Depakote

It’s a heavy arsenal of Psych Meds I have accumulated wouldn’t you say? But this is the thing that you have to accept. Bipolar Disorder is an absolute Tyrant that has to be silenced. I’m lucky to have found a balance now it seems. I had to persist with my psychiatrist and justify to him why I wanted to be prescribed Lithium as well as the other meds. I was functioning before the lithium was introduced. I wasn’t showing any cause for concern so to speak so my psychiatrist was happy with my condition. However, I knew something wasn’t quite right with me. So I spoke to the Psychiatric Pharmacist at Mountcroft and explained to her about how things were and my thoughts. I’d done my research and put together my notes to show what the problem was, my hypothesis on the next step and then my justification for it and my conclusion. I wasn’t telling anyone how to do their job, I was just giving them the best explanation of how I felt. The pharmacist concurred with my proposal so it went back to my psychiatrist and he authorised my prescription. I’m also on Ramipril so there’s concerns for that raising lithium levels in the blood and causing toxicity. However, as I was already on the ramipril, the introduction of lithium could be boosted by it meaning that I may only need a lower dose than usual to hit the therapeutic zone.

I makes you wonder though doesn’t it. Before the medication, before the psychiatric appointments, before the self harming, before the psychosis, before the mania, before the depression, when you are yourself and not labelled or diagnosed with this or that, you didn’t feel comfortable and felt that you weren’t like the other people around you. So you don’t know what to do. Social pressures and society can then push you further down the rabbit hole. After you break and go to the doctor, they don’t put you back together as you were. You are remodelled, your brain chemistry altered by drug after drug after drug to become someone that looks like you, but isn’t really you?!? #BipolarDisorder #lithium #Depakote #Quetiapine #Mirtazapine

I started Quetiapine along with the Depakote and Mirtazapine I am currently taking.

Hopefully it will be the missing piece to the puzzle regarding the controlling the severity of the bipolar swings. The Mirtazapine I’m on already is an antidepressant that obviously gives you a lift.

With bipolar however, that alone exaggerates the episodes of bipolar you have, so you introduce a mood stabiliser to put the brakes on, which for me is the Depakote.

The exact mode of action isn’t yet known as to why Sodium Valproate works for Bipolar patients. The most plausible explanation is that by slowing down the GABA receptors in the brain, the episodes become less intense and manageable. From my personal experience, I felt no different in myself and I didn’t notice that I had any improvement in the clarity of my thoughts. What I can say about the effect is that when I was looking back at my mood diary I had kept for the psychiatrist, my entries and effort to explain myself in the writings deteriorated until I stopped writing anything at all. This was over a period of 6 months. So it had slowly calmed my erratic behaviour but also stifled my expression.

Finally, I get to the point where I am now. When you are in a manic phase, you need a sedative to bring you back down. The high is either brought down by something pulling it down or by it’s expiration of energy and the crash landing from the free fall. Neither one of these methods is that pleasant. As your brain is going slower due to the mood stabiliser, the climbing in to mania is for me, more like a creeping on your tip toes than a climb. You can feel that you are on the peripheral and as this knot of anxiety/worry/shame/guilt et al is just gathering energy bit by bit. This is a major cause of agitation and irritability, poor sleep etc. for me. This is where the introduction of Quetiapine will come in to play by keeping the manic phases in check. Keeping me in the safe zone just as Mirtazapine is doing in a “Bipolar” 😜 kinda way 👌
#Quetiapine #Mirtazapine #Depakote

Today, after an appointment with my GP, it’s been agreed that I start Quetiapine along with the Depakote and Mirtazapine I am currently taking.

Hopefully it will be the missing piece to the puzzle regarding the controlling the severity of the bipolar swings. The Mirtazapine I’m on already is an antidepressant that obviously gives you a lift. With bipolar however, that alone exaggerates the episodes of bipolar you have m, so you introduce a mood stabiliser to put the brakes on, which for me is the Depakote. By slowing down the GABA receptors this makes the episodes less intense. Finally, you then get to the point where when you are in a manic phase, you need a sedative to bring you back down. As your brain is going slower due to the mood stabiliser, this can cause agitation and irritability, poor sleep etc. This is where the introduction of Quetiapine will come in to play by restricting the levels of mania you reach.

This is my understanding of the problem anyway. I hope I’m right
#RapidCyclingBipolarDisorder #Depakote #Mirtazapine #Quetiapine

Recently I have noticed that my moods are becoming a little more manic and a lot more depressive. I am getting over excited in situations. Talking too fast. Erratic. Afterwards I’m then overanalysing it thinking that I’ve been out of order and rude. My cognitive function is also deteriorating and things are becoming harder at work which in turn is getting me frustrated. I feel overweight and my belly is becoming noticeably rounder in my eyes yet my weight hasn’t changed at all nor my eating habits or appetite.

I’m highly irritable and the slightest thing annoys me. My body is aching because I’m tensing up constantly. I’m pissed off with the world. On edge constantly too.

I’ve had no thoughts of self harming or suicidal thoughts and no thoughts of hurting others.

I’m currently on 1,500mg Depakote. I’m on this because of 3 seizures I had but epilepsy was ruled out. As this is an alternative for Lithium when Lithium is ineffective, and with Lithium is the primary medication, is it a better option for myself to be prescribed Lithium instead of an anticonvulsant as I haven’t been diagnosed with epilepsy?
#MightyTogether

Everything seems like a battle at the moment. I spoke with my GP yesterday and he is really happy with my progress. The results of the blood tests were spot on, my weight has only gone up 1kg with the Depakote and no extreme behavioural episodes. I however feel like I am overweight by much more. I guess it is because it’s all accumulated on my belly and it doesn’t look right.

The problem is that the tests are not necessarily done on the primary objective. I haven’t had any issues with my physical health before the diagnosis. My blood pressure, cholesterol et al have always been as they should be and I rarely have any issues with illnesses like combatting the common colds and ailments like that etc. The increased monitoring of my blood is due to the medication. So if I have no history of any problems, the sudden onset of such would be attributable to the medication. The fact I have said I ‘feel’ like I’m carrying excess weight is dismissed as the results show that I haven’t.

I went to the surgery for the said tests and I had a different nurse to my regular one. I got a little nervous/panicked about it but I started to settle down and we got talking about the things I have noticed etc and I was going 200mph and gone to a hyper phase. The same yesterday when I spoke to the GP, because I had so much to tell him. I’m finding that the slightest boost of excitement leads to over excitement and kick stats towards a hyper manic episode. Likewise if I have a negative experience I am going backwards to manic depressive.

This is being dismissed though but surely isn’t something to be overlooked is it?

I’m not uneducated about Medicine either. I’m a graduate of Medicinal Chemistry.
#BipolarDisorder #Medication

My psychiatrist and GP both urged me to quit the cigarettes 🚬. The tar from the cigarettes is metabolised through the liver and as I’m on Depakote which is also metabolised by the liver, the process of metabolism of the Depakote is slowed down and can lead to Depakote toxicity and possibly liver disease.

I had quite a thorough discussion with my GP and the Stop Smoking Team from the NHS before I got my prescription today. I’m guessing that due to the fact that I was assessed so thoroughly and that I was not in a poor frame of mind, they were prescribed.

Does anyone have any experiences with these?

#Quitsmoking #Varenicline #Depakote #RapidCyclingBipolarDisorder

Today I had my appointment with the psychiatrist. She said that she was happy with my mental status and that I wasn’t a danger to myself or others. She was happy to discharge me from the mental health care team, the START team, and herself. I have to continue to see my G.P. regularly and continue with the blood tests and my medication is to continue as it is. If I have any relapses then I’ll be referred again.

My frustration with this is that I am dosed up on Depakote and my mental illness is shrouded by a chemical haze. How can she get a picture of myself when I am just medicated up to the eyeballs? It seems like they have found the dosage necessary to make me functional and that is that.

I’m perplexed 😕
#bipolartreatment #RapidCyclingBipolarDisorder #Depakote #sodiumvalporate

I have my appointment with my psychiatrist on 1st March and I have a few questions. Can any of you fellow Mighty members advise me on what I am proposing to ask

1. What are the long term effects of Depakote?

2. Is there any validity to the claim that antipsychotic and anticonvulsant medication is potentially taking between 9-20 years off the life expectancy of people who suffer from Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia? This is more severe than smoking 40 cigarettes a day

3. What is the reasoning behind the fact I was placed in the highly vulnerable group for the priority of administrating the Covid vaccine due to having SMI?

4. Is there a plan in place for my treatment or am I going to be sedated for the foreseeable future with a drug that slows down my brain synapses? Is there any improvement being made in the sense that my Bipolar Disorder is being rectified or is it still there? Still as serious as it always was, just hidden by the remedy and not being cured?

5. My blood tests so far have been absolutely spot on. My GP is very happy with them. I’ve not though had any further questions asked regarding my mental illness. Do you not think it would be proactive to engage with patients and get a better understanding of what they are going through so that more insight can be made? It seems to me like the desire to get to the bottom of mental illnesses is stagnant and no real attention is being given to understand what it means for people. There’s a golden opportunity to gather a wide range of experiences that could possibly benefit future generations.

#MentalHealth #BipolarDisorder #Depakote #Depression #PsychiatristQuestions