# I want to take a mood stabilizer...



## velocicaur (Aug 8, 2009)

Topic says it all, I want to try a mood stabilizer. I know they are mainly for bipolar which I haven't been diagnosed with, but I feel like I am somewhere on the mood spectrum between unipolar depression and bipolar 2. I've thought about it for a while now, and I've even brought it up before, and my psychiatrist didn't seem to be totally against the idea.

I mentioned Lamictal, but he said he would like to try depakote first if we went the mood stabilizer route. He said that Depakote has better anti-anxiety effects to it which I have found literature to back that claim up so I feel okay with that selection.

Of all the other drugs I've tried, is there any harm in trying out one or two of these? The idea of mood stabilization just sounds good to me: Stable - Consistent - Reliable. All traits which I am currently not and I don't think it's all due to SAD... there is something else at play here.

If they have a chance to reduce depression and anxiety, why wouldn't I give it a shot? Of course, I could get the rash and have to stop or feel terrible/nausea (most likely) and have to stop. However, what if it actually works?

Going to the doc next week and I'm thinking about trying one last new thing before I call it quits and just stay with what I'm on: Prozac, Xanax XR, and Seroquel.

Anyone else randomly try a mood stabilizer? Any success?


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## ourwater (Jun 2, 2012)

I would recommend trying omega-3 as a mood stabilizer.


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

have you read crazymeds.us' review on depakote? http://www.crazymeds.us/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Meds/Depakote



> *Cons*
> 
> *The valproates are amongst the harshest meds to take. Everyone (read: the bipolar) hates them so much that they've given the entire class of AEDs/anticonvulsants a bad name. *
> 
> ...


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

I would recommend lamictal over depakote. If you titrate your dose you probably won't have any side effects and it has worked very well for me. I'd stay away from depakote for many reasons, some of which are laid out above.


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

basuraeuropea said:


> have you read crazymeds.us' review on depakote? http://www.crazymeds.us/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Meds/Depakote


So supposedly it simultaneously makes you fat and unable to hold in food, ok...


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

Inshallah said:


> So supposedly it simultaneously makes you fat and unable to hold in food, ok...


well...


> Unfortunately two side effects people complain about the most - weight gain and hair loss - tend to stick around, as does the occasional tremor and urge to yell at kids to get off of your lawn. At least you can take antacids like Maalox to deal with the GI problems. You can also take Depakote ER twice a day instead of once a day to further minimize nausea.
> 
> http://www.crazymeds.us/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Meds/Depakote#toc8


but, i've never taken depakote, so i have no idea how accurate any of this is.

to the OP - regarding lamictal - i don't know how severe your anxiety is, but lamictal did absolutely nothing for my rather severe anxiety. it wasn't anxiolytic for me in the least. and you're right, studies definitely have shown depakote to be anxiolytic in nature. i haven't been able to find much of anything supporting the use of lamictal as an anxiolytic and my personal experiences as well as the anecdotes of others online have, unfortunately, proven that lamictal by and large either does nothing for anxiety or is anxiogenic more often than not. i gave it a fair trial, though.


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## ahmad (Jun 27, 2010)

My doctor sees lithium to be the best mood stabilizer, but may not help anxiety .


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## velocicaur (Aug 8, 2009)

Thanks for the replies.

Blah, haven't really made any decisions yet. Still thinking about them. I want to try them, but at the same time, I don't want to because of the side effects. I'm not the type of person that has been able to "push" their way past side effects. If I start getting some I usually just throw in the towel on that drug. We'll see what next week brings.


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## istayhome (Apr 4, 2012)

^^^ That's what I really liked about lamictal. I had no side effects. Though side effects are possible. It has helped improve depression a lot.

Some people find it useless though. I just think as far as mood stabilizers go it is best as a first option, much less likely to be offensive than the alternatives.


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

gabapentin has less side effects than other mood stabilizers.


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

swim said:


> gabapentin has less side effects than other mood stabilizers.


just curious - how do you compare gabapentin with pregabalin? or what were your experiences with the two?


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

basuraeuropea said:


> just curious - how do you compare gabapentin with pregabalin? or what were your experiences with the two?


they are very, very similar drugs. I prefer gabapentin in spite of the fact that it takes more of it to work, but it mixes marvelously with alcohol. Lyrica did good for me but made me too drowsy and decreases libido, which gabapentin doesn't.


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## basuraeuropea (Jul 25, 2012)

swim said:


> they are very, very similar drugs. I prefer gabapentin in spite of the fact that it takes more of it to work, but it mixes marvelously with alcohol. Lyrica did good for me but made me too drowsy and decreases libido, which gabapentin doesn't.


thanks for the input! yeah - for me they were one and the same. i couldn't tell the difference between the two while on either and they both were really great anxiolytics with REALLY harsh side-effect profiles.


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## ladysmurf (Jan 3, 2012)

Both my psychiatrist and therapist have told me that Lithium is one of the best mood stabilizers.

Since I don't respond that well to anti-depressants I started a mood stabilizer Tegretol.......and I am going to combine that with Klonopin for anxiety..

Good luck


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## watertouch (Nov 4, 2013)

Lithium is best for the "manic"/hypomanic phase, Lamotrigin works better for the depresive phase.


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## meedo (Oct 4, 2011)

Well i don't have Bipolar. 

But when i told a very experienced doctor about going into depressive episodes , she said i shouldnt be taking an anti depressant , instead i should be taking a mood stabilizer. 

She suggested to me one of two , Trileptal or Depakine Chrono . 

i had no clue what is a mood stabilizer, So i googled them. I found too many side effects to Depakine so i went and tried Trileptal. It made me very dizzy and i felt dizzy even sitting on a chair!!! 

So i just decided to go for Lamictal . It was a great decision. I had an itch in the begining but as my body got used to it it went away . I am now on 100 mg and really great ! Havn't had these days that are full of despair like before. It is like my mind can't go below a certain level of sadness. 


But i want to note that i dont only take Lamictal , i am on a regimen of Fish oil/ Lamictal and Vitamen D3 5000. This combo is so amazing for depression!!! It helps very little with social anxiety . But at least i have one problem out of the way !!


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## SSRIManiac (Jun 14, 2014)

Depakote is toxic. I would never take that without first trying a cleaner alternative. It may require frequent checkups for liver function.. It can cause weight gain hair loss and is just flat out nasty. I'd avoid it if you can. Not saying this to try and scare anyone but just do the research. These doctors should know better and that there are safer mood stabilizers.


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

SSRIManiac said:


> Depakote is toxic.


Indeed it is.


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