I'm just curious about this.

As some on this board are bipolar, I know they might have a more definitive answer than I could come up with myself.

I know someone who just started the program 2 days ago and she said she was hospitalized for a mixed (higher % of it manic) episode and had a medication added when she went into the hospital (she said she was in for 10 days).

Ok. She says right now she is stable and she said to the group she wants to work with the doctor on eliminating the added medication.

Now in my head, knowing how psychotropics work, I don't think it's a good idea to stop this medication only 12 days into treatment.

I'm not gonna say anything as it isn't my body and not my treatment, but I wanted to know out of curiosity, based on your past experiences maybe...

Is it wise to stop an "anti-manic" drug after only 2 weeks of using it and just starting to be stable at this point...

She will continue to take her mood stabilizer (lamictal) after going off the added drug from the hospital...

Well, I was able to take the Abilify PRN when I felt my agitation was growing to where I might go hypomanic. It was a precautionary measure, but if I did begin a hypomanic cycle? I could take that and knock it back down, too. I don't know if that is what this girl was given that additional mediction for or not, but it's a possibility. When I would stabilize, I did not need the Abilify, and stopped taking it.

Some medictions RXed to BPs need to be taken consistantly in order to maintain a certain blood concentration, called the Therapuetic Window. My Lamical is that type of medication. Other medications can be used to target the polar moods once they have already become the extreme type that BPs manifest.

In other words, some meds are used to bring the BP back to stable once they start or are in well into a cycle. Others are used to maintain stability as well as it can be maintained.

Well she didn't what what medication it was but it was prescribed for her mania. I understand you can stop it once stabilization occurs but is stopping it after only 12 days of treatment too soon, since she's not even sure herself if she's fully stable?

Well geez Andy, BPs are individuals. Cycles are not on a time schedule. You said it was a mixed cycle. Do you know if what she typically experiences are full-blown true manias, and if it so, then what are the commonly presenting features? Might not be mania, might be hypomania, which is a polar mood yet recognizable as different from true mania. Whatever the case may be, these things tend to progress by degrees anyway.

12 days to me seems like plenty of time to stabilize. I could cycle and stabilize twice in that time! Then again, somebody else may say something different.

You said you know how psychotropics work, but do you know how they work for BPs, specifically? Break that down even further...do you honestly think you know how medications work for this specific person?? In any event, if she herself does not know what stable feels like, how do you expect her to learn? She has got to experiment, so for crying out loud trust her process. That's how it works.

All the education in the world will not make it possible for a person who is not bipolar to know what it feels like. Observe all you want to, think anything at all, but what we feel like and how we come to manage our moods is something that requires work that only we ourselves can do. At some point, the doctor will have to rely on the BP to tell them what is happening, how often and how they feel. Doctors don't live in our pockets.

Andy I don't mean to sound like a jerk but one thing that you should probably work against is getting drawn into other people's drama in the group. You are there to help yourself.

True. It just didn't make sence and confused me a bit. Thanks for the information. It was not true mania but as you said C~F hypomania.

Can you get her to go to the doctor?

So then don't sweat this so hard, man. I am VERY familiar with hypomania. Before I had to discontinue them (stupid rare side effects!) the Risperdal or Abilify were great when I needed a med to bring me down from hypomania. The dose I would use then was also too sedating to take daily when I was stable.

In other words, I didn't require the medication unless I was starting or was already into a hypomanic cycle. Some of the characteristics of hypomania are restlessness, high energy levels, and a decreased need for sleep. So think about it. At a time like that, it would take something more sedating to have an effect than I would be able to tolerate without drowsiness or a nice case of "Duuuuuh" when I was stable.

Make sense?

Maybe this girl is drowsy or has a case of "Duuuuh". Either one of those states is unpleasant and bothersome. Makes it difficult to function. The goal is to function at the best level possible and if her situation is similar to the ones I experienced?

I don't think her desire to stop the med is going to be a risky move. In fact it might well be the right move to take.

And Matt is right. You need to focus on your program and getting the most out of it that you can. :) It's nice that you care how this girl is doing, and I am sure she will appreciate your support, but like I said, she really needs to do some hard work of her own. You really cannot HELP her in any concrete fashion, that would be interfering with what she needs to do. Give her the time and space she needs and use that time to work on yourself.

Yes, you are right. She did mention that I think she said Seroquel is making her drowsy and that's why she wants to stop it when she can. She gets to see the doc every day so I know she will be well taken care of. It's just the fact that she just got out of the hospital. I don't want to see someone have to go back on my last day I guess. But your right. She's stable and not hypomanic nor depressed. So she will be fine.

Yes, you are right. She did mention that I think she said Seroquel is making her drowsy and that's why she wants to stop it when she can. She gets to see the doc every day so I know she will be well taken care of. It's just the fact that she just got out of the hospital. I don't want to see someone have to go back on my last day I guess. But your right. She's stable and not hypomanic nor depressed. So she will be fine.And Andy will work on Andy.:)

Andy has to work on Andy. Andy is the only one who can "fix" Andy...

Andy has to work on Andy. Andy is the only one who can "fix" Andy...Lather...Rinse...Repeat...until desired effects are achieved. :)

I like the analogy C~F.