Dear Folks!

I'm at the tail-end of a bipolar mixed episode. During an episode, I
prefer not to post because, in retrospect, I usually post rubbish.

I'm on 1000 mg of carbamazapine a day. This medication is NOT FDA-
approved as a mood stabiliser but as anti-convulsant, in the same way
sodium valproate isn't FDA-approved but is used anyway.

I also take 10 mg of olanzapine (up from 5 mg) which is an atypical
anti-psychotic. At this dose, this med causes zombification - highly
sedative. Somnolesense - big word for making one sleepy.

The third medication I'm on is clonazepam, which is of the
benzodiazepine family. It is an anti-anxiolytic and used for people
with general anxiety disorder and panic attacks. My psychiatrist
(what the US calls psydoc) says its also used as an adjunct to the
carmabazapine. I'm supposed to take 1.0 mg at dinnertime. But I take
0.5 mg at dinner and another 0.5 mg about an hour before I go to
sleep. This would stagger the side-effects in the morning and I can
wake up at 6.45 am to catch a bus to work to be there in time for
clock-in at 9.00 am.

At my last appointment, my clonazepam was lowered from 2 mg to 1 mg
but my olanzapine was upped from 5 mg to 10 mg. I think my
psychiatrist wants to wean me off the clonazepam. I see him next on
July 15 and I hope he lowers my olanzapine back to 5 mg as olanzapine
is a real bugger as far as side-effects go.

For those of you who live in Denmark, I have just added a link
to "The Danish Mental Health Fund."

warm regards
~*AZ*~