u/VitaliusRiskin

Hey

I've been diagnosed with Cyclothymia (Not Bipolar) and been on Lamictal 75mg, that's the dose I reached before I had to taper off. I felt like it started helping me and helped me even for panic, palpitations and maybe even some anxiety, but had a few issues

1. It felt very activating for me. During daytimes I felt like I'm on 10 cups of coffee and my mind just spirals, I had to take benzos while titrating because it made it intolerable, maybe it would have improved on higher doses, at this point I never know.

2. Stopped due to skin issues and my doctor decided to taper off rapidly and he thought I don't have Cyclothymia (which I was diagnosed before but what a mistake it was by him) but then I became much worse after stopping.

SSRIs are just intolerable for me, they cause me severe mood swings and severe symptoms that I thought I had a fucking stroke sometimes (tried Paroxetine, Fluoxetine and been on Escitalopram in the past)

Now I'm just on benzos, I have occasional panic, headaches, brain feels in overdrive especially on afternoons, anxiety and mood swings. Did all neurological tests turned out fine whatsoever.

So what are the alternatives which I can try? Are there other less activating mood stabilizers have worked for you for similiar symptoms? Or is it only going into the atypical antipsychotics teritorry?

Hey

I started talking Paxil for 12 days already after stopping Lamictal due to rash concern since my current psychiatrist thinks I may mot have Cyclothymia that’s been diagnosed for me in the past because I was only on low doses like 75 and not “therapeutic doses”.

Currently I’m in a rough adjustment some days I feel like my mood is uplifted and I’m more calm overall, and some days I feel like I’m in full of panic, dread, neasuea and shaking.

Still considering if even to continue it because I feel like it maybe makes me hypomanic all the time and too energetic.

I’m thinking about telling my psychiatrist I want to stop this because I think it makes me hypomanic but not entirely sure if that’s depression lifting or hypomania, but I do feel overall calmer on it even with the rough days.

What do you think guys? Any experiences or opinions would be blessed.

EDIT: I wrote the wrong title, it should be “Klonopin vs Valium”

Hey everyone

I would really love to get some opinions from psychiatrists from other places in the world about this topic.

I’m unfortunately already dependent on Klonopin 0.5mg daily at night, I’ve been using it for more than year and a half already, with occasional daytime doses as needed lately since I’ve been changing medications..

I wanted to try tapering for a long time already and I had one failed attempt with a combination of Lexapro and low dose Rexulti.

In my country(Israel), every, but EVERY psychiatrist that I’ve been to, and I’ve been to many, that I asked about switching from Klonopin to Valium to taper, has refused to give me prescription saying that from their experiences Valium has been abused more, harder to get off of and people tend to increase doses more with it.

Every psychiatrist here says that Klonopin is easier to taper off from and has been less abused by patients.

Nobody here has ever heard about Ashton manual though.

Does anyone else also agree with that statement? Is it really true based on your experiences?

I wanted to ask this for a long time already because it just baffles me.

Hey

I recently started Paxil 10mg by my psychiatrist after had to go off Lamictal due to rash concerns

I feel like the panic is debilitating, I wake up every morning with palpitations, panic, dread, nausea and sometimes headaches

And I seem to have weird neurological symptoms like occasional recurrent phantom smells (like burnt smells)

I’m not sure if it’s just anxiety or focal awareness fucking seizures, only Clonazepam seems to help with this

I don’t know where is the limit of the drug does not fit or I should tough it out, I’m tired of all these psychotropics already

I know nobody here are doctors, but any opinions? Is it dangerous or would I have hard withdrawals stopping it after only 11 days?

Thanks a lot

Does anybody else doesn’t feel tired on SSRIs and feel like it activated them too much, even the most calming ones like Paroxetine I feel like I don’t feel physical tiredness from them

I also take Clonazepam during the evening for more than a year already and now i take half a pill during the day because the starting is rough

Only benzos give me sense of real tiredness to be honest

Hey everyone

I would really love to get some opinions from psychiatrists from other places in the world about this topic.

I’m unfortunately already dependent on Klonopin 0.5mg daily at night, I’ve been using it for more than year and a half already, with occasional daytime doses as needed lately since I’ve been changing medications..

I wanted to try tapering for a long time already and I had one failed attempt with a combination of Lexapro and low dose Rexulti.

In my country(Israel), every, but EVERY psychiatrist that I’ve been to, and I’ve been to many, that I asked about switching from Klonopin to Valium to taper, has refused to give me prescription saying that from their experiences Valium has been abused more, harder to get off of and people tend to increase doses more with it.

Every psychiatrist here says that Klonopin is easier to taper off from and has been less abused by patients.

Nobody here has ever heard about Ashton manual though.

Does anyone else also agree with that statement? Is it really true based on your experiences?

I wanted to ask this for a long time already because it just baffles me.

People saying “be kind to your body” but how should I be kind to my body when I’m stuck on benzodiazepines daily, in the middle of brain drugs trials that what they do is only destabilize you until you find something that works

And benzodiazepine withdrawal is a hell on its own

How can you be kind to your body when you’re in such a situation?

Hey

I’m currently on 50mg of Lamotrigine, nearing 2 weeks. Currently I still feel like this drug make me very energetic, not sure if to say too hypomanic

My clinic psychiatrist wanted me to go to 100mg but I’m hesitating if that’s the right direction for me before is go too deep and need to taper it off, I’m going to a second opinion as well

So I really would like to ask, how does 50mg feels comparing to 75mg and 100mg?

Hey

I’m currently on 50mg of Lamotrigine, nearing 2 weeks. Currently I still feel like this drug make me very energetic, not sure if to say too hypomanic

My clinic psychiatrist wanted me to go to 100mg but I’m hesitating if that’s the right direction for me before is go too deep and need to taper it off, I’m going to a second opinion as well

So I really would like to ask, how does 50mg feels comparing to 75mg and 100mg?

Hey,

I've been titrating Lamotrigine 12.5mg by each week (7/8 days) and now I'm 6 days on 50mg. I'm taking it for cyclothymia.

I don't know if it's me or Lamotrigine constantly makes me feel sick, I constantly have sore throat, feels heavy in my abdomen, some pains in my left/right side of the abdomen occasionally, and nausea.

Does anyone else also feels sick on Lamotrigine?

I stopped SSRIs a month ago after years of use (Lexapro then a really bad 9 day Prozac trial which made me, what I suspected hypomanic and depressive)

I'm also taking Clonazepam 0.5mg during the evening for a year already and this month I started taking 0,5mg durign the day as well because my stupid psychiatrist (which I'm changing) didn't give me any concrete plan rather than "Take more Clonazepam until Lamotrigine works"

I also started having weird aura symptoms after starting it like burning smells, weird mouth tastes which I made me go to a neurologist and I'll be doing brain MRI and EEG soon...

My situation is so chaotic I should have never listened to that stupid psyhicatrist which got me stuck on more benzos. Feel like there's no way out of here and I don't know what to do.

Hey,

I've been titrating Lamotrigine 12.5mg by each week (7/8 days) and now I'm 6 days on 50mg. I'm taking it for cyclothymia.

I don't know if it's me or Lamotrigine constantly makes me feel sick, I constantly have sore throat, feels heavy in my abdomen, some pains in my left/right side of the abdomen occasionally, and nausea.

Does anyone else also feels sick on Lamotrigine?

I stopped SSRIs a month ago after years of use (Lexapro then a really bad 9 day Prozac trial which made me, what I suspected hypomanic and depressive)

I'm also taking Clonazepam 0.5mg during the evening for a year already and this month I started taking 0,5mg durign the day as well because my stupid psychiatrist (which I'm changing) didn't give me any concrete plan rather than "Take more Clonazepam until Lamotrigine works"

I also started having weird aura symptoms after starting it like burning smells, weird mouth tastes which I made me go to a neurologist and I'll be doing brain MRI and EEG soon...

My situation is so chaotic I should have never listened to that stupid psyhicatrist which got me stuck on more benzos. Feel like there's no way out of here and I don't know what to do.

Hey,

I recently stopped SSRIs after years and my psychiatrist diagnosed me with Cyclothymia and started me on Lamotrigine.

I’ve been titrating by 12.5mg each week and now I’m on 37.5mg (should up to 50mg today)

I’m also taking Clonazepam 0.5mg daily in the evening for a year already and recently started taking another 0.5mg during the day since daytime activation and symptoms became intolerable.

I constantly get like “seizure auras” symptoms occasionally. Like burnt smell, weird taste in mouth, sometimes I think I had like “rising stomach feeling” but not sure maybe it was panic.

I don’t have any history of epilepsy. I take it for Cyclothymia and for severe racing mind symptom that I had

Do any of you who rake this medicine for bipolar, Cyclothymia who never had seizure history get these symptoms?

Hey

I’m titrating Lamotrigine right now I’m almost a week on 37.5mg after stopping SSRIs for a lot of years

For context I’ve been taking Clonazepam 0.5mg during the evening for a year already

I feel very activated during the day, as I titrate up I felt so activated, hypomanic and racing mind that I started taking more Clonazepam during the day and now I’m (sadly) on another 0.5mg during the day..

My psychiatrist tells me to take Clonazepam during the day until the med settles and we should reach 50mg until the next appointment

Does the overactivation and racing mind ever stops? I hate taking more Clonazepam during the day and hate how it feels

Do you think after a week on 50mg I could try tapering off the daytime Clonazepam slowly? I’m also definitely experiencing SSRI withdrawal and my psychiatrist doesn’t give me any other answers

Hey

I’m upping my dosage by 12.5 mg each week is my psychiatrist told me and each time I feel very manic, agitated, and sometimes severe mood swings

But the most thing is I feel so much energy. I do not feel tired. I feel like this medication is way too activating for me and my psychiatrist just tells me to wait it out until we reach higher dosage, she tells me just take more Clonazepam and even higher dosages don’t seep to help me at all anymore.

But for now, I really don’t feel like it. I feel like I’m the wrong medication.

I also think it caused me kidney problems since I started feeling nausea and bed kidney blood test since I was up to 25 mg. I know it’s such a low dose, but it affects me and I feel it.

I already talk to my psychiatrist. She told me she would get back to me about the blood test if it’s caused by the Lamoine, but she’s still insisting on continuing this medication.

Did anyone else experience it as well? What do you suggest I should do next? I feel like I’m heading to the wrong path sometimes

I JUST WANT TO FEEL NORMAL, being able to sleep and feel natural tiredness but it just didn’t happen with this medication yet. Doesn’t seem like it goes to the direction i want it to. Maybe I should just get off of it and titrate it back down and just taper off the Clonazepam slowly and get back from the mess i got myself into with this stupid psychiatrist.

Hey

I’m upping my dosage by 12.5 mg each week is my psychiatrist told me and each time I feel very manic, agitated, and sometimes severe mood swings

But the most thing is I feel so much energy. I do not feel tired. I feel like this medication is way too activating for me and my psychiatrist just tells me to wait it out until we reach higher dosage, she tells me just take more Clonazepam and even higher dosages don’t seep to help me at all anymore.

But for now, I really don’t feel like it. I feel like I’m the wrong medication.

I also think it caused me kidney problems since I started feeling nausea and bed kidney blood test since I was up to 25 mg. I know it’s such a low dose, but it affects me and I feel it.

I already talk to my psychiatrist. She told me she would get back to me about the blood test if it’s caused by the Lamoine, but she’s still insisting on continuing this medication.

Did anyone else experience it as well? What do you suggest I should do next? I feel like I’m heading to the wrong path sometimes

I JUST WANT TO FEEL NORMAL, being able to sleep and feel natural tiredness but it just didn’t happen with this medication yet. Doesn’t seem like it goes to the direction i want it to. Maybe I should just get off of it and titrate it back down and just taper off the Clonazepam slowly and get back from the mess i got myself into with this stupid psychiatrist.