antidepressants and BP

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Question:

>What herbal AD are you talking about (I presume St. Johns worth).

Here we are talking about Saint John’s Worth again. I live just down a few mles from Saint John’s Hospital. My assumption is that the Sisters of Charity had to collect quite a bit of charity to build that building. Speaking of the Netherlands, Saint John’s has this real nice MRI from Philips Medical Systems. I’ve even gotten to visit the inside of the Mother of all Magnets (as an imaging patient). They were doing my back, so my head got to stick out the other side.

Response:

another reply umm… a/d ’s are not necessarily bad, nor will they *100% definitely without a doubt* throw you into a mania/rapid cycling, etc… shrinks probably put bipolars on antidepressants because they think the bp person needs them. i don’t think that a/d’s are used in prophalyaxis much in bipolars…mood stabilizers should be enough and if they’re not, there’s probably something else going on. but…yes, ive had problems on a/d… but im on one that works and i don’t know where i’d be without it. don’t take herbal stuff without talking to your doctor. it might be over the counter–but it might be a significant problem a

Will taking antidepressants (including the herbal ones) prevent or lessen the severity of a depressive episode if you are BP? Sorry if this question has been asked numerous times already. I have only been here a couple weeks. Thanks — Kelly "Twinkle, twinkle little star, I don’t wonder what you are, For by spectroscopic ken, I know that you are hydrogen." ~Ian D. Bush

Response:

Hello =) >Will taking antidepressants (including the herbal ones) prevent or >lessen the severity of a depressive episode if you are BP

In many cases, anti depressants are known to agitate people who have BP…sometimes they throw a person into a mania as well (such was the case with me). Most people who are BP do not take just an anti depressant. The usual way it’s done is to take a mood stabelizer and then add an anti dep. Sometimes though, even on a mood stabelizer a person with BP still can’t take an anti dep (such is the case with me). As far as I know, the herbal stuff can make people do the same things too sometimes…we seem to be very touchy to anything that works on the brain, so you should be careful with any mind altering substance (legal or not =) I suggest talking over any additions to the cocktail with your doc. Also, some herbal remedies do not mix well with meds. Good luck -Stacy- "That’s all I’d do all day, I’d just be the catcher in the rye." – J.D. Sallinger

Response:

Oh, by the way, I changed my name again…..it was Kerowyn. Thank you to those who responded to my other post "Hiya peepz…new to the ng" (or whatever it was titled). I greatly appreciate it. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Will taking antidepressants (including the herbal ones) prevent or > lessen the severity of a depressive episode if you are BP? Sorry if > this question has been asked numerous times already. I have only been > here a couple weeks. > Thanks > — > Kelly > "Twinkle, twinkle little star, I don’t wonder what you are, > For by spectroscopic ken, I know that you are hydrogen." ~Ian D. Bush

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>Will taking antidepressants (including the herbal ones) prevent or >lessen the severity of a depressive episode if you are BP?

For BP folks, most ADs will throw them into activated hypomania. So, the standard operating procedure for those who can tolerate the combo is to have them on a combination of a mood stabilizer and an AD. My only complaint about that is that I take Effexor XR 150 mg which is daily and Depakote 250 mg three times daily; the only other oral thing I take (Diovan 160, a blood pressure medicine) is also once daily. The daily doses are easy; the three times is the fun one (although I have a technique — count out three into another pill bottle — that pretty much guarantees I get my tid dosing).

Response:

DE DIGITALE STAD Op Fri, 22 Jan 1999, Alice In Quantumland schreef: > Will taking antidepressants (including the herbal ones) prevent or

What herbal AD are you talking about (I presume St. Johns worth). Well in some (most) BPs, taking just ADs and no mood stabilizers can trigger mania. I suggest you talk with your pdoc about it. I am taking a herbal AD now, one I mixed myself (containing three herbs) and it works good for me, better than Paroxetine (Paxil/Seroxat) did for me, with less side effects (no anorgasmia, no sweating, no puking, no diarhea, etc). It might be too soon to say, but I think the sleeping thingy (I was suffering from severe insomnia) is straightening out, too. I very much believe in this mixture, and prefer it over the St. Johns worth-only preparations, (which made me agitated and send me into a mixed state, plus made me drowsy and made my face feel like it was burning) and Seroxat (of which the harsh side effects were just killing me, and which did not work for me anymore). The biggest problem of my herbal AD over seroxat is I need to take it two times a day, instead of one. > lessen the severity of a depressive episode if you are BP? Sorry if this > question has been asked numerous times already. I have only been here a > couple weeks.

Welcome, Kelly! > Thanks

Ah, don’t thank me, thank yourself for asking. > — > Kelly > "Twinkle, twinkle little star, I don’t wonder what you are, > For by spectroscopic ken, I know that you are hydrogen." ~Ian D. Bush

LOL! Are you a physicist ? GreetinX X X Bas

Response:

> Will taking antidepressants (including the herbal ones) prevent or > lessen the severity of a depressive episode if you are BP? Sorry if this > question has been asked numerous times already. I have only been here a > couple weeks. > Thanks

Dear Kell, Welcome and hello. So you have decided to join our family! A wisechoice I amy add. You do get out of it way more than you put in. ADS are potentiall harmful to BPs in that a mania may be triggered.The usual AD first prescribed for BP and the depression is Wellbutrin. Personally I have taken Wellburtrin Prozac, Zolft, Paxil, and Effexor SL in the past 15 months all without any positive benefit. In fact a mania had been triggered several times. Mypdoc is emphatic about BPers avoiding the following: 1. St.John’s Wort 2. Ginseng 3. Any herbal preparation that can induce mania 4. Same goes for homeopathic preparations. Please clear ALL OTC med, herbs, and homeopathic remedies with your pdoc. A patient who had been stable with a history of seizure disorder was hospitalized with grand mal seizures after adding ginseng to his prescribed meds. Don’t mean to scare you but it is important to be aware of these substances and their potential for inducing a mania, Peace, — —– … Something Deep!

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