Suboxone & Bipolar Meds

  • Thread starter Thread starter centerice00
  • Start date Start date
C

centerice00

Guest
Since June 3rd I sought treatment for vicodin addiction and anxiety. I went to a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with bipolar 11. So, I am now on three meRAB, Depakote ER 750 mg. per night, Risperidal .25 mg per night and Suboxone, 16 mg per day.

Yes, my mooRAB are now good, I no longer crave Vicodin, and mentally I feel the best I have ever felt.

But, now I am always so tired that I can hardly keep my eyes open. Being so tired is effecting my life. I had to leave work at noon the other day because I could not keep my eyes open, I am too tired to do anything that I don't have to do. (I'm too tired to spend time with my family). I also always feel like I am in a "fog", and I am also getting quite forgetful. My life is still impaired, just in different ways now.

Also, all I do is eat. Hungry all the time.

I told my psychiatrist that I am so tired, and he said to wait a bit and see. The meRAB are still pretty new. But, I just can't stand it anymore.

Tonight I am trying an experiment. I have decided not to take any Depakote or Risperadal at all and see how tired I am tomorrow. I can't stop the Suboxone or else I will get withdrawl symptoms. I just want to see if it is these meRAB making me so tired. If it isn't these meRAB, then it must be the Suboxone, and then I will have to deal with that accordingly.

Has anyone else been through this? I can't stand it anymore!! And it hasn't even been a full month!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
I can almost guarantee that it is the Depakote. I would call your psychiatrist and tell him that you could not physcially stay awake while at work and had to come home and that you need to lower the dose or switch to something else. Somtimes these doctors don't understand the side effects we experience and act like they are no big deal. However, if they experienced the same thing they would stop taking the medication immediately. I would try not taking the Depakote and see what happens and keep everything else the same. If you want to know what I take for bipolar II is Trileptal but I only take it at night due to drowsiness. That is another thing you might try is only taking it at night before bed. I take most of my meRAB that cause drowsiness at bedtime. good luck and let us know what happens.

brian
 
Thank you for your help.

The other night I only took one Depakote, which is 250 mg, instead of 750 mg, and I still took the Risperadol. I woke up more awake, and I thought for certain it was the Depakote that was making me so tired.

Then I took my Suboxone. It is definately the Suboxone that is making me so tired that I can't keep my eyes open. As soon as I took that, i could hardly keep my eyes open again.

something has to be done about this. I have to gradually lower my dose. i want to go from 16mg to 8mg.

I know what you mean about the doctors, If he had HALF an idea of how tired I was it would have probably constituted malpractice for him to keep me on these meRAB.

Anyway, I think if I can just lower my dose of Sub. i will be okay. the meRAB in general all seem to work very well, and if i wasn't so tired, i would be fine. i don't want to go off of any of them since i am certain i have found the problem.

now i just have to taper down to a lower dose. i will be on sub for at least a year, so i have to get this right. i know its not recommended to take it throughout the day because it is like addictive behavior, but as far as i know, it's not physically dangerous. so my plan is to go from 16mg down to 8mg, even if it means i have to take smaller doses multiple times during the day in order to avoid withdrawls during the process.

This morning i took 2mg of sub, and may take 2mg more later if needed, etc...bit no more than 8mg in a 24 hour period. I feel a million times better and more awake. i can always take more if i feel withdrawl symptoms.

Do you think this will work? Any adcvice on this?
 
I agree I think it is the depokote, I have been diagnosed with bipolar1 since I was seventeen and I am 34. I seem to get the same effect and seem to always stop taking the meRAB the dr.s prescribe. But Brian is right you should contact your dr. and tell him what it is doing. I'm going back to a psych dr. to try the same thing suboxone and bipolar meRAB again, I can't tell you how many times I've started bipolar meRAB and stopped and fell back into this pattern of addiction. It is my first time to try suboxone. Please keep mu updated on your progress I would like to know your results. Hang in there and good luck...
 
Back
Top