Epilim pills for bipolar disorder

[Ernest]

Hello everyone. I need to confess that this is my first post on this forum and having this said I would like to tell you all a big thanks to all of the people out there who are kind enough to post here a reply on this topic. So, I would like to start off by saying that not so long ago I have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Also, I need to add that somewhere deep inside of me, I most likely do realize that this is true and that I most like I should have done it years ago even though I am still not willing to accept the fact that I have it. I just guess that I really do not like the idea that I am suffering from something and that I am broken in some way. But… as much as it seems… I really do.

 

So well, let me start by telling you all a little bit about myself. I am 24 years old and I am working as a teacher and it has been EXXTREMELY difficult to try to keep under the control my mood while I am teaching (at work). There are even some days when it is truly impossible for me this is the reason I just need to take a day or two as being sick. The doc is telling me that I am cycling very quickly (within some days) and he told me that he is not exactly sure on how to treat it. well… not so long ago he has put me on Epilim and told me to take 400 mg of it a day (I am not sure but I think that it is depatoke, sodium valproate or something like that in some other countries). Besides, I am also on Clonazepam, I take 50 mg of this thing at the night in order to help me to sleep (due to the fact that I am also getting night terrors that are usually resulting in me being harsh on everything).

 

So well, I have initiated to use them 6 days ago and since then I have been completely, totally extremely depressed as well as very exhausted, I mean, all the time, even in the morning. And yeah, I am sleeping a lot, I sleep approximately 10 hours per day as well as some random naps during the day too. I have also had some inexplicable headaches these days too. I have started to collect information about this specific drug and I have found out that there are a lot of people that are having their appetite increased while they are using this drug and I can say that I have not gotten this effect. It is not like I am nauseous or anything in this matter, however, I just do not feel any hunger anymore since I have started to use it. I am just eating because I know that I should otherwise I wouldn’t. I mean, yeah, as strange as it sounds, I am pretty sure that I could go the entire day without eating anything and it wouldn’t be a problem for me.

 

And now… regarding for my mood… oh well, they are going crazy… really. Compared to clonazepam that is making me nice and calm… I am now feeling very and very depressed on Epilim and I really do not like the way I feel. Who likes to feel depressed? Besides, there are people being calm while they are depressed, it is not about me as I am getting very easily irritated too. and generally it feels like I am depressed in a depressed cycle that I am not able to get out of it no matter how hard I try.

 

And now.. having all of this said I would really like if some of you would answer me: have I got anything to look forward to? do you know a way out of this darkness I am living in? do you know a method that could be helpful for me? I am not feeling absolutely any different on Epilim (not sure why) compared to how I feel while I am on Clonazepam, however this is wearing off. I am sorry because I do know that it pretty much feels like I am talk long windedly without making very much sense  but I am just trying to make you understand how desperate I am and I would like to get some of your help.. very badly… I really hope that there is somebody who can make sense of what I am feeling I can help me… with anything. I also wanted to know whether is there someone who is in the same boat as I do and if you can help… at least with something… please.

 

Besides, something else that I would really appreciate a lot is if there is anything else that I should look out for? I have a feeling that there must be something that I am not aware of and that I really should know. by the way, I am scheduled for a blood test in a couple of days and only after that I am going to go to my psyche so until then I cannot tell him that I hate the med he put me on so I need to be on it. but after that I would surely tell him to get me off of it because I can’t take it anymore. also, then I am going to ask him for some advices of what I need to take else or what else I need to do. but, the point I am here is that I wanted you to ask for some advices until I go seeing him. I want to be prepared. Opinions, options, recommendations etc. so I wanted to ask for some advices. really hope that I am going to get some until then. Thank you all in advance for everything and sorry for such a long post.

 

[McBrien]

So well, there may be the increased sedation and drowsiness feeling in case the Epilim drug is taken along with benzodiazepines, like for example Clonazepam. A less common side effect of clonazepam is the mental depression. 

 

Also, do you feel somehow drowsy?? Do you have headache? Being irritable after waking up those couple of last days?? being sluggish, anything??

 

[Ernest]

Hello there McBrian and thank you a lot for your reply. About the headaches… this issue has been common for me in the past too, I’ve been suffering from headaches even before I started to take anything, that’s a usual thing for me, this is why I am not sure whether they are related to the drug or not. and they are not feeling any different, they are not worse or better, they are still feeling the same.

 

But regarding the drowsiness (in the morning and not only) as well as the sluggish then surely YES! That’s definitely! I am not able to get my mind to want to do stuff. However, I do not want to sleep. My sleeping patterns are now all over the place. I can sleep at 8 AM in the morning and then I am sleeping for only 4 to 5 hours. Besides, I am definitely moody but I find this very weird and I don’t like it at all because I have been thinking that this thing was meant to kind of sort out my moods, no?

 

Though, I do not have any hyperness. And yeah, I am still not eating anything. I just really do not want to eat anything. I forgot the feeling of hunger. I feel like this feeling of hunger is no longer in me at all.

 

Well… I am hanging out for the blood test so in this way I would be able to get back to the psyche and to tell him everything I want. My best guess is that I am now searching for some reassurance until that time comes… besides, I am not really sure if my psyche knows everything. If there would be a little bit of some self experience that could be gotten from some other people’s experiences then that would help me for sure.

 

Well, thank you once again for everything, I appreciate a lot your response.

 

[McBrien]

You are very welcome for everything.

 

To have hangover similar symptoms like for example being drowsy, to have headaches, to be sluggish as well as being irritable after you are woken up in the time when Clonazepam is being used before your sleep that is a common side effect of that medicine. I think that you should search for what people are posting online about Clonazepam and about Clonazepam side effects. pretty sure you would find yourself among those people’s reviews.

 

Also, this is most likely the results of this med’s long half life (the time it is being in your system, before metabolized and eliminated)which is continuing to affect the user after he has woken up and this is also disrupting the REM cycle.

 

Not sure if this would help but it might: I would recommend you to ask your doc for the thyroid gland hormones test to run on you. that’s a simple blood test, it is not painful, and it can be very helpful. don’t be worried about it.

 

Also, the sleeping issues that you are experiences as well as the hunger issues are pretty common effects for the bipolar disorder, however, they can also be related with some problems with your thyroid gland. I’m by no means trying to say that you’re having problems with your thyroid gland as I am not a doctor and I have not even seen you. I’m just trying to say that it may be, so it may be worth a trying to check it out. I assume that you would prefer to be on the safe side, no?? besides, not sure if somebody told you, but I guess that they should have… there is a connection between the bipolar disorder and the thyroid hormone condition.

 

That’s not a rule, but there are sometimes when if the patient is treating the thyroid gland issues then it is leading to also resolving the bipolar symptoms too. maybe that’s the case for you too.

 

Plus, you have mentioned that you are cycling very fast as well as that you are feeling depressed and in the same time with that: you are irritated. All of this means that you may be experiencing some mixed episodes of bipolar disorder (to have the symptoms of the depression as well as the mania irritated in the same time plus the pattern of bipolar symptoms it is even more usual and common for people of your age).

 

So well, I am going to share with you a clinical fact (which you might be interested in it) is that the thyroid issues are more common in the complex forms of bipolar disorder (very fast cycling and mixed mood states) than in the classic bipolar manic patient. Having all of this said, you might really need to get your thyroid gland checked if you haven’t yet. As I said, I can’t be sure that this would give you the answer to all of your question but even if it won’t – you would rule out one of the pretty possible scenario.

 

I really hope that this is going to help you somehow. Do everything it takes to be healthy again.

 

I will be waiting for your response. Best regards!

 

[Elizabeth Dangar]

I am also on epilim. I have also been put on it not so long ago and it is pretty much not having any effects on me but one: being unable to sleep. And my inability to sleep in much worse than OPs. Is there somebody else on Epilim who can relate?? I am taking epilim ec200 and it is not having any effects but there are some times when I have absolutely no problems to stay awake for 24 hours and I am not even feeling tired, I don’t want and I don’t need to sleep. Of course I tried but with no success… some help? should I take a medication that would put me to sleep along with Epilim?