DOSE:	5 mg	oral	Pharms - Olanzapine	(daily)
	100 mg	oral	Pharms - Lamotrigine	(daily)

BODY WEIGHT:

140 lb

Before knowing I was Bipolar, I had experienced a lot of up's and down's last year in 2012, and wound up in the hospital twice due to hypomanic episodes and a psychotic episode. I fell into a clinical depression with thoughts of suicide. I was hearing voices and daydreaming for months. I was experiencing delirium and mania due to excessive insomnia (There were occasions I'd go past 24 to 48+ hours without proper sleep.

Symptoms I had experienced during hypomanic episodes were typical to Bipolar Disorder Type 2, but I was unaware at the time. I would act compulsively, act erratic, experience mood swings and all of which crushed my social life, and made me lose a boyfriend. My family were relatively supportive, and had me go to a cranial massage therapist and an acupuncturist. The symptoms weren't going away and I had seen a doctor. At first he wanted to see if I had manic depression, and he prescribed me Celexa. Which only made me tired and anti-social (I do not recall if it made much of a difference. I returned the doctor shortly after.)

After the second visit with the doctor, he diagnosed me with Bipolar Type 2 disorder. When leaving the visit, I had thought 'That's exactly what's wrong with me, it all makes sense now.' He wrote a prescription for Lamictal (100mg) and Zyprexa (5mg). My mental illness faded away rapidly. I still experienced a little bit of delusion, was in fear I was schizo-affective as my next therapist suggested (which triggered a mood swing, I denied it and left furious). I didn't want my life to crushed and be labeled Schizophrenic, I was worried it would effect my chances at a proper life and possibly getting a good career.

I take the medication at night. I usually notice the effects as of recently. Before recently, I hardly noticed the effects (now when I mean effects, I mean a 'drug buzz'). The therapist I went to (after the doctor) was nice, and I started recovering, however my depression didn't decline fully as I hoped. The Zyprexa makes me slightly drowsy and I still don't notice the effects of the Lamictal.

In retrospective, I recommend anybody who has experienced similar experiences, the Zyprexa is what I would recommend. I'm looking for a replacement for the Lamictal currently. The voices have stopped incredibly , I used to have a handful of recognizable inner voices (which were auditory hallucinations, didn't sound in my head, but out of it). The mood disorder aspect of the mental disorder has decreased phenomenally, I don't get angry quickly and as irritable. This prescription drug has changed my life for the better, and offered the relief of symptoms allowing me to return to a mostly normal life. Leaving this drug to be my savior.

Exp Year: 2012	ExpID: 100192
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 20
Published: Jun 5, 2021	Views: 1,102
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Pharms - Olanzapine (260), Pharms - Lamotrigine  (432) : Not Applicable (38), Depression (15), Medical Use (47), Retrospective / Summary (11)