Congentin and Abilify

I take asbilify, I have no problems, but I also take Clonopan for my anxiety attacks. The combo works great. See if the Congentin can be switched.

You didn't say if you have insurance or not. If you lived closer I could recommend Dr. Eudaly (see my reply to Nicole C's post above). He's been in practice back when they didn't even have a name for ADD/ADHD and bipolar. And one of the first to practice mental health care in the metroplex. Yes, that's how old he is! But, believe it or not, he is still good!
You could call the office and they might be able to recommend someone/someplace on that side of town. All I can think of right off the top of my head is MHMR. Have you ever tried that? I know their treatments are free or very minimal (it's based on income).
I hope that helps! Take care!

Please consider getting the reading the book, "The Gut and Psychology Syndrome".

Good morning, S.,
If you are ready to consider an approach that will take you off of medication, you need to call and make an appointment with Ditt Welch ###-###-#### or Kevin Green ###-###-#### of Oxygen Sciences Wellness Center in Dallas (near Preston & 635). My husband is ADHD and I am bipolar and after being treated there we take no pills, no drugs now. I was having panic attacks about driving too, following a serious car accident. It is very liberating to manage your own health, both physical & mental. They are intertwined, so don't let anyone tell you different. You will have to take responsibility for your own nutrition, but it is so worth it.
Good luck and let me know how things go.
B. G.

On this mornings daily digest for Mamasource, someone posted something similar. I've totally believed all my life, in the medical establishment and in pharmaceutical drugs. I've just recently done some research to help my own disorder, I'm hypothyroid. Anyway, I'm finding that the medical establishment is not always right. Believe me, this is blasphemy in my house as my Father-in-law is a retired Dr and my Mother-in-law is a nurse. I think that the body has an amazing ability heal and regulate itself. We hear all the time about "eating healthy" especially now, but how many of us really do that. I know I haven't been. I have a sister who is on countless prescribed drugs, insulin, steroids, thyroid, the blood thinner cumidin(sp?). She's type 1 diabetic, obese, hypothyroid and had a stroke 2 years ago, she's 33. Everytime I see her, whe looks worse. Her diet is terrible, she's been drinking diet drinks since her teen years, she eats all kinds of "fat free & sugar free" foods and snacks, she says she can't eat anything with vitamin K becuase it has a negative affect on her, she also eats fast food 4 or more times a week and nearly everything else comes in a package. She claims she is "eating healthy" because she's cut out almost all sugar. There's a lot of literature out there, and a lot of it is confusing, but you can consider treating with the vitamin Niacin for depression and panic attacks.

The vitamin Niacin is an antidepressant. We get some niacin from our diets, but some people require higher doses. Bill Williams, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous was one who took niacin in slightly higher doses and found it cleared up his depression that he'd struggled with for years. He wanted to treat all the alcoholics in the AA program with this vitamin, but the medical establishment shot it down, they didn't believe that a vitamin deficiency could cause depression, it couldn't be that simple. Anyway, you can google niacin and depression and see some articles. There is also a great Oestopathic Dr named Andrew Saul who has lectured about this. I just purchased a DVD called Foodmatters where he and other Drs spoke about the affects of nutrition. He told about a woman who was so depressed all she could do was sit and stare in a corner. She couldn't really function. Her family gave her high doses of Niacin and within a short time (something like a day) she was up, talking, and eating at the dinner table. Her Dr was outraged that she was taking this supplement, so he ordered her off. Her family stopped giving her the supplements and she was back in the corner.

If you choose to go this route, take a good quality brand of No Flush Niacin.

Another good book or website to read is on Gerson Therapy. Check it out at the library.

K.

Hi S.,

I had 2 adult sons that went through this and we chose to see a nutritionist to aid and help them get the body chemicals in order.

In both cases it worked great and within 2 weeks. I recommmend that you make your way to Grapevine and see Bryan at Healthy Approach. He is a certified nutritionist and he gives 30 minute consultations for free. Bring your meidical records when you see him. He operates out of the Healthy Approach store and their number is ###-###-####.

He is truly a God send...

M.

Does Lithium do any better? Not too long ago it was considered the gold standard for managing bipolar disorder in adults. It kills your sex drive and can make you kind of tired - but no panic attacks in my experience.

S.,

My mom took Abilify and had the same reaction so her doctor took her off of it. You probably need another kind of medication.

I know of a wonderful dr in Grand Prairie

4116 S Carrier Pkwy Ste 250
Grand Prairie, TX 75052

Phone: ###-###-####
Fax: ###-###-####

I don't take those meds but I have taken ZOLOFT for anxiety and panic attacks. I used to be the same way about driving I could not drive on the high ways AT ALL and would freak out at the thought of it... but after about a year on zoloft and repeating the serenity prayer (yes the one for AA but it works for ANY thing if repeated several times daily) "God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
courage to change the things we can,
and wisdom to know the difference."

I repeated this daily and ANY time I felt panic and it REALLY worked... I still do it to this day and I am off the zoloft and if I feel panic I repeat the prayer and I know in my heart that I am not in controll of things that I can not controll. but I have FAITH and know that I have to live my life and live for my children and family and as long as I am doing everything I can on my part to ensure safety the rest is up to God.

I truly believe that your mind is stronger than you think and If you can do these things along with your medical therapy, you will be able to live the life you desire!

for the history on the Serenity prayer goto http://www.aahistory.com/prayer.html

Here is a long version of the prayer

God grant me the SERENITY to
accept the things I cannot change;
COURAGE to change the things I can;
and WISDOM to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it:

Trusting that He will make all things
right if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen

Good luck
A. J

S.,

I'm sorry you're having panic attacks on top of bipolar. What a challenge, especially as you are also raising 3 children. I have had the same problem, and it hits me more often when I'm at rest than when I'm moving. I found out my "panic attacks" were actually a symptom of low magnesium. One thing that would happen to me is that I had a hyperactive startle reflex, so that if I heard a sudden, unusual noise, I would jump out of my skin and my heart would race. I knew it wasn't psychological or emotional, but it did take awhile to research and relate it back to low magnesium. Sometimes estrogen dominance can cause panic attacks, also.

I want to encourage you to consider low magnesium as a major contributor to the panic attacks. I'm listing some info below that you should check into. Go to a good health food store and ask for help in getting a good source of magnesium. If it works, it would be a fairly quick, easy, inexpensive solution. Make sure you have a good balance of magnesium to calcium. Long ago, I had kidney stones that were attributed to excess calcium, even though I have never been a dairy eater/drinker. As an adult, I found out the kidney stones developed because of too little magnesium in relation to calcium (which I was also actually low in). Good luck with finding a solution!

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http://panic-disorder.suite101.com/article.cfm/magnesium_...

The above is a good website. Here is a portion of what it says:

Magnesium is critical to more than 300 of the human body’s enzymatic reactions. Certain stress hormones, such as catecholamines and cortisol, can deplete the body’s magnesium stores.

Studies have found that those with agoraphobia and certain other phobic disorders often have lower levels of magnesium in their bodies. Increasing magnesium in the diet through natural sources or supplements may reduce the symptoms of anxiety for some people.

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And below is an Amazon book review that references another book, "Magnesium Miracle," by Carolyn Dean, as a good source of info about the relationship between magnesium and panic attacks:

By D. R Schryer

I am very familiar with the pain of anxiety, panic attacks, and agoraphobia for I suffered from these maladies for several decades. During those years of suffering I underwent treatment by psychiatrists, psychologists, and hypnotherapists. I took various prescribed medications and read many books, of which this was one of the best, but still I experienced little relief. And then, after I began taking a daily supplement of chelated magnesium for another seemingly-unrelated ailment, for the first time I began experiencing significant diminishment of anxiety. There seemed to be no explanation for this wonderful change until the publication in 2003 of the book The Miracle of Magnesium by Dr. Carolyn Dean. In her wonderful book Dr. Dean reveals that a major cause of anxiety and panic attacks is deficiency of magnesium and that magnesium deficiency is quite common in the U.S. Therefore, I beg all sufferers of anxiety, panic attacks, and agoraphobia to purchase and read The Miracle of Magnesium by Dr. Carolyn Dean and try the magnesium supplementation which she recommends. It may change your life as has changed mine.

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Best wishes, S., and have a good day today!