Question:
Does anyone know of where you could find the side effects of the
"tail" of medications you take? Like the side effects of taking Lithium, Depakote, Lamectal and
Seroquel together?
I know there are sites that will give you the side effects of one
medication. Are there any that will give you the side effects of more
than one medication?
Answer:
Probably not. What your really looking for are called 'drug interactions'.
But by carefully reading about drug interactions on the detailed drug
information sites (the one's that give as much info as the PDR) on all the
drugs you're taking, you can probably come to some conclusions about
possible problems. Then talk to your p-doc about what you've learned. Some
pharmacists (the degreed ones, not pharm techs) are also very knowledgeable
about interactions and may be able to answer your questions. (Are you actually taking lithium, depakote, lamectal and seroquel together?
I sure hope not - as these 3 of these are mood stabilizers, and Seroquel
although an antipsychotic can also act as a mood stabilizer for BP patients.
On all 4 drugs, you would probably be so zonked you couldn't tell which way
was up. I can't think of any circumstances where you would need more than 2
mood stabilizers together!!! Ask your doctor what's going on if he has you
on all these. Get a 2nd opinion!!!) 1. I don't think that there's anything wrong, a priori, with taking
lithium, Depakote, Lamictal and Seroquel together. There are
synergistic effects among the drugs. In my case, for example, Lamictal
and Depakote are maintenance medications, but I take the Seroquel as
needed if I'm having a "black mania" or a really bad anxiety blow-out.
2. Further, when you say "...as 3 of these are mood stabilizers[.]"
Well, no--Lamictal has significant antidepressant activity, and is now
being prescribed as monotherapy for depression without manic features.
Neither Lamictal NOR Depakote is technically, originally, a "mood
stabilizer"--they both started their careers as antiseizure meds. I
think making an oversimplification in classification can sometimes
confuse issues, rather than elucidating them.
3. IMO, it's not a good idea to question the pharmacological regimen
of another person unless you know that person very, very well. Even if
you were a doctor, you haven't seen this patient (Markey); you don't
know his/her medical, familial, and psychosocial history; you don't
know about other conditions he may have that might be causing him to
take "all 4 drugs". Maybe if one of those four (4) pillars is removed,
his treatment collapses. You don't know.
I'm certainly not a doctor or pharmacist. But having had some bad personal
experiences with drug interactions & side effects, I'm very hot on being an
informed patient. When ever anyone has questions about drug interactions
and mentions 4 drugs, I tend to suspect they may be having some side
effects.
The main point I should have made is this - when in doubt first ask the
prescribing doctor. He/She's the one who really needs to know about any
problems.
But I am a strong believer in being a well informed 'mental health consumer'
(that's what they're calling us mentally ill folks here in Texas now!) -
read up the med facts in the box insert, check the internet drug info pages
(esp. the ones by the drug company), and check with others here about what
side effects they may have experienced. Knowledge is Power!! In Texas we
only get to see the MHMR community health clinic p-doc's once every 3
months. But I learned my lesson the hard way - if I'm having problems and
suspect its one of my med's I pester pester pester the nurse and doctor at
MHMR till I get an answer - no more suffering 3 months for me!!!
