Thanks for following up. I am doing so much better now! It's such a relief after messing around with meds for
years with no real progress.
July 20th I increased the topamax from 200mg to 400 mg (gradually!) and
WOW ! I'd almost forgotten this person that I used to be... she is creeping back into my brain.
I've also started using the "Wellness Toolkit" on the
http://www.ndmda.org website, especially the Personal Calendar, and this has helped my stability so much.
My doctor and I are discussing whether lithium would be a better substitute. I like the idea of ditching all my meds (I'm on Effexor, Wellbutrin, topamax and trazedone) and just taking 1 drug, but my baseline labs showed my kidneys aren't functioning very well right now (don't know why), so lithium probably not a good idea. Still have lunatic swings the week before my period, but we'll tackle that next.
Still: I'm doing much better, and my parents and best friend have
6 thumbs up!