Mood stabilisers and Antipsychotics eating my words?

[squiggle]

i can't say i understood a lot about the metabolising stuff but here's what i did get, if it's any help.

there is a therapeutic range of the concentration of the drug in your bloodstream, and it has to be between a particular set of two numbers for the drug to be effective. too high can lead to poisoning and bad side effects, too low and it won't work. for lithium its 0.4-0.8mmol/l. everyone metabolises drugs differently, so the same dose in two different people will result in different concentrations of the drug in your bloodstream. they have to do blood tests to check the level, if it's too low they'll increase your dose, too high and they'll decrease it. when you're in the therapeutic range you won't have to have bloods as often as the concentration should remain pretty stable.

hope this is what you were asking, if not, apologies.
x

[Reeta]

Hey TS, I have the same problem with forgetting my words and stopping mid sentance etc. Ive even started doing what my gran used to do and going through everyones names until I get the right one!

I tell everyone its early onset Alzheimers. Obviously a joke, but that is what it feels like to me.

Im not on any APs and the AD I am on now is mirtazapine but I am also on a high amount of pain killers (tramadol, diclofenic co-codamol and the oh so effective para) so you might be on to something with that idea.

[tellingstories]

I tell everyone its early onset Alzheimers. Obviously a joke, but that is what it feels like to me.

You know what, that's actually what I was really worried about. I am a total hypochondriac and since I turned thirty you'd swear it was sixty.

[greenday]

because its so hard living a life of a self harmer why did u ask my age i dont realy mind u asking its ok but can i ask what age u r  :peepwall:

[riot-grrrl]

I don't experience the effects your talking about with my mood stabilisers (valproate) but i did with my AP ( risperidone).
I would try not to worry about it too much (easier said than done i know!!!) but if you do feel as though it is becoming a problem then maybe a chat with your prescribing doctor? If it makes you feel any better i have the short term memory of an Alzheimers patient, and i'm 25!! :-( lol.

[tellingstories]

because its so hard living a life of a self harmer why did u ask my age i dont realy mind u asking its ok but can i ask what age u r  :peepwall:

I asked because I'm nosey and I hadn't seen anything in the introductions section about you. I am nearly 31 but that is a sore subject. I'm sorry you're so young and feeling like that, can you talk to your parents?

I don't experience the effects your talking about with my mood stabilisers (valproate) but i did with my AP ( risperidone).
I would try not to worry about it too much (easier said than done i know!!!) but if you do feel as though it is becoming a problem then maybe a chat with your prescribing doctor? If it makes you feel any better i have the short term memory of an Alzheimers patient, and i'm 25!! :-( lol.

Thanks RG. It has actually been better today and yesterday. I'm trying to cut down on the painkillers, so that's probably why.

[tellingstories]

i can't say i understood a lot about the metabolising stuff but here's what i did get, if it's any help.

there is a therapeutic range of the concentration of the drug in your bloodstream, and it has to be between a particular set of two numbers for the drug to be effective. too high can lead to poisoning and bad side effects, too low and it won't work. for lithium its 0.4-0.8mmol/l. everyone metabolises drugs differently, so the same dose in two different people will result in different concentrations of the drug in your bloodstream. they have to do blood tests to check the level, if it's too low they'll increase your dose, too high and they'll decrease it. when you're in the therapeutic range you won't have to have bloods as often as the concentration should remain pretty stable.

hope this is what you were asking, if not, apologies.
x

Thankyou Squiggle, that is what I was asking. Jeepers, I love that some people (IRL, ok?) think that being mentally ill is somehow glamorous when this is what we have to do to ourselves to stay 'well'

[greenday]

i feel happy today and thnks for telling me what your age is and i realy like talking to u 

[squiggle]

Thankyou Squiggle, that is what I was asking. Jeepers, I love that some people (IRL, ok?) think that being mentally ill is somehow glamorous when this is what we have to do to ourselves to stay 'well'

i know. blood tests, side effects, millions of pills, trying to find the right meds, therapy (if you're lucky enough to get accepted) and yet it still doesn't guarantee that they can make you better. it's not like they can do a blood test and say 'hey, you have bipolar' and BAM, they give you the right meds and everything is fine....

[tellingstories]

And then there's the absolute terror that next time I mess up will be the time they take my children away.