advertisement
Reply
Thread Tools Display Modes
sarahtrg
New Member
sarahtrg has no updates.
 
Member Since: Apr 2019
Location: Wasilla, Alaska
Posts: 1
3 yr Member
Confused Apr 14, 2019 at 10:12 AM
  #1
Hello everyone!

I'm new to this forum and I've joined for myself and to also get advice to help some family members.

My brother-in-law is Chinese (my sister and he met while she was teaching English to Chinese children, they are now married and in October my sister gave birth to twin boys!!) and he was recently diagnosed as Bipolar 2. I also have Bipolar 2 so I have sort of been giving my sister some advice about it...

But the medical system in China is completely whack and the doctors there are rather awful. You pretty much have to just go to a doctor and tell them what you want to be prescribed and they will prescribe it for you (as long as they get their illegal kickback from the pharm companies). So he has been prescribed citalopram, clonazepam and Abilify. The clonazepam is strictly for sleep and because the doc was gonna get his illegal kickback, my BIL doesn't really have much anxiety so my sister is trying to get him off of it...

She said she noticed a good change in him within a week of starting the Abilify but he doesn't want to take it for 2 reasons: 1) it's made him gain a lot of weight and 2) his parents, who are from a traditional generation, keep telling him that the medicine is poison and will kill him...

He and my sister and their boys are actually in the middle of getting his green card approved and are going to be moving to the US together in the next few months where he'll be able to get some real help once he is able to get a Social Security card, etc...

But I'm looking for some recommendations for mood stabilizers and anti-psychotics that cause the least amount of weight gain and have the most anti-depressant kick to them so if he wants to go to a doc to China again they'll have a few ideas of something to ask for to try instead of the Abilify (if they decide he can't handle the weight issue). TIA!
sarahtrg is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote

advertisement
still_crazy
Grand Poohbah
still_crazy has no updates.
 
Member Since: Oct 2016
Location: United States of America
Posts: 1,792
5 yr Member
3,342 hugs
given
Default Apr 14, 2019 at 05:35 PM
  #2
lamotrigine (lamictal in the US)

one can often avoid antipsychotics on bipolar II.
still_crazy is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Seqoya
Member
Seqoya has no updates.
 
Member Since: May 2015
Location: United States
Posts: 145
8 yr Member
23 hugs
given
Default Apr 14, 2019 at 11:11 PM
  #3
Lithium which I take has helped a lot of people in the US since 1970 but you need to have blood tests periodically to monitor your Lithium levels. Hopefully, they'll do that consistently there. He'll also need to have other things checked sometimes.

Rexulti is a newer med that has helped me with my Schizoaffective Disorder Bipolar Type Schizoaffective Disorder is when a person has symptoms of a mood disorder along with prominent elements of Schizophrenia. The mood disorder can be either major depression or bipolar. There's also Bipolar with Psychotic Features and Major Depression with Psychotic Features but although those have similarities with Schizoaffective disorder there are also differences.

Anyway, Lithium like Lamictal/Lamotrigine is a mood stabilizer that can treat the depression and mania or hypomania (hypomania means not full mania a more moderate form of mania which is what people with type 2 have) Medications like Abilify, Rexulti and Geodon are a type of anti-psychotic which can also sometimes be used when there isn't psychosis they can sometimes help with other things.

Sometimes people with Bipolar or Schizoaffective Disorder might need an antidepressant ALONG with other medication but some people with Bipolar can't take antidepressants. I take Lexapro.

Sometimes it takes time to find the right medication for you and the right dosage of a particular medication so please don't give up.

Oh, remember if you take Lithium it helps to eat something or have a glass of milk with it at least when you first start for your stomach.

Also the meds I mentioned don't work for everyone. I'm not a medical professional. I hope this message helps and that you and your brother in law find something that helps.
Seqoya is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
sarahsweets
Threadtastic Postaholic
 
sarahsweets's Avatar
sarahsweets has no updates.
 
Member Since: Dec 2018
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 6,006 (SuperPoster!)
5 yr Member
192 hugs
given
PC PoohBah!
Default Apr 15, 2019 at 03:29 AM
  #4
I take cymbalta, lamictal, geodon and buspar.

__________________
"I carried a watermelon?"

President of the no F's given society.
sarahsweets is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
zippity-dooda
Member
zippity-dooda has no updates.
 
Member Since: Apr 2018
Location: car
Posts: 61
5 yr Member
Default Apr 17, 2019 at 02:33 PM
  #5
Quote:
Originally Posted by sarahtrg View Post
Hello everyone!

I'm new to this forum and I've joined for myself and to also get advice to help some family members.

My brother-in-law is Chinese (my sister and he met while she was teaching English to Chinese children, they are now married and in October my sister gave birth to twin boys!!) and he was recently diagnosed as Bipolar 2. I also have Bipolar 2 so I have sort of been giving my sister some advice about it...

But the medical system in China is completely whack and the doctors there are rather awful. You pretty much have to just go to a doctor and tell them what you want to be prescribed and they will prescribe it for you (as long as they get their illegal kickback from the pharm companies). So he has been prescribed citalopram, clonazepam and Abilify. The clonazepam is strictly for sleep and because the doc was gonna get his illegal kickback, my BIL doesn't really have much anxiety so my sister is trying to get him off of it...

She said she noticed a good change in him within a week of starting the Abilify but he doesn't want to take it for 2 reasons: 1) it's made him gain a lot of weight and 2) his parents, who are from a traditional generation, keep telling him that the medicine is poison and will kill him...

He and my sister and their boys are actually in the middle of getting his green card approved and are going to be moving to the US together in the next few months where he'll be able to get some real help once he is able to get a Social Security card, etc...

But I'm looking for some recommendations for mood stabilizers and anti-psychotics that cause the least amount of weight gain and have the most anti-depressant kick to them so if he wants to go to a doc to China again they'll have a few ideas of something to ask for to try instead of the Abilify (if they decide he can't handle the weight issue). TIA!
nothing like playing Russian roulette with drugs. i dont know what your experience is with doctors. but in my experience. they ruined my belief. and that isnt good. guessing what drug isnt a good gamble. and mixing them can be disastrous. going without is a better choice. assess what is bothering you and avoid it. g.l i need a good luck charm
zippity-dooda is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
sarahsweets
Threadtastic Postaholic
 
sarahsweets's Avatar
sarahsweets has no updates.
 
Member Since: Dec 2018
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 6,006 (SuperPoster!)
5 yr Member
192 hugs
given
PC PoohBah!
Default Apr 18, 2019 at 04:13 AM
  #6
Quote:
Originally Posted by zippity-dooda View Post
nothing like playing Russian roulette with drugs. i dont know what your experience is with doctors. but in my experience. they ruined my belief. and that isnt good. guessing what drug isnt a good gamble. and mixing them can be disastrous. going without is a better choice. assess what is bothering you and avoid it. g.l i need a good luck charm
Just because that was your experience doesnt mean that telling someone to go without medication is the solution either.

__________________
"I carried a watermelon?"

President of the no F's given society.
sarahsweets is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
 
Thanks for this!
Seqoya
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:15 PM.
Powered by vBulletin® — Copyright © 2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.



 

My Support Forums

My Support Forums is the online community that was originally begun as the Psych Central Forums in 2001. It now runs as an independent self-help support group community for mental health, personality, and psychological issues and is overseen by a group of dedicated, caring volunteers from around the world.

 

Helplines and Lifelines

The material on this site is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified health care provider.

Always consult your doctor or mental health professional before trying anything you read here.