Mental Health Need opinions/support regarding my current Rx drug cocktail. Bipolar, PTSD, etc

ZenHeathen

Greenlighter
Joined
Dec 7, 2016
Messages
2
Location
Montana, USA
Hello and thank you in advance. I've used this site as a reference for a long time but only joined today. I suffer from several mental health issues, as well as physical issues. I'm primarily interested in getting some feedback on my current list of mental health Rx's. I live in small town in MT and ther.e is a severely limited number of mental health med providers here. Being on Medicaid also limits the providers I can see.

My current diagnosed issues are: Bipolar 2 with major depression, PTSD, social and generalized anxiety/panic, Binge eating disorder, insomnia and daytime somnolence

I've suffered from depression and anxiety for my whole life. 8 years ago after a suicide attempt, I was diagnosed Bipolar 2. In retrospect, I'd been having hypomanic episodes since high school. I am also diabetic and have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

My current list of psychiatric meds seems embarrassingly long. I'd like some feedback from other with experience with similar drugs and drug cocktails.

I'm on:
Fetzima - 80mg
Lamictal - 200mg
Prazosin - 2mg
Lunesta - 3mg
Doxepin -50mg
Xanax = 2mg twice daily
and yesterday my Dr. added Vyvanse 30mg

In the past I've tried nearly every SSRI, trazodone, Seroquel, Adderall, Modafinil, Ambien, and other benzo's.
In addition to my psych meds, I take

Metformin
Insulin
Spironolactone
Lisinopril
Glipizide
Pravastatin.

There is more to my history as far as recreational drug use and some addiction, but adding all of that to this post seems inappropriate. If a moderator could point this post in the right direction, and if anyone can offer some insight, I'd be very grateful.

Thank you
 
Make sure someone is watching for mania and know the symptoms . vyvanse is an amphetamine and can trigger manic episodes in people with a history of bipolar depression.
 
Do you have bipolar disorder though or is it amphetamine induced manic behavior.
 
I guess the thing which stands out to me is that you're on two antidepressants and two sedatives.

I assume Lamictal is being used as your mood stabiliser. Why was the Vyvanse added? Is it to try to counteract side effects of the other meds?

I guess my main question would be how the combo is working for you. Obviously you're on several medications which can't just be stopped cold turkey, but that's not necessarily an issue if you find any side effects acceptable?

Is there a particular reason you're on Xanax twice a day? A short-acting benzo isn't the ideal thing to be taking day in, day out.

It's true that amphetamines *could* trigger mania, but I assume an eye is being kept on that - after all, antidepressants *could* have triggered mania, too.

What's your social scheduling like? I find resisting that urge to just power through stuff one of the biggest challenges of managing my bipolar disorder. The best med combination in the world isn't going to do a thing if I don't also do my bit and set healthy limits.

Also, what's the long term plan for your anxiety? What tools and strategies is your provider teaching you to manage it?

FWIW, I can take amphetamines without inducing mania but I'm only a very occasional user.
 
Last edited:
The two antidepressants in my opinion isnt so much a problem especially since she has had a suicide attempt and many people do not fully respond to one antid epressant alone. Also one is a net and sert reuptake inhibitor and the other acting on different sights like on 5 ht2a and c. The xanax 4 mg with lunesta reminds me of myself. I took 3.5 mg xanax and lunesta 3 mg. If your taking xanax daily you may be using it to keep your mood undercontrol. Alprazolam influences gaba a inhibitory neurotransmitter which stabilizes the cells in a way similar to many mood stabilizers making it less excitable. If your using it to manage bipolar disorder the issue is that the long term efficacy of it isnt demonstrated but ive met tons of people with bipolar who use xanax for their mood swings.
 
I don't know anything more about your health condition beyond that which you just shared with us, but in general, it sounds like to me that you are taking too many prescription drugs.
 
Hello all. I appreciate the responses.
I am familiar with the signs of an impending manic episode, as is my significant other. The Lamictal has been very effective at keeping mania at bay. The dose of doxepin that I'm on is lower than is generally used as an anti-depressant. I'm on it to help combat cyclical, obsessive thinking at night that prevents sleep. I've been given the Vyvanse because I have an issue with food, and binge eating. Also, I have little to no motivation during the day and my Dr. and I thought the amp might help, as long as I didn't experience mania or anger issues. As to the alprazolam issue, I have been on this dose for a long time and I know I have a tolerance. I don't use the full dose every day and sometimes only take the benzo at night to help with sleep.

I have no desire to use the Vyvanse in such a way as to obtain a high from it. Uppers have never been 'my thing'. My addiction issues in the past have revolved around dissociatives; NO2 (to the point that my B12 deficiency looked like MS), Ketamine (IM and IV), opiates, and very high doses of DXM. They felt good because they took away most all negative feelings. My current Rx regimen is certainly preferable to my previous drug use. It took a lot of trial and error with other drugs to get here. I've been fortunate to not experience a lot of negative side effects from my meds.

Again thank you for your input. There are so many educated people on this site and it's one of the few places I've found that tends not to be judgemental of substance use. I certainly don't mean to glorify any of the drugs I've done or the meds I'm on..but I'm not a functional human being without them.

-Jen
 
I would also be worried about the constant fluxuations of xanax day to day.I remember doimg that with 3.5 mg and I had huge mood swings and im not even bipolar. I know. Next to nothing on bipolar but I know xanax acts on your brains main break gaba so if your constantly taking and stoping it id think it be like constantly slaming on and off your breaks on a car it evently wear it down or be more like to malfunction
 
Top