[motto165]

I am hoping someone can help me out there.. was diagnosed almost 6 yrs ago with Bipolar disorder at the age of 40..with no previous mental health hx...other than previous mild depression in which an antidepressant actually started up the bipolar...I never had true "Bipolar" sx like the extravagant spending, etc..just the not being able to sleep part. I am thinking it is actually PTSD with a bit of SAD..which my therapist agrees I have some of the other 2 things going on. Bipolar has been over diagnosed in recent yrs from what I have heard. I am trying to get off some of the heavy meds I have been on for yrs. My therapist took me off Lithium which has helped a lot. Now taking Trileptal 1200mg, Seroquel 100mg and Lorazepam 0.5mg a day. I started taking Melatonin several months ago at low dosage (1mg) and went up to 9mg now and have been able to go down from 1.5mg lorazepam to 0.5mg now due to taking Melatonin. Have read Melatonin may not be safe for long term use..and/or in the higher dosages just wondering if anyone has other info on this? It has helped sleeping a lot and being able to get down on the dosage of the Lorazepam. Thinking of trying Valerian root also and have read mixed reviews on it..
Thanks!
Motto165

[bizi]

I will write more tomorrow must go to sleep, just wanted to welcome you to the forums.
bizi

[waves]

HI Motto

welcome aboard!

late bipolar dx... or...?

sorry for the docs issue... docs can be dense.
or in a hurry. but it is a fact that bipolar can have "onset" at any time... also true it can go undx'd for years.

now, that said, if the only time you had manic sx was after antidepressant use AND if they remitted soon after antidepressant was withdrawn the they cannot dx Bipolar.... they can only dx substance-induced manic epsidode. if an epsidoe is subhstance induced it cannot be used towards a dx of bipolar.

valerian/lorazepam

1. do not use in combination - effects additive and

2. mechanism of action is similar so cross-tolerance is possible

Valerian extracts appear to have some affinity for the GABA-A receptor, a class of receptors on which benzodiazepines are known to act.

more at: Wiki - Valerian - Mechanism of Action

For long term, steady use, i'd suggest sticking with a benzo, and Lorazepam has one of the cleanest profiles in terms of drug-drug interactions. my only thought would be geez if you have to stay on a benzo wouldn't it be better to use a longer-acting one.

what do you use use lorazepam for: sleep, anxiety or both?

drug vs herb:

Benzos are FDA-regulated whereas the pharmacologically active ingredients in herbs are not. herbal preparations by nature (pun totally applicable) can have a lot of variance.... eg: one leaf gets a lotta sun, makes a lotta this or that alkaloid, nother leaf is newer, or older, or in more shade, makes different alkaloids or very few.... let alone the differences between plants and terrain, and brands... forget it, unless the active ingredients are extracted and quantified - currently this is not done with sufficient rigor, and there is no enforcement of packaging claims.

i am not knocking valerian. just saying, personally, i'd recommend it only for occasional use where you don't need to keep a strict eye on dosage.... in that case, if a little doesn't work you can safely take a little more, sort of thing, you know, no worries.

Melatonin

offhand what stands out to me about melatonin is it is helpful in elderly because they can't make enough of it... for younger folks, safety is established for a few nights... best used for "resetting" the body clock eg after transcontinental travel. if melatonin helps i'd try "persuading" your body to make its own via the established biological channels, primarily involving light:
1. moderate to high light exposure during day, use a light visor or specialized lamp - check your drugstore
2. peak light exposure should be around the middle of your day - matching when the sun is most intense... when we worked in the fields or hunted... that's how our sleep got regulated
3. low light levels at night. if you read, use a "warm" light, low wattage. no tv/action/animation 1 hour before bed...

observe other sleep hygiene rules... esp no caffeine after 3 pm.... some ppl are sensitive and have to avoid completely, or after midday.... try different things and observe your body's responses.

~ waves ~

[mymorgy]

welcome to the forum
bobby

[DiMarie]

Hi welcome to the forum,
I always think treat the symptoms not the lable.... Like a back ache, the ortho says bulged disc and treats. the nuero says piched nerves and treats. the PCP says loose weight

It concerns me is the mixture of meds to balance your needs. So many side effects and adding more meds. Many need the mix to keep each need covered, but how do we know that limit and that one more med.

I agree with wave too about the light...so many things in our environment contribute...we have so many needs our grandmothers did not have.
I had used Valerian root about 11 years ago and the only thing I found was it smelled stinky...
I take Valium for muscle spasms and that helps me a lot with other symptoms. Like better sleep hygien, but I use it so sparingly.

I have lexapro, the max dose had my mouth so dry, I am trying to cut down the dose per the PCP. see what happens there.

I uderstand that some excersize helps with endorphins, but I would be crawling on my tredmill to get use of it. Maybe a baby walker for adults would help...gotta laugh at that vision going through with the Mall walkers

But I would not worry about the lable, I am labless and find the best treatment from that. Each symptom and med watched and my feed back to how I am managing.
Glad to meet you with the gang.....

[Jaspar]

Never heard the thing about melatonin being unsafe long-term. Only good things like it lowering cancer risk and when we age, we produce less of it.

Our doctors "prescribes" it to many of his patients for long-term use (like the rest of their lives).

Valerian root is part of a supplement that greatly helps sleep for several people I know who USED TO BE diagnosed with bipolar, called Nutrasleep. Here is some information: Sleep: Timing of Melatonin, Light, Dark, & Use of Other Aids and you can get more information on sleep topics at Talk About Sleep

I wonder if you have an underlying treatable medical condition such as a hormonal issue, sleep disorder, food sensitivity, etc. So many things can get diagnosed as "mental" simply because they cause psychiatric symptoms. (See here and here)

[bizi]

I wish motto would come back to read the thoughtful responces.
hugs for the room
((((HUGS))))
bizi

[motto165]

I did read some of the responses like the 1st day or so afterwards, then finally returned again today--been so busy! Really liked the good advice..really is appreciated, especially the hugs! Anyway, saw my therapist who says I can go down on the Tripletal a bit which is great--any time I can decrease a med or get rid of one the better! Still wondering about the melatonin..it really did help a lot when I took 9mg a night. With 6mg I still have to take 1mg lorazepam. It is all such a balancing act as you all probably know Thanks again for the great responses...

[Mari]

Dear Motto,
'Sending more hugs.
M.

[bizi]

I was on trileptal for a while until it made me low sodium then she switched to lamictal which I have been on for years.
there is mothing wrong with taking 9mg of melatonin.
I take klonipin to sleep. I also take geodon for a mood stabilizing/manic preventing med.
thanks for checking back in.
bizi