I'm just wondering in general, how many psychotropic medications are you taking to manage your bipolar symptoms? For me, it's going to end up being 3 medications for the bipolar which are Lexapro, Abilify, and Lamictal. Lamictal is not currently in my cocktail but will be added once adjusting to the Abilify. Altogether, I'll be on 5 medications.

I take effexor, lamictal, abilify, and mirtazapine for my bipolar. The combination effexor and mirtazapin is often referred to as california rocket fuel. I used to think it was just my shrink who said that but I just googled it and it came up right away. I've never felt like I was on rocket fuel, that's for sure.

I am only on lamictal. 150mg daily

Lamictal, abilify, and soon to add adderall

Was: Depakote, Lamictal, Adderall, Seroquel, Xanax- 5
Just got rid of Lamictal so now it's 4.

A client and friend of mine is bipolar as well and we've both been having medication troubles for a while. She was on 6, then 8, and, unfortunately, is in the hospital coming off all the meds right now because nothing's working and will be there till the doctors can get her stabilized. I'm glad she's there trying to get evened out, but it's just such a difficult thing to go through. I was extremely close to being hospitalized and am just grateful I have a wonderful psychiatrist. He really listens to me and is very careful in adjusting the meds.

He listened to my psychotic ramblings for an hour when I had a mixed episode about two weeks ago and had to come to him for a clue with regards to "decoding the letters" because I knew the secret of the universe lay in the anagrams. I knew that if I solved the puzzle, then I would know how to protect myself from the invaders because the people or a person were going to kill me and I had to disguise myself amidst them if I wanted to survive. The mixed episode was the part when I was trying to decide if I should kill myself or not because I didn't know if it was better to let them kill me or if I should do it myself. The entire experience was horrible at the time, but now I'm laughing about it because in retrospect, it's so funny.

After an hour, I told him he hadn't given me the clue as to what X meant yet. With his characteristic wit and sense of humor he said "Perhaps it's the Rx."

The episode ended after about a week, but the confusion and the feeling that I was the lone survivor of Hiroshima afterward took another week to end. I'm hoping the Depakote will prevent this from happening again. I had "Transient Alternating Blindness" in March and "Carol the Cryptogrypher" in May. Last July (before switching to my current psychiatrist), I was severely depressed and thought I was autistic. I am just praying that doesn't happen again. I text message updates and random musings to him so he can tell if all heck is going to break loose well before it does.

I was psychotic once. It happened when I first entered the hospital. They gave me seroquel 100mg that evening in the emergency room to help me sleep and it didn't help. I was waking up every other hour. Also, with the seroquel, I started hallucinating, seeing roaches all over the floor and wanting a cup to put them in and show the staff that there were roaches in the ER. So, I know I can no longer take seroquel. The abilify I'm on, even though it's a low dose (5mg), it is preventing the hallucinations. And with the cogentin, I'm not having severe restlessness.

Lamictal, zyprexa zydis and I fortunately stopped effexor (after being on it for 7 years). I am still reeling from that withdrawal process.

I am on Depakote, Wellbutrin XL, and geodon for bipolar. Taking vyvanse for adhd and lunesta for sleep, and klonopin for anxiety.