Hello everyone,

I know I haven't been on here in a while but that's because I've been hospitalized since May 14'th in the psychiatric ward of my hospital. They are trying to find meds that can help me. It appears I am suffering bipolar episodes and it is unknown if the concussion caused it, triggered it or if it was always there just not bad enough to need help.

We have tried Effexor(became manic), Cymbalta (depressed,suicidal), Cypralex (extremely aggressive) and I am now on Zoloft with Seraquel to help as a mood stabilizer. I also take elavil 10mg for headaches which has always helped. They are lowering my dosage of Seraquel and are going to put me on Lamotrodine with the zoloft.

Is anyone familiar with this occurrence or had any luck with medications or resolving the bipolar symptoms without drugs? I know I've probably spelled all of the drug names wrong but I'm tired.

I hope everyone is doing well. It's good to see some of the old names not on here as much. Maybe it means they have gotten back on with their lives.

Take care,
CC

Dear cyclecrash,

I have no advice at all and wish I did.

What a turmoil you have been through. How scary for you too.

I hope others weigh in soon with any advice for you.

Is lithium a possibility for you or not?

Anyhow, take care,

poetrymom

Hi CC,

I don't have any particular suggestions - just wanted to send you positive thoughts as you deal with the rollercoaster of PCS. I can say that I know at least one person with bipolar disorder whose life turned around dramatically with the help of meds and a good psychiatrist. It took her a while to find the right combination of meds, therapy, lifestyle choices/routines, etc. so hang in there.

I can't speak to the bipolar issue but my recovery has taken 2+ years. I have made enormous gains and am regaining my former life but it has been a slow process requiring much patience.

My best to you.

Hi cyclecrash,

Years ago I hit my forehead on a steel dock plate (used for unloading trucks) and now looking back a lot of my mental health issues began shortly there after. I have been diagnosed with bipolar /depression. And I have been on most of the meds you listed. All with the same nasty side effects.including smoking in bed & not remembering it & I never smoke in the bedroom. Very scary!

Until this latest concussion I have chosen to live med free. I am currently weaning myself off Lexapro. I plan on using the L-Tryptophan since Mark from Idaho has been having good success with it.

Like with my PCS I have to learn my triggers so I can avoid them and/or develop work arounds.

It hasn't been an easy road not taking the psych meds but I have had to maintain a strong support network of family & a couple of really close trusted friends and learn to pay really close attention to how I feel and my behaviors, like is this shampoo any better than the other 4 bottles I have, or do I really need 3 bags of chocolate candy, can I afford to go to the casinos, things like that.

I still have depressed days but I allow myself to be human and know that not everyday is going to be an up day and every one has a "blue" day and I give myself permission to be blue. It's what I do the next day that counts.

I attend 12 step meetings and use the "take the body and the mind will follow" approach to feeling better. Going for walks, doing something I enjoy doing even if I don't feel like it. I have to do something to keep the depression from swallowing me up.

My thoughts are with you on this journey.

I have two brothers who have struggled with bi-polar. It is not a life sentence. Getting stabilized can help you develop life skills to reduce the highs and lows. One brother had to change careers to avoid the cyclical stress levels of intense projects with intense let downs when the projects get finished.

I hope there are support groups where you can share your struggles and victories. I know there is a group called Emotions Anonymous.

My best to you.

Cyclecrash - Sorry to hear what happened to you. I wish I could advise but I am not in a position to, take care of yourself.

Cyclecrash,

Bipolar Disorder, with the help of meds and therapy can be taken care of. Mood stabilzers (Anti-seizure meds, antipsychotics such as Zyprexa and Seroquel), antidepressants are used for depressive cycles. Manic cycles are managed by mood stablizers and antipsychotics.

Therapy may also benefit you at this time, if you haven't already done it.

Get well soon,

Consider

Thank you all for the support, suggestions and success stories. I know that eventually we will find the right meds to help with this, it is just such a roller coaster ride that it sometimes feels like nothing is going to work.

The hardest thing we are dealing with, aside from my extreme sensitivity to meds, is that we don't know what is being caused by concussion, what is being caused by psychiatric issues and what is just my normal moods or issues.

I have some great doctors helping me along the way and a couple of very supportive friends and family members. Hopefully it will not take much longer to find the right combination of drugs. We have been having some success with the zoloft/seroquel mix but they want to get me off the seroquel and onto lamotrogine because supposedly it is better for brain health.

It's hard to come off something that is working and go onto something else which is unknown and with all the side effects/withdrawal that accompanies but I'm trying to be patient that the right mix will be found!

Thanks again for all your support!

CC

CC,

Have you had a thorough hormone blood panel done ? It would need to be done at a specific time in your cycle. The effect hormones can have on mental health issues can be extreme. I noticed that the makers of Cymbalta are now trying to get it approved for PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) Check out PMDD on wikipedia. The symptoms parallel bi-polar cycles. It ties to a perceived lack of serotonin. L-Tryptophan, a serotonin precursor, was found in two studies to provide significant relief when supplemented daily in a large dose. There is some evidence that vitamin B6 can alleviate symptoms.
Learning to chart hormone cycles and help the body properly maintain them would make sense to me.

When you understand how brain function and hormones are related to mental health, this angle makes sense to pursue. A good source for referrals in the US is https://www.womensinternational.com/..._referral.html I don't know if they have referrals for Canada but it is worth a check. Just like the psychotropic drugs have side effects, the commonly prescribed patented hormones have side effects. Bio-identical hormones do not have these side effects.

My brain naturally knows what to do with L-Tryptophan. The SSRI I was taking seemed to force my brain in un-natural ways.

My best to you.

Thank you Mark for that suggestion. Unfortunately, I have had a hysterectomy due to cancer and would not even know where I was in my hormone cycle! My swings are weekly and not monthly. I have about three days a week where I am completely not myself. I will be sure to ask my doctors about hormones and do more research into it.

It is very hard in Canada to find anyone that looks at that sort of thing. I have contacted the people at the link you gave me, in the past, and they basically say the same thing...not much available where I am.

I am currently still working on getting a neuropsych test done and I also, finally, have an appointment with a neuro ophthalmologist for September! Slowly but surely things seem to be falling into place.

I will keep looking down that avenue. Thank you

CC