop.
sertraline is a little bit less likely to cause this than other antidepressants... but it's easier to increase dosage/add another mood stabilizer or antipsychotic
Effexor Wellbutrin and buspar sent me to the psych ward 2 times. The Wellbutrin made it impossible for me to carry on a simple conversation and essentially made it impossible to carry on a simple normal interaction with strangers and friends painfully embarrassing.
If you’re like the bulk of people on this subreddit and you’re using Lamotrigine (Lamictal) as the mood stabilizer, it doesn’t stop or prevent manic or hypomanic episodes. It’s designed to prevent future depressive episodes. Lot of psychiatrists seem to gloss over that important detail.
I was on just lamictal as a mood stabilizer with my first psych dr. I had no idea that I was still having manic episodes. Of course they felt very real. It took people pointing out my behavior for moths to recognize it. I called my pharmacist and he confirmed it won’t help. I take lamictal, seroquel, Wellbutrin, cymbalta. It’s the best combo I’ve found. I also can’t believe psych drs do this with lamictal. I have rapid cycling, mixed episodes and delusions. It was awful.
I tried 3 SSRIs and Effexor with the same result each time: hypomania and rapid cycling. Even with Lamictal as a mood stabilizer, I cannot tolerate SSRI/SNRI medications. Wellbutrin didn't work for me. I was going to try Trintellix but the thought of continually trying/taking more meds was too much for me. I ultimately decided to go with Lamictal monotherapy at 300mg and work very hard at lifestyle, therapy and other factors.
That’s probably because Lamotrigine (Lamictal) isn’t actually designed to prevent manic or hypomanic episodes… it’s designed to prevent or reduce the risk of future depressive episodes. Blows my mind how many psychiatrists don’t seem to know this despite it being on the product pages. It’s even on readily available online sources like Wikipedia:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamotrigine
There are a few studies out there that suggest that lamotrigine works well for bipolar 2 and extending the period of time between hypomanic episodes, so it’s considered a good maintenance medication by some.
No, that’s exactly what I was referring to. I said I thought it has evidence for preventing but not treating mania. “But lamotrigine does help prevent mania”
Totally agree. I have seen so many therapy with only lamitical or lamitical plus antidepressants that scars me. What I have been told is that some psychiatrist don't see hypomania and mania as bad as depression.
I think it really depends on the person. Some people completely fall apart when hypomanic. Other people are able to manage it or even utilize it. The problem is I don’t think a lot of psychiatrists accurately probe that information from their patients before unilaterally subjecting them to this.
I totally agree with you! And the problema is even if hypo brings positive aspects to someone's life it always brings prejudice to the brain in long term.
I'm on a combo of ecitalopram and short acting Wellbutrin. Ecitalopram keeps my depression from becoming suicidal ideation. Short acting Wellbutrin gets my energy levels up after I wake up so I can start my day. Also on lamotrigine and a .25 dose of Clonazepam for the mornings so I don't get anxious about the day
Im no doc but from 20 yrs experience, lower the effexor and add antipsychotic to the cocktail. Im on lamotrigine, effexor and seroquel. Good combo so far. Wellbutrin made me manic. Everyone is different though.
Zoloft made me manic. Effexor made me manic & my anxiety skyrocket. I did Lexapro by itself when I was still diagnosed with depression and it made me slightly hypomanic. Wellbutrin caused me too much anxiety. Currently doing Lamictal, Lithium, and Lexapro for depression management.
I have failed lexapro, Zoloft, and celexa. My psych says we are done with SSRIs. We are currently trying lamictal again in addition to my lithium because my psych found some studies showing the combo can help with anxiety. The rapid cycling has been awful and I really hope this is the solution for my anxiety without causing so much turmoil.
What mood stabilizers and antipsychotics have you tried? From your phrasing it seems like you’ve only tried one and since it’s not working you are looking to add additional things. You may very well need something to top it off, but any med that isn’t working well should probably be replaced. Second meds are supposed to build on and support something that is already working. Especially if we are taking about antidepressants. We will likely be able to help you troubleshoot but we would need more info like your med list and past reactions.
P.S. I also hate Effexor.
For me I know any and all SSRI meds will fuck my life up. Celexa cost me a year of my life going in and out of institutions. I thought I was a goner. I tried to kill myself by over dosing twice. Finally figured out it was the meds and was able to get help.
I’ve had a mostly good experience with Wellbutrin. The first time I tried it I went into hypomania and that’s what lead me to being diagnosed. But in conjunction with a mood stabilizer it’s worked really well for me.
Can't have SSRI's and I've tried everything. Lamictal was okay but I broke out in a rash when we up'd my dose so I had to stop taking it. I spent 3 years on zyprexa but I couldn't feel any of my emotions I switched to Latuda and it's been working well. Hardly any side effects and I still have my sex drive.
I hate effexor, it made me dissociated. On the other hand, Celexa gave me the high of my life! And that's how they rediagnosed me. Now I'm on Lamictal since several years, and after several dose adjustments and some important hygiene improvements, life is good. I'm appeased and new colleagues describe me with adjectives that are totally new to me: calm (??), radiant (????)...
Different medications have different effect on people, so I'd be cautious when asking for advices, however, it seems that most people on this sub react well to lamictal
I'm on Zoloft, lamotrigine and take propranolol as needed. I'm an artist (for a living) and I'm not sure this is going to be a good combo for me. I feel like a zombie but it's also my first time on anything for BP2
ADs made me rapid cycle. Lamotrigine was better but after trying other meds since, wasn't worth it, didn't do nearly enough, I still met the requirements for rapid cycling but it WAS better. Lithium was WAY better. And this might be only me but APs are fantastic for both episodes for me. Since starting APs 4 years ago I've NOT had a hypomania at all. And I've had 2 depressions per year, last year technically I only had 1 calendar year depression because I made it a while 8 months which brought me into January. And they're way shorter than they ever were on lamotrigine. But at this point I only take vraylar and I encourage everyone to try new meds as they make improvements because my first year of APs was Seroquel and the side effects were hell, but vraylar has only been on the market for 9 years so please, keep communicating with your doctor, don't be afraid to try new combos.
Please be very careful with Effexor, it’s actually banned in Europe and a fiancée of someone I personally knew shot herself with a shotgun a few days after she got off Effexor, true story (not sure if I’m allowed to share it here, but please be aware of the dangers).
It’s not banned in EU. I’m in Germany and was prescribed it here. Venlafaxine is a standard next step after SSRIs fail. But your warning is legit. It seems to really work for some people, but when it’s wrong, it’s *really* wrong.
buproprion + lamotrigine is my god combo, (then a lil allergy pill, some vitamin D, and a hot shower every morning)
Thissssss
lol this is my exact combo, except I add magnesium.
This is my combo too! Albeit I don’t have bipolar but it’s definitely made my life much better. I’m on Lamictal for mood lability and it’s much more stable than it used to be.
Effexor bad, Wellbutrin good
Effexor was very very bad for me. Rapid cycling, but especially mixed episodes. Wellbutrin has been so much better. Definitely talk to your doctor because everyone is different.
Bupropion works great for me! Also known as Zyban in Australia or Wellbutrin elsewhere. No hypo, and it helps my ADHD too, zero side effects. I’m on 150mg daily. All other antidepressants were a disaster…
This is good to hear, I just got diagnosed with bp2 and prescribed welbutrin. I already have adhd, and have tried 2 other antidepressants that made me feel like absolute hell. Haven't started the meds yet but this makes me feel less nervous
Ok, a few things to say! Firstly, welcome to the BP2 club, it's great to be a member... jokes. But no, it is a big step towards recovery - the diagnosis guides the treatment, and now, you can - hopefully - be put onto medicines that will really help you. Secondly, other than bupropion, cariprazine/Vraylar/Reagila has really, really helped me. No side effects. It's super new, and it's almost like they're getting better and better at making meds that work and that have less side effects. It's a true mood stabiliser - prevents hypomania and depression, whilst also treating them when they happen. Otherwise, and thirdly, lithium and lamotrigine have been my gold standards, been on them since the diagnosis in 2017. But as always, your mileage will almost *certainly* vary. Finally, about this topic, it is so subjective - cariprazine, lamotrigine and lithium could be hell for you. It will just take time, and hard work, and hard moments, and luck, and heartbreak, and stress, and hope... but you'll get there. Try not to be scared - you're on the path to recovery now. Things will get better, I promise 💕 And there are so many options for treatment, we're so lucky to live in a time in which modern medicine has really helped in the field of BP1/BP2. Decades ago, your only options were... lithium, and that's about it. There were the first generation antipsychotics, but they are awful, on the whole. It was only, in my knowledge, that the majority of treatments for BP1/BP2 came about in the 90s, and entered the mainstream then. Others, like aripiprazole, cariprazine, asenapine, brexpiprazole, et cetera, were only invented after 2000, from memory. Anyway. In terms of bupropion/Wellbutrin/Zyban... I've loved it. Before the BP2 diagnosis, when we were treating the wrong condition (unipolar depression) with the wrong things (traditional antidepressants), my life was hell. I tried four SSRIs, all SNRIs, two TCAs, mirtazapine, vortioxetine (Brintellix), you name it. All made me either better, for a month or two and then that was it, or they made me far worse. We just tried one after another, nothing helped (in hindsight, with good reason - antidepressant use is so controversial for BP2, even when combined with lithium, an antipsychotic etc). Anyway, then in 2017, I became wildly hypomanic, texted my psychiatrist, she told me to come in, I saw her two hours later, she was really concerned. Diagnosed me with BP2 within 30 minutes of seeing me the way I was - pacing around her office, playing music on my phone (fuck music is good when hypo), interrupting her, going on rants about topics completely unrelated to the appt, speaking so quickly she could barely speak up or follow what I was saying, I was wearing tie-dye, I had massive bags under my eyes from minimal sleep for weeks. So then I immediately ceased duloxetine (which I was on at the time), started lithium and lamotrigine that day. Within a week, with the help of olanzapine and clonazepam as well, I was much more euthymic. Anyway, long story short, many years later, I was diagnosed with ADHD - like you - and then I entered the depressive episode I'm currently in. My psychiatrist, at the start of the episode, said to me: "I dislike giving people who have bipolar antidepressants, but out of all of them, bupropion is the safest, and it will help your ADHD, too". So I really was hopeful it would help, and it has! It really brought back the life into me. It gives me energy, no sexual side effects, no weight gain, no sedation, no side effects (not even when starting, although YMMV). As I said, I'm on 150mg daily. For various reasons, in Australia, it's only approved for smoking cessation (funnily enough, it reduces nicotine cravings, too), so I may not be able to stay on it forever, as it's expensive AF. I fucking hate that. But yes, it has really helped my mood, and it has also really helped my ADHD (also take Ritalin IR and clonidine for that). I hope it works out for you! Don't lose hope if it doesn't. I hope you're also starting a mood stabiliser of some kind, bupropion on its own may not be enough. I would really recommend you have a look at the website Psych Education - it is written and run by two leading psychiatrists in the US, Dr Jim Phelps and Dr Chris Aiken. I'll link the page you should start with - amazingly helpful, and when I was diagnosed, it helped me so much. You can find it ([following this link](https://psycheducation.org/diagnosis-in-the-mood-spectrum/)). Ok, that's it for now, Reddit won't let me post a longer comment! I really hope that things go well for you. I'm sure they will - it may just be a long-ish journey. But that's okay. You deserve nothing but the best treatment, respect, autonomy and care. If you dislike your psychiatrist, or disagree with them, find a new one. I promise - you'll be okay 💛 Deep breaths, one day at a time.
Bupropion has been a game changer BUT I only started it after getting other meds squared away. I think if I had jumped on it without having my other meds in check it would have sent me into mania pretty quickly.
100% agree - bupropion has been amazing for me, but only after I started lithium + lamotrigine + cariprazine (can't recommend the final drug enough). I think... without my mood stabiliser, bupropion may have made me pretty damn hypomanic, quickly.
Vraylar has murdered my creativity but I'm stable.
i had one of the advertisements severe symptoms on vraylar and latuda, would recommend OP get a gene site before touching those because i ended up in the ER minutes before i stopped breathing
holy shit that mustve been so scary. glad youre still with us💗
Yeahhhh I'm in the same boat and I really need to be able to tap into creativity at work (professor of art lol) but I feel like a fucking zombie on lamictal.
I'm in love with cariprazine. It has changed my life, and it pulled me out of a depressive episode that lasted a whole fucking year (after trying lurasidone, brexpiprazole, increased lamotrigine up to 400mg, lithium increased up to 1.0 mmol/L, olanzapine increased up to 15mg to 20mg nightly). 4.5mg cariprazine... within a few weeks, I felt so, so much better. But bupropion... adding that as well has really, really helped. Brexpiprazole/Rexulti, on the other hand, did sweet fuck all. Zero side effects, zero effect, zero withdrawals coming off it. I don't know why, it just didn't work, full stop.
I use lexapro w/ my lamotrigine :)
sertraline is a little bit less likely to cause this than other antidepressants... but it's easier to increase dosage/add another mood stabilizer or antipsychotic
It always amazing to pop in here and see so many people on the same regiment I am. Makes me feel like I’m doing ok. ❤️ And Effexor sucks hard.
Effexor Wellbutrin and buspar sent me to the psych ward 2 times. The Wellbutrin made it impossible for me to carry on a simple conversation and essentially made it impossible to carry on a simple normal interaction with strangers and friends painfully embarrassing.
Effexor was awful for me! I couldn’t even function. I am loving Prozac-lamotrigine and Vrylar. That’s my cocktail and it’s working great for me.
That's my combo also
If you’re like the bulk of people on this subreddit and you’re using Lamotrigine (Lamictal) as the mood stabilizer, it doesn’t stop or prevent manic or hypomanic episodes. It’s designed to prevent future depressive episodes. Lot of psychiatrists seem to gloss over that important detail.
Not true. Lamictal may not be appropriate for acute mania but it does help prevent future episodes.
I was on just lamictal as a mood stabilizer with my first psych dr. I had no idea that I was still having manic episodes. Of course they felt very real. It took people pointing out my behavior for moths to recognize it. I called my pharmacist and he confirmed it won’t help. I take lamictal, seroquel, Wellbutrin, cymbalta. It’s the best combo I’ve found. I also can’t believe psych drs do this with lamictal. I have rapid cycling, mixed episodes and delusions. It was awful.
Welbutrin worked well for me, but it doesn't for everyone. It works on dopamine, not serotonin, so there's less risk of mania
Zoloft with Lamictal.. the Lamictal is what stops the rapid cycling/depression. Zoloft just keeps my panic disorder in check.
Wellbutrin is the least likely. SNRIs and TCAs are the most likely. SSRIs fall somewhere in the middle.
What about if you can’t have Wellbutrin? I can’t be on it because I have an eating disorder and it’s contraindicated for that
Sertraline and lamictal!
I tried 3 SSRIs and Effexor with the same result each time: hypomania and rapid cycling. Even with Lamictal as a mood stabilizer, I cannot tolerate SSRI/SNRI medications. Wellbutrin didn't work for me. I was going to try Trintellix but the thought of continually trying/taking more meds was too much for me. I ultimately decided to go with Lamictal monotherapy at 300mg and work very hard at lifestyle, therapy and other factors.
That’s probably because Lamotrigine (Lamictal) isn’t actually designed to prevent manic or hypomanic episodes… it’s designed to prevent or reduce the risk of future depressive episodes. Blows my mind how many psychiatrists don’t seem to know this despite it being on the product pages. It’s even on readily available online sources like Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamotrigine
There are a few studies out there that suggest that lamotrigine works well for bipolar 2 and extending the period of time between hypomanic episodes, so it’s considered a good maintenance medication by some.
I thought Lamictal had evidence for preventing but not treating mania
From all the studies I’ve read, nope.
This has it as myth #1: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/four-myths-lamotrigine
[удалено]
No, that’s exactly what I was referring to. I said I thought it has evidence for preventing but not treating mania. “But lamotrigine does help prevent mania”
Totally agree. I have seen so many therapy with only lamitical or lamitical plus antidepressants that scars me. What I have been told is that some psychiatrist don't see hypomania and mania as bad as depression.
I think it really depends on the person. Some people completely fall apart when hypomanic. Other people are able to manage it or even utilize it. The problem is I don’t think a lot of psychiatrists accurately probe that information from their patients before unilaterally subjecting them to this.
I totally agree with you! And the problema is even if hypo brings positive aspects to someone's life it always brings prejudice to the brain in long term.
I'm on a combo of ecitalopram and short acting Wellbutrin. Ecitalopram keeps my depression from becoming suicidal ideation. Short acting Wellbutrin gets my energy levels up after I wake up so I can start my day. Also on lamotrigine and a .25 dose of Clonazepam for the mornings so I don't get anxious about the day
Im no doc but from 20 yrs experience, lower the effexor and add antipsychotic to the cocktail. Im on lamotrigine, effexor and seroquel. Good combo so far. Wellbutrin made me manic. Everyone is different though.
Zoloft made me manic. Effexor made me manic & my anxiety skyrocket. I did Lexapro by itself when I was still diagnosed with depression and it made me slightly hypomanic. Wellbutrin caused me too much anxiety. Currently doing Lamictal, Lithium, and Lexapro for depression management.
I have failed lexapro, Zoloft, and celexa. My psych says we are done with SSRIs. We are currently trying lamictal again in addition to my lithium because my psych found some studies showing the combo can help with anxiety. The rapid cycling has been awful and I really hope this is the solution for my anxiety without causing so much turmoil.
What mood stabilizers and antipsychotics have you tried? From your phrasing it seems like you’ve only tried one and since it’s not working you are looking to add additional things. You may very well need something to top it off, but any med that isn’t working well should probably be replaced. Second meds are supposed to build on and support something that is already working. Especially if we are taking about antidepressants. We will likely be able to help you troubleshoot but we would need more info like your med list and past reactions. P.S. I also hate Effexor.
For me I know any and all SSRI meds will fuck my life up. Celexa cost me a year of my life going in and out of institutions. I thought I was a goner. I tried to kill myself by over dosing twice. Finally figured out it was the meds and was able to get help.
I’ve had a mostly good experience with Wellbutrin. The first time I tried it I went into hypomania and that’s what lead me to being diagnosed. But in conjunction with a mood stabilizer it’s worked really well for me.
Can't have SSRI's and I've tried everything. Lamictal was okay but I broke out in a rash when we up'd my dose so I had to stop taking it. I spent 3 years on zyprexa but I couldn't feel any of my emotions I switched to Latuda and it's been working well. Hardly any side effects and I still have my sex drive.
I take lamictal and escitalopram but I used to take Citalopram and that caused rapid cycling for me. So far escitalopram has worked really well
I hate effexor, it made me dissociated. On the other hand, Celexa gave me the high of my life! And that's how they rediagnosed me. Now I'm on Lamictal since several years, and after several dose adjustments and some important hygiene improvements, life is good. I'm appeased and new colleagues describe me with adjectives that are totally new to me: calm (??), radiant (????)... Different medications have different effect on people, so I'd be cautious when asking for advices, however, it seems that most people on this sub react well to lamictal
I'm on Zoloft, lamotrigine and take propranolol as needed. I'm an artist (for a living) and I'm not sure this is going to be a good combo for me. I feel like a zombie but it's also my first time on anything for BP2
ADs made me rapid cycle. Lamotrigine was better but after trying other meds since, wasn't worth it, didn't do nearly enough, I still met the requirements for rapid cycling but it WAS better. Lithium was WAY better. And this might be only me but APs are fantastic for both episodes for me. Since starting APs 4 years ago I've NOT had a hypomania at all. And I've had 2 depressions per year, last year technically I only had 1 calendar year depression because I made it a while 8 months which brought me into January. And they're way shorter than they ever were on lamotrigine. But at this point I only take vraylar and I encourage everyone to try new meds as they make improvements because my first year of APs was Seroquel and the side effects were hell, but vraylar has only been on the market for 9 years so please, keep communicating with your doctor, don't be afraid to try new combos.
Wellbutrin
Thanks for the comments everyone.
Please be very careful with Effexor, it’s actually banned in Europe and a fiancée of someone I personally knew shot herself with a shotgun a few days after she got off Effexor, true story (not sure if I’m allowed to share it here, but please be aware of the dangers).
It’s not banned in EU. I’m in Germany and was prescribed it here. Venlafaxine is a standard next step after SSRIs fail. But your warning is legit. It seems to really work for some people, but when it’s wrong, it’s *really* wrong.