Bipolar II and Lamitcal Question. Need Some Quick Input! Please?
Question:
I am able to usually take a caffeine pill and a half because I'm usually lethargic. I take the caffeine pills because I hate coffee, tea, and soda pop. I took a caffeine pill today, which was really stupid of me because I already felt awake. Right now, I have to shake my legs or else I feel extremely restless. What's happening to me? I did not take the Adderall today. Usually, I'm able to take both (caffeine pill and Adderall) and I don't feel this way. Both usually help me concentrate a lot! Is the Lamictal leveling me out? Perhaps I don't even A.D.D. and the Adderall and caffeine is affecting me like it would any other person?
Answers:
Stimulants like Adderall and caffeine can sometimes make a bipolar person manic. You need to calm down the bipolar brain - not over stimulate it or stress yourself. Lamictal has become a popular drug for bipolar but it has mainly an anti-depressant effect and does not act as a mood stabilizer as much as some of the other medications. Would you consider seing another psychiatrist? The most important thing of all is to work with a doctor who is very experienced with bipolar. I am bipolar and am really glad that I swapped docs a couple of times until I found a true bipolar expert. Sometimes the old fashioned, tried and true meds work best. For me (and I have the same bipolar/AHD combo, but also with panic disorder), I think good old fashioned lithium is always worth trying. Hang in there - you sound like you are in touch with yourself and have some good intuitions about what might be going on. Stabilzing moods is the most important thing, and definitely avoid anything that will "rev you up" and push you towards mania. Don't worry - there are effective tretaments around and it WILL get better.
overdose. simple... stop everything for a few days if you can. get hydrated.. lots of gatorade, or even beby pedialyte, flush all the excess stuff out, then start over one pill at a time, then wait till you feel it, to see wich one is giving a bad reaction. stay hydrated as much as u can.
i used to take adderall but i never felt that way and i am usually lethargic but i have never taken caffiene pills. are you sure caffiene pills are smart?
i am also bipolar (not severely though) and i take lamictal and lamictal ;supposedly has no side effects so i wouldn't consider lamictal to be the cause of your problems at all.
a lot of times when i took my adderall i hyperfocused and that was real bad because it caused a lot of anger.
the symptoms you are experiencing are prob. just withdrawl from you not taking the adderall (dont take it on and off-take it consistently or else you will feel worse), plus the added stimulant from the caffiene pills.
if nothing helps, call your doctor and describe all of your symptoms and your theories.
hope it helps and i hope you feel better!
Adderall is pretty hardcore, the main side effects are insomnia and severe anorexia nervosa.
I would definitely tell you, lethargic or not, to not have a caffeine pill while taking adderall.
you could possibly be right about the ADD or you might have grown out of it. I am bipolar ll and had adhd as a child but now the adhd never seems to be there anymore yet the bipolar very much is still around. maybe you could get a second opinion. sorry to keep this short but I hurt my wrist and did not know it took this long just type a short message. take care good luck
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