Quote:
Originally posted by Dionysus
I thought anti-depressants were bad for bipolar sufferers. Doesn't it induce hypo/mania? Anyway, I never knew going cold turkey did all of that to your body.
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Lithium used to treat most bipolar disorders can cause congenital heart defects in the fetus... It also raises blood pressure in some people. In fact is can cause excessive weight gain if not taken appropriately--such as 2-3 hours after eating. And taking too much can cause seizures. NEVER EVER drink alcohol or use illicit drugs when taking this medication...
Wellbutrin (buproprion)and all its derivatives (Zoloft) can cause tardive dyskinesia, seizures and can cause adverse reactions if combined with other drugs, namely phenathiazines (comprazine). It is more pronounced is overdosed--especially the seizures. It is NEVER prescribed to people who have eating disorders simply because it causes appetite suppression.
Prozac (fluextine) can cause mania is some people and can exacerbate some of the symptoms in biopolar disorders. But the research is unclear. It is thought to suppress some action of the cytomegalovirus thought to cause cancers in some people.
Elavil can help as antidepressants however they have nullifying effects on most patients by dulling the senses.
Paxil and Lexapro don't work for ALL depressed patients and maybe not for clients with mania symptoms.
Lamictal can cause skin rashes if the dosages are too high or people are unable to tolerate it. It also has been shown to dull the senses...
Either way, it takes most people to respond to these drugs within 2 weeks since the site of action for depression and biopolar disorder still remains unclear... Meaning, is it something wrong with the brain's physiology and genetics? Or is it something wrong with hormones? Or is it all external? All of this is currently being investigated aggressively simply because there is a lot of money attached... Then, for folks that are currently being treated, if the meds are stopped, it can hurt; or the meds actions can wane; or it does not do anything at all... Who knows?
The BEST treatment that research has clearly shown as an antidepressant has been "tryptophan"--an amino acid that we produce in our bodies. However, 2 weeks before Prozac came out on the market in 1989, tryptophan was found to cause a rare blood disorder.
The 5-hydroxy tryptophan (5HTP) has not been clearly shown to be as effective as "straight tryptophan"... In fact, tryptophan has the same site of action as Prozac as a serotonin release re-uptake inhibitor... And tryptophan works better... The most abundant source of tryptophan outside of amino acid supplements is milk and turkey... But the rare eosinophilia... I dunno...
And I have read the blood disorder paper and it is full of it... The researchers were funded by Eli Lilly... Talk about "craftiness"... Most MD's are unaware of this kind of research so it takes someone who is extremely astute and very well trained as a research physician to know these kinds of things...
It is only because I work in pharmacogenetics that I can make arguements with physicians and about my treatment options. I do not suggest anyone else to do what I do...