med questions

[historyteach]

Can anyone tell me about Respiradol and Lamactil?
Trevor has been diagnosed as bipolar. They put him on Respiradol yesterday and will monitor for a while. If needed, they will put him on the Lamactil.
He is hospitalized, and will remain in the hospital until he is stabilized. From there, he goes to a rehab.
Thanks for any information you can give -- either from knowledge or experience.
Shalom!

[Wolfstarr]

Hi Historyteach,

My daughter was first put on Risperdal when she was first diagnosed bipolar. It is a med that was developed for schizophrenia, but has recently been approved for bipolar mania.
It helped her at first, then the psychiatrist put her on Seroquel and she has been on that in combo with Lithium now and the two meds are working wonderfully for her.
I do not know about Lamactil, but hopefully eddie will be along soon and can give you info on that.
Here is info on Risperdal:

Now approved for bipolar mania

RISPERDAL® (risperidone) is a prescription medication that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of bipolar I disorder or to treat acute to manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder. It is approved for use as therapy alone or in combination with drugs called mood stabilizers, such as lithium or valproate.

Although RISPERDAL has recently been approved for treating bipolar mania, it's reassuring to know that RISPERDAL has been around for more than 10 years and is used worldwide.

How does RISPERDAL work?

Symptoms of bipolar mania are thought to be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. These chemicals are called dopamine and serotonin. Exactly how RISPERDAL works is unknown. However, it seems to readjust the balance of dopamine and serotonin. While it's not a cure, RISPERDAL may help control your symptoms so it may help you reconnect with your life.


When does RISPERDAL start working?

For some people, RISPERDAL can start working as soon as the third day. However, it will take several weeks to get the full benefit of your medication. So please be patient and give RISPERDAL a chance to take effect.


How long do I need to take RISPERDAL?

Keep on taking RISPERDAL every day as prescribed by your healthcare professional.


What about improvement of symptoms?

In a clinical trial, almost twice as many people who took RISPERDAL and a mood stabilizer (depakote or lithium) had symptom improvement compared to people who took a placebo (sugar pill) and a mood stabilizer. Two different scales confirmed this improvement in the clinical trial.

Wolfstarr

[historyteach]

Thank you, Wolfstarr;
Sorry it took a while to get back to you; my mom was hospitalized too....
Interesting information. He didn't say he was on onthing else with the resperdal though....I sure don't know anymore....
Shalom!

[angelgirl]

Don't know much about those meds teach, I have recently been diagnosed Bipolar, and I have been put on Topamax. Ugh, side effects. Working the amount..

I mainly wanted to say, I am Happy for you that Trevor will be in
treatment soon. That's excellent, I am assuming you feel that way as well.
I also hope your mom is ok?
Sounds like you have you plate full with school running in full force.

Hang in there,
and Congrats on Trevor, I pray
he does well with this treatment....

Love, Becky

[Wolfstarr]

Teach, no problem.

Sorry about your mom, hope she is ok. Trevor and you (and now your mom) are in my prayers as always.
You are always in my thoughts.

Hugs,
Wolfstarr

[AUDRADAVID]

HELLO- RISP- IS MAINLY FOR schizophrenia BUT MY EXBF WAS ON IT IN PRISON, AND HE SAID NO SIDE EFFECTS EXCEPT SEXUAL DESIRE DECLINED- BUT IT IS FAIRLY NEW- A BETTER OPTION THAN LITHIUM I SUPPOSE- WHICH HE WAS TAKEN OFF AND GIVEN RISP. SEEMS TO BE NOT THAT BAD OF A MED.