October 30, 2003

This Week in the Medications Issues Folder

Unimportant wants to go off of some of her meds. Sure, a lot of us do. The meds suck. This raises the issues of when, if ever, it is appropriate to go off of some, if not all, of the meds in our cocktails.
Going off meds long-term

Last week we were all about memory loss and cognitive function issues (Medication & Amnesia *Triggers* and other threads) - this week the threads about the meds keep opening up. Provigil! Strattera! Aricept! Exelon! What works? What doesn't? Do they poop out? Side effects? Experiences? You know the drill.
Aricept
Provigil
Provigil Pooping Out
Brian - Strattera Question
Strattera Worked
And there are always going to be new threads about Strattera and/or Provigil every time you turn around.

As usual we're supporting each other through our experiences with medications and doctors of diverse stripes. Collective knowledge is a powerful thing. Come get in on the power, and quit being powerless over your bipolar disorder.

Somehow last week's picks went off to bit heaven. Here they are again:

Are we losing our minds? Specifically, do the meds for bipolar cause the loss of memory and cognitive function, is that a function of bipolar itself, or is it a little bit of both? Can anything be done about it? Are ADD and bipolar linked? Be advised, triggering events are mentioned in the thread with the triggers warning and they are not spoiled. This discussion transcends the issues of medications and also takes place, in part, in the General folder. But we're OK with that.
Medication and Amnesia *Triggers*
Trileptal & Memory/Brain Loss...ugh
Neuropsychological Deficits
Pdoc said I'll probably be dumbing down

Lithium orotate, better known as Serenity. Ever time you run a search on google for bipolar you see an ad for it. Questions about it pop up on the board all the time and we've always said that it's just a scam. Now Windygo offers some actual science and experience to back up its claims. OK, not a whole hell of a lot of science and experience, but far more than the vague promises of unlimited healing properties at the web sites selling the stuff. If you understand the crazy moon language of biochemistry, get in on the debate.
"Herbal" Lithium